Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

Section 3 The Rise of Christianity

The Rise of Christianity

Roman religion was polytheistic; the worship of many gods Impersonal

A new religion called Christianity emerged Started as a movement

within Judaism Emphasized personal

relationship between God and people

Jews Come Under Roman Rule

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea – approximately 6 B.C. Jew and Roman subject Carpenter Began public ministry at

age 30 The majority of what we

know about Jesus comes from the Gospels.

The Roman Empire expanded to Judea, home of the Jews, in 63B.C. Plans to “Romanize” Jerusalem Jews were waiting for a savior known as the Messiah

to arrive

Jesus’ Message For 3 years Jesus

preached, taught, did good works, and performed miracles Emphasized God’s

personal relationship to each human being

teaching contained many ideas from the Jewish tradition, such as monotheism

stressed the importance of people’s love for God, their neighbors, their enemies, and themselves

Jesus’ Message Spreads 12 special disciples were to spread his

teachings – Apostles Appealed to many people

special appeal to the poor because Jesus ignored wealth and status

Growing popularity concerned Jewish and Roman leaders many people in

Jerusalem started calling Jesus the Messiah

Sentenced to death for defying the authority of Rome

Spread of Christianity After Jesus’ death and resurrection the apostles were

convinced that Jesus was the Messiah from this belief Jesus became known as Jesus Christ Christos is Greek for “messiah” or “savior” Christianity is derived from Christ

The apostles, led by Peter, spread Jesus’ message. Jews created a new

religion called Christianity that spread throughout the Roman Empire faced political and

religious opposition

Spread of Christianity Christianity was

easily spread Era of Pax

Romana – made travel and the exchange of ideas safe

Excellent Roman road system

Common languages

Spread of Christianity

Jewish Rebellion

Most Jews were driven from their homeland into exile This spread of

Jews was called the Diaspora

A.D. 66 a group of Jews rebelled against Rome A.D. 70 Romans stormed Jerusalem and

destroyed the Temple all that remained of the Temple was the western

portion of the wall (The Wailing Wall) 500,000 Jews were killed

Persecution of Christians New Christians refused

to worship Roman gods seen as opposition to

Roman rule Roman leaders blamed

economic and political troubles on Christians

Many Christians were exiled, imprisoned, and put to death for their beliefs Martyrs - people willing

to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or a cause

Appeal of Christianity Christianity grew into a

world religion because it: Embraced all people Gave hope to the

powerless Appealed to those who

were exiled by Rome Offered a personal

relationship with a loving God

Promised eternal life after death

Constantine A.D.312 – Roman emperor

Constantine believed he had a vision from God of a cross and ordered artisans to put the Christian symbol on his soldiers’ shields Ended the persecution of

Christians in A.D. 313 Edict of Milan – declared

Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor

In A.D.380 Christianity became the empire’s official religion under emperor Theodosius

Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

Section 4 The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Decline of the Roman Empire A series of weak rulers led to

the fall of the Roman Empire Economic problems

Hostile tribes and pirates on the Mediterranean disrupted trade

Frequent wars – expensive and destroyed farmland

Government raised taxes – many poor farmers became jobless

Government minted more coins▪ Inflation – drastic drop in the value

of money with a rise in prices Overworked soil lost its fertility

The Decline of the Roman Empire Military problems

Germanic tribes constantly attacked the empire▪ Barbarians

Discipline and loyalty collapsed▪ Soldier gave their loyalty to the commander who was

fighting for the throne Recruited

mercenaries – foreign soldiers who fought for money ▪ No sense of

loyalty to the empire

Emperors Attempt Reform A.D.284 Diocletian, an army

leader, became Roman emperor Restored order to the empire Absolute ruler – he limited personal

freedoms controlled inflation by setting fixed

prices for goods Divided the empire into the Greek-

speaking East and the Latin-speaking West ▪ East = Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt▪ West = Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain▪ Shared authority but kept total control

Diocletian slowed the decline of the empire

Constantine and the End of the Empire By A.D. 324 Constantine gained control of the Eastern and

Western parts of the empire restored concept of a single ruler continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian

Moved the capital of the empire from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium located on the Bosporus

Strait strategically located for

trade and defense purposes on crossroads between East and West

Renamed the city Constantinople

The End of the Empire

Attila the Hun united the Huns in 444 and attacked both halves of the empire with 100,000 soldiers

The last Roman emperor was overthrown by German forces in 476. The western part of the empire

ceased to exist. The eastern part became the

Byzantine Empire and flourished under Greek and Roman cultures for 1,000 years

After Constantine, the Western part of the empire fell to Germanic invasion

Germanic people pushed into Roman lands to escape from the Huns, a group of fierce nomads from central Asia

All non-Roman invaders were called barbarians