The Rise of Christianity

1
The Rise of Christianity Fall Of The Roman
Empire

• SS.A.3.4.4 SS.B.2.4.1 SS.B.1.4.4 SS.A.2.4.5

2
The Roman Religion

• Caesar Augustus restores Roman religion
• Religion had declined during the late Republic
• Greek gods worshiped with Roman names
• Emperors worshiped as gods
• Observation of rituals brought humans into better
  relationship with gods
• Success comes from pleasing the gods
• Romans tolerant of others faiths worship of
  native gods allowed in provinces
• Religions of the East were considered trendy,
  became popular among Romans looking for a more
  emotional religion/faith

3
Jewish Background

• In Hellenistic times, Jews given much more
  independence than other cultures
• A.D. 6 Roman province of Judaea covers land of
  the Israelites, ruled by procurator
• Unrest, difference of opinion about Rome
• Sadducees cooperate with Rome
• Pharisees observe religious law to keep Jewish
  identity
• Essenes lived as hermits waiting for God to save
  them from Roman oppression
• Zelots called for open revolt against Rome

4
Rise of Christianity

• A.D. 30 Jewish prophet named Jesus begins
  preaching in Judaea and Galilee
• Jesus Mission complete salvation God promised
  to the people of Israel Messiah
• Taught people to look for inner peace by
  practicing humility, charity and love toward
  others
• Put to death for revolutionary ideas
• Followers proclaimed he rose from the dead three
  days after his death

5
Words of Jesus

• Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
  or the Prophets I have not come to abolish but
  to fulfill them
• So in everything, do to others what you would
  have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
  the Prophets
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
  with all your soul and with all your mind and
  with all your strength. This is the first
  commandment. The second is this Love your
  neighbor as yourself.

6
Spread of Christianity

• Began as a movement with Judaism
• Prominent leaders include
• Simon Peter Jesus friend, Jewish fisherman
• First leader of the Christian religion
• Paul educated Jewish citizen of Rome, who took
  the message of Jesus to Gentiles
• Paul believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and
  humanity can be saved from sin by accepting the
  teachings of Jesus
• Paul wrote letters outlining his beliefs

7
Spreading the Word of Jesus

• Followers wrote down Jesus sayings, and stories
  from his life
• A.D. 40-100 Christians use these stories,
  sayings to create Gospels (good news)
• Together with the letters of Paul and others,
  they form New Testament
• By 100, churches found in most cities in Eastern
  empire, and some in West

8
The Christian Persecution

• Christian values vs. Greco-Roman values
• Christians refuse to worship emperors
• Romans think of this as treason
• Christians believe in only one God, and
  worshiping another endangers soul
• Nero begins persecution (harassing to cause
  suffering), blaming them for fire
• By the end of the rule of the five Good
  Emperors, persecution mostly stopped

9
Christian Triumph

• Even with persecution, Christianity grows
• Persecution seen as strengthening faith
• Persecution forces organization
• Bishops lead whole communities in prayer
• System of organization gives specific jobs to
  clergy (church leaders) and laity (followers)
• Christianity grew quickly in the 1st Century
  A.D., took root in the 2nd, and spread widely in
  the 3rd Century

10
Reasons for Growth

• Christian message appealed to Romans
• Christianity gives purpose to life
• Roman religion was impersonal and existed for the
  benefit of the Roman Republic/Empire
• Christianitypersonal, eternal life, salvation
• Christianity seemed familiar, shared qualities
  with other trendy faiths from East
• Christianity offered sense of belonging
• Churchesclose community with common goals, help
  one another inclusive (rich/poor)

11
Christianity Religion of the People

• You have put on the new selfHere there is no
  Greek nor Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
  free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Pauls
  Letter to the Colossians
• Christianity preached of spiritual equality
• Rich, poor, free, slave all could be saved
• Last persecution was in 4th Century, under
  Emperor Diocletian, who admitted the strength of
  Christianity was too much

12
Christianity Official Religion of Rome

• A.D. 313 Emperor Constantine issues Edict of
  Milan, giving freedom of religion
• Constantine becomes first Christian emperor of
  Rome, baptized at the end of his life
• Theodosius the Great establishes Christianity as
  the official state religion of Rome

13
Roman Decline

• The last of the Five Good EmperorsMarcus
  Aurelius dies in A.D. 180
• Civil wars follow for next 13 years
• Emperor Septimius Severus told his sons pay the
  soldiers, ignore everyone else
• Severan emperors known for militaristic rule, and
  brutality
• 235-284 Throne held by whoever can take it by
  force
• 22 emperors of this period, most die violently
• Constant invasion also caused problems

14
Economic Military Problems

• 3rd Century Invasions, civil wars and plague
  almost ruins Roman economy
• Plague causes less people to trade soldiers
• Farm production down, armies ravage them
• Money loses value
• No money to recruit and pay soldiers
• Germans fill in the gap, but have little loyalty
  to generals, or the empire

15
Diocletian Constantine

• Introduce Late Roman Empire with new
  governmental, economic and social
  structuresalong with new religion
• Diocletian believes empire too big to rule,
  divides empire into four parts, each ruled by own
  ruleremperor still highest auth.
• Bureaucracy expanded, army reorganized
• Wage and price controls to help inflation

16
New EmpireNew Capital

• Constantine builds new capital city in east
• Picks site of old Greek city Byzantium
• Renames city Constantinople (Istanbul)
• Had excellent strategic position
• Became his New Rome and capital of Eastern
  Roman Empire, as the empire continues to split
  between East and West

17
An Empire Divided Cannot Stand

• Empire splits between East and West
• Western capitalRome
• Eastern capitalConstantinople
• Western empire under attack by Germans
• 350-400 Huns, tribe from Asia, and pressures
  Germanic Visigoths, moving them into Roman
  territory, become allies of Rome against
  Hunsrevolt soon after
• 410 Visigoths sack Rome
• 455 Vandals sack Rome

18
The Fall of Rome

• A.D. 476 Emperor Romulus Augustulus is the last
  emperor of Rome, deposed by German general
• Germanic kingdoms replace empire
• Eastern, Byzantine Empire survives
• The Byzantine Empire lasts another 1,000 yrs
• Many reasons are given for the fall of Rome, none
  fully explain it.

19
Reasons Given For Fall of Empire

• Christianitys embrace of spiritual life
• Non-Italians eroding Roman values
• Lead poisoning causes mental decline
• Plague kills 1/10 of population
• Failure to advance technology b/c of slavery
• Inadequate political system for large empire