Post on 24-Feb-2016
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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