Chapter 6Section 4 Notes

Early in the Pax Romana, a new religion, Christianity, sprang up in a distant corner of the Roman empire

The new faith grew rapidly and by 395 A.D. it had been declared the official religion of the Roman empire

As it gained strength and spread throughout the empire, Christianity reshaped Roman beliefs

And when the Roman empire fell, the Christian church took over much of its role, becoming the central institution of western civilization for almost 1,000 years

New Religion

Within the culturally diverse Roman empire, a variety of religious beliefs and practices coexisted

Jupiter, Mars, Juno, and other traditional Roman gods remained important to some people

Some people turned to mystery religions that emphasized secret rituals and promised special rewards

One of these was the cult of Isis, which originated in Egypt and offered women equal status with men

Others worshipped the Persian god Mithras, who championed good over evil and offered life after death (Mithraism was favored by Roman soldiers)

Religious Diversity in the Early Empire

Generally, Rome tolerated the varied religious traditions throughout their empire

As long as citizens showed loyalty by honoring Roman gods and acknowledging the divine spirit of the emperor, they were allowed to worship other gods as they pleased

Because most people at the time were polytheistic, they had no problem worshipping Roman gods along with their own

Religious Diversity in the Early Empire

By 63 B.C., the Romans had conquered Judea, where most Jews of the time lived

To avoid violating the Jewish monotheistic religion, the Romans excused Jews from worshipping Roman gods

There was a growing divide among the religious beliefs of the Jews themselves

Some were growing concerned about the weakening of their religion, and called for strict obedience to Jewish laws and customs

Religious Diversity in the Early Empire

Jewish zealots called on Jews to revolt against Rome and reestablish an independent state

Some Jews believed that a messiah, or anointed king sent by God, would soon appear to lead the Jewish people to freedom

In 66 A.D., Roman forces crushed a Jewish rebellion, captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the Jewish temple

There was then another rebellion with thousands of Jews being killed and others enslaved

This lead a large number of Jews to leave Judea Jews survived in scattered communities around the

Mediterranean Over the centuries, Jewish rabbis (scholars) preserved the

religious law set forth in the Talmud and this commitment to learning Jewish law and traditions enabled the Jews to survive over the centuries

Religious Diversity in the Early Empire

A new religion, Christianity, was founded by a Jew named Jesus

Almost all that is known about the life of Jesus comes from the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament

Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was supposedly a descendant of King David

Jesus grew up in Nazareth and worked as a carpenter

At 30 years of age, he began preaching and got the support of his Apostles (the twelve closest followers of Jesus)

Jesus and His Message

Jesus emphasized God’s love and taught the need for justice, morality, and service to others

Jesus was eventually arrested and sentenced to die by crucifixion---a person is nailed to or hung on a cross and left to die

Jesus and His Message

Following the death of Jesus, the apostles and other disciples spread the message of Jesus and helped establish Christian communities

For a time, Christianity remained a sect with Judaism

The apostle Peter spread Christianity in the city of Rome

The apostle Paul played the most influential role in the spread of Christianity

Spread of Christianity

Paul had never actually seen Jesus—he actually persecuted some of the followers of Jesus

One day Paul had a vision in which Jesus spoke to him and it was at this point that he converted to Christianity and decided to spread the new religion to gentiles (non-Jews)

Paul’s missionary work set Christianity on the road to becoming a world religion

He traveled around the Mediterranean and set up churches from Mesopotamia to Rome

Spread of Christianity

Rome’s tolerant attitude toward religion did not extend to Christianity

Roman officials suspected Christians of disloyalty to Rome because they refused to make sacrifices to the emperor or to honor the Roman gods

Christians had to meet in secret in order to avoid persecution

Persecution

Roman rulers like Nero used Christians as scapegoats, blaming them for social or economic ills

Over the centuries, thousands of Christians became martyrs---people who suffer or die for their beliefs

Supposedly, both Peter and Paul were killed in Rome during Nero’s reign

Persecution

Christianity continued to spread despite the attacks on it

Reasons: Jesus welcomed all people including the

humble, the poor, and the oppressed Equality, human dignity, and the promise of

a better life beyond the grave were attractive teachings

Reasons for Christianity’s Appeal

Christian missionaries like Paul added ideas from Plato, the Stoics, and other Greek thinkers to Jesus’ message

Educated Romans were attracted to a religion that incorporated the discipline and moderation of Greek philosophy

The work of missionaries such as Paul was made easier by the unity of the Roman empire

Early Christian documents were usually written in Greek or Latin, languages that many people in the empire understood

Reasons for Christianity’s Appeal

Persecution brought new converts Observing the willingness of Christians to die

for their religion, people were impressed by the strength of Christians’ beliefs

Persecutions finally ended in 313 AD when emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the Roman empire

About 80 years later, the emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire

Reasons for Christianity’s Appeal

A person fully joined the Christian community by renouncing evil through the rite of baptism

Members of the community were considered equals and addressed each other as “brother” and “sister”

Each Sunday, Christians gathered for a ceremony of thanksgiving to God

The Early Christian Church

Women often lead the way to Christianity They served as teachers and administrators Even when they were later barred from any

official role in the Church, they still worked to win converts across the Roman world

Role of Women

Each Christian community had its own priest

Only men were allowed to become members of the Christian clergy

Priests were under the authority of a bishop, a Church official who was responsible for all Christians in an area called a diocese

The bishops of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople gained the honorary title of patriarch

Structure of the Church

As the rituals and structure of the Church became more refined, divisions began to arise

A major divisive force was rivalry among the patriarchs

In the Latin-speaking west, bishops of Rome, who came to be called popes, began to claim greater authority over all other bishops

In the Greek-speaking east, the patriarchs felt that the five patriarchs should share spiritual authority as equals

Divisions in the Church

Another source of disunity was the emergence of heresies---beliefs said to be contrary to official Church teachings

To end disputes over questions of faith, councils of Church leaders met to decide official Christian teachings

The Church also sent out missionaries both within the Roman empire and beyond to convert people to Christianity

Divisions in the Church

Theology---word borrowed from Greek philosophy and literally means “talk or discourse about God”

Two important scholars---Clement and Origen Augustine---combined Greco-Roman learning,

especially the philosophy of Plato, with Christian doctrine

The City of God---Augustine said the City of God was the community of those who loved God and would one day live with him in heaven. Those whose minds and hearts were set only on worldly things lived outside the City of God

Theology and Scholarship

While the Christian church was growing in strength and influence, Roman power was fading

When the western Roman empire finally collapsed, the Church inherited many of its functions

The Church preserved and spread not only Christian teachings but also the achievements of Greco-Roman civilization

The Christian church would eventually split into eastern and western halves

Looking Ahead