I. Life of Jesus

-Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary & Joseph

-Roman king Herod forced families to return to their birthplaces to pay taxes

-Jews had been persecuted and were looking for a messiah

-thought he would be a great king like David

-Jesus began preaching @ age 30

-12 followers called disciples

A) Jesus’ Teachings= -God would return soon - urged people to turn from sin -following laws wasn’t as important as

relationship w/ God -message was of love and forgiveness -shaped values that many still hold

today -taught in parablesB) The Crucifixion= -followers believed that Jesus was the

messiah -Jews disagreed

-Romans felt threatened by Jesus

-Jesus was arrested for treason

-crucified

-die of suffocation

C) Resurrection=

-followers claimed that Jesus was resurrected

-they saw him & the tomb was empty

-formed the basis of Christianity & sparked a new religion

D) What do Christians Believe?

1. Jesus is the Son of God and the messiah

2. Salvation= accepting Jesus and his teachings

3. Holy Trinity= father, son, and holy ghost

4. Go to heaven after death

II. The Church

-Christianity’s spread was helped by the Roman Empire

-Roman roads allowed safe, easy travel

-Common language

A) 3 Reasons for attraction=

1) Gave meaning to peoples lives

2) Christian ideas were familiar

3) Opportunity to be a part of a caring group

B) Roman Treatment of Christians=

-persecuted Christians

-saw them as a threat b/c they would not worship emperor

-Christianity was made illegal

-A.D. 312= Constantine became a Christian

-Edict of Milan= gave religious freedom & made Christianity legal

-A.D. 392= Christianity was Rome’s official religion

C) Church Organization=

-Church was organized into a hierarchy

-see pg. 355

-records were kept of Jesus’ life= New Testament

-Mathew, Mark, Luke, & John

-called the gospels