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Rise of Christianity PDF
Rise of Christianity PDF
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Step-by-Step WITNESS HISTORY AUDIO
SECTION Instruction
Roman Emperor
Accepts Christianity
Objectives The Roman empire was tolerant of different
As you teach this section, keep students religions, but it took almost 300 years before a
focused on the following objectives to help Roman emperor fully supported the new religion
of Christianity. Legend has it that the emperor
them answer the Section Focus Question
Constantine—just before battle—saw a cross in
and master core content.
the sky along with the words “By this you shall
■ Understand the diverse religions conquer.” He had his troops mark their shields with
included in the early Roman empire. Renaissance painter a Christian symbol. After winning the battle, he fully
Raphael depicted the embraced Christianity.
■ Summarize the teachings of Jesus and cross appearing above
how they were spread. Constantine (right); Focus Question How did Christianity emerge
the fish and the cross and then spread to become the official religion of
■ Outline the development of the early (far right) were early the Roman empire?
Christian Church. Christian symbols.
Teach
Early Empire Includes
Diverse Religions/Jesus
Proclaims His Teachings L3
Instruct
■ Introduce: Key Term Have students
find the key term messiah (in blue) in
the text and explain its meaning. Have
them suggest reasons the belief in a
messiah might concern Roman officials.
(might lead to questioning of the
emperor’s authority)
Divisions Arise in Judea By 63 B.C., the Romans had conquered
Judea, the southern part of Palestine where most Jews of the time lived. ■ Teach Ask What were citizens of
To avoid violating the Jewish belief in one god, the Romans excused Jews different faiths expected to do in
from worshiping Roman gods. Among the Jewish people themselves, how- exchange for toleration of their
ever, religious ferment was creating deep divisions. During the Hellenistic religious beliefs and practices?
age, many Jews absorbed Greek customs and ideas. Concerned about the (show loyalty to Rome by honoring
weakening of their religion, Jewish conservatives rejected these influences Roman gods and acknowledging the
and called for strict obedience to Jewish laws and traditions. divine spirit of the emperor) What was
While most Jews were reluctantly willing to live under Roman rule, the outcome of the Zealot revolt?
others, called Zealots, were not. They called on Jews to revolt against
(Roman forces crushed the rebels, cap-
Rome and reestablish an independent state. Some Jews believed that a
tured Jerusalem, and destroyed the
messiah, or anointed king sent by God, would soon appear to lead their
people to freedom. The Limits of Toleration Jewish temple. In the next century
The Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem’s Roman armies leveled Jerusalem and
A Jewish Rebellion Is Defeated In A.D. 66, discontent flared into temple in A.D. 70 (above left) was a massive Jews were dispersed.) What new
rebellion. Four years later, Roman forces crushed the rebels, captured assault against revolt. Three years later,
rebellion against Rome ended with the siege
beliefs attracted many followers to
Jerusalem, and destroyed the Jewish temple. When revolts broke out Jesus? (the belief that Jesus was the
of Masada (above right), a mountaintop
again in the next century, Roman armies leveled Jerusalem. Thousands fortress at which nearly 1,000 Jews may have true messiah who would bring spiritual
of Jews were killed in the fighting, and many others were enslaved and taken their own lives to avoid being killed by salvation and eternal life to those who
transported to various parts of the empire. Faced with the destruction Romans. Why would a government only
believe in toleration to a certain point?
believed in him) Then have students
that resulted from the rebellions, growing numbers of Jews decided to
read the Primary Source selection from
leave Judea.
the Sermon on the Mount on the next
Although the Jewish people were defeated in their efforts to regain
page. Ask students to name the values
political independence, they survived in scattered communities around
the Mediterranean. Over the centuries, Jewish religious teachers called
that are reflected in the sermon.
rabbis extended and preserved the Jewish law, and Judaism survived.
