THE RISE OF

CHRISTIANITY
What was religion
like in Rome?
What was religion
like in Rome?
Religion in Rome was polytheistic and
based upon the Greek gods.

Romans worshipped the gods, but

people were not very emotional about
their religion.
 How do you think the
Romans treated people
they conquered who
had different
religions?
Emperors were mostly tolerant of other
religions but expected everyone who lived
in the empire to respect the Roman gods as
a sign of loyalty.
In 63 BC, the Romans conquered the
Hebrew Kingdom of Judea and allowed
Romanized Jews (who showed respect and
obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea.
The Hebrews were monotheistic, and
many refused to pay respect to the
Roman gods.
Many Hebrews began to resist Roman
rule and believed that God would send
the Messiah to restore the Kingdom to
the Jews.
What happened in
Judea during the
Roman Empire?
The Birth of Jesus and the Beginning of Christianity

Sometime between At the age of 30, Jesus

6 & 4 BC in Judea, Many considered began preaching a
a Jew named Jesus Jesus to be the unique version of
was born. Messiah. Judaism that became
known as Christianity.
 What were the
basic teachings of
Jesus?
Jesus did good works, performed
miracles, and delivered his religious
teachings.
Jesus preached a religion based on the
Jewish belief in one god or monotheism.
Jesus thought that he was God's son and
that God would rid the world of evil.
He thought of God's love, mercy, and
forgiveness towards others, and eternal
life in heaven for those who repent their
sins.
He based much of his good works on the
Ten Commandments.
What kind of person
would Christianity
appeal to?
Jesus' message of eternal life in heaven
appealed to many people, especially the
poor.
Jesus’ followers were known as disciples.
How and for what
reasons did Jesus
die?
 The Crucifixion of Jesus
Many Hebrews in Judea did not accept
the idea that Jesus was the Messiah and
accused him of blasphemy.
Roman leaders feared Jesus’ growing popularity.
In 29 AD, Jesus was arrested for defying Roman
authority and was crucified.
 What role did the
apostle Paul play in
Christianity?
 This Spread of Christianity

The Apostles, especially Paul, molded Jesus'

teachings into a new religion called Christianity
based on the idea that Jesus was God's son and died
for man's sins.
The Apostles saw that Jews and non-Jews were
welcome as Christians.
How did the Romans
treat Hebrews and
Christians?
 Persecution of Jews and Christians

The spread of Judaism and Christianity was a

problem for the Roman emperors.
The Jews and Christians refused to worship the
Roman gods nor recognize the emperor as more
important than God.
Romans persecuted many Christians and Jews.
 Persecution of Jews and Christians

Many were crucified, exiled, or executed during

gladiator events

Christians who died became martyrs, people who

sacrificed their lives for their beliefs which helped
spread the faith.
What was unique
about Emperor
Constantine?
 Christianity spread throughout the
Roman Empire and gained popularity
In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine converted to
Christianity and issued the Edict of Milan, giving
Christians freedoms and equality.
In 395 AD, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Organization of the
Early Christian
Church
 Christians organized the faith
A leadership hierarchy was created in which
regional bishops supervised local priests.
The head of the church was the Pope, who
operated from Rome.
Teachings were collected into the Bible,
Christianity's official source of religious truth.
Thank you for
listening!
- TEACHER DENISSE