WRITTEN REPORT

Good morning/afternoon everyone! Today, we will learn about the origin of Christianity, how
Christianity started, the crisis of the later roman empire, the final division of the empire, the
decline of the west, and also the evolution of the western church.

Let us first discuss the origin of Christianity. But before that, I have a little trivia first. Did you
know that Christianity developed from the Jewish tradition and is today a major world religion,
with over a billion followers in numerous traditions, called denominations?

That’s a fact! So, basically, most of the people in the world are Christians since there are more
than 2.4 billion Christians worldwide, which makes Christianity the largest religion in the world.
Christianity actually has lots of denominations but is often divided into three main branches,
which are Catholicism, Orthodox, and Protestantism. And within these branches, there are even
more denominations. About 50% of all Christians are Catholics and hold the Pope as their
highest spiritual leader. This is definitely one of the many interesting facts about Christianity!

Let us discuss now how the Christianity started.

Beginnings of Christianity

 Christianity developed in Judea in the mid-first century CE, based first on the
teachings of Jesus and later on the writings and missionary work of Paul of Tarsus.

Way back in the mid-first century, Christianity developed in the land of the Jews. Their
land is called Judea and formerly called as Judah. During this century, the Christianity was very
small, unorganized sect that promised personal salvation after death. Salvation was possible
through belief in Jesus as the son of God—the same God the Jews believed in. Early Christians
debated whether they should only preach to Jews, or if non-Jews could become Christians, too.
Eventually, Christianity gained followers not only from Jewish communities, but from
throughout the Roman world.

Beginnings of Christianity: Break up of Hasmonean Dynasty

The Hasmonean dynasty had survived for 103 years before yielding to the Herodian dynasty
in 37 BCE. The installation of Herod the Great (an Idumean) as king in 37 BCE made Judea a
Roman client state and marked the end of the Hasmonean dynasty.

The beginning of Christianity started with the Hasmonean Dynasty. Hasmonean dynasty,
also spelled Hasmonaean, dynasty of ancient Judaea, descendants of the Maccabee family. In 63
BCE, the kingdom was conquered by the Roman Republic, broken up and set up as a Roman
client state. The Kingdom had survived for 103 years before yielding to the Herodian Dynasty in
37 BCE. Even then, Herod the Great tried to bolster the legitimacy of his reign by marrying a
Hasmonean princess, Mariamne, and planning to drown the last male Hasmonean heir at his
Jericho palace.

Christianity and Rome

In the decades after Jesus's death, the Apostle Paul wrote many letters that are now part
of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Paul was a Roman citizen and sent these letters to
small communities of Christians living throughout the Roman Empire.
 Apostle Paul was one of the most influential leaders of the early Christian church. He
played a crucial role in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles (Gentiles are those non-Jews) during
the first century, and his missionary journeys took him all throughout the Roman empire.
Apostle’s Paul mission is to spread Christianity.

Spread of Christianity: Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul started more than a dozen churches, and he’s traditionally considered the
author of 13 books of the Bible—more than any other biblical writer. For this reason, Saint Paul
is often considered one of the most influential people in history.

The letters show us that Paul and his fellow Christians were still figuring out exactly
what being a Christian meant. Issues related to the exact relationship between Judaism and
Christianity, and between Christianity and the Roman government, were prominent topics of
discussion before. Judaism had received the status of a legal religion in the Roman Empire with
formal protections. Although Christianity developed out of Jewish traditions, it had no such legal
protections. Christians were occasionally persecuted—formally punished—for their beliefs
during the first two centuries CE. But the Roman state’s official position was generally to ignore
Christians unless they clearly challenged imperial authority. We will go further later about

Rome becomes Christian

In 313 CE, the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which granted Christianity—
as well as most other religions—legal status. While this was an important development in the
history of Christianity, it was not a total replacement of traditional Roman beliefs with
Christianity.

Apostle Paul.

The Roman Empire did not become Christianized overnight. Roman religious beliefs changed
slowly over time. At the time the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, Christianity was still
spreading. It is also important to remember that Christianity itself did not appear suddenly or
fully-formed. Christianity grew out of Jewish traditions and was shaped by Roman cultural and
political structures for several centuries.

