Rise of Christianity

By:
Claire Ann Fernandez
Stella Marie Aber
Arlene Barcelo
Argee Bartolome
Leover Caranto
Lorebeth Libed
Religion in the Roman Empire
Religion in Rome
was polytheistic &
based upon the
Greek gods
Romans worshiped
the gods but people
were not very
emotional about
their religion
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When the Romans took over a land they
allowed people to worship their gods as
long as they also honored the Roman
gods and the divine spirit of the
emperor.
In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered the
Hebrew kingdom of Judea & allowed
Romanized Jews (who showed respect
& obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea

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But, the Hebrews were monotheistic &
many refused to pay respect to the
Roman gods
Some Jews known as zealots, believed
they had to revolt to protect their belief
in only one God and create their own
nation.
Other Jews believed that God would
soon send a messiah or savior to lead
Jews to freedom.

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In 66-70AD they revolted against Rome.
The Romans then sacked the holy city of
Jerusalem and destroyed all of the Jewish
temple except the western wall. Wailing
Wall.
In 135AD Hadrian banished all the Jews
from the holy city of Jerusalem. Diaspora
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Wailing Wall
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Ejecting the Jews from
Palestine: the diaspora
The record on the Arch
of Titus

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Rabbis Jewish
scholars who
interpreted scripture
and learned Jewish
Law. Rabbis became
the leaders of Jewish
communities outside
of Jerusalem.


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Rise of Christianity
This religion grew out of Jewish
traditions.
Jewish prophets predicted that a
messiah, or one anointed by Yahweh,
would be sent to deliver the Jews from
foreign rule

The Birth of Jesus & Beginning
of Christianity
Sometime
between 6 & 4 B.C.
in Judea, a Jew
named Jesus was
born; Many
considered Jesus
to be the Messiah
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At the age of 30, Jesus began
preaching a unique version of
Judaism that became known
as Christianity
Jesus, founder of Christianity


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Beliefs of Christianity
& Teachings of Jesus
Jesus began teaching around 27AD.
According to the Gospels: Jesus traveled
the countryside with his followers and
disciples, performing miracles, and
defended the poor.


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Jesus and the Disciples
Jesus message of
eternal life in
heaven appealed
to many people,
especially the
poor
Jesus followers
were known as
disciples
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Teachings of Jesus
Jesus preached a religion based on the
Jewish belief in one god (monotheism)
Jesus taught that he was Gods son & that
God would rid the world of evil
He taught of Gods love, mercy and
forgiveness towards others, & eternal life
in heaven for those who repent their sins
He based much of his good works on the
Ten Commandments



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Teachings of Jesus
Bible: the holy book of Christianity
Includes all prophets of Torah and
most books of the Torah
Adds the New Testament, which
includes the Gospels and other books
by Jesus followers
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Teachings of Jesus
Taught with
parables: short
stories with
simple moral
lessons
The Prodigal Son
Teachings of Jesus
His life &
teachings are
recorded in the
gospels of
Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John.
First 4 books of
the new testament
of the BIBLE.
(Holy Book)



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Crucifixion of Jesus

Many Hebrews in Judea did not accept
the idea that Jesus was a Messiah &
accused him of blasphemy (contempt for
God)
Roman leaders feared Jesus growing
popularity
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Crucifixion of Jesus

In 29 A.D., Jesus was
arrested for defying
Roman authority &
was crucified
Jesus Rising
from His
grave
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According to the
Gospels: Jesus rose
from the dead,
remained on Earth
for 40 days, and then
went to heaven.
Jesus Rising from His grave
His followers then called him
Jesus Christ, believed he was
the Messiah, and had died for their
sins.(christos = Greek word for Messiah)
Followers believed through this they
could be redeemed from Gods final
judgment
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Compared with Judaism, Christianity
spread over far distances in a very short
time

This was due to a few factors:
Judaism is mostly an ethnic religion
Missionaries and martyrs
Appeal of Christianity
Spread of Christianity
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The Apostles, especially
Paul, molded Jesus
teachings into a new
religion called
Christianity based upon
the idea that Jesus was
Gods son & that he died
for mans sins
The Apostles taught that
Jews & non-Jews were
welcome as Christians
Spread of Christianity
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Spread of Christianity
Followers of Jesus were called
Christians
Christ= Savior= messiah
Missionaries were able to spread Jesus
teachings by taking advantage of a
peaceful time in the Roman empire, and
also good roads were available
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Spread of Judaism & Christianity were
seen as problems for the Roman
emperors:
Jews & Christians refused to worship the
Roman gods or recognize the emperor as
more important than God
Persecution of Jews & Christians
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Many Christians & Jews were persecuted
by Romans;
Many were crucified, exiled, or executed
during gladiator events
Christians who died became martyrs
(people who sacrifice their lives for their
beliefs) which helped spread the faith

Persecution of Jew & Christians
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Widespread persecution
continued until 313 AD
Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity
& issued the Edict of
Milan which gave
freedoms & equality to
Christians
Spread of Christianity
Spread of Christianity

In 395 A.D., Emperor Theodosius made
Christianity the official religion of the
Roman Empire
The appeal of Christianity
Offered hope of salvation and eternal
life
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Spread of Christianity
Theres a sense of control over ones
destiny
More about making the CHOICE to be
moral
The idea that everyone is equal


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Impact of the Church of Rome
in the late Roman Empire

The Christian church became more
organized and became known as the
Roman Catholic Church.
Christian doctrine was established by
early church councils
Priests conducted services and
ceremonies
Bishops were above priests and headed
the church in each city


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Patriarchs of these cities became Pope
(latin word meaning father)
Peter, Jesus disciple was considered the
first pope.
Church became an example of moral
authority
Loyalty to the church became more
important than loyalty to the Emperor
Church became main unifying force of
Western Europe


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Three Forms of Christianity
Today
Catholicism
Pope is an advocate, prayer to saints, etc.
Greek Orthodox
Formed when a Byzantine Emperor
refused to recognize the Catholic Pope
in Rome
Protestantism
Saints not prayed to, no Pope
Organization of the Early
Christian Church

Christians organized the
faith:
A hierarchy of
leadership was created
in which local priests
were supervised by
regional bishops; The
head of the church was
the Pope who operated
from Rome
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Organization of the Early
Christian Church
Teachings were collected into the Bible,
the official source of religious truth for
Christianity



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