Rise of Christianity ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also Do to others as you would have them do to you.” If erry torians have divided the study of the past ito periods. The period that lies between the ancient and the modern periods is known as the middle or the medieval period medieval comes from the Latin word, medium The word aevum which means “middle age. It must be remembered that the medieval period did not begin at the same time Neither did the change from the ancient to the medieval period happen overnight. It was a gradual process. ery wnt Fe dprend of The medieval period in India stretched from the eighth to the eighteenth century. The eighth century is generally taken as the polity, culture and religion underwent many changes. nal parts of the world beginning because society, economy, Similarly, the eighteenth century witnessed many more changes, marking the end of the medieval The Holy Bible period and the beginning of the modern period. The medieval period in Europe, on the other hand, stretched from the sixth century to the sixteenth century CE (500 CE to 1500 CB). Historians describe this period as a dynamic one in which social, political, economic, cultural ed and and religious structures were redefi reorganized. © Birth of Christianity The Roman Empire was one of the greatest in its time. In the middle of the first century BCE, the Romans conquered Palestine, the homeland of the Jews. Herod became the ruler. He tortured and killed many Jews. This made the Romans Unpopular. The Roman practice of worshipping emperors as gods infuriated the Jews further. The Jews, thus, looked forward to the coming he remains of a castle believed to be that of Herod.a ° THE ROMAN MORE aps AFRICA ARABIA ‘The Roman Empire in the second ce of a messiah who would liberate them from foreign rule and establish the kingdom of God. It was against this background that Jesus Christ preached his message of love, brotherhood and Teachings of Jesus Christ Jesus was a Legends say that he restored the sight eat healer. the blind and healed the sick. His simple lifestyle and the love and compassion he had for people earned compassion. ® Jesus Christ Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small town near Judea, in about 4 BCE. At that time Judea was a part of the Roman Empire. Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary. It is said that an angel appeared ‘to Mary and told her that she would give birth to a ‘blessed’ child. T hild was Jesus. Our knowledge about the life and teachings ‘of Jesus comes from four short books, called the Gospels, of Matthew, Mark, Luke and Johri. They tell us that Jesus grew up in Nazareth. He followed his father’s profession and became a carpenter, But soon he abandoned it and began preaching the message of love. Jesus preached his message in the form of parables and sermons. From his many followers, Jesus chose twelve apostles to help him. “Chist’ is not the surname of Jesus. It comes from the e spread the message of love and brotherhood. beat, ee 5him a lot of followers. Jesus reje rituals. He asked his followers to give up th sinful ways, devote their lives to God, and help other people. He condemned hypocrisy and greed The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous sermon delivered by Jesus. In it, he said love your enemies do not judge others © have faith in God © give to the needy do unto others as you would have others do unto you A small group of disciples believed Jesus to be the promised messiah who would bring an end to the Roman rule. Meanwhile, the growing influence ‘of Jesus alarmed many Jewish priests. They felt threatened by Jesus, They complained to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, He arrested Jesus on the false charge of calling himself the King of Jews and encouraging people to rebel against the Roman Empire. As a result, Jesus was sentenced to death Crucifixion In 30 CE, Jesus was enucified in Golgotha as a political rebel. The Cross, henceforth, became a so follower wus Christ as the end hopes. Subsequently, many believ that Jesus rose from the dead anc ascended into heaven. With th courage restored, the follower preaching in His disciples, notably St Peter, St I St Paul, won many converts, Christianity the name of Jesus ( gained acceptance in Rome where the Bishop of St as Jesus Christ’ representative on earth, and was called the ‘Pope’ or ‘Father Es @ The medieval period in india stretched from the fourth century to the ninth century C£. True or False? * © Herod was a (Jew/ Roman) ruler. | © Jesus Christ was born in ter’s Church came to be regarded © © Who crucified Jesus?‘medieval _ the period that lies between the ancient and the modern periods Gospel _ one of the four books of the New Testament parable a short story that makes a moral or a religious point sermon a talk on a religious or moral subject apostle one of a group made up of Jesus Christ's twelve original disciples crucify _ put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross ©00@ Bian A. Tick (/) the correct answers. 4. This century marked the end of the medieval period in Europe a. sixteenth” b. fifteenth «. eleventh 4. tenth 2. The Romans conquered this place in the first century 8ce. a. Kurukshetra b. Beijing ©. Osaka 4. Paléstine 3. We get to know about the life of Jesus from four short books called the a. Sermons. b. Torahs. c. Gospels. 4. Psalms. 4. This is the most famous sermon delivered by Jesus Christ. a Sesion on the Mount c. Let them Walk + b. A Christian Thanksgiving 4. The Water and the Wilderness 5. Jesus was crucified in 2. Bethlehem. b. cso, c. Nazareth. 4. Galilee. B. Write True or False. 1. Jews were happy to worship the Roman emperors as gods. 2. Jesus spread his message through his twelve apostles. 3. Jesus asked people to have faith in God. I le 4. Herod crucified Jesus. dears © Match the columns. 1. Herod a. a disciple of Jesus Christ | 1 2. parables b. tortured the Jews | 3. Mary and Joseph c message of Jesus Christ 2 4. St Peter 4. parents of Jesus Christ > D. Give reasons for the following. 1. Romans were unpopular among Jews. 2. Jesus Christ earned many followers. | st Petera E, Answer these questions. What do you understand by the term ‘medieval’? ‘The medieval period did not start at the same time all over the world.’ Explain. Discuss the background against which Jesus Christ emerged as the preacher of the masses. 3. What do the Gospels tell us about Jesus Christ's life? 4. What did Jesus Christ preach? 5. Why was Jesus Christ crucified? F, Picture Study This is an artist’s impression of the Crucifixion. 1. Who ordered the Crucifixion? 2. Why did Christianity not fade away with the Crucifixion of Jesus? eee harry) ; G. Get into groups of four and do a role-play on an incident from the life of Jesus. H. When we help people without expecting anything in return, it is called selfless service. Take the help of your teacher to observe ‘Selfless Service Day’. Make a PowerPoint presentation on People/ organizations who do selfless service (INT: Kailash Satyarthi/Nirmal Hriday). |. Make a chart highlighting some features common to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and so on. J. Values Jesus Christ was betrayed by one of his followers called Judas. Judas helped Romans to capture Jesus. Read the sentence. Discuss the answers with your partner. A friend has trusted you with a secret but you tell it to others. ‘@ Have you betrayed your friend? ‘* How will you regain that friend’s trust? K. Weblink To watch a clip from The Greatest Story Ever Told, visit http:/rsgr.in/pp7-o1 a, > |@@@ THE LESSON INA PAGE @@@ The medieval Period lies between the ancient and the modern periods. In India, the ecieval period stretched from the eighth to the eighteenth century. in Europe, it stretched from about the sixth to the sixteenth century cE. ® In about the first century ace, the Romans had captured Palestine, the homeland of Jews. Jews were tortured and forced to worship Roman emperors as gods. ® Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The Gospels tell us that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and chose twelve apostles who helped him spread the message of love. * Jesus led a simple life. He rejected meaningless rituals, and preached love and compassion. The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous sermon of Jesus. * People began to look upon Jesus as the promised messiah. Some Jewish priests felt threatened by the growing popularity of Jesus, They convinced the Roman governor to arrest Jesus. * In 30 ce, Jesus was crucified. * Some of the followers of Jesus believed that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. This gave hope to his followers who preached in the name of Jesus Christ @@@ POINTS OF FOCUS @@@ Do unto others as you would have others do unto you ‘ Neen \ Love your enemies Have faith: in God IND TEACHINGS Cole) TC Give to the Do not judge needy others