Download The Spread of Christianity

The Rise of Christianity
Christ, the Church,
and the Victory of Monotheism
in the Roman Empire,
c. A.D. 30-410
Jesus of Nazareth
• Born in the time of Augustus Caesar in the
Roman province of Judaea
• Jewish carpenter and preacher
• Preached a message of salvation, peace, and the
coming of God’s kingdom, as related in the
Gospels (first four books of the New Testament)
• Gathered twelve disciples (later known as
apostles) who shared in his ministry
• Claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God,
foretold by prophets in the Old Testament
• Charged with blasphemy by Jewish leaders and
crucified by order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman
governor of Judaea, on “Good Friday”
• Jesus’ followers claimed that he rose from the
tomb on the following Sunday (Easter),
announcing victory over sin and death, and later
ascended to heaven, promising to return in glory
The Apostolic Church
• The New Testament traces the rise of the
early Christian church under the leadership
of the apostles, especially Peter and Paul
• Consisted of Jews who accepted Jesus as the
Christ (Messiah), as well as Gentiles
• Paul’s missionary journeys spread the Gospel
message beyond Judaea to Asia Minor,
Greece, and Rome itself by A.D. 60
• Early churches were based on the equality of
all believers, no matter what their ethnicity or
social class
• Based on the video clip, why was St. Paul
such an important influence in the early
history of the Christian church?
St. Paul (above left) wrote many
epistles to the early churches;
St. Peter (above right) was the
first leader of the early church
Roman Persecution of Christians and Jews
• Early Christians raised concerns among Roman authorities
because of their refusal to worship the emperor and their belief in
Christ as the “king of kings” who would return to rule
• Emperor Nero persecuted the early church leaders and blamed
the fire of Rome (A.D. 64) on the Christians
• Persecutions forced the church to go underground (quite literally
in the case of the Roman Catacombs)
• Meanwhile, Jewish Zealots rebelled against Roman control of
Judaea, resulting in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and
Herod’s Temple in A.D. 70
• A failed revolt in A.D. 132 led to the Diaspora of the Jews to all
parts of the Roman Empire
Christian
martyrs in the
arena (right);
Catacombs
tombs and
worship site
(far right)
The Spread of Christianity
Despite intense persecution, Christianity continued to spread
during the second and centuries - Why did it appeal to so many
people despite the obvious risks?
The Triumph of Christianity
• In A.D. 312, Constantine the Great defeated
his last rival at the Battle of Milvian Bridge and
became sole Roman emperor
• Based on his vision of a heavenly cross before
the battle (“In this sign, conquer”) and his
success, Constantine legalized Christianity with
the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313)
• He founded his new capital at Byzantium
(renamed Constantinople)
• In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicaea established
basic Christian doctrine, codified the New
Testament, and sought to eliminate heresy
• By A.D. 380, Emperor Theodosius outlawed
polytheistic (pagan) worship
The Sack of Rome, A.D. 410
St. Augustine’s Worldview
Separation of Church & State
• City of God
• Eternal
• Ruled by God’s
perfect authority
• Motivated by desire
to obey God’s will
• Real City: Jerusalem
• Ruler: Christ
• Institution: Church
• City of Man
• Mortal
• Ruled by man’s
imperfect authority
• Motivated by love of
power and riches
• Real City: Rome
• Ruler: Caesar
• Institution: State