Chapter 9: Late Roman Empire, Judaism, and the Rise of Christianity

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Chapter 9 Late Roman Empire, Judaism, and the
Rise of Christianity
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1. Outline

• Late Roman empire
• Moral decline and cultural relativism
• Historical overview
• Rise of Christianity
• the elements of Christianity
• the rise of Christianity

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Evaluate these statements

• 1. Christianity triumphed because of its moral
  superiority over the pagan values of the decadent
  Roman empire.
• 2. With the arrival of Christianity the pursuit
  of reason (science, philosophy) and the freedoms
  typical of a secular society (freedom of thought
  and speech, pleasures of life, admiration for the
  human body) gave way to the (irrational) promise
  of messianic deliverance and eternal life.

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Moral decline and the Late Roman Empire

• Moral decline
• The moral decline of Rome is denounced by Roman
  writers as early as the 3rd century BCE.
• Examples Julius Caesar, Sallust, Livy, Augustus
  moral legislation
• It is a constant topic in every culture.
• It is retrospective and frequently used to
  justify the need of reform or the moral
  superiority of the reformer.

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How depraved were the Romans of Late Imperial
times?

• Achievements

• Staunch moralists Seneca
• Unsurpassed physicians Galen
• Wise emperors Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian.
• Foreign emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Diocletian.
• Urbanism, architecture and civil administration.

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Moral decline and the Late Roman Empire

• Pantheon (Hadrians)

• Trajans market

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Moral decline and the Late Roman Empire

• City of Thamugadi, Algeria

• Volubilis (Morocco), Roman mosaic.

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2. Historical overview

• Christianity arises in the Roman province of
  Judea in the first century AD.
• At first Christianity appears as a reform of
  Judaism followers are Jews.
• Over the course of the 1st century Christianity
  becomes open to non-Jews.

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2. Historical Overview

• Diocletian divides the empire (284-305)
• Eastern Roman empire Byzantium
• Western Roman empire Rome
• He persecutes Christians (303 CE)

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2. Historical Overview

• Constantine (315-330 CE) converts to
  Christianity (Constantinople).
• Theodosius (379-395 CE) closes all the pagan
  cults and outlaws the practice of other
  religions
• Concludes the celebration of the Olympic games
• Closes the oracle of Delphi
• Extinguishes the sacred fire of the Vestal
  Virgins in Rome.

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3. Origins of Christianity

• Christianity coexists with and is informed by
  other monotheistic and salvation religions
• Judaism
• Mystery cults
• Lets explore the religious atmosphere
  surrounding the rise of Christianity.

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4. Christianity and Judaism

• Monotheism
• God who speaks through sacred texts
• Insistence on moral behavior (ethical monotheism)
• Messiah (divine savior)
• Sabbath (Sunday), Passover (Easter)
• Dichotomies good/evil

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4. Christianity and mystery religions

• A dying and reborn god.
• Promise of immortality through sacrifice of a
  savior Osiris, Dionysus, Orpheus, Mithra
  (Sunday, Dec, 25th)
• Dichotomies body/ soul, sin/reward, good/evil
• Rituals of initiation baptism, communal meal
• Isis, Cybele (mother goddesses) Virgin Mary
• Worship of an intercessor in the final judgment
  Dionysus, Isis, Mithra.

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5. The rise of Christianity

• Christianity arises among other similar and
  competing religions.
• Why did it prevail over others?

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5. The rise of Christianity

• Proselytism
• Infrastructure of the Roman empire
• Relative freedom from class distinctions
• Mutual aid to members
• Ideas of monotheism and salvation
• Assimilation of elements of Greek and Hellenistic
  philosophy

• What does it mean?
• How and why did it help?
• To whom would this be appealing?
• Were monotheism and salvation popular ideas in
  other religions?
• How did this contribute to the consolidation of
  Christianity?

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5. The rise of Christianity

• Proselytism conscious effort to spread the faith
  (Paul)
• Infrastructure of the Roman empire easy
  communications, common languages (Greek, Latin)
• Relative freedom from class distinctions appeal
  to women and slaves.
• Greek and Hellenistic philosophy created the
  theological pillars of Christianity making it
  intelligible to educated minds.

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5. The rise of Christianity

• A common religious landscape
• National identity is no longer defined in
  religious terms (Athens/ Athena)
• Preoccupation for individual salvation rather
  than national prosperity. (Pharaoh fertility of
  Egypt)
• A common religious language
• Shared by mystery cults, Jewish sects and
  Christianity immortality of the human soul,
  divinity-intercessor in the final judgment,
  rebirth, initiation, dogma, sin/ reward

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6. Persecutions of Christians

• Was Christianity tolerated by the Roman emperors?
• Why were Christians persecuted?
• Were members of other religions persecuted too?

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6. Persecutions of Christians

• Firstly Christians gained the enmity of Jews, who
  considered them heretic.
• They were perceived as a secretive and sectarian
  group by the Roman establishment, because they
  chose NOT to participate in the state politics or
  religion.
• They refused to worship the state gods and
  therefore were perceived as a threat to civil
  order.

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6. Persecution of Jews

• Arch of Titus, Rome.

• Not only Christians but also Jews were persecuted
  (destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, 70 CE).

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7. Early Christian Art

• Clandestine and iconoclastic at first.
• Funerary art with subliminal messages of
  salvation.

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7. Early Christian Art
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7. Early Christian Art
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7. Early Christian Art

• Funerary art paintings in the catacombs and
  sculpted sarcophagi.

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7. Early Christian Art

• Catacombs of Saint Domitilla

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11. Early Christian Art

• It utilizes the forms of the Greco-Roman
  tradition to convey religious meanings.
• Highly symbolic.

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11. Early Christian Art

• Common motifs
• Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
• Leader of the flock and sacrificial lamb.

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11. Early Christian Art

• Common motifs
• scenes from the Old and New testaments

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11. Early Christian Art

• individuals praying

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11. Early Christian Art
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12. Roman Architecture

• Last remainders of imperial monuments
• Arch of Constantine- last in tradition of Roman
  triumphal monuments.

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13. Christian architecture

• Development of new Christian churches with the
  support of the emperors.
• Use of the basilica design

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13. Christian architecture