ch 6 sec 4 ppt
TRANSCRIPT
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Ch 6 Sec 4 The Rise of Christianity
I. Religious Diversity in the Early Empire
A. Mystery Religions
1. The cult of Isis originated in Egypt and offered
women equal status as men
2. Mithraism worshipped the Persian god Mithras, who
championed good over evil and offered life after death(favored by Roman soldiers)
B. Religious Toleration
1. Rome generally tolerated the varied religious traditions
2. If citizens were loyal and honored the Roman gods,
they were allowed to worship other gods as they pleased3. Most people of this time were polytheistic
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C. Divisions in Judea
1. By 63 B.C., the Romans had conquered Judea,
where most Jews of the time lived2. The Romans excused the monotheistic Jews
from worshipping Roman gods
3. During the Hellenistic age, many Jews absorbed
Greek ideas
a.)Conservative Jews rejected these influencesand called for strict obedience to Jewish law
and traditions
4. Zealots They called on their fellow Jews to
revolt against Rome and reestablish anindependent state
5. Some Jews believed that a messiah (anointed
king sent by God) would soon appear to lead
Jewish people to freedom
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y D. Jewish Revolt
1. In A.D. 66, Roman forces crushed the rebels,
captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the Jewish
temple
2. Thousands of Jews were killed in the fighting
while many others were enslaved
3. Jews survived in scattered areas around theMediterranean
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II. Jesus and His Message
yA. Life of Jesus 1. Born about 4 BC, in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem
2. An angel told his mother, Mary, that she would give
birth to the messiah
3. Jesus worshipped God and followed Jewish law
4. Around the age of 30 he began preaching to
villagers near the Sea of Galilee
y A.) to help him, he recruited apostles (a person sent forth)
close followers
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B. The Message1. His teachings were rooted in Jewish tradition
2. He believed in 1 God and accepted the 10
Commandments
3. He also preached new beliefs and called himself the Son
of God
4. Jesus declared his mission was to bring spiritual
salvation and eternal life to anyone who would believe in
him
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y C. Death on the Cross
1. Some Jews welcomed Jesus while others regarded
him as a dangerous troublemaker
2. Roman authorities worried that he would lead the
Jews in a rebellion against Roman rule
3. After his arrest, he was tried and condemned to be
crucified
4. Rumors spread that he had risen from the dead andascended into heaven
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III. Spread of Christianity Apostles
spread Jesus message; Peter(apostle)
said to have established Christianity inthe city of Rome
yA. Work of Paul
1. Had been among those who persecuted Jesus
but had a vision in which Jesus spoke to him. Hethen began spreading the teachings of Jesus
2. His missionary work set Christianity on the
road to becoming a world religion
3. He journeyed around the world and set upchurches
4. He wrote letters in which he explained difficult
doctrines, judged disputes, and expanded
Christian teaching
y A.) These letters are part of the New Testament
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y B. Persecution
1. Roman officials suspected Christians of
disloyalty to Rome because they refused to make
sacrifices to the emperor or to honor the Romangods
2. Thousands of Christians became martyrs
people who suffer or die for their beliefs
y C. Reasons for Christianitys Appeal 1. People found comfort in Jesus message of
love
2. Missionaries like Paul added ideas from Plato,
the Stoics, and other Greek thinkers to Jesusmessage
3. People were impressed by the strength of
Christians belief
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y D. Triumph
1. The persecution of Christians finally ended inA.D. 313 when the emperor Constantine issued
the Edict of Milan
y a.) It granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the
Roman Empire
2. 80 years later the emperor Theodosius madeChristianity the official religion of the Roman
Empire
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IV. Early Christian Church
yA. Patterns of Life and Worship 1. Christians believed that through baptism their
sins were forgiven by the grace of God
2. Members were considered equals
3. Each Sunday, Christians gathered for aceremony of thanksgiving to God
4. The baptized ate bread and drank wine in a
sacred meal called the Eucharist
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y B. Role of Women
1. Women often led the way to Christianity 2. They served as teachers and administrators
y C. Structure of the Church
1. Each Christian community had its own priest
(only men were priests) 2. Bishops Church official responsible for all
Christians in an area called a diocese
3. Patriarch title given to the bishops of the
most important cities
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y D. Divisions in the Church
1. There was rivalry among the patriarchs 2. Bishops of Rome were called popes and
claimed greater authority over the other bishops
3. In the Greek-speaking east, the patriarchs
thought power should be equal
4. Heresies beliefs said to be contrary to official
Church teachings
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y E. Theology and Scholarship
1. Theology talk or discourse about God inGreek
2. Clement and Origen leading scholars; both
lived in Alexandria
y A.)Origen believed that he and other Christians could
reach a deeper understanding of Jesus teachingsthrough reflection
3. Augustine
y A.)bishop of Hippo in N. Africa
y B.) He combined Greco-Roman learning with Christian
doctrine
y C.) The City of God- he said the City of God was the
community of those who lived God and would one day
live with him in heaven