The Rise of Christianity

Jesus lived in a society marked by resentment against Roman rule, which had inspired the belief that a Messiah would arise to liberate the Jews

When Jesus sought to reform Jewish religious When Jesus sought to reform Jewish religious practices, the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem turned him over to the Roman governor for execution.

After the execution, Jesus’ disciples continued to spread his teachings; they also spread their belief that Jesus had been resurrected

At this point, the target of their proselytizing was their fellow Jews.

Christianity grew slowly for two centuries, developing a hierarchy of priests and bishops, hammering out a commonly accepted theological doctrine, and resisting the persecution of Roman officials officials

By the late third century, Christians were a sizeable minority in the Roman Empire.

The expansion of Christianity in the Roman Empire came at a time when Romans were increasingly dissatisfied with their traditional religion

The Rise of ChristianityThe Rise of ChristianityThe Rise of ChristianityThe Rise of Christianity

The Spread of ChristianityThe Spread of ChristianityThe Spread of ChristianityThe Spread of Christianity

The Decline of RomeThe Decline of Rome

•• From the third century From the third century B.C.E., Rome began a B.C.E., Rome began a gradual decline.gradual decline.

•• No more major territorial No more major territorial conquests were made after conquests were made after the time of Trajan (ca. 117 the time of Trajan (ca. 117 CE)CE)the time of Trajan (ca. 117 the time of Trajan (ca. 117 CE)CE)

•• Rome decided instead to Rome decided instead to play defense (see right)play defense (see right)

•• Culturally and socially, Culturally and socially, apathy and decadence apathy and decadence were widely decried by were widely decried by observersobservers

Below: Hadrian’s WallBelow: Hadrian’s Wall

ECONOMIC REASONS

• The Roman economy was partially based on constant expansion.

• This brought new land, new money, new treasure, new slaves, and new taxes.

• Once the empire stopped expanding, that influx of goods stopped, and Rome simply wasn’t used to such stasis. It was a shark: it had to keep moving to survive.

• Without the influx of goods and money from expansion, rampant inflation started setting in as the currency started to be worth less.

• The value of coinage was based on how much gold or silver was in the coin.

• Without the conquering, less gold was coming into the empire, but there was still a lot leaving the empire as it was being spent of foreign goods.

• With less gold and silver to go around, less was put into the coins. Nice, but that meant the coins were worth less to those who used them. Merchants accordingly raised their prices to get paid the same value in gold as before.

• Grain production also decreased due to over-farming.

• This meant feeding people became more difficult.

• Not keeping up with the times.

• The Romans were marvelous engineers, but they relied too much on human and animal labor instead of building machines.

• Since they weren’t conquering new people, they also weren’t adapting as much new and they also weren’t adapting as much new and different technology (poor Borg).

• They especially relied too much on slave labor which meant a lot of unemployed folks that strained the economy.

SOCIAL REASONS

• The aforementioned unemployment.

• Being a public servant had become costly and so most qualified, competent people just didn’t want to do it.

• Morals and work ethic

• Many Romans had become accustomed to the • Many Romans had become accustomed to the easy life of bread and circuses.

• It’s said that when the Vandals sacked Carthage, most of the inhabitants were watching the chariot races.

• These were also done at state expense, which drained the public treasury.

• The rise of Christianity

• Many Romans blamed Christians for Rome’s problems because they weren’t honoring the Roman deities.

• Maybe not that, but the ideology may have played a role. The Romans succeeded through aggressive ruthlessness and a concentration on secular, worldly matters.

• Christianity, especially early on, was pacifist and absorbed with the hereafter. As the religion spread, absorbed with the hereafter. As the religion spread, it weakened Roman resolve.

• Feedback loop

• People saw bad things happening to the empire, which lowers their morale, which enables more bad things to happen to the empire.

POLITICAL REASONS

• The problem with political office being undesirable.

• Imperial Succession

• One big problem with the Roman imperial system is that there was never an established method of passing the crown to another upon the emperor’s death.

• This meant that it was up for grabs.

