The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

1. The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

2. Early Roman Religion • Played an important role in Roman society • Beginning with Augustus, emperors were often declared gods • Romans worship many gods & goddesses (polytheism) • Romans believed that observing proper rituals brought them into a proper relationship with the gods in order to guarantee peace and prosperity • Roman Worship of Gods: • Impersonal • Practiced without a great deal of emotion

3. Roman Conquest of Judea • CA 63 BCE—Roman Empire extends to Judea (Home of the Jews) • Jewish kingdom remained independent at first, • 6 CE—Roman Empire took total control and made Judea a Roman province • Jews believed the Messiah would arrive to restore kingdom of the Jews

4. Jesus of Nazareth

5. Jesus of Nazareth • Historians believe he was born between 6 to 4 BCE in town of Bethlehem, Judea • Raised in the village of Nazareth in Northern Palestine • Baptized by prophet John the Baptist • Carpenter by trade • Public Ministry—began at the age of 30

6. Jesus of Nazareth • Jesus: • reportedly performed miracles, preached, did good works • Teachings: • Contained many ideas from Jewish tradition • Monotheism—belief in one god • Principles of the Ten Commandments • Emphasized: • God’s personal relationship to each human being • Stressed importance of people’s love for God, themselves, neighbors, and even enemies • God would end wickedness in the world and establish an eternal kingdom after death for those who genuinely repented their sins.

7. Jesus’ Death • Popularity of Jesus concerned Jewish & Roman leaders • 29 CE—Jesus visited Jerusalem • He was greeted as the Messiah (King of the Jews)—the one who would rescue the Jews • Chief Jewish Priests— • the Sanhedrin (Group of Jewish elders) denied Jesus was the Messiah & accused him of blasphemy—contempt for God • Both the Sanhedrin & Roman officials worried Jesus’ popularity would cause the Jews to revolt against the Romans • Pontius Pilate—accused Jesus of defying authority of Rome • Jesus was arrested, sentenced to death by crucifixion—the nailing of a person to a wooden cross to die

8. Jesus’ Death • Jesus’ body placed in a tomb following his death • According to the Gospels, 3 days later, his body was gone, & a living Jesus appeared to his followers. • Jesus’ assent to heaven (as written in the Gospels) convinced followers Jesus was the Messiah • Jesus—known as Jesus Christ, Christos is a Greek word meaning “messiah” or “savior” • Christianity derived from Christ

9. Support for Christianity Grows • Historical records mention little of Jesus • Main source of information regarding Christianity are found in the Gospels, the first 4 books of the New Testament of the Bible. • Gospels written by Jesus' followers (called disciples / pupils) • 12 Disciples later known as Apostles

10. Jesus Becomes a Celebrity • Popularity for Christianity grows due to: • Jesus became popular as he traveled from town to town • Messages: • appealed especially to the poor (he ignored wealth and status) • Simple and direct—people touched by messages (easily understood)

11. Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire Followers of Jesus inspired by his ‘triumph over death’ • Created a new religion based upon his message • First followers of Jesus were Jews, his teachings did NOT contradict Jewish teachings • Followers create new religion, Christianity

12. Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire • Despite political & religious opposition, Christianity Spreads throughout the Roman Empire • Paul—a Jew who was originally an enemy of Christianity • Vision: saw a vision of Christ (he never met him personally) in Damascus, Syria and spent the life spreading & interpreting Christ’s teachings

13. Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire Pax Romana—made spreading of Christianity possible because: • Provided an era in which travel & exchange of ideas was relatively safe • Roman Road System—enabled Christ’s message to spread throughout the Roman Empire • Common Languages—Greek & Latin allowed Christ’s messages to be easily understood

14. Imperial Roman Road System

15. St. Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles

16. Paul’s Teachings • He stressed the following: • Jesus was the son of God • Jesus died for people’s sins • Christianity would welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew) • Universality enables Christianity to become more than a local religion

