Transcript Emergence of Christianity

Crisis of the Third Century
1) What were some factors contributing to instabilities in the Roman
Empire from the 3rd century A.D. onward?
2) True or False:
“Christianity spread as the Roman Empire declined. Therefore,
Christianity caused the disintegration of the Roman Empire.”
Emergence of Christianity
Evaluate the following: “The four canonical gospels, Mark, Matthew,
Luke, & John tell a single, simple factual account of the life of Jesus.
Therefore, all early Christians believed the same things about Jesus
and his significance.”
1) What are the available sources for the life of Jesus?
2) Why can we not take these sources (the Gospels or any
others) at face value as a simple account of what happened?
Each of the Gospels tells the story in a different way. That means more than
merely rearranging certain episodes or adding new sayings here and there . . .
Changing the order and wording of such episodes usually reflects a distinctive
understanding of Jesus’s life, teachings, and death on the part of the Gospel
author who was far more interested in the theological significance carried by the
story than in historical accuracy.
From Jesus to Christianity (2004)
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
1) What is the thesis or main point of each clip?
2) Connect the clips to what we’ve read and talked about in
class. Be specific.