Transcript The Rise of Christianity

The Rise of Christianity
Setting the Stage
1. Christianity differed from
the Roman religion in
that it emphasized a
personal relationship
between God and people
while the Roman religion
was practiced without
emotion.
Jews Come Under Roman Rule
2. Jewish kings kept their
independence by working as
representatives of the
Roman Empire.
They allied with the Romans
and accepted the Roman
plans to “Romanize”
Jerusalem.
3. After King Herod died, the Jewish people began to
revolt against the Roman occupation. This revolt
lasted ten years.
4. The Romans gained control by giving control of
religious matters and local affairs to the Jewish court
called the Sanhedrin.
5. Zealots wanted to rid their homeland of the Romans
and believed that the Messiah (promised savior)
would restore the kingdom of the Jews.
The Life and Teaching of Jesus
Jesus was a Jew born in a land under Roman rule.
He grew up in Nazareth in northern Palestine. At age
30, he began his public ministry.
6. For the next three years, Jesus emphasized God’s
personal relationship to each human being and the
importance not only loving God, but loving one’s self,
one’s neighbors and one’s enemies.
He also taught that God had established an eternal
kingdom for people after their death if they repented
their worldly sins.
Jesus’ Message
7. We know about the life of
Jesus because of the four
Gospels, the first four books
of the New Testament of the
Bible.
8. The 12 men who followed
Jesus most closely are now
known as the apostles.
9. Jesus appealed to the
poor because he
ignored wealth and
status. He told the
people “blessed are the
poor as they shall
inherit the earth”.
Many began to believe
that he was the long
awaited Messiah.
Jesus’ Death
10. Jesus’ popularity concerned the Roman and
Jewish leaders because the Romans saw him as
a threat to their authority and the Jewish leaders
believed his message to be blasphemous (as
well as a threat to their authority in religious
matters).
Jesus’ Death
11. After Jesus arrived in
Jerusalem, he was arrested by
the Roman governor, Pontius
Pilate. The charge against Jesus
is that he challenged the
authority of Rome. Jesus was
sentenced to death by crucifixion
( a popular form of Roman
execution).
Christianity
12. According to the Gospels, three days after
Jesus died, his body was gone from the tomb.
This fulfilled his promise that he would rise
from the dead on the third day.
13. The Apostles believed that Jesus had
ascended into heaven, thus fulfilling the
prophecy. It is from that belief that the name
“Christ” was given to him by the Greeks.
14. Peter led the apostles after Jesus’ death.
The apostles spread the teachings of Jesus throughout Syria
and Palestine. The cross on which Jesus was crucified became
a symbol for their beliefs.
Christianity Spreads Through the Empire
15. Paul, an enemy of
Christians, reports seeing a
vision on Jesus on his
journey to Damascus, Syria.
After this incident, he spent
the rest of his life spreading
Jesus’ teachings.
16. Christianity spread
easily and safely
throughout the Roman
empire because of Pax
Romana, the excellent
system of Roman roads,
and the common
languages of Greek and
Roman spoken
throughout the empire.
17. Paul wrote letters, called epistles, to groups of
believers.
Jewish Rebellion
18. In 70 A.D., Romans stormed Jerusalem to put down a
rebellion. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed once again.
In 73 A.D.,Masada, a Jewish fortress, high on a mountaintop,
was stormed by the Romans. When the Romans entered the
fortress, they found that all of the Jews had killed themselves
In 132 A.D., the Jews rebelled again. This time, the Romans
put an end to the Jewish political state and most of the Jews
were driven from their homeland into exile. This is known as a
diaspora.
Persecution of the Christians
19. Christians posed a problem for the Roman rulers
because they refused to worship the Roman gods.
Their refusal was interpreted as opposition to Roman
rule.
20. Roman rulers used Christians as scapegoats, blaming
the Christians for Rome’s political and economic
troubles. Peter and Paul were both put to death by
the Romans in this state sponsored persecution.
21. As the Pax Romana, began to crumble, Roman
exiled, imprisoned , or executed Christians for
refusing to worship Roman gods. Thousands were
crucified, burned or fed to wild animals in the circus
arenas.
A World Religion
22. Christianity appealed to so many people for
the following reasons:
a. Christianity embraced all people.
b. Gave hope to the powerless
c. Appealed to those repelled by the
extravagances of imperial Rome.
d. Offered a personal relationship with God.
e. Promised eternal life after death.
Early Christian Church
23. The early church was structured much like the Roman
hierarchy.
a. Priests served at the local level- who led a small
group of Christians.
b. A Bishop supervised several local churches.
c. The pope supervised all of the bishops.
24. The apostle Peter was the 1st pope.
Constantine Accepts Christianity
25. In 312 A.D. (~300 years after the death of Jesus), the
Emperor Constantine prayed for divine help in his
battle against his two rivals. At stake was the Roman
throne. He reported having seen a cross of light with
the inscription “In this sign, conquer.” At that moment,
Constantine converted to Christianity. He won the
battle, gained the throne of Rome and upon his return
to Rome announced the end of the persecution of the
Christians. He then recognized Christianity as one of
the religions approved by the emperor.
Eventually (in 380 A.D.), Christianity became the
official religion of the Roman Empire
Discord and Harmony
26. In an attempt to end
conflicts within the
Church, leaders sought
to set a single official
standard of belief.
These beliefs are
contained in the New
Testament.
Conference of Nicaea
27. In 325 A.D., the emperor
Constantine attempted to
end the disputes and
disorder within the Church
by calling Church leader to a
conference in Nicaea,
Anatolia.
28. It is at Nicaea where the
Church leaders wrote the
Nicaea Creed, which
defined the beliefs of the
Church.
Critical Thinking
29. The people of the Roman Empire were receptive to
the Christian religion because it:
1. embraced all people, gave hope to the powerless,
2. appealed to those who were repelled by the
extravagances of imperial Rome,
3. offered a personal relationship with God, and
4. promised a life after death.
For Roman citizens, this was a much better deal than
the one they had as a citizen of Rome.
30. The Spread of Christianity was made easier by
the network of roads throughout Rome and the
peace and prosperity of the empire during pax
romana.
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