Ancient Rome

Rise of Christianity

Key Terms

• Jesus• Apostle• Diaspora• Constantine

Conquering of Judea

• Judea was home of the Jews

• Romans arrived to Judea in 63 B.C.

• Did not control until A.D. 6, making it a province of the empire

• Many Jews believed they would be free again by the Messiah, or savior sent by God

Jesus of Nazareth• Born in Bethlehem, a

town in Judea, around 6 or 4 B.C.

• Raised in village of Nazareth in northern Palestine

• Took up trade of carpentry

• Not much is known until He was about 30 years old

Jesus of Nazareth

• For 3 years He preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly performed miracles

• Taught many ideas from the Jewish faith, including monotheism and the Ten Commandments

Jesus of Nazareth

• Emphasized God’s personal relationship with each individual

• Taught to love everyone• Taught God would end

wickedness and create an eternal kingdom for after death for people who asked for forgiveness of their sins

Apostles

• Very little historical records about Jesus

• Gospels from the New Testament tell us of His teachings

• Gospels were written by 12 of Jesus’ students/followers who later became known as the apostles

Jesus’ Death• His popularity grew

amongst the people• Scared Roman and Jewish

leaders• Around A.D. 29, He

visited Jerusalem• Greeted in Jerusalem as

the Messiah• Chief priest of the Jews

denied that Jesus was the Messiah

Jesus’ Death

• Jewish priests said his teachings were blasphemy

• Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor, accused Jesus of defying the authority of Rome

• Pilate arrested Jesus and sentenced him to be crucified

Jesus’ Death

• Body placed in a tomb• Gospels say His body was

not present 3 days later and that He began appearing to followers

• Apostles more convinced Jesus was the Messiah, and gave him the name Jesus Christ

• Christos is Greek form savior or messiah

Christianity Spreads

• Follower continued to spread Jesus’ teachings

• Began to create religion based on his messages

• Roman government opposed Christianity, but continued to spread throughout the empire

• The apostle Paul spread ideas and welcomed all converts, Jew or Gentile

Jewish Rebellion• Jews rebelled against Rome• Romans focused on land of

Jesus’ birth• Romans destroy temple

complex, except for western wall, now a shrine for Jews

• Second rebellion failed, and Jews were forced out of their homeland, the Diaspora

Persecution of Christians

• Emperors viewed Christians as a threat to Rome

• Christians were persecuted, or treated harshly

• As Pax Romana fell apart, Christians were exiled, imprisoned, or executed

Appeal of Christianity

• Embraced all people• Gave hope to the

powerless• Appealed to those who

did not enjoy Roman life

• Offered relationship with a loving God

• Promised eternal life after death

Constantine

• Roman emperor who prayed for divine help for a battle, and then reported seeing a cross across the river

• Ordered cross to be painted on soldiers shields

• Victorious• Credited to help from the

Christian God

Constantine

• Ended persecution of Christians in A.D. 313

• Christianity an approved religion by the emperor

• In the year 380, the emperor Theodosius made Christianity official religion

Early Churches

• Eventually every city had a church with priests

• Leader of Christian church was called the pope

• Rise of Christianity When Rome Ruled the World...

Reflection

• Based on your knowledge of Rome, why was Christianity a considered a threat to the Roman empire?