Transcript Jesus Christ

Christianity
The religion based on the life, teachings,
and example of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Son of God~Messiah~Savior
Life
Nearly all knowledge of Jesus comes from the
Gospels—first four books of New Testament
New Testament and books from the Torah make
up today’s Christian Bible
Jesus born in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem
Learned carpentry, studied writings of Jewish
prophets
Church of the Nativity~ Bethlehem
Preaching
Jesus preached a message of love and renewal
Gathered group of disciples-followers
Created excitement by performing miracles of
healing; defending poor, oppressed
Instructed people to repent of sins, seek God’s
forgiveness
Must love God above all, love others as much as
self
Rome’s Reaction
Jesus' popularity- crowds alarmed authorities
who feared political uprisings
Jesus arrested, tried, sentenced to death
Ecce Homo
“Behold the man"
The Governor, Pontius Pilate.
The Praetorium, Jerusalem, 30CE.
Jesus is sentenced to death.
By Antonio Ciseri (1821-91)
Death and Resurrection
According to New Testament, after crucifixion
– Jesus rose from the dead
– Appeared for 40 days
– Ascended into heaven
Followers believed Resurrection and Ascension
revealed Jesus as the Messiah
The Spread of Christianity
Jesus' 12 disciples –followers -worked to spread
the message after his death
Apostles-prominent Christian missionaries who
went to other communities and spread the word
of God with the goal to convert.
Apostles traveled widely, teaching
mostly in Jewish communities
Paul of Tarsus
Was a contemporary of Jesus but never met him
Originally known as Saul, born in Tarsus, in Asia Minor
(Present day Turkey)
Actively opposed teaching that Jesus was the Messiah
Paul had conversion on way to Damascus and became
Christian
If not for his work, Christianity
might have remained a branch
of Judaism
Converting the Gentiles
Paul believed God sent him to convert non-Jews,
or Gentiles
Paul helped make Christianity broader religion,
attracted many new followers
Helped establish Christian churches throughout
eastern Mediterranean
Paul’s epistles, or letters, to those churches later
became part of the New Testament
Roman Christianity
Paul emphasized new doctrines that helped
distinguish Christianity from Judaism
Christianity spread; message of love, eternal life
after death found appealing
By 300 CE, some 10 percent of Roman people
were Christian
Beheaded by the Romans in about 64 CE
Persecution-Threat
Christians were persecuted at the local level, but
large-scale persecution was rare during first
two centuries after Jesus' life
Large-scale persecution by Romans grew as
rulers saw Christianity as threat
Persecution-Results
As Christianity spread through Roman world,
some local officials feared Christians
conspiring against them
Roman authorities arrested and killed many
Christians
Those killed seen by Christians as martyrspeople who choose to die rather than deny a
strongly held belief, especially a religious
belief
Imperial Approval
Spread of Christianity hastened by conversion of
Emperor Constantine
313 CE, Constantine made Christianity legal
within empire, Edict of Milan
By late 300s, polytheism gradually disappeared
from empire
Constantine
Constantine made December 25th the birthday of
Jesus/Christmas.
Was the birthday of the pagan Sun god
Observance of Sunday as the day of rest
Instituted celebrating Easter and Lent based on
pagan springtime celebrations
Papacy
System of government in the Roman Catholic
Church
Vatican
Pope is the head of the Church
The Pope is known as the Bishop of Rome
St. Peter was the first Pope.
The Pope is Peter's successor and superior to all
other bishops
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
What is a basilica?
Roman Catholic Church or cathedral
Must be designated as such by the pope himself
Peter the Apostle
Many believed Peter founded Roman Church,
was first bishop
Later bishops of Rome, popes, were Peter’s
spiritual heirs
Gospel of Matthew: Jesus gives Peter keys to
kingdom of heaven
Therefore future popes inherit keys
Rituals
During Eucharist, people eat bread, drink wine in
memory of Jesus' death and resurrection
With baptism, people are
admitted to the faith
Cathedral
A large, important church
Icons
A holy picture, carving, or statue of Jesus Christ,
the Virgin Mary, or a saint
Eastern Orthodox churches
Expansion of the Church
By about 100, priests who were trained in
ceremonies became prominent within
Christianity.
The authority of the priests was based on the
authority Jesus gave the Apostles. This
spiritual authority distinguished the priests
from the general congregation of the church
Administrative Structure
• Church expanded, developed administrative
structure
• Bishop oversaw church affairs, had authority
over other priests
• 300s, heads of oldest congregations, patriarchs,
had authority over other bishops
What was the main message of Jesus' teaching?
Followers must love God above all else, and
love others as they loved themselves.