To summarize how Christianity started and developed, let us watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvL3YXa0n2M
 Jesus in Nazareth
Next, we will discuss about Jesus in Nazareth.

Jesus in Nazareth

Jesus is referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth” or “the Nazarene” because He grew up in the town
of Nazareth. However, this title also points to fulfilled prophecies and a reminder of humble
roots.

Though Jesus grew up in Nazareth, He wasn’t born there. Jesus was born to a virgin, Mary, who
was engaged to a man named Joseph. Luke 2 records that at that time there was a census, for
which Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem in Judea because of his lineage from David. Mary,
pregnant with Jesus at the time by the power of the Holy Spirit, came with him.

Jesus in Nazareth: The Four Gospels

The four Gospels are the most important sources dealing with his life and ministry. Though
written by different authors more than a generation after his death (Mark, the earliest, was
written about A.D. 70; John, the latest, shortly before 100), their accounts, though different in
important ways, are in broad general agreement.

The four gospels that we find in the New Testament, are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The
first three of these are usually referred to as the "synoptic gospels," because they look at things in
a similar way, or they are similar in the way that they tell the story. The four gospels all tell a
unique perspective of the same story. They all claim Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who fulfills the
Hebrew Scriptures. Mark is widely considered to be the oldest Gospel. The genealogies at the
start of Matthew have hidden design patterns in them that unify the Old and New Testaments.

Each of the four gospels begins by introducing Jesus to us. Each of the four gospel writers has
the same purpose in his introduction; he wants to show who Jesus is and why his story should be
considered. The evangelists are all concerned at the outset with establishing Jesus' identity and
thus his significance.

The Spread of Christianity: Apostle Paul’s Mission

When God called Saul, and later renamed him Paul, he was commissioned to take the gospel
to the Gentiles, but he usually ended up in the Jewish synagogues too, so wherever Paul went
he took the gospel with him and used every opportunity to bring the message of Christ to those
he came in contact with.

So, Saul or Paul was one of the apostles and he was named as “Apostle of Gentiles.” He
was born in Tarsus, Turkey. Saul was his name before and change to Paul because he has a
special mission. His mission was to spread Christianity.

The Spread of Christianity: Apostle Paul’s Mission

“For he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and
the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15)

So, this was Paul’s mission.

The Spread of Christianity: Apostle Paul’s Mission

Apostle Paul said, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already
been named” (Rom 15:20), but that “Those who have never been told of him will see, and
those who have never heard will understand” (Rom 15:21).

The other way that the Apostle Paul spread Christianity was through his letters which later
became canonized and part of Holy Scripture, specifically, part of the New Testament. God used
Paul to influence the culture, and later the world, but the many books he has written in the New
Testament, sent as letters, later called books, and all written under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit.
The Spread of Christianity: Apostle Paul’s Mission

The Book of Romans is probably the best work of Paul, and this book has reached millions
over the last 2,000 years, so Paul helped to influence the spread of Christianity like no other
person ever did (besides Jesus Christ Himself).

Paul could have done nothing without Christ and His Spirit (John 15:5), so unless the Spirit of
God moved the people of God to understand the Word of God, there would be no children of
God. The Apostle knew that the Word of God had power.
God spreads the gospel by means of those who live a godly life, but also by those who let their
light shine before others so that they might glorify God and see the Light of the World, Jesus
Christ. Paul influenced Christianity in a huge way, perhaps more than any other human being
that has lived. Only Christ, who is the Word Himself, and Who is also the Head of the Church,
has done more for Christianity because He is the author and finisher of our faith.
Paul influenced Christianity through his church planting, through his missionary work, through
his written word (epistles or letters), and even today he is still reaching thousands and thousands
for Christ by what he left behind in the New Testament books he wrote.

The Crisis of the Later Roman Empire

The Crisis of the Third Century

The Crisis of the Third Century (also known as the Imperial Crisis, 235-284 CE) was the
period in the history of the Roman Empire during which it splintered into three separate
political entities: the Gallic Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Palmyrene Empire.