Independent Practice
What was Rome’s policy toward most of the religions in
the empire? Viewpoints To help students under-
stand the treatment of Christians in the
Roman Empire, have them read the selec-
Jesus Proclaims His Teachings tion What To Do About the Christians?
As turmoil engulfed the Jews in Palestine, a new religion, Christianity, and complete the worksheet.
arose among them. It began among the followers of a Jew named Jesus. Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 93
Most of what we know about Jesus’ life comes from the Gospels, the first
four books of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Early Christians
attributed the writing of these accounts to four followers of Jesus— Monitor Progress
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As students fill in their charts, circulate
to make sure they have identified the
causes of the rise of Christianity. For a
completed version of the chart see
History Background Note Taking Transparencies, 70
Surviving in the Diaspora Over the centuries, fact that most Jews were forced to migrate and Answers
many Jews left or were forced to leave their homeland settle in various parts of the world. The Greek
in Judea. They settled in lands around the Mediterra- word synagogue, “a bringing together” became the tolerance of varied religious traditions and
nean and elsewhere. In time, many of those who name for the places where Jews gather to read their practices as long as citizens showed loyalty by
migrated began to speak Greek. Two Greek words most sacred books, the Torah. Synagogues have honoring Roman gods and acknowledging the
became an important part of Jewish history. The Greek helped Jewish culture survive and thrive in the divine spirit of the emperor
word diaspora which means “scattering” refers to the diaspora. Caption Too much tolerance could lead to insta-
bility if groups questioned the authority of the
government.
Link to Literature Have students read Joining the Church To join the Christian community, a person had to
the excerpt from The City of God by be baptized, or blessed with holy water. Christians believed that through
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. Point out that the rite of baptism their sins were forgiven by the grace of God. Members
in his book, Augustine defined the City of of the community were considered equals, and they addressed each other
God as the community of those who loved as “brother” or “sister.” Each Sunday, Christians gathered for a ceremony
God and would one day live with him. of thanksgiving to God. The baptized ate bread and drank wine in a
sacred rite called the Eucharist. They did this in memory of Jesus, whose
Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 94 last supper was described in the Gospels.
Many women welcomed Christianity’s promise that in the Church
Monitor Progress “there is neither Jew nor Greek . . . neither slave nor free . . . neither
Check Reading and Note Taking Study male nor female.” In early Christian communities, women served as
Guide entries for student understanding.
teachers and administrators. Later, women were barred from any official
role in the Church. Like men, however, they continued to work as mis- Assess and Reteach
sionaries sent out by the Church to convert people to Christianity both
within the Roman empire and beyond. Assess Progress L3
Structuring the Clergy Only men were eligible to become members of ■ Have students complete the Sec-
the Christian clergy, or the group of people who conduct Christian ser-
The Christian Clergy tion Assessment.
vices. Each Christian community and its clergy were grouped together as ■ Administer the Section Quiz.
a diocese. Every diocese had its own priest. Over the priest presided a Pope/Patriarch
bishop, a high Church official responsible for everyone in his diocese. (Only in Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 86
Jerusalem, and Constantinople)
Bishops traced their spiritual authority to the apostles, and through the ■ To further assess student under-
apostles, to Jesus himself. In the early Christian Church, all bishops standing, use
were considered equal successors of the apostles. Bishop Bishop Bishop
Progress Monitoring Transparencies, 22
Gradually, the bishops of the most important cities in the Roman
empire—Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople— Diocese Diocese Diocese
gained greater authority. These bishops took on the honorary title of Priest Priest Priest Reteach
+ + +
patriarch and exercised authority over other bishops in their area. The
Community Community Community
If students need more instruction, have
Christian Church thus developed into a hierarchy, or organization in them read the section summary.
which officials are arranged according to rank. Reading and Note Taking L3
Differences Arise Within the Church As the rituals and structure Study Guide, p. 55
of the Church became more defined, rivalry among the patriarchs devel-
oped. In the Latin-speaking west, bishops of Rome, who came to be called Adapted Reading and L1 L2
popes, began to claim authority over all other bishops. In the Greek- Note Taking Study Guide, p. 55
speaking east, where the other four patriarchs lived, the patriarchs felt
that the five should share spiritual authority as equals. Spanish Reading and L2
The emergence of heresies, or beliefs said to be contrary to official Note Taking Study Guide, p. 55
Church teachings, also caused division. To end disputes over questions of
faith, councils of Church leaders met to decide official Christian teachings.
