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Judaism and Christianity Notes
Judaism in Rome
- Roman power spread to Judea, the home of the Jews, around 63 B.C.E. At first the Jewish
kingdom remained independent, at least in name. Jewish kings ruled as representative of Rome.
- Some Jews allied with the Romans and accepted their plans to ‘Romanize” the Jerusalem.
The ruler Herod, for example, was a Romanized Jew.
- Rome finally took control of the Jewish kingdom in and made it a province of Judea in 6 C.E.
- Jews divided into two groups: The Zealots who wanted to rid their homeland of the Romans,
and the other group who believed that the Messiah, or savior, was soon to appear.
Christian Ideals
- The religion embraced all
people – men, women,
slaves, the poor, and nobles
- It gave hope to the
powerless and appealed to
those who were repelled by
the extravagances of
imperial Rome
- It offered a personal
relationship with a loving
God and promised eternal
life after death.
- Christians began to give
their religion structure. At
the local level, a priest led
each small group of
Christians. A bishop
supervised several local
churches.
Spread of Christianity
- Excellent Roman road
system made passage by
land easy, and common
languages, Latin and Greek,
allowed the message to be
easily understood.
- While traveling to
Damascus, Paul reportedly
had a vision of Christ and
spent the rest o his life
spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings.
- He wrote influential
letters, called Epistles, to
groups of believers. He
stressed that Jesus was the
son of God who died for
people’s sins. He declared
that Christianity should
welcome all converts.
Life of Jesus
- Jesus was born in the town of Judea. The date is uncertain but is thought to
have been around 6 to 4 B.C.E. Jesus was both a Jew and a Roman subject.
- His teachings contained many ideas from Jewish tradition, such as monotheism,
or belief in one god, and the principles of the Ten Commandments. He
emphasized God’s personal relationship to each human being. He also taught
that God would establish an eternal kingdom after death for people who sincerely
repented their sins.
- The chief priests of the Jews denied that Jesus was the Messiah. They said his
teachings were blasphemy, or contempt or God. The Roman Governor Pontius
Pilate thought that Jesus challenged the authority of Rome. He arrested Jesus and
sentenced him to be crucified, or nailed to a large wooden cross.
- After Jesus’ death, his body was placed in a tomb. According to the Gospels,
three days later his body was gone, and living Jesus began appearing to his
followers. It was from this belief that Jesus came to be referred to as Jesus
Christ.
Rebellion and Persecution
- In 66 C.E., a band of Zealots rebelled against Rome. In 70 C.E., the Romans
stormed Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple complex.
- The Jews made another attempt to break free of the Romans in 132 C.E.
Another half-million Jews died in three years of fighting. Most Jews were driven
from their homeland into exile. The dispersal of the Jews is called the Diaspora.
- Christians refused to worship Roman gods and this refusal was seen as
opposition to Roman rule. Some Roman rulers used Christians as excuses for
political and economic troubles.
- As the Pax Romana began to crumble, the Romans exiled, imprisoned, or
executed Christians for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thousands were
crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals in the circus arenas.
Rome Welcomes Christianity
- Roman emperor Constantine was fighting three rivals for his title. The day
before his battle Constantine prayed for divine help. He reported that he then saw
a cross in the heavens bearing the inscription, “In this sign, conquer.”
Constantine and his troops were victorious in battle and he gave credit for his
success to the help of the Christian God.
- In the Edict of Milan, Constantine declared Christianity one of the religions
approved by the emperor. The edict granted “both to the Christians and to all
men freedom to follow the religion that they choose.”