The Crisis began with the assassination of Emperor Severus Alexander by his own troops
in 235, initiating a 50-year period in which there were at least 26 claimants to the title of
Emperor, mostly prominent Roman army generals, who assumed imperial power over all or part
of the Empire. Twenty-six men were officially accepted by the Roman Senate as emperor during
this period, and thus became legitimate emperors.

The Crisis of the Third Century

 The situation of the Roman Empire became dire in 235 CE, when emperor Alexander
Severus was murdered by his own troops after defeat by Germanic tribes.
 In the years following the emperor’s death, generals of the Roman army fought each
other for control of the Empire, and neglected their duties of defending the empire
from invasion. As a result, various provinces became victims of frequent raids.
 By 268, the Empire had split into three competing states: the Gallic Empire,
including the Roman provinces of Gaul, Britannia, and Hispania; the Palmyrene
Empire, including the eastern provinces of Syria Palaestina and Aegyptus; and the
Italian-centered and independent Roman Empire proper.
 One of the most profound and lasting effects of the Crisis of the Third Century was the
disruption of Rome’s extensive internal trade network under the Pax Romana.
 The continuing problems of the Empire would be radically addressed by Diocletian,
allowing the Empire to continue to survive in the West for over a century, and in the
East for over a millennium.
 So, this is the Roman Empire in 271 CE. The divided Empire during the Crisis of the
Third Century. As you can see, the empire has divided into three separate entities which are the
Gallic Empire (the green one), the Roman Empire (the color red), and the Palmyrene Empire (the
yellow one).
The main reason Rome and other great empires fell was mainly because of the over
expansion of their territories. The larger the Empire, the harder it was to control. In the case of
the Romans, new, emerging religions played a big part as people turned to Christianity and
became less tied to the old beliefs and ways of the Romans. In conclusion, great Empires seem to
fall because of over-expansion. Roman Empire fell because of their over-expansion, less control
of its territories and people, leading to less loyalty to that Empire and more uprisings.

Let us watch the documentary video about the crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTqmIFEx72E

Evolution of the Western Church

Think about it for a moment. Christianity was not legally recognized and did not begin its
real institutional evolution until 313, two years after the death of Diocletian, the emperor who
had divided the empire. The eastern half of the empire was already much different from the
West, but the two regions had been held together by a centralized government supporting
unifying institutions. Now that unity had been broken and the two imperial governments --
eastern and western -- were no longer investing money and energy in maintaining it, the eastern
and western halves of the old Roman empire began to develop in different directions.
Christianity was part of that situation, and so, throughout the fourth century, the Church in the
West slowly began to develop a character and organization distinct from the Church in the East.

The large majority of the world's 2.3 billion Christians are Western Christians (about 2
billion – 1.2 billion Latin Catholic and 800 million Protestant). The original and still major
component, the Latin Church, developed under the bishop of Rome. Western Christianity has
played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization.

The Rise of the Western Church

 Constantine attempted to create a Christian Church that would be a unifying force

within the empire. For it to be so, the Church had to be universal, and so Constantine
began dismantling the old state religion and turning its buildings, assets and functions
over to the Christian Church. As an aside, however, he confiscated the gold owned by
the other religions and used it to restore the gold currency, a reform that Diocletian had
attempted but failed to institute. With its greatly expanded material base, the Church
needed more financial and administrative skill than its personnel were able to provide.

The Rise of the Western Church

 Constantine established that, like many other Roman administrative functions, the
Church should operate as a local institution with its centers located in the civitates, the
municipalities that formed the basic governmental unit of the empire. These positions
were filled, at least at first, through the election of bishops by members of the local
community, approved by a representative of the imperial government and confirmed
by a ceremony called investiture in which the candidate was "clothed" in the symbols
and uniform of his office. The ceremony of investiture was conducted by two or more
neighboring bishops and so represented the Church's ratification of the selection.

One of Constantine's primary concerns was to establish a clear and commonly accepted
definition of the Christian faith, especially since there appeared to be considerable dispute among
the early Christians over the nature and status of Jesus.