Extend L4
Scholars Further Define Christianity Early Christians produced an Have students explain the following
abundance of works defining Christian theology. The word theology is quote “The blood of the martyr is the
Greek and means “talk or discourse about God.” Two leading scholars of seed of the [Christian] Church.”
the early Church were Clement and Origen. Both worked as teachers in
Egypt, in Alexandria, a major center of learning in the Roman world.
Perhaps the greatest of the early Church scholars was Augustine,
bishop of Hippo in North Africa. He combined Christian doctrine with Answer
Greco-Roman learning, especially the philosophy of Plato.
At the local level, each Christian community
How was the early Christian clergy organized? had its own priest. Over each priest was a
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bishop responsible for all Christians within an
Progress Monitoring Online area called a diocese. In time, the bishops of
For: Self-quiz with vocabulary practice
Web Code: naa-0541 the most important cities in the Roman empire
gained greater authority over all other bishops
Terms, People, and Places Comprehension and Critical Thinking ● Writing About History in their area and assumed the honorary title
1. What do each of the key people listed at 3. Identify Central Issues Why were Quick Write: Make an Outline To pre- of patriarchs.
the beginning of the section have in many Jews unhappy under Roman rule pare for an essay comparing the experi-
common? Explain. even though the Romans were tolerant ences of Jews and of Christians in the
of their religion? Roman empire, make an outline identifying
4. Synthesize Information What were key points of comparison. Include details
2. Reading Skill: Understand Effects three basic teachings of Jesus? under each key point.
Use your completed chart to answer the 5. Summarize What practices and orga-
Focus Question: How did Christianity nizational structures helped establish
emerge and then spread to become the the early Christian Church?
official religion of the Roman empire?
Section 4 Assessment gion. They wanted strict obedience to ● Writing About History
Jewish laws and traditions. The Zealots The outline should include key points of
1. They all are associated with Christianity wanted an independent Jewish state. comparison between the experiences of Jews
and the spread of the faith. 4. Jesus believed that anyone who believed in and Christians in the Roman empire.
2. It emerged from a sect within Judaism his teachings would obtain eternal life. He
based on the teachings of Jesus. Followers emphasized God’s love and taught the
helped make it a major religion. It was need for justice, morality, service to others,
declared the official religion of the Roman and forgiveness.
empire by the emperor Theodosius. 5. practices: baptism, Eucharist; structures: For additional assessment, have students
3. Many Jews were concerned that Hellenis- a hierarchy of church officials that access Progress Monitoring Online at
tic influences were weakening their reli- included priests, bishops, and patriarchs Web Code naa-0541.
History Background
Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians Paul wrote lowed the teachings of various apostles. Paul uses this
two letters, or epistles, to the Christian community he letter to answer questions the Corinthian Christians
Thinking Critically founded at Corinth in Greece. This passage is part of a have asked him about such issues as marriage and
1. The repetition emphasizes and reinforces Paul’s longer letter that Paul sent to the Corinthians to dis- celibacy, the conduct of women, and the Eucharist
main point that love is an all-important quality cuss problems within the community that arose after service. Paul later wrote another letter to the Corin-
for a Christian. Paul’s first missionary visit to Corinth. At that time thians, known as Corinthians II. Paul’s writings are
2. A truly loving person remains steadfast in this there were conflicts among the converts who fol- found in the New Testament.
behavior regardless of the suffering, misfor-
tunes or problems he or she may encounter.
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