The Courage to be Christian:

100-312 A.D.

Quick Review 33-100 AD

1. Early Christians were in fear of being _________________________

because it was against the law to worship God.

2. The birthday of the Church is called

____________________________. It happened ________ days after the

Resurrection and _______ days after Jesus’ ascension.

3. Christians who were not Jewish were known as __________________.

4. The first great council of the Catholic Church was the Council of

_______________________.

5. S___________ and T_____________ are the ways God reveals Himself

to us.

Review of First 70 years

Excitement over the new Church in those first 70 years

Many eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and death were still

alive

The power of the Holy Spirit was all around

Miracles and Conversions were popular

New converts expected Jesus’ second coming at any moment

(in their lifetime)

Persecutions still very real

Apostolic Fathers were one person removed from the Apostles and continued to spread the good news and grow the Church

Changes 100-312 A.D.

Apostles and Eyewitnesses no longer alive

The belief that Jesus would return any day now was not the

common belief

Persecutions continued (begun by emperor Nero)

This is the single toughest time period for the Church

Took REALLY SERIOUS courage to be Christian at the time

The Community interacts with society and government

Persecutions were political NOT

religious

Romans conquered countries and to

get these new people to be loyal

to them and not uprise, Roman

soldiers made these new people

worship the emperor

From the time of Augustus, each

Roman Emperor was considered a god

Adding the Roman emperor to

the list of their gods was not

a big deal to these new people

the empire conquered. They

offered sacrifices to him.

Worshipping the emperor was a

HUGE deal to the early

Christians who believed in ONE

God. Early Christians felt

that this was a rejection of

Christ.

Quick Discussion:

What kinds of “gods” do you see people

worshipping in the world today?

Life in the Empire

Roman people were still living an immoral life

Roman Empire was starting to decline...these

voyages to conquer were expensive and often

places they conquered were not wealthy. The

new citizens may not have had job nor could

pay taxes to the Roman Empire.

The Government had trouble raising money.

Northern Tribes coming out of Germany and from

the East were a threat

Christians = Scapegoats

Christians became the perfect

scapegoats for these struggling

people because their faith forbade

them from fighting back or seeking

revenge.

Superstitious people were

convinced Roman gods were

punishing Rome because the

Christians refused to worship

them. Persecutions continued.

What else was going on?

The Roman Empire was so big

that it was divided into an

eastern and western half. The

emperor had his court and

palace in the East at

Constantinople (now Istanbul

in Turkey). As Rome began to

decline, more and more wealthy

and important people moved

East, too. Rome became a

second-rate city.

The Community’s Spirit: Martyrs were made

Martyr- faithful witness who choose to suffer death rather than deny

their religions beliefs

Named for Saint Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.) who was beheaded when

he refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods.

This became known as the Age of the Martyrs because there were so

many put to death for being Christian

Persecution didn’t always mean death; it might have meant losing all

possessions or lifestyle they had known. Many Christians had to give

up their homes, were imprisoned, sold into slavery, or forced to

work for the state for their whole life.

When Christians were to be

put to death, they were

often tortured. Torture was

used to get Christians to

reject Jesus and offer

sacrifices to the emperor.

Means of torture were brutal. A few of the most popular

forms were breaking of teeth with a hammer or pulling out

fingernails with tweezers!Whips, branding irons, knives, and

needles were all used to try to get Christians to deny

Christ.

Death was also not done in a humane

way, but was tortuous as well…

People were burned alive, drowned in

sacks filled with rocks, crucified,

dunked in boiling tar, or left naked

to freeze on a lake of ice.

The Roman’s most popular method was

placing Christians in an arena with

hungry lions. This was a spectator

sport

How was this courageous?

When being put to

death, all the person

had to do was to say,

“I reject Jesus” to

escape death at the

last minute.

VERY FEW did! Instead

these heroes remained

faithful witnesses,

even in the face of

death.

Scripture Search: Grab a Bible and a Partner

It is said that if you have to suffer, it’s better to do so

for good deeds rather than evil ones.

Look up the following passage and discuss with your partner.

Jot down your answers and be ready to discuss with class:

1 Peter 3:13-17

1.Have you ever suffered for “being good”? Give an example.

2.What is your “reason for hope”? How would you explain

this to others?

Women saints and martyrs from this time periodSaint Perpetua- imprisoned along with 5

other Christians. Her own father, not a

Christian, tried to dissuade her. When

he came to visit her in prison, she

pointed to a vase and said, “Father, do

you see this?” and when he replied yes,

she continued, “Can it be named anything

other than what it is? So I cannot be

called anything but a Christian”

Saint Felicity was martyred in the arena

in Carthage by being beheaded.

