The Roman Empire

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The Roman Empire Religion
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Freedom to Worship

• As Rome expanded it came to include many people
  who spoke different languages had different
  religions.
• The Romans did not force the conquered to follow
  their religion.

3
Better Safe than Sorry

• The Romans also adopted other cultures gods. Ex.
• Greeks.
• The Romans were not sure what gods actually
  existed.
• To avoid offending any of the gods, the Romans
  prayed to many different ones.

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Banning a Religion

• The only time a religion was banned is when a
  ruler considered it a political problem.
• Judaism was seen as one of these problems because
  they only prayed to one god

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A New Religion

• During the 1st century ( 1- 99 A.D.) a new
  religion appears.
• Christianity based on the life and teachings of
  Jesus of Nazareth.
• Christianity was rooted in the ideas and
  traditions of Judaism, but developed as a
  separate faith.
• At this time Jesus was born around the end of the
  first century.

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A Prophecy

• According to prophecy, the Jews new leader would
  restore the ancient kingdom of Israel.
• The Prophets called this leader the Messiah,
  which means Gods appointed one
• In other words, the Jews believed that God would
  choose the Messiah that would lead them.
• Many Jews believed this Messiah would appear soon.

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Jesus of Nazareth

• Born in Bethlehem
• His birth marks the shift between B.C. A.D.
• Started as a carpenter then at 30 he traveled to
  spread his teachings.
• He attracted many followers but his teachings
  challenged the authority of political and
  religious figures.
• He was arrested and executed around 30 AD.

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Christianity Banned

• Many people who became Christian faced
  challenges.
• Few emperors feared that Christianity would cause
  unrest, so they banned it.
• This began a period of persecution against the
  Christians.
• Persecution is punishment of a group because of
  its beliefs.
• People who did not worship the Roman gods were
  arrested or sentenced to death.

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Constantine

• Christianity spread even though the people had to
  meet in secret.
• In 300s emperor Constantine became Christian and
  removed the ban.
• Later emperors made it Romes official religion.

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