17. The Rise of Christianity

18. The Empire in Crisis: 3c

19. Jewish Revolt • 66 CE—band of Jews revolt against Roman rule • 70 CE—Romans stormed Jerusalem and destroy Temple Complex, leaving only western portion of the wall (Jew’s holiest shrine) • 73 CE—about a ½ million Jews killed by Romans • 132 CE—Jews make second attempt at revolt, another ½ million Jews killed • Jewish political state ceased to exist (Romans exact complete control) • Jewish religion survived, though many driven into exile (dispersal of Jews called Diaspora)

20. Persecution of the Christians • Christians refused to worship Roman gods & goddesses • Refusal seen as an opposition to Roman rules & laws • Roman rulers used Christians as scapegoats for political & economic problems within the Roman Empire

21. Persecution of the Christians • Refusal to worship Roman deities resulted in the following: • Christians were imprisoned, exiled, or executed • Thousands crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals in circus arenas • Many Christians (and some non-Christians) regarded persecuted Christians as martyrs—those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or a cause.

22. Persecution of the Christians (Left) Picture of St. Ignatius being thrown to the Lions in Rome. (He was a Christian martyr)

23. Despite persecution of its followers, Christianity’s popularity increased By late 3rd Century CE, there were millions of Christians within & beyond Roman Empire A Worldly Religion

24. Popularity of Christianity due to: Embraced all people—men, women, slaves, poor, nobles Gave hope to powerless Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of Imperial Rome Offered personal relationship with God Promised eternal life after death A Worldly Religion

25. The Spread of Christianity

26. Diocletian Splits the Empire in Two: 294 CE

27. Diocletian: From Persecution to Semi-toleration • Diocletian was the last major emperor to enforce persecution of Christians • He soon realized that Christianity was too powerful to be destroyed by force

28. Constantine: 312 - 337 Constantine was the 1st Christian Emperor

29. Constantine Accepts Christianity • 312 CE—Constantine fighting rivals for control of Rome • Marched to the Tiber River at Rome to battle his chief rival. • Day before Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine prayed for divine help—reportedly saw an image of a cross (The Symbol of Christianity) • Ordered artisans to paint Christian cross on his soldiers’ shields & attributed success to help from the Christian God

30. Constantine Accepts Christianity • 313 CE—Constantine orders persecution of Jews to cease • Edict of Milan—declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the Emperor • 380 CE—Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity the official religion of Roman Empire

31. Constantine & Christianity • Disagreements increase between Christian leaders about beliefs & teachings • Church leaders accused people of heresy—any belief that appeared to contradict the basic teachings of Christ • Church leaders solidify teachings in the Old Testament (included Epistles of Paul, First 4 Gospels, & other documents) • Added to the Hebrew Bible—Christians call these teachings the Old Testament • Constantine orders further consolidation of Christian teachings & calls to order Church leaders at the Council of Nicaea in Anatolia • Nicaea Creed written—contains the basic beliefs of the Church

32. Christian Hierarchy Pope Patriarch Archdiocese/Archbishop Bishop/Diocese Priest/Parish

33. Constantine Moves the Roman Capital • Constantine divides the Roman Empire into two: • East—Constantinople • West—Rome • After Constantine, Roman empire continued to be divided into two regions = west and east/ Rome = capital of west, Constantinople = capital of east

34. Constantinople: The “New Rome”

35. Constantinople: “The 2nd Rome” (Founded in 330)

36. Byzantium:The Eastern Roman Empire

37. Eastern Roman Empire

38. Augustine of Hippo • A “Father of the Church”—one of the many early scholars & writers who were influential in defining Church teachings • 396 CE—became bishop of the city of Hippo in North Africa • His teachings included: • Humans needed grace of God to be saved • Humans only receive God’s grace if they belonged to Church and received sacraments • City of God—wrote the fate of cities such as Rome (wrote after the fall of Rome) not important because heavenly city of God would never be destroyed, unlike Rome after it was sacked by the Barbarians