Christianity: (background info)
- Religion has always played a large role in Roman society
- However, the polytheistic system was very impersonal
- So… as the empire grew so did the new religion called Christianity
Jesus of Nazareth:
- Viewed as the Messiah or savior by Christians
- Born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea.
- Baptized by John the Baptist
- He took up carpentry
- At the age of 30, he then took up ministry
- For the next 3 years, he preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly performed miracles
History of Jesus:
- Historical records of the time mention very little about Jesus
- Main source of information about his main teachings are the Gospels
- These gospels were written by his disciples or pupils, called apostles
Jesus’ Death:
- Jesus was growing in popularity and this concerned Roman and Jewish leaders
- A governor of Rome named Pontius Pilate accused Jesus of defying the authority of Rome
- He then was crucified on a wooden cross
Spreading Christianity:
- After Jesus’ death, the followers of Jesus continued to spread his ideas
- Despite the large amount of political and religious opposition, the new religion of Christianity began to spread
Paul:
- A man who really influenced the spreading of Christianity
- Was once a Jew, and against Christianity
- He was able to do many of his speeches, and travel throughout the Roman Empire because it was during Pax Romana.
Charts:
- Christian
o Belief that Jesus is the Messiah
o Acceptance of Gentiles and Jews alike
- Jewish
o Belief that Jews are the chosen people
o Adherence to Jewish law
- Both
o Belief in one God
o Belief in the ten commandments
Organization:
Pope
Bishops Bishops Bishops
Priest Preist Priest Priest Priest
The People
Persecution of Christians:
- The main reason was that they refused to worship Roman gods
- As Pax Romana began to crumble, persecution of the Christians increased
- Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed by the wild animals in the circus arenas
- Other Christians and even some non-christians regarded persecuted Christians as martyrs.
- Martyrs- were people willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or cause
Popularity:
- Became a world religion for multiple reasons
o Embaraced all people
o Gave hope to the powerless
o Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome
o Offered personal relationship with a love God
o Promised eternal life after death
Constantine accepting Christianity:
- Constantine was fighting over the leadership of Rome
- He then prayed to the Christian God, and saw a cross
- He then ordered the artisans to paint the Christian symbol on the shields
- He was successful in the battle so began to accept Christianity.
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