1. Was Jesus a visionary and a teacher, a magician and a prophet, or a rebel and a revolutionary? Explain your answer.

2. Do you consider the Gospels a primary or secondary source? Why?

3. What are the difficulties with asserting the historicity of Jesus?

4. What do the connections between Jesus and the monomyth tell us about humanity and religion/mythology?

Bellwork Friday, Oct. 26th, 2012

Western CivilizationUniversity High School

The Rise of Christianity

in modern-day Israelruled by King Herod from 37 – 4

BCEunpopular for embracing Greek

cultureHerod was a nasty guy…

Judea

Jews revolt after Herod’s death civil war!

famine, plague, war end of the world?Some predicted the

coming of a Messiah (savior of Israel)

Problems In Judea

Judea put under control of officials who answered directly to the emperorsome officials harsh,

unaccepting of Jewish culture (esp. tax collectors!)

2 Jewish responses…

Rome Steps In & Takes Control

Zealots: extremists who wanted Rome out of Judearefused to pay Roman

taxesmany violent conflicts

with Roman army

Response #1: Zealotry

belief that the Messiah is coming soonliteral belief; most desperate times?Dead Sea Scrolls 972 texts from Hebrew

Bible, Jewish cultures preparing for arrival

Response #2: Apocalypticism

born roughly 7-2 BCEraised in Galileedifficult to separate truth

from fiction

Jesus of Nazareth

primary source (?) of Jesus info: the four Gospels (“good news”) of the New Testamentwritten by Matthew, Mark,

Luke, & Johnrecords of Jesus’ teachings,

doctrinesearliest ones written 75

years after Jesus’ death2006: Gospel of Judas

Iscariot discovered

Jesus of Nazareth

heaven eternal happiness after death

mostly traditional Judaism; claimed to be Messiahnot establishing an

earthly kingdom, but a spiritual one

Jesus’ Teachings

Jesus was controversial!Some loved him. Some hated him.

Some wished he would be more forceful vs. Rome…

Pontius Pilate: Roman prefectconcerned about violence, chaoscondemned Jesus to deathhung from a cross to die

3 days later: Resurrection? (Body stolen?)central tenet of Christianity

(immortality)

The Death of Jesus

Paul of Tarsus: most important figure in turning Christianity from sect/cult to independent religionurged universal

Christianityurged Jews to include

Gentiles (non-Jews) in the faith

Spreading Jesus’ Ideas

Christianity reaches Romecenter of Western

civilized world (literally & metaphorically)

appealed to commoners/poorforgiveness, afterlife,

salvation…being a good Christian

= spreading God’s word

Spreading Jesus’ Ideas

Western CivilizationUniversity High School

2011-12

Augustus’ Successors

Augustus dies in 14 CEJulio-Claudians and

Flaviansthe next wave of Roman

emperors (27 BCE – 96 CE)

some were capable (Tiberius, Claudius)

some less so… (Caligula, Nero)

A Time of Transition

Praetorian Guard:segment of Roman military

established by Augustusimperial bodyguard

41 CE: kills Caligula, declared Claudius emperorSenate agrees (under threat of

force)54 CE: Claudius killed by 4th

wifeallow her son (from previous

marriage), Nero, to take power

Julio-Claudians

64 CE: Great Fire of Romemany believed he

started it to clear room for palace complex

“Nero fiddled while Rome burned”

68 CE: facing rebellion & assassination, Nero commits suicide

Emperor Nero

clan that took control after Julio-Claudians

Vespasianemperor from 69 – 79 CEre-conquered Judea to stop

civil unrestTitus & Domitian

Vespasian’s sons; subsequent emperors

Domitian hated by many (Senate), assassinated

Flavians

96 – 180 CEwise, fair, just emperors

wars were at the frontiers only, generally wonNerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, & Marcus Aurelius

Age of “Five Good Emperors”

emperor from 117 – 138 CEtook over for Trajannoted for building

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian

built across Great Britain (begun in 122 CE)marked northern

border of Roman empire

Purposes of the Wall?defenseexpression of Roman

powercontrol over

immigration, customs, trade?

Hadrian’s Wall