CHRISTIANITY

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CHRISTIANITY

• 1 B.C. TO 1054 A.D.
• Powell Co. Middle
• Ancient Civilization
• Tiffany Anderson and Jeremy Hall

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The Beginning of Christianity

• Those who brought new ideas and important changes
  to the Roman Empire were the Christians
• Christianity started in Palestine among the Jews
  and later spread throughout the empire and the
  world
• Christianity is based on the life and teachings
  of Jesus, who lived in Palestine during the reign
  of Augustus
• Upon his death, his teachings were spread by his
  followers

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The Life of Jesus Slide 1 of 3

• Jesus was born a Jew in Bethlehem and grew up in
  Nazareth were he worked as a carpenter
• He studied scriptures, sacred writings, and
  learned prayers in the Hebrew language
• Jesus preached the word of God to the people of
  Palestine
• He taught the people that God created all people
  and loved them the way a father loved a child and
  if they put their trust in god he would forgive
  them of their sins

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The Life of Jesus Slide 2 of 3

• In 30 A.D., Jesus and 12 of his disciples went to
  Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, the holiday that
  marks the exodus of the Jews from Egypt
• At this time the Jews were angry with the Romans
  and was waiting on a messiah, someone who would
  save them
• When Jesus arrived, the Jews treated him as the
  messiah and the Romans accused him of treason
  under Roman law and he was crucified, executed on
  a cross

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The Life of Jesus Slide 3 of 3

• According to Christian tradition, Jesus rose from
  the dead
• His resurrection, rising from the dead, convinced
  his disciples that Jesus was the son of God
• The disciple taught that anyone who believed in
  Jesus and lived by his teachings would know
  eternal life after death
• From then on, his disciples called him Christ

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Spreading the Word of God

• The disciples were the first people to become
  Christians and spread Jesus gospel, teachings to
  the Jews
• During this time, a Jew named Paul decided to
  teach Christianity to gentiles, non-Jews, and
  other Jews
• Christian communities began to form where Paul
  preached
• Paul was considered the first missionary, person
  to spread religious beliefs to those who do not
  believe

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Christianity and Rome

• The political conditions of Rome did not help the
  spread of Christianity
• The Romans expected the emperor to be honored as
  the God
• Christians did not support many Roman beliefs and
  vice versa
• Romans blamed the Christians for disasters
• They blamed the Christians for starting a fire
  that burned much of Rome
• Christianity was then made illegal

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Constantine I Theodosius

• Even with hardship, Christianity spread. Mainly
  to enslaved people and poor people. They liked
  the idea of a happier life after death
• Eventually many people began to like the idea of
  love and happiness that Christianity offered
• When Constantine I became emperor he made
  religion a free choice, had churches built in
  Rome and Jerusalem, and used government money to
  build Christian schools
• Theodosius followed Constantine I as emperor and
  made Christianity the official religion of the
  Roman empire and outlawed all other religions

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The Church

• Apostles, people Jesus chose to teach his gospel,
  taught and gave advice to people
• Christians began to organize Churches
• A church was called a parish and each church
  leader was called a priest
• Each church group was headed by a bishop and the
  most important bishops were called archbishops
• The main archbishop of Rome was called the Pope
• People who spoke Greek did not recognize the Pope
  as their archbishop. Eventually the groups
  separated
• The Greek churches became known as the Eastern
  Orthodox Church and the Latin churches became
  known as the Roman Catholic Church
• The writings of the life of Jesus, The New
  Testament, became the Bible of the Roman Catholic
  Church

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Eastern Orthodox Life

• A bishop named Bazil suggested that Christians
  should form religious settlements to protect
  themselves from the evils of the world
• Christian men, monks, established settlements
  known as monasteries
• Christian women who did the same were called nuns
  and lived in convents
• The rules they were to follow were called the
  Basilian Rule and became the model for Eastern
  Orthodox religious life

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Roman Catholic Life

• The monks who followed Benedicts Rule promised
  to give up their possessions before entering a
  monastery, wear certain clothes, eat certain
  foods, not marry, attend religious service seven
  times a day and at midnight, work in the field
  surrounding the monastery, and obey the orders of
  the abbot, leader of the monastery

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Contribution to Western Civilization

• By 800 A.D., monks were playing an important role
  in spreading Christianity throughout Europe
• By preserving Roman and Greek writings, they
  helped Western Civilization survive and progress