Saint Felicity was Saint Perpetua’s

servant. She was pregnant at the

time of her capture.She also refused

to deny Christ and was beheaded

along with Saint Perpetua in the

arena at Carthage (North Africa).

These women were supposed to be

martyred by animals in the arena,

but remained unharmed and so swords

were used to kill them.

Because the women died together and

were so close in life, they are

often pictured together.

Saint PaulaPaula supervised the construction of two

monasteries and covered the cost herself

(she came from a very wealthy Roman

family). Paula’s friend and mentor, Saint

Jerome took over the monasteries and she

began construction on a convent. She built

is as close to the Basilica of the

Nativity (built on the side of Jesus’

birth) by Helena, another woman of faith.

Paula oversaw three orders of nuns.

Marcella also helped build monasteries and

oversaw the running of these communities.

She would meet with Saint Jerome and

discuss scripture and Psalms.

Saint ApollonianMartyred in 249, had all her teeth knocked

out after being hit in the face by a

Christian persecutor. After her torture,

she was threatened with being burned if she

didn’t renounce her faith; she jumped into

the flames voluntarily.

She is the patron saint of dental diseases

and headaches.

Saint LydiaSaint Lydia was baptized by Saint

Paul. Her conversion to Christianity

was important because she was one of

the first prominent Gentiles (non-

Jewish) to accept Christian belief.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a

seller of purple, of the city of

Thyatira, one that worshipped God, did

hear: whose heart the Lord opened to

attend to those things which were said

by Paul. And when she was baptized,

and her household, she besought us,

saying: If you have judged me to be

faithful to the Lord, come into my

house, and abide there. And she

constrained us. – Acts 16:14-15

Saint Prisca (Priscilla)

Saint Prisca (Priscilla) was a Gentile

woman married to a Jewish man named Aquila.

They converted to Christianity at a time

when Christians were not accepted by the

Romans. They were forced to leave Rome and

they moved to Corinth, Greece. There they

became involved in Saint Paul’s mission to

share the Good News of Jesus.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul refers to

Prisca and Aquila as “my co-workers in

Christ Jesus.” – Romans 16:3

Keeping the Faith

Though most early Christians did all

they could, with the exception of

denying Jesus, to stay alive (after

all, this was how the faith spread),

some Christians openly sought

martyrdom.

Christians met in secret to discuss

Scripture and celebrate the Eucharist.

They used secret codes to tell other

Christians when and where to meet.

Honoring the saints and martyrs

Remember, we do not honor the saints by praying TO them, but

asking them to pray for us. Many non-Catholics do not

understand this. We ONLY pray to God, but ask Mary and all the

saints to pray with and for us.

It was and is our belief that martyrs went straight to Heaven.

Our basis in the Communion of Saints got its origins here. We

asked for their intercession and honored these holy people by

building shrines

Apologists and Teachers

In these years, educated Church

leaders kept trying to explain the

faith to non-Christians.

They believed that if the leaders and

philosophers from this time understood

the faith, they would stop hating

Christians and stop persecuting them

as enemies of the state.

Church Fathers = Apologists

Apologists defended the faith through their lives and

writings

Used skills in language and philosophy to challenge the

teachings of non-Christians

Saint Justin Martyr and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are two of

the most famous apologists

Church fathers gave hope to Christians of this time. Some of

their speeches, sermons, and writings have survived

Heresies

Heresies-false teachings about

faith

We have writings where Peter

and Paul corrected others on

the faith

In every period, false

teachings and false ideas have

popped up in the Christian

community

The apologists had to battle two popular heresies-

Gnosticism- “knowledge” mix of eastern philosophy and

religion. Stressed spiritual side of life and taught that all

material items were evil. Denied Jesus was human.

Montanism- taught that the second coming was imminent and

that world was about to end. Named for Montanus, its founder.

Denied forgiveness of sin. Denied need for food, clothing,

and shelter.

These heresies had elements

that were good - such as not

focusing too much on material

goods - but these movements

did not provide

balance...Jesus offered us a

very balanced life if we

followed him.

Apologists had to work hard

to spread the faith and

squash these false teachings

and rumors about the Church.

They kept Christians focused

on the truth of the gospels.

martyr = witness = good example

Being a martyr, witness, and good example are proof of God’

power and wisdom.

