The Spread of

Christianity and

The Early Christian Church

• Christianity began in the Roman province of Judea by a Jewish prophet named Jesus

• Jesus was believed to be the Son of God by His followers and the Messiah (anointed one)

• Jesus claimed He came to fulfill Jewish law and the prophets, not abolish them

• Some Jewish leaders felt threatened and turned Him over to Roman authorities who crucified Him

• After the death of Jesus, apostles (leaders) began to spread the teachings of Jesus throughout the Roman world.

• The message of Jesus was shared with Jews at first, but later Gentiles (non-Jews) were included.

• Peter and Paul were the most influential• By A.D. 100 Christian churches had been

established in most of the major cities in the eastern part of the empire.

• Early Christians will be persecuted by the Romans because they refused to worship the state gods or emperors.

• Constantine I was the first emperor to become a Christian and issued the Edict of Milan which proclaimed official toleration of Christianity in the empire.

• Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire under Theodosius I in 380 A.D.

The Christian ChurchThe early Church had five important centers:

1. Rome2. Constantinople3. Alexandria4. Antioch5. Jerusalem

Each of these churches was headed by a Patriarch

In time, the patriarch in Rome took the title Pope (father), and held supreme authority over the Christian Church inthe west.

Gregory I (590-604) is recognized as the first Pope