• The best case scenario is that one person is most • The best case scenario is that one person is most powerful or can quickly take control.

• The worst case scenario is that there are many powerful people and they fight in a civil war.

• Since most legions were stationed on the borders, they were distanced from Rome and loyal to their generals.

• Thus, the generals would take their armies and war amongst each other for the throne.

• Most wound up dead during the fighting or were assassinated or overthrown soon after taking “power.”

• Sometimes, the crown went to whoever bribed the right people.right people.

MILITARY REASONS

• This is a big cause.

• Long borders

• As the empire expanded, so did its borders.

• Maintaining those borders against enemies became a massive and expensive endeavor.

• Military spending took a significant chunk of the treasury and took money away from many public treasury and took money away from many public projects.

• Mercenaries

• Rome also began hiring mercenaries. These guys worked for cash, not loyalty, and could be highly unreliable. They also cost more exacerbating the above problem.

• Invasion

• Barbarians started invading the empire and the legions couldn’t stop them.

• Some just wanted the good Roman life or merely land on which to settle.

• Others were pushed into Roman territory because the Huns were pushing them west.

• It didn’t help that some legions were pulled from the • It didn’t help that some legions were pulled from the borders into Italy to fight in civil wars or that some barbarian forces were led by men who had fought in the Roman army and so knew the Roman tactics and strategies (both how to use them and how to fight against them). That and the Germanic tribes were never tamed or conquered. Oops.

Reorganizing the Empire: Plan AReorganizing the Empire: Plan A

1

3

2

3

41.1. ConstantiusConstantius

2.2. MaximianMaximian

3.3. GaleriusGalerius

4.4. DiocletianDiocletian

Reorganizing the Empire: Plan B Reorganizing the Empire: Plan B

•• Constantine established a second “Rome” at Constantinople (modernConstantine established a second “Rome” at Constantinople (modern--day day Istanbul) (red star). Istanbul) (red star).

•• Later, Later, ValentinianValentinian divided the Empire, kept the West, and gave the East to his divided the Empire, kept the West, and gave the East to his brother, Valens.brother, Valens.

•• The Western capital is moved from Rome to Milan (blue star).The Western capital is moved from Rome to Milan (blue star).

• The barbarians proceed to run rampant over Roman territory.

• In 410, Rome itself is sacked by the Visigoths.

• By 444, the Huns themselves, under the leadership of Attila (“the wrath of God”) run at will over the empire and threaten to destroy Rome itself.

• The pope, Leo I, negotiates with Attila and he withdraws his forces.

• The pope, Leo I, negotiates with Attila and he withdraws his forces.

• Really, Attila likely withdrew because of food and manpower issues and because winter was approaching. And Leo I bribed him to leave. Leo, though, plays it up as divine intervention and uses it to strengthen the power of the early church.

The Sack of Rome, 410 CEThe Sack of Rome, 410 CE

•• The sack of Rome by Alaric’s Visigoths meant that The sack of Rome by Alaric’s Visigoths meant that from here on out, the “Roman Empire” is actually from here on out, the “Roman Empire” is actually the Byzantine Empire.the Byzantine Empire.

Rome Lives OnRome Lives On——in the Eastin the East

•• The empire’s political structures, as well as its culture, survived the Germanic The empire’s political structures, as well as its culture, survived the Germanic attacks in the Eastern Mediterranean.attacks in the Eastern Mediterranean.

•• Renamed the “Byzantine Empire,” this political / cultural / religious structure Renamed the “Byzantine Empire,” this political / cultural / religious structure endured for another millennium, until being overtaken by Islam.endured for another millennium, until being overtaken by Islam.

The Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine EmpireDuring the Reign of During the Reign of

JustinianJustinian

The Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine EmpireDuring the Reign of During the Reign of

JustinianJustinian

MURDER,

Decline and Fall of Ancient Rome

MURDER,SUICIDE, OLD

AGE, ORINEVITABLE?

Murder?