Persecutions that Rome hoped would end Christianity actually

helped it spread. It gave the young Church publicity. The

witness and example of faith when they were facing death

converted many of those who watched.

Christianity Spreads

By 300 A.D.

Christianity is

well established in

about every part of

the empire.

Soldiers who

converted spread

the news where they

traveled. Enslaved

Christians spread

the word to fellow

slaves and masters.

The community was organized

The Church was organized locally. There was a bishop that

oversaw each community. They were the apostles of the time.

They made sure that no errors made their way into the Gospel.

Priests and Deacons assisted the Bishops.

At this time, these men were allowed to marry but they opted

not to as they wanted to imitate Jesus. It gave them more

time and freedom to devote themselves to the Church.

What about women?

Women did not hold leadership roles in society; they did not

work outside of the home, read, write, or hold political

office.

Inside the early Church, women were needed to help it grow.

Women were deaconesses and helped spread the Gospel message.

Bishop = Pope?Rome was the center of the

Church

Bishop of Rome was overall

leader of all of the communities

The Bishop of Rome, who was a

successor of Peter, held a

special role over all the

bishops

The role of this bishops was

similar to the role of Pope

today, though they were not yet

called “popes”

Scripture, Gospels, and CreedDuring this time, the New Testament was being compiled

Originally, more than 4 Gospels were written

Lots of letters were written and treated with great respect

The Church had to decide what writings would be kept and part of the

New Testament

Various creeds were being used and the key beliefs from Jesus and

the apostles in a short form...the creed. Eventually, the apostles

creed became the most widely used and accepted creed. Remains one of

the best summaries of our faith.

Apostolic Succession-

Process by which Bishops in

every age continue to carry

out the work of the

Apostles. The Church regards

the 12 apostles as the first

bishops and they chose and

ordained men to continue the

work after them. It remains

a powerful sign of the

Church’s unity.

Quiz

True or False

1.The Romans considered their emperor to be a god.

2.The Church fathers helped people understand the faith.

3.People who believed in Gnosticism stressed the humanity

of Jesus.

4.The greater the persecutions, the less people were

interested in becoming Christians

5.An apologist is a person who makes a public apology for

his or her sins.

Fill in the blank

1.During this time in history, the Roman Empire moved its

center from Rome to _______________________.

2.A martyr is someone who _________for his or her faith.

3.Followers of Montanish beleived that sins committed after

___________ could not be forgiven.

4.Although he was not called “pope” the _____________was

considered to be the head of all bishops of the Church.

5.The ________________ is a summary of all that the

apostles taught the first Christians.

Essay TopicsChoose one and complete a 3-paragraph essay on your topic:

What were some of the major reasons for the persecution of

Christians by the Romans? How did persecution spread

Christianity?

OR

What was accomplished by the people who came to be called

apologists and Church fathers?

Project Choice Board: Choose a partner and a project below. You will have 2 class periods to complete this work. We will present next week (if this is not enough time, divide and complete at home)

Make a map (colored and with a map key) showing

the spread of Christianity through the year 300 AD.

On the back of your map or on a separate sheet of

paper, give two illustrated examples of how

Christianity was spread during this time.

Create a colorful children’s story/picture book that

explains this time period in the Catholic Church.

Book must have at least 5 pages.

Make a colorful book that explains and illustrates

the parts of the Apostles’ Creed.

Book must have at least 8 pages.

Make a set of 6 trading cards of the women Saints

of this time period complete with facts and

accomplishments.

Project Rubric...how do you earn the grade you want?

25 20 15 10

Time management Students use all 2 class periods wisely

and are on task at all times.Students generally use time wisely and

get back to work when redirected

Students are often seen off task and

are working too loudly

Students are frequently off task and

are too loud

Finished project Finished product is neat, easy to

understand, and sticks to the topic

Finished product is mostly neat and is

relatively clear and mainly sticks to

topic

Finished product is not very neat

and/or not as easy to understand;

could be much more on topic.

Finished product isn’t neat and/or

clear; is not on topic.

Includes all components Students followed all directions in their

box of choice.

Students followed most of the

directions in the box of choice.

Students followed half of the directions

in their box of choice.

Students did not follow the directions in

their box.

Creativity & Content Students’ project covered all the

necessary information and was

creative in the presentation of the

facts.

Students project covered most of the

necessary information and was

relatively creative in the presentation of

the facts.

Students’ project was missing several

key pieces of information and was not

very creative in the presentation of the

facts.

Students’ project was missing many

pieces of necessary information and

was not creative in the presentation of

the facts.

Total points /100