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Christianity Notes
Main Objectives in this Lesson
I.
The Roots of Christianity
1.
What have I learned?
How did the acceptance of Christianity in the Roman empire help in its
spread? (Think about where it began & where it ended up.)
2.
II.
The Foundation & Spread of
Christianity
1.
2.
3.
III.
The Impact of the Church in Rome
1.
2.
Jewish Roots
Romans ruled the area formerly known as Canaan,
now known as _______________________.
When the Romans began to demand that Jews
worship the Roman Emperor, the Jews began to
______________________________.
What have I learned?
Christianity began as a religious movement within ____________________.
Explain what happened at the Masada (73 CE) and how this event typified
the struggle of Jews in the Roman Empire.
The Jewish community approached the problem in 2
different ways:
1.______________________ wanted to rid their
homeland of the Romans through violent measures.
2 .Other Jews believed that a ___________________
or savior would come to restore their kingdom.
Jesus
Jesus was born in the city
of_______________________, in the province of
Judea, around _____________________________.
What have I learned?
Circle Bethlehem on the map.
In what direction would one
travel to get from Bethlehem
to Jerusalem
Jesus was raised as a _________________.
Jesus began his public ministry around the age of
____________ after being baptized by the Jewish
rabbi ____________________. Jesus’ ministry
would last for __________ years.
Jesus taught:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why do you think Jesus’ ministry would be so appealing to the people of
the Roman Empire?
Most of what we know of Jesus’ life is found in the
st
1 4 Books of the New Testament called the
________________________________. Some of the
Gospels were written by Jesus’ followers known as
the ____________________ later called the
_____________________________.
Our only information on Jesus’ life comes from the Gospels. Historically,
why is this problematic?
Jesus’ message of …
1.
2.
led to his popularity with the masses.
Many Jews began to seem him as the promised
_______________________ but others
______________________________________.
The Death of Jesus
2 Groups were concerned with Jesus’ popularity:
1.
What have I learned?
Why were the Jewish priests & Roman officials opposed to Jesus’
teachings?
…denied he was the Messiah
2.
…believed his teachings were a threat to the
authority of Rome & its
_________________________. Those who followed
his teachings refused to serve in the Roman
____________________________.
This painting is by the Renaissance artist, Raphael. Although crucifixion
was a common form of execution, it took on more meaning with Jesus’
death. Why?
Jewish teachings as well as Jesus’ message clashed
with Rome’s ______________________________.
The Roman governor, ________________________
had Jesus arrested and he was sentenced to death
by _________________________________.
According to the Gospels,
1.
2.
3.
Jesus’ followers became even more convinced that
he was the true ___________________ and began
to call him ______________________________.
Christ comes from the Greek word
______________________ meaning “Savior.”
Christos was the Greek word for
a. messiah
c. religion
b. rebel
d. Jews
The Spread of Christianity
Credit for the early spread of Christianity is given to
2 men.
I.
Peter
1.
What have I learned?
This picture is of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City in Rome. Why do you
think it was named for Peter?
2.
3.
4.
II.
Paul
1.
What helped Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire?
A. Paul of Tarsus engaged in extensive missionary work.
B. Missionaries were sent only into Jewish communities.
C. Paul of Tarsus converted the Roman Emperor.
D. The bishop of Rome became recognized as the pope.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Persecution of Christians
Christians were persecuted because they were seen
as _______________________________________
What have I learned?
What does this image represent?
Both Christians & Jews became _________________
(blamed when anything went wrong.)
Christians were
1.
2.
3.
Some Christians were willing to die for their faith;
they are called ___________________________.
The Christian Church
Christianity spread quickly due to its message of
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What have I learned?
Christianity grew for all of these reasons EXCEPT
A.
it was personal for individuals.
B.
it held familiar beliefs.
C.
it provided care and support for all.
D.
it included the old Roman gods.
The Church’s structure resembled a
_____________________________ (an organization
of persons or things arranged one above the other in
ranking or class.)
Draw a hierarchical chart showing the organization of church officials.
__________________ represented individual
churches.
_____________________ supervised several
churches or parishes.
The __________________ is the leader of the
Christian Church. (now Roman Catholic Church)
Eventually, the 5 Bishops of the leading cities
became known as _______________________ from
whose ranks the Pope is chosen.
Emperor Constantine
The Roman Emperor _________________________
was battling for control of the empire.
Prior to a significant battle, Constantine observed
a_____________________ in the sky with the
inscription,
_________________________________________.
What have I learned?
Constantine’s conversion to Christianity caused which effect?