1) Pressure from Parthians and Sassanids in the east (modern-day Iraq and Iran)

2) Provincial revolts, especially Jews in 66-70 and 131-33 CE (AD)

3) Pressure from barbarians along the Rhine and the 3) Pressure from barbarians along the Rhine and the Danube

4) Increasing military sophistication of barbarians as a result of contact withRoman armies

Murder?

5) Roman defeat at Adrianople, 378 CE (AD)

6) Sack of Rome by Alaric the Visigoth, 410

7) Invasion under Attila the Hun, 455

8) Overthrow of emperor Romulus Augustulus by 8) Overthrow of emperor Romulus Augustulus by barbarian mercenaries under Odacer the German, 476

Suicide?

1) Latifundia problem-plantations worked by slaves replace independent farmers

2) The Roman mob-former farmers become unemployed slum dwellers in the cities, especially in Rome

3) Bread and circuses-the Roman mob, dependent on government-provided jobs, food, and entertainmentgovernment-provided jobs, food, and entertainment

4) Frequent civil wars, especially during the 200s CE, due to military interference in Roman politics

5) Increasing tax burdens based on costs of controlling urban mobs and military defense

Suicide?

6) Increasing dependence on barbarian mercenary troops, similar to problems of Chinese military defense

7) Overextended borders, similar to ancient China8) Overdependence on slave labor8) Overdependence on slave labor9) Conflict between traditional Greco-Roman

religion and a spreading Christianity introduced from the east

10) Destruction of library at Alexandria by a Christian mob, 415 CE

Old Age?

1) General wear and tear of long-term imperial administration and defense

2) Increasingly rigid social class structure and declining opportunities for advancement

3) Exhaustion resulting from ever-increasing taxes3) Exhaustion resulting from ever-increasing taxes4) Abandonment of traditional Greco-Roman

religion for Christianity; people place their hopes in life after death

5) Increasing pessimism about life on earth

Inevitable?

1) Plague of 165-66 CE kills half the Roman empire’s population

2) Roman mines run out of gold and silver, starting in 160s; Roman emperors forced to cut gold and silver content of Roman coinagesilver content of Roman coinage

3) Declining value of Roman coinage forces ruinous inflation. Roman currency almost useless as a medium of trade by 280s CE

4) Rome collapses into a barter economy by 280s CE

Inevitable?

5) Climate change in central Asia (colder and drier) starting in 160s leads to increasing barbarian migrations and pressure on empire’s borders

Something to Think About

1) Do these causes work in isolation, or reinforce each other?

2) Which causes do you think are most important? Why?

In spite of all these difficulties, why did ancient 3) In spite of all these difficulties, why did ancient Roman civilization last as long as it did? What legacies did Ancient Rome leave to humanity’s future?

The Roman Empire: SummaryThe Roman Empire: Summary

•• Octavian “Augustus” restored order after the second civil war Octavian “Augustus” restored order after the second civil war and succeeded in maintaining a delicate balance between and succeeded in maintaining a delicate balance between republican illusion and imperial reality.republican illusion and imperial reality.

•• Augustus was followed by a string of emperorsAugustus was followed by a string of emperors——good, bad, good, bad, and mediocreand mediocre——under whom the Empire grew and prospered, under whom the Empire grew and prospered, prior to 200 CE.prior to 200 CE.

•• At the Empire’s height, culture and massive feats of At the Empire’s height, culture and massive feats of •• At the Empire’s height, culture and massive feats of At the Empire’s height, culture and massive feats of architecture flourished.architecture flourished.

•• After 200 CE, structural crises and failures of leadership led After 200 CE, structural crises and failures of leadership led Rome into serious declineRome into serious decline——both socially and politically.both socially and politically.

•• Various emperors tried to reverse this decline by restructuring Various emperors tried to reverse this decline by restructuring the Empire and its institutions, but to no avail.the Empire and its institutions, but to no avail.

•• The western half of the Empire fell to Germanic invaders in The western half of the Empire fell to Germanic invaders in 476 CE, but Rome’s institutions and legacy survived in the 476 CE, but Rome’s institutions and legacy survived in the Byzantine Empire, based in Constantinople.Byzantine Empire, based in Constantinople.