The Rise of Christianity

Chapter 10Sections 1-3

The First Christians

• Do you know what location where people were first called Christians?

• Antioch, Syria• When Syria was made a Roman province by Pompey

(64 B. C.), Antioch continued to be the metropolis of the East.

• The seed of Christ’s teachings were carried to Antioch by some disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene, who fled from Jerusalem during the persecution that followed upon the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 11:10-20).

• How useful were the Roman roads to the spreading of the gospel?

• Recall from Chapter 3, “The Ancient Israelites,” Israel had divided into 2 kingdoms, Israel and Judah. Divided, they were easier to attack. Israel was destroyed by neighbors and the Israelites scattered. The Jews in Judah, managed to survive.

• In 63 B.C., Rome took control of Judah, ruling at first through Jewish kings. In A.D. 6, Emperor Augustus turned Judah into a Roman province called Judea. Instead of a king, they were appointed a governor, or procurator.

During Roman occupation, Galilee was the region just north of Judea.

• The Jews resented the Roman occupation. Jews who rebelled against the Romans were called, zealots. The zealots formed a plan to rebel against the Romans in A.D. 66. Subsequently, the Romans burned the temple and killed thousands of Jews.

• A.D. 132, another rebellion caused the Romans to expel all the Jews from Jerusalem and told them they could not return. What would you do if you were told you had to leave the country and never come back?

Zealot hideout-Masada

The Life of Jesus

• Through oppressive times, the Jews would pray for a deliverer. During the Roman occupation, the Jews prayed to God in hopes He would send the promised Messiah. The Jews expected a great military king, such as David, to lead them to freedom from the Romans.

• After being baptized in the Jordan River, and spending 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus of Nazareth began His ministry. Jesus chose disciples, or 12 close followers, to teach the gospel message to, and be witnesses to his ministry.

• (Matthew 3-4)

• Jesus taught in parables, or stories from everyday life, to teach spiritual ideas.

• Some of the more familiar are: the parable of prodigal son, the good Samaritan, salt and light, a tree and the fruit it bears.

• At the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples.

Crucifixion

• Jesus was considered a political threat to the Jewish religious leaders because he presented the gospel without legalism which would put many of them out of business and control. Jesus travels to Jerusalem w/ His disciples to celebrate Passover when He is arrested.

• Crucifixion was saved for the worst of crimes, such as treason. The victim would suffer for usually 3-4 days, dying of dehydration. The humiliation stood to remind others of the punishment they would receive if they made the same choices.

Crucifixion victim

• Jesus had been beaten so badly, scholars suggest He should not have even survived to be crucified. The robe put on His back served as a band-aid to stop the bleeding.

• After 3 days in the borrowed tomb, Jesus’ disciples reported that He was resurrected, or risen from the dead. Jesus remained in Jerusalem teaching them for another 40 days before ascending back to heaven.

• Jesus’ apostles spread the message of hope, comfort and acceptance as they journeyed and helped start new churches across the Roman Empire.

• Martyr: a person willing to die rather than give up his/her beliefs.

• Peter was reportedly crucified upside down, Philip was crucified, Andrew was crucified, Jude was crucified, Simon was crucified, Stephen was stoned to death, John put into a pot of boiling oil, Matthias was beaten, then beheaded, James was beaten, then his brains were beaten out with fullers club, Bartholomew was flayed alive, Matthew & Paul were both put to death by the sword, Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria.

What do Christians believe?

• Christians-people who believe Jesus is the Messiah. If one accepts Jesus & His teachings they will be saved from hell and go to heaven.

• Christians believe in the virgin birth of Christ, He lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and was resurrected 3 days later.

• Romans 10:9 “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10:10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.”

REFLECTION

• WRITE DOWN TWO THINGS THAT YOU LEARNED TODAY THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW BEFORE.

The Christian Church, sec. 2

• Why do you think the Christian faith spread so quickly through the Roman Empire? 1. reached out to everyone, 2. promised happiness after death, 3. chance to be a part of a caring group (social welfare).

• A.D. 64 under the reign of Nero, Christians were persecuted, and killed. Christianity was made illegal. Nero blamed the Christians for setting Rome on fire. Are Christians persecuted today? How?

Rome Adopts Christianity

• 312, Constantine converts to Christianity and declares the Edict of Milan in 313, giving religious freedom to everyone and made Christianity legal, stopping the persecution by Rome.

• Theodosius declares Christianity the official religion of Rome by 392.

• Using the Roman Empire as a model, the church structured itself in an hierarchy. An hierarchy is an organization with different levels of authority. The clergy were the leaders of the church, the laity were the church members. Women could not serve as clergy, but were still encouraged to help care for the sick and needy.

• Bishops decided on matters of religious questions. Decisions made became known as church doctrine, or official church teaching.

• In addition to forming doctrine, church leaders preserved written records of the life of Jesus and letters of the disciples. Each written record was called a gospel, which means, good news. The New Testament of the Christian Bible include the four accounts of Jesus’ life, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

• By 600, the bishop of Rome had gained a special title, pope, Latin for father. Latin speaking Christians accepted the pope as the head of the church. Their church became known as the Roman Catholic Church.

• Greek speaking Christians did not accept the pope in Rome as having authority over them.

• The Catholic Church named Peter as the first pope in 32.

• The 266th pope was named in 2005 is Benedict XVI, from Germany. Former name is Joseph Ratzinger. (www.new advent.com)

The Spread of Christian Ideassection 3

• The Byzantine Empire developed their own ideas of Christianity based on Greek heritage and became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church.

• Church and state worked very closely in the Byzantine Empire. Byzantines believed their emperor represented Jesus Christ on Earth.

• The emperor controlled the Church and state.

• Byzantines believed God wanted them to preserve and spread Christianity.

• Major disputes arise among church members over the use of icons in the 700’s. Icons are pictures or images of Jesus, Mary and the saints. Some people even thought the images were capable of performing miracles. What argument do you think evolved as a result of people honoring icons?

• Emperor Leo III ordered all icons removed from churches. Gov’t officials who carried out his orders were called iconoclasts or image breakers. We use this word today to mean someone who attacks traditional beliefs or institutions. Can you think of an example?

• Another dispute arose concerning leadership in the church and state. When the Byzantines refused to help Italy against invaders, the Franks, loyal to the pope, helped to keep the invaders out. The pope announced their leader, Charlemagne, as emperor. The Byzantines were enraged, claiming their emperor was the only true emperor. In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor was in charge, in Rome, the pope was in charge of both spiritual and political areas.

• 1054, the two churches excommunicated each other, or declared each one did not belong to the other. This officially began what is referred to as a schism or separation of the two most important branches of Christianity at the time, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.

Christian Ideas Spread

• Byzantine Church began setting up monasteries for monks who tried to live spiritual lives apart from the outside world. Some were built near cities where they could do mission work, others built in isolated areas.

• A bishop named, Basil, came up with a list of rules for monks and nuns to follow. This list becomes known as the Basilian Rule.

• Two of the most famous Byzantine missionaries were Cyril and Methodius b/c they carried the Christian message to the Slavic people in Eastern Europe.

• Another famous Christian missionary was Patrick, who carried the gospel message to Ireland.

• Pope Gregory I sent 40 monks to Angleland,or the southern part of present day England in 597 in an effort to Christianize the people living there. After converting, Ethelbert, the ruler of the kingdom of Kent, allowed the missionaries to build a church in the capital city of Canterbury. Within 100 years most of England was Christian. Canterbury is still an important center of Christianity in England today.

Three days later…