Christianity
Background info.
- Religion has always played a large role in Roman society
- polytheistic system was impersonal
- 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 the Pax Romana
Charts
Christian
- Belief that Jesus is the Messiah
- Acceptance of Gentiles and Jews alike
Jewish
- Belief that Jews are the chosen people
- Adherence to Jewish law
Both
- Belief in one God
- Belief in the Ten Commandments
Organization Chart
Pope
Bishops Bishops Bishops
Priest Priest 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 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:
- Embraced all people
- Gave hope to the powerless
- Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome
- Offered personal relationship with a loving God
- 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 battle so began to accept Christianity
Research
Attila the Hun
One paragraph on basic info about him.
Then state if you would rather have Attila or Alexander the Great as a leader.
Comments