The Birth of Christianity

Transcription

1 The Birth of Christianity The Land of Palestine According to the Bible, during the rule of Augustus Caesar the leaders of the Roman Empire wanted to know its total population. They made it a law for everyone to be counted. This is called a census. Obeying the order of Augustus, people journeyed to large towns in the empire where Roman officials could count them. In Jerusalem, a Jewish couple named Mary and Joseph traveled to the city of Bethlehem. Jerusalem was the land of the ancient Hebrews (Jewish people) when Mesopotamia existed. Now, however, Jerusalem was ruled by Rome. Most of the people who lived in Jerusalem were Jews. Like other Jews, Mary and Joseph had to be counted. The Jewish people were very different from their Roman conquerors. As you may recall, the Jewish people were monotheists, believing in only one God. The Romans, on the other hand, were like the ancient Greeks and believed in many gods. 1 1

2 Jesus of Nazareth While visiting Bethlehem, Mary s son, Jesus, was born. Though the exact year of his birth is not known, historians think it was about 6 B.C. Much of our knowledge of Jesus life comes from the New Testament of the Bible. The Bible is the holy book of Christianity. The New Testament tells the story of early Christianity. (The Hebrew Torah, the holy book of Judaism, came to be called the Old Testament by Christians.) When Jesus was about 30 years old, he began a period of teaching that lasted approximately three years. He traveled from village to village in Jerusalem, telling people his ideas. Huge crowds of men and women gathered to hear him speak. Jesus closest followers were a group of 12 men called the apostles, who went everywhere with him. Many of the apostles would help organize the Christian church after Jesus death. 2 The Teachings of Jesus Jesus teachings were rooted in Judaism. Like other Jewish teachers, he taught that there was one God. Jesus urged people to obey the 10 Commandments handed down from Moses. Jesus stressed love for God and love for other people. According to the New Testament, a man asked Jesus, Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law [10 Commandments]? Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law[s] hang on these two commandments. (Matthew22: 36-40) Jesus spoke a great deal about forgiveness, selflessness, being sorry for past wrongdoings, changing bad or evil ways and treating others the way you would like to be treated. Jesus s message was very different from the brutal Roman way of life, which was based on the eye for an eye justice of Hammurabi s Code which means that if someone does something to you, you have the right to do the same thing back to him/her

3 The Death of Jesus The teachings of Jesus won him many followers. But his teachings brought him enemies, too. The large crowds that Jesus attracted worried Roman officials. The Roman government in Palestine was afraid Jesus was organizing a revolt against Rome. Some people thought Jesus wanted to be king because his teachings described the coming of God s Kingdom of heaven. He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn (are sad over someone dying), for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek (people who don t ask for much), for they shall inherit the earth. Because the Romans were polytheistic, they did not understand what God s Kingdom was. The Romans thought that Jesus was trying to create a new empire. 7 In about A.D. 30, Jesus was arrested and taken to the Roman governor. On the day of his arrest, Jesus was condemned to die by crucifixion. Crucifixion means, putting to death by hanging on a cross. Romans commonly used crucifixion as a punishment for criminals. The followers of Jesus believe that he rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion. Then he rejoined the apostles and told them again of the coming kingdom of God. Afterwards, the New Testament says, Jesus rose to heaven. Today Christians celebrate Jesus s renewed life on Easter Sunday. 8 & 9 The Spread of Christianity After these events, the followers of Jesus set out to spread his teachings. They spread out across the Roman Empire and formed small groups of Christians. Together, the apostles set up the first Christian churches. A person who was very successful at spreading the teachings of Jesus, however, was a man named Paul of Tarsus. Paul had never known Jesus but felt strongly at about his teachings. Paul traveled far and wide in order to share what he called the good news. On his journeys, Paul wrote letters that make up part of the New Testament. In them, he declared that Christianity was open to all people including Jews, Greeks, and Romans. He also welcomed women and people from all social classes, including slaves. 3

4 Both Paul and the apostle Peter eventually brought the message of Christianity to the very center of the Roman Empire the city of Rome. Paul and Peter won many new converts, or new believers, to Christianity in Rome. Christian Persecution If the Tiber River overflows, if there is a drought, a famine [a time of great hunger], at once the cry goes up the Christians to the lions! These frightful words are a record of how the Roman officials came to deal with early Christians. Just as they killed Jesus, Romans would not tolerate the new religion or its followers. In addition, the Christians refused to worship the emperors or any of the Roman gods. Thus, before cheering crowds in the Colosseum, Christians were forced to go out on the field. There, lions were let loose to attack them. Great numbers of Christians who lived in ancient Rome were killed in this manner. 10 & 11 The Christian Emperor In A.D. 312, however, an unknown general named Constantine became the emperor of Rome. Constantine favored Christianity. A Christian bishop (leader) wrote about an event that he claimed happened to Constantine. He wrote that one night Jesus appeared to Constantine in a dream. Jesus told him to make a cross and carry it into battle. The next morning, Constantine ordered craftsmen to build a cross, the symbol of Christianity, and to paint a cross on his soldier s shields. As a result, the bishop wrote, Constantine s army won a mighty victory and Constantine was made emperor of Rome. As a result of these victories, an important event occurred in A.D The recently crowned emperor Constantine gratefully announced the end to the persecution and killing of Christians in the empire. Constantine also gave both to the Christians and to all people freedom to follow the religion they choose. As for himself, Constantine became a Christian. This was an important turning point for the history of Christianity. In A.D. 395, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. 12 4

5 The Land of Palestine Christianity Response 1. Use the map and the information you have read so far to describe the similarities and differences between the Jews and Romans in the chart below: Similarities and Differences Between the Jewish People and the Roman People: Differences: Jews Differences: Romans Similarities Jesus of Nazareth 2. Why do you think huge crowds gathered to hear Jesus speak? 3. Evaluate: Explain how Jesus teachings were different from the Roman way of life, which was based on Hammurabi s Code of justice: The Death of Jesus 4. Why did the Romans think that Jesus was trying to become King? Explain. 5

6 5. Create a metaphor to describe what Jesus and the Romans were like. If Jesus were an animal, what would he be and why? If the Romans were an animal, what would they be like and why? 6. Why did the Romans crucify Jesus? Explain. Christian Persecution 7. How would you feel if you were a Christian in the Roman Empire? Explain. 8. What were the Romans hoping to accomplish by forcing Christians to fight in the Colosseum? The Christian Emperor 9. How did Constantine make Christianity become a major religion? Explain. 6

7 3-2-1 Summary: 3 Reasons why the 2 Ways the Romans 1 Reason why Romans did not like tried to stop the Christianity finally Jesus. spread of became accepted in Christianity Rome 7