6.3%20The%20Rise%20of%20Christianity

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6.3 The Rise of Christianity
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6.3 OBJECTIVES

1. Summarize the life of Jesus.
2. Trace the spread of Christianity in the Roman
   Empire.
3. Analyze Christianitys appeal.

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The Life and Teaching of Jesus

• Romans take control of Judea in 63 B.C.
• Judea becomes part of the Roman Empire in 6 A.D.
• A Savior will come to restore the
• land of the Jews.

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Jesus of Nazareth

• Born 6 to 4 B.C.
• Born in Bethlehem
• Raised in Nazareth
• Baptized by John the Baptist
• Occupation Carpenter
• Began preaching at the age of 30
• Stressed love, (God, neighbors, enemies)
• Eternal kingdom for those who repent

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A GROWING MOVEMENT

• Main source about his life came from Gospels
• First 4 books of the New Testament
• Some are written by Jesus disciples
• 12 men later called apostles
• Became popular
• Ignored wealth and statues appealed to the poor

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Jesus Death

• Rulers where concerned, both Jewish and Roman
  leaders
• In Jerusalem, people greeted him as a savior and
  messiah, or king.
• Jewish priests disagreed
• Pontius Pilot, Roman leader, accused Jesus of
  breaking Roman law
• Sentenced to crucifixion
• Nailed to a wooden cross

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Jesus death cont
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Jesus Death cont

• Jesus died on the cross
• Placed in a tomb
• Body was gone three days later
• Gospels say, he ascended to heaven
• Because he was believed to be the messiah or
  savior, he was called Jesus Christ

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Christianity Spreads Through the Empire

• Disciples carried on his teachings
• Did not contradict Jewish law
• First followers were Jews
• New religion began
• Christianity spread throughout the empire

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What did Jesus Teach?

• Forgiveness
• Repentance
• Turn the other cheek
• Do you know anymore of the teachings of Jesus?
• Name them..

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Pauls Mission

• Paul
• Never met Jesus
• Enemy of Christianity
• Had a vision of Jesus
• Spent the rest of his life spreading Jesus
  message

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Pauls Mission Cont.

• Christianity spread
• Pax Romana made the spread ideas easy
• Common language- Latin
• Paul wrote letters, Epistles
• Stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died
  for peoples sins
• Christianity welcomes converts Jew of Gentile

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Jewish Rebellion

• Jewish rebellion in 66 A.D. against Rome
• Temple destroyed by Romans in 70 A.D.
• Only western portion remains
• Jewish fortress, Masada, held until A.D. 73, half
  million dead
• Tried again in A.D. 132, half million died
• Diaspora- dispersal of Jews

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Persecution of Christians

• Christians would not worship Roman gods
• Crucified, exiled, imprisoned, executed
• Sent to the gladiator games
• Looked at as martyrs
• Willing to sacrifice their lives for their belief
• Used as scapegoats of economic and political
  trouble

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A World Religion

• Christianity was growing rapidly throughout the
  Roman Empire and beyond
• Why?
• 1. Embrace all people
• 2. Gives hope to the powerless
• 3. Appealed to those who were repelled by the
  
• extravagances of imperial Rome
• 4. Offered personal relationship with a loving
  
• God
• 5. Promised eternal life after death

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Constantine Accepts Christianity

• Constantine- Emperor of Rome A.D. 312
• Fighting 3 rivals of the Rome
• Battle was at the Tiber River
• Prayed for divine help
• Saw the image of a cross
• Put the cross on the shields of his soldiers
• THEY WON

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Constantine Accepts Christianity cont.

• Constantine made Christianity an accepted
  religion of the empire
• Emperor Theodosius made it the official religion
  of the empire.

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Early Christian Church

• Priest led small groups of Christians
• Bishop supervises local churches
• Peter
• Became first bishop of Rome
• Apostle
• rock on which the Christian Church will be
  built
• First pope (head) of the church

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A Single Voice

• Many disputed the beliefs that developed amongst
  believers
• Became intense
• Church officials tried to set the standards of
  belief
• Combine the Old Testament (Jewish Torah) New
  Testament (Story of Jesus) The Holy Bible
• Met and created the Nicene Creed- define the
  basic beliefs of all Christians
• I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker
  of Heaven and Earth

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The Fathers of the Church

• Fathers of the Church
• Early writers who also defined the teachings
• Augustine
• Bishop from N. Africa
• Humans need the grace of God
• Can not get Gods grace without being a member of
  the Church
• Wrote City of God