The Rise of Christianity

1
The Rise of Christianity
2
Personal Versus State Religion

• Household golds
• Ancestor worship
• Similar to the Chinese
• Prayed to ancestors to protect and guide them

• Gods and goddesses
• Jupiter, Apollo, Venus, Mars, etc.
• Tied to the government

3
Religion and Government

• Emperor was the head of the Roman Church
• Priests were officials
• Roman gods were symbols of the state
• If you are disloyal to the gods, you are
  disloyal to Rome itself.

4
The Rise of Jesus

• In the Roman province of Judea
• Jesuss teachings run contrary to Roman beliefs
• His execution in 29 B.C.E. leads to the birth of
  a new faith

5
The Spread of Christianity

• Jesuss followers spread his teachings though the
  Roman Empire
• Paul, a follower of Christ, said anyone could
  become a Christian
• His message allowed more and more people to be
  converted

6
Threat to the Roman Empire

• Christians refused to worship Roman gods
• Romans saw Christians as dangerous traitors

7
Persecution

• Exiled, imprisoned or executed Christians
• Used Christians in Coliseum entertainments
• Christians were used as scapegoats

8
Christianity Spreads

• Despite persecution
• By late 200s C.E. there were millions of
  Christians in the Roman Empire

9
Appeal of Christianity

• Embraced all people regardless of gender,
  occupation or social class
• Appealed to those who did not like the excesses
  of Rome
• Offered a personal relationship with God
• Promised eternal life

10
The Early Church

• A priest led local groups of Christians
• A bishop supervised the local groups

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Constantine

• Early fourth century C.E. (300s C.E.)
• Became emperor during a period of civil war
• Fought rivals for control of Rome

12
Tiber River 312 C.E.

• Constantine was at the river to battle his
  opponents for Rome
• Before the battle he prayed for divine help
• He had a vision of a cross
• The cross was painted onto the shields of his
  soldiers
• Constantine credited the Christian God with his
  victory

13
Edict of Milan

• 313 C.E.
• Constantine declared Christianity to be approved
  by the Emperor
• Put an end to persecution

14
Official Religion

• In 380 C.E.
• By the Emperor Theodosius

15
Pax Romana Finis

• Historians consider 180 C.E., the death of Marcus
  Aurelis, to be the end of Romes height
• Rome has a slow decline
• Two Main Causes
• Economic
• Political Military

16
Hostile Forces

• Pirates Enemies attacked and interrupted trade
  in the Mediterranean

17
Limit of Expansion

• Rome used new territory to enrich themselves
• Their wealth depended not on what they had, but
  what they conquered
• By the third century, there was no where else to
  expand
• This meant limited declining resources

18
Currency

• Government raised taxes
• Coins were minted with less silver
• Result was inflation
• Drastic drop in the worth of money, as well as a
  rise in prices