Download The Early Christians & The New Faith

The Early Christians & The New Faith
Romans followed a number of religions and also
allowed a great deal of freedom to other religions.
 Jews and Christians began to disagree on religious
grounds, and Christianity slowly became a separate
religion.
 Jews and early Christians shared the same basic
beliefs, but differed on the idea of the messiah.
 At first, Christians concentrated on trying to convert
other Jews.
 After serious debate, the early Christians decided to
preach Christianity to the Gentiles.

Christianity might have
remained a purely Jewish
sect had it not been for
Saul of Tarsus
St. Paul: Apostle to the
Gentiles
Paul of Tarsus
a Jewish Roman citizen
 converted to Christianity and took the name
Paul
 made three long journeys throughout Asia
Minor and along the coast of the Aegean to
spread Christianity and establish Christian
communities.

The Works of Paul
Paul's Roman citizenship, the good roads, and
listeners open to new ideas helped Paul
spread Christianity in the Greek-speaking
world.
 Emphasized that Christianity was not just a
sect of Judaism

The Works of Paul
Taught that Jesus, by his death and
resurrection, had fulfilled the prophecy
of Judaism and initiated a new age.
 Taught that Jesus was the son of God,
the giver of a new law, and preached
that Jesus’ teachings were open to all

The Works of Paul

Made a significant break with Judaism
 Seek converts

According to tradition, while in Rome,
Paul preached and taught for two years
before being executed.
Rome's Early Response
At first the Romans paid little attention to
the Christians.
 Some Romans were quite suspicious of
Christians, and Nero blamed them for
starting a major fire that destroyed much
of Rome.
 Although by A.D. 100 there was a law
condemning admitted Christians to
death, it was seldom enforced.

PERSECUTION

Great persecutions of
Christians began in 3rd century
AD

Christian intolerance of pagan
beliefs bred powerful retaliatory
hatred of Christians
 Accused Christians of
cannibalism, atheism, and of
being haters of mankind
 Charged with being sneaky
and with dishonoring the
emperor
 Also blamed with all the evils
that afflicted the state
The Attack on Christianity
In A.D. 250 Emperor Decius ordered the
execution of all Christians who refused to
worship the Roman gods.
 Up until A.D. 311, Christians suffered two more
waves of persecution under two different
emperors.
 Roman mobs destroyed Christian churches
and sacred books. Christians were fired from
jobs, forced to leave the army, attacked, and
killed.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

In the end, the persecutions did not
succeed in eliminating Christianity
 Too many Christians protected
each other
 Persecutions also created
martyrs who inspired others
 Came to an end with death of
Galerius and then Constantine
officially protected them
○ Constantine credited with
being the first Christian
emperor
Constantine
Constantine
 Leading
his army into battle when
he saw a blazing cross in the sky.
 Beneath were the words:
In Hoc Signo Vinces
“In this sign,
conquer”
Constantine
 Placed
himself and his army under
the protection of the Christian God
 After his victory, he declared himself
a Christian and supported
Christianity throughout the empire.
 Baptized on his deathbed in A.D.
337
Constantine and the growth of
Christianity
issues the Edict of Milan allowing for religious
toleration
 made it legal for Christians to worship, gave
money to the church, and became involved
with church decision-making.
 gave Christianity the support of the Roman
authorities, but also combined religion and
government.

VICTORY

Theodosius became emperor
in 379 AD and proclaimed
Christianity to be the official
religion of the state
 Christians immediately
begin to persecute pagans
○ Destroyed temples or
converted them into
churches
 Church firmed up its
organization and settled
disputes with powerful
intellectual strength
How did the Roman Empire help spread
Christianity?






During Pax Romana, missionaries
traveled safely
Roman Roads helped to spread quickly
Constantine converted
Constantine built churches in Rome and
Jerusalem
Religious freedom
Christianity becomes official religion of
the Roman Empire
The Spread of Christianity by 600