THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

AND THE RISE OF

CHRISTIANITY

CHRISTIANITY

The main religion of the Byzantine Empire

Experienced great difficulties after its founding by Jesus Christ in

the early first century A.D.

Jesus preached such ideas as love, sin, salvation, and the coming of

the kingdom of God

JESUS CHRIST

A prominent religious leader who lived from 4 B.C. to 29 A.D.

Much of what is known about his life are derived from the

accounts of his followers, the Four Gospels.

Born in Bethlehem to Mary, and later brought up as a carpenter.

At the age of 30, he began his preaching ministry.

He was persecuted, and eventually persecuted by crucifixion.

Messiah in Judaism.

JESUS CHRIST

CHRISTIANITY SPREADS

Jesus’ followers reported on his resurrection and eventual ascension to

heaven.

Jesus’ apostles went to different areas, preaching the message of Jesus

particularly to the Jews.

St. Paul

- a former Pharisee

- became Christianity’s prominent apostle to the non-Jews or

gentiles.

CHRISTIANITY PERSECUTED

Christianity continued to spread to various areas, it encountered

opposition from both religious and civil authorities.

Persecuted Christians and forced the to renounce their beliefs.

Christians suffered severe persecution under the Roman emperors

Septimius Severus, Decius, and Diocletian. (2nd & 3rd centuries AD)

Christians paid for their lives for the sake of their faith, frequently

becoming a spectacle and fed to the lions during gladiator shows at the Roman

coliseum.

CONSTANTINE AND THE

RISE OF THE BYZANTINE

EMPIRE

CONSTANTINE

The first Roman emperor to accept Christianity in the empire.

Born at Naisa (Nis, Yugoslavia) in 280 A.D.

Soon proclaimed emperor in 306 A.D. by his army after the death of

his father Constantius.

Maxentius, his major rival, engaged Constantine in a battle for the

throne at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 B.C.

Defeated Maxentius and soon became a strong supporter of

Christianity.

CONSTANTINE

Win in battles and agreed to tolerate Christianity in the empire, as

proclaimed by the Edict in Milan(313 A.D.)

Agreed to a partnership with Emperor Licinius however lasted

only for 10 years.

Became the sole ruler after defeating Licinius in battle (324 A.D.)

CONSTANTINE

He presided over the first general council of the Cristian Church,

Council of Nicaea, which condemned Arianism ( the belief that Jesus

Christ, the founder of Christianity, is of a lower substance than the

Fathe) and drew up the Nicene Creed , a statement of essential

Christian beliefs.

CONSTANTINE

LICINIUS

BASIC CHRISTIAN TENETS

One God in Three Persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit.

The role of Jesus as the Savior of the world- as God who became

flesh or human to become the sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

BASIC CHRISTIAN TENETS

The resurrection of Jesus which provides the opportunity for

salvation.

Various concepts such as love of God and neighbor, heaven and

hell as reward and punishment for sinners, the resurrection of the

dead in the end days, the Last Judgement, etc.

RISE AND DECLINE OF

THE BYZANTINE

EMPIRE

Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome

to Byzantine and renamed it Constantinople in his honor.

As Constantine continued ruling, he instituted many good policies in

the administration of the empire, such as a centralized bureacracy a new

monetary system based on the gold standards, and the separation of

civilian from military government.

Emperor Gratian, one of Constantine’s successors, appointed

Theodosius as the emperor of the east.

Theodosius died, after which, the empire was divided with finality

between his sons Arcadius(east) and Honorius(west).

While the western part of the empire would begin to crumble in the 4th

century, ultimately falling in 476 A.D. due to massive invasion by

barbarians in the north, the eastern part would continue as the

Byzantine Empire all the way to the 15th century, with various emperors

continuing to rule.

THEODOSIUS

IMPORTANT

BYZANTINE EMPERORS

JUSTINIAN

called The Great ; as he captured many parts of the western Roman

Empire from the barbarians.

Built many harbors, fortresses, and churches, and collected Roman

laws under one code.

Employed best generals to command his armies.

Overstretched the empire’s capabilities and much of the territory the

empire gained was lost after he died.

JUSTINIAN

HERACLIUS

The military and administrative reforms made by him became the

basis for the Byzantine System in the middle ages.

Defeated the Persians in their attempt to capture the empire.

HERACLIUS

BASIL II

Expanded the borders of the Byzantine Empire to their greatest

extent since the 5th century.

His greatest achievement is the defeat of the Bulgarians in 1014.

BASIL II

THE DECAY OF THE

BYZANTINE EMPIRE

The Byzantine Empire began to collapse during the 1000

After the death of Bazil II in 1025, the empire began to decay.

Crusades contributed to the tensions between Constantinople and the

Western European Christians.

The Seljuk Turks pushed deeper into Asia Minor and defeated the

Byzantine Empire.

Other crusades and civil wars further weakened the empire by 1300,

all that remained in the imperial territory were Constantinople and

part of Greece

THE BYZANTINE

LEGACY

WAY OF LIFE

The people of the Byzantine Empire are of a different mix:

Bulgarians, Greek, Normans and Turks.

The predominant language is Greek.

Religion is very influential in the lives of the people of Byzantine.

Christianity, under Emperor Theodosius I, became the empire’s

state religion.

BYZANTINE LITERATURE

The Greek classics concerned with theology and history are the

pride of Byzantine, Basil, John Chrysostom, and Cyril of Alexandria

are only some of the great authors of Byzantine Literature.

It also boasts of the Suda, a literary encyclopedia containing facts

and information on classical and Byzantine Literature.

BYZANTINE STYLE

A unique style in the arts and architecture which has its roots in 5th

century Byzantine.

Its characteristics include heavy stylization, strong lines, and rich

colors.

Byzantine architecture, on the other hand, is shown by such

classic structures such as Hagia Sophia and St. Mark’s Venice.

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