A. Victory in battle over the Egyptians
B. The introduction of Christianity to non-Jews
C. The rapid spread of Christianity throughout the empire
D. The strengthening of the Roman Empire
With his victory in battle, Constantine credited the
_______________________________________.
In the year ___________________ Constantine
issued the Edict (decree or proclamation) of
___________________________.
The Edict of Milan allowed ____________________
to worship without fear of persecution. It in fact,
allowed for the Freedom of ___________________
in the Roman Empire.
Emperor Theodosius
The Edict of Milan proclaimed
A. official tolerance of Christianity.
B. a reduction of taxes for the first time in a hundred years.
C. Christianity as a crime punishable by death.
D. an immediate end to all religious activity.
What have I learned?
How did the Edict of Theodosius impact the growth of Christianity?
In the year _________________ the Roman Emperor
__________________________ made Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire; barring
the practice of any other religion, including the
worship of Roman polytheism.
Christian Doctrine
In the beginning, there was a lot of confusion over
the beliefs & practices of Christians.
What have I learned?
How did the Council at Nicaea and the Nicene Creed unify the Christian
Church?
People accused of going against Church teachings
were called _____________________________.
Heresy was rampant because there was no set
Church doctrine. (principle, position, or policy taught
by the Church)
In order to solve problems in the Church, Emperor
_________________________ called for a council to
decide Church doctrine. This meeting, known as the
______________________________ established the
_____________________________ in the year
_____________, which defined the Church’s beliefs
& rituals.
Besides the Nicene Creed, church doctrine was also
established by important men known as the
_________________________ of the Church.
A north African church bishop named
______________________________________,
taught that God was merciful & gave his grace
freely. Augustine established these ideas with his
book, _____________________________________.
“The one consists of those who live by human standards, the other of those
who live according to God’s will…By two cities I mean two societies of
human beings, one of which is predestined to reign with God for all
eternity, the other is doomed to undergo eternal punishment with the
Devil.”
-St. Augustine, The City of God
Why would St. Augustine write his book after Rome had been attacked?
Matching: Match each term/person with the correct definition.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Nicene Creed
Christos
Doctrine
Theodosius
Constantine
Martyr
Hierarchy
Edict
_____A. Made Christianity the official religion of Rome.
_____B. Decree or Proclamation
_____C. Organization of people/things based on rank/class
_____D. Allowed the practice of any religion in the Empire.
_____E. Greek word for Savior
_____F. Principle, position, or policy of the Church
_____G. Established Church beliefs/rituals
_____F. Someone willing to die for their beliefs.
Paul of Tarsus (4 – 64 CE)
Read the following text to learn more about the apostle Paul.
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
-1 Corinthians 10:24
Paul of Tarsus was the greatest of all the Christian apostles,
or messengers. He was a Jew born in present-day turkey
when the region was under Roman rule, and he was a Roman
citizen. As a young man, Paul learned to be a tentmaker. But
the life of a man born just a few years before him, Jesus of
Nazareth, would change Paul’s own life forever. In turn, Paul
affected the lives of countless others.
Christianity began as a sect of Judaism, and Christians and the
spread of their ideas were opposed by Jews and by others.
Paul, deeply committed to his own faith, worked to stop the
spread of Christian ideas. When he was about 29, he was
traveling on the road to Damascus to help suppress the
practice of Christianity there. Suddenly, in one of the most
famous stories of religious awakening, it is said that Paul saw
a blinding light and heard a voice ask, “Why persecutes thou
me?” Blinded, Paul was led to Damascus where he regained
his sight and was baptized, and his life was changed. From
opposing Christians, Paul had started on the road to
becoming one of Christianity’s greatest promoters.
Answer the following questions using examples from the text.
1.
How did Paul come to accept Christianity?
2.
How did Paul work to spread Christianity?
Paul spent the rest of his life as a Christian missionary. He
made three long trips through eastern Mediterranean,
Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Judea. Generally, he and his
companions would visit a city and preach in the synagogue or
marketplace. Winning converts, he would help them set up
small churches that would serve as the seeds of Christianity in
the region. Then Paul would move on. He is known as the
“apostle to the Gentiles” for his efforts at converting nonJews to Christianity.
Paul’s influence as a missionary was tremendous. No one
else did as much to transform Christianity from a Jewish sect
of a few followers to a major world religion. Equally
important are his writings. His epistles, or letters to his
followers, form an important part of the New Testament. In
fact, 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament have been
attributed to Paul. His thoughts on the divinity of Jesus,
original sin, redemption, justification, and other subjects are
fundamental to Christian beliefs. Eventually, Paul was
arrested, stood trial in Rome, and was executed in about 64
CE.