4.5 The rise of Christianity and the fall of Rome

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4.5 The rise of Christianity and the fall of Rome

Jesus preaching to Jews in Judea (modern day Israel/palestine)

Goals for this lesson

At the end of this lesson...

• Understand how christianity spread throughout the Roman empire.
• Understand how Rome was defended in the last period of the Roman Empire.

Judea

• Province of the Roman Empire
• Jewish people lived there
• Now known as Palestine or Israel

Judaism

• Monotheistic religion (vs the Romans who had a polytheistic religion)
• Wouldn't believe in the Roman gods

Why wouldn't the Jews believe in the Roman gods?

Jesus of Nazareth

• Jewish preacher traveling around in Judea
• His message: "God is good and when you're a good person you'll get to heaven"
• Followers are called Christians

Spread of Christianity

• First Christianity is a cult within the Jewish religion
• People spread the message of love and hope after Jesus died
• But it was open for gentiles       to join
• The Romans weren't happy with the spread of Christiany

Non-Jewish people

Christenvervolging

Maar christen zijn in het Romeinse Rijk is levensgevaarlijk! 

Net als het Jodendom geloven de christenen maar in één god, 

en dat is niet de Romeinse keizer!

De Romeinse keizers laten daarom de christenen vervolgen en doden...

Keizer Nero was één van de felste tegenstanders van de christenen. Hij gaf hen de schuld van de grote brand van Rome (die hij vermoedelijk zelf had laten stichten) en liet hen op de meest gruwelijke manieren aan hun eind komen.

Dit is een schilderij uit de 19e eeuw: Nero kijkt naar het lichaam van een christen die zojuist om het leven is gebracht.

But in the year 312....

Constantine

• Emperor in 306
• Becomes a christian in 312
• Theodosius makes Christianity the state religion 

[I] Why did Christianity grow so quickly from the year 313? (2pt)

1. Before the Roman Empire was Christianised, it had its own state religion. This religion was very different from Christianity. Mention two religious differences between Christianity and the religion of the Roman Empire.

Read "Jesus of Nazareth"
2a. What sources do Christians use for the life and teachings of Jesus?

0

2b. What did the Romans think Jesus meant to do?
What was their reaction?

4. Read "The rise of Christianity"
a. What is a different word for people that are not Jewish?

4b. Why is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church also the bishop of Rome?

4c. Explain how Saint Peter’s decision to allow gentile people to become Christian helped Christianity to grow from a small cult into a general religion.

5a. Mention two changes brought by Constantine that helped Christianity to grow.

6d. Why was Constantine’s Victory in 312 AD also a victory for Christianity?

Read "The fall".
9. For which two things is emperor Theodosius the Great remembered?

Read "Trust in coins".
10. Why did people start to melt down old denarii?

A

Study this map 

closely so you

get a good

idea where the 

barbarian tribes 

came from and 

where they

went.

11. In your opinion, what was the most important reason for the fall of the Roman Empire? Explain your answer.

What kind of faiths are Judaism and Christianity?

1. Polystheistic
2. Monotheistic

Explain what attracted people to Christianity.

Why did many Romans hate the Christians in the beginning?

Christianity started with                          . 

The story of his life and teachings form the gospels in the             . 

Among other things Jesus said people should take care of each other and that after                  there was a new life in Heaven. He called this the kingdom come, or the future kingdom. The Romans feared that he meant to start a real kingdom by                              them. So Jesus was arrested and                    . His followers believed that this did not stop Jesus and that he returned from the dead, at          . These followers, or Christians, believe that Jesus showed the way to get to Heaven. At first this group of Christians was only a small cult within               .

Jesus of Nazareth

Bible

this life

rebelling against

crucified

Easter

Judaism

Before a battle in 312 AD, Constantine had his army put                   symbols on their

shields. He said that God had told him they would                if they did. 

After they won that battle, he took Rome and became the first emperor to give official status to                             .

Constantine had not only embraced Christianity. In 324 AD, he moved the capital to

Constantinople, present day                            . Constantinople also marked a new beginning: that of a more Christian empire. 

While Rome was full of                   , Constantinople mostly had

 big Christian                             .

Christian

 win

Christianity

Istanbul

temples

churches

For what two things is emperor Theodosius the Great remembered?

When Roman wealth disappeared, the Roman denarius (the common silver coin) changed too. Emperors issued                  coins to save silver. 

These new coins were                  , but their                    remained 1 denarius. 

So people started to melt the                                    coins down for the 

                      . They only used the lighter coins as coins. This explains why people lost faith in the denarius. Without faith in the coins,

               almost stopped.

 lighter 

cheaper

 value

old and heavier

silver

 trade