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Christianity
Christianity was one of the many
religions in the Roman Empire. Romans
were polytheistic like the Greeks!
The Romans conquered the Jewish
homeland of Judea (origin) in 63 B.C.,
the birthplace of Jesus.
• Christianity is monotheistic religion
that is also an extension of Judaism
• God = Yahweh
•Followers believed God would send a
Messiah (savior) to restore Israel
•Christianity grew from belief that Jesus
Christ was the Messiah!
Founder
•Jesus
• Carpenter by trade
• Left Nazareth to become a
minister
• Recognized as a healer,
prophet, Son of God &
Messiah
• Taught 12 disciples
Holy Text
•Bible
•Divided into 2 parts
• Old & New Testament
•Most of Jesus’ life is
told through the 4
Gospels (stories)
• Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John
Beliefs
For three years, Jesus traveled from place to place, preaching
that there was only one true God and he was loving & forgiving.
1.God wants a relationship with man
 Mankind separated from God because of SIN
2.Jesus (God in bodily form) came to provide
a way for forgiveness
3. Salvation is a gift through grace
Mankind can do NOTHING to earn it
Good works is a reflection of God not merit (works)
4. Jesus died on the cross
5. Resurrected from dead so mankind
could be forgiven for sins
As the Empire grew,
conquered people were
allowed to maintain
their own beliefs, as
long as they did not
threaten the empire.
The Romans feared
Jesus would lead a
revolt against Roman
rule and condemned
him to death.
•After his death, Jesus’
followers began calling
themselves Christians.
They refused to worship
Roman gods or the
emperor.
•Nero began a campaign
against Christians
starting in 64 A.D.
Nero sent Christians
to their deaths. He
watched with
pleasure as
Christians were
crucified, burned
alive, or forced to
fight wild animals
in the Colosseum…
Christian Catacombs
Hidden deep underground, in passageways
called catacombs, Christians buried their dead
and worshipped in secret.
Diffusion
• Spread to Jerusalem,
Judea, Middle East &
Mediterranean
• Jesus’ most devoted
followers wrote many
letters to Christian
groups
• Paul, Peter & John
Even after early persecution, by Romans, Christianity was
eventually adopted by Emperor Constantine as the official
religion of the Roman Empire and the Western World.
Christianity is now practiced throughout the world, mostly
in Europe and the Americas. Today there are about 1.5
billion Christians.