The Rise of

Christianity

Judaism and the Empire

• Christianity began as a sect (group)

within Judaism

• In 6 AD, Augustus turned the Kingdom

of Judah into the Roman province of

Judea

–Allowed Jews to practice their religion

but they were treated very cruelly

• Many Jews began to believe that a

messiah (messenger of God) would help

them regain their freedom

–This had been foretold in ancient Jewish

prophecies

• Believing that God would

intervene, Jews rebelled in 66 AD

and overpowered the small Roman

army in Jerusalem

– only 4 years later Romans retook

Jerusalem destroying the Temple and

killing thousands of Jews

• After another rebellion in 132 AD,

Jews were banned from living in

Jerusalem and were forced to move

into other parts of the

Mediterranean and the Middle East

Jesus of Nazareth

• Jesus, a Jew from Nazareth, traveled

through Galilei and Judea from 30-33

AD preaching a new message and

winning disciples (followers)

• Urged his followers to turn away from

sins and stated God was loving and

forgiving toward all who repented

• Fear of his ability to arouse such

feelings in the people led Pontius Pilate,

Roman governor of Palestine, to arrest

Jesus and ordered he be crucified

Spread of Christianity• After Jesus’ death, his disciples

proclaimed he rose from the dead and

said this was proof he was the mesiah

–Began preaching he was THE SON OF

GOD

–Those who accepted the teachings of

Jesus became known as Christians and

formed churches

• Paul aided Christianity’s spread by

traveling and writing many letters on behalf

of the religion—his writings became the

New Testament of the Bible

• Other apostles (Christian missionaries),

spread Christianity throughout the Roman

world

–Peter is believed to have brought

Christianity to Rome

Paul

Peter

Persecution and Competition

• Christians refused to worship any other

religions

–Refused to recognize emperor as God and

rejected military service

–Many became martyrs—people who die

rather than change their beliefs—killed in

arenas by wild beasts in front of cheering

crowds

• Despite this, Christianity grew in 200-

300s and became a religion of the cities

–Their strength in the cities of the Roman

Empire gave Christianity great influence

Romans Adopt Christianity

• Constantine was named emperor of

Rome in 312 AD and became the

protector of Christianity

–Issued the Edict of Milan which allowed

ALL religions to worship freely in Rome

• In 392 Theodosius made Christianity

the official religion of the Roman

Empire

The Early Church

• Christians turned to Church Fathers,

Christian religious thinkers who

explained many of the Christian beliefs

in books

• Christians in the western part of the

Empire used the writings of Augustine,

a scholar born in North Africa

Church Structure• The church was organized into a

hierarchy (levels of authority)

–Local gatherings of Christians, called

parishes, were run by priests

–Several parishes together formed a

diocese which was overseen by a bishop

• Bishops interpreted Christian beliefs

and administered regional church affairs

–The bishops met at councils to discuss

opinions and disputes about Christian

beliefs

• The decisions they made became known

as doctrine (the official church teachings)

Council of Nicea and the Bible

• Large disagreements among Christians as to

Jesus’ nature (divine vs. leader)

– Constantine does not want division in his empire

– Convenes Council of Nicea in 325 to answer

questions

• Come to agreement that Jesus was divine (of “same

substance” of God – Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and

Holy Ghost)

• Agree on books of the Bible (New Testament) –

although almost all Christian leaders had agreed on

the main books since the early 200s