2.10 Christianity and the end of the Roman Empire - T -

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

The Time of Greeks and Romans

2.9 Christianity and the end of the Roman Empire

THEORY

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• how Christianity started and evolved into the dominant religion
• how Rome spread the Greco-Roman culture across their empire
• how and why the Roman empire was split into two parts
• why the western Roman empire fell

Word Duty

Jesus of Nazareth: or Jesus Christ; said people should take care of each other and that after this life there was a new life in Heaven

Christians: followers of Jesus of Nazareth

Cult: a small, newly started religious movement within a larger religion.

Bible: Holy book of Christians, contains 2 books: the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Gospels: first part of the New Testament  that tells about the life of Jesus

Bishop:  a high rank within the Catholic Church.

Gentile: word for non-Jewish person

Pope: leader of the Roman Catholic Church

KEY WORDS

Word Duty

Saint: Special person for the Catholic Church

to persecute: to continually treat in a cruel or harsh way because of race, religion, political ideas, or some other difference.

Constantine: first Christian emperor

Constantinople: new capital city, founded as a Christian capital by Constantine the Great. 

Byzantine Empire: Eastern Roman empire. Survived until 1453

Limes: Roman northern borders

Vandals: invading Germanic people known for the destruction (of Roman property) they left behind

KEY WORDS

Important dates in this lesson:

1 AD:    Jesus is born

33 AD:  Jesus is crucified

64 AD:  Nero starts persecution of Christians in Rome

312 AD: emperor Constantine becomes a Christian

324 AD: Constantine moves the capital city to Constantinople

395 AD: The Roman Empire is split in a Western and an Eastern part

410 AD: The Visigoths sack Rome

476 AD: Last Roman emperor is forced to give up his crown: official end of the Western Roman Empire

You may have noticed that the Roman Empire no longer exists today. But how did that happen? And how did the Roman Catholic Church become the heir of the Roman Empire? For that matter, how did Christianity become the largest religion in the world?

source 2.9.1

St Peter's Cathedral in Rome

Jesus of Nazareth

Christianity started with Jesus of Nazareth. The story of his life and teachings form the gospels in the Bible. Among other things Jesus said people should take care of each other and that after this life 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 rebelling against them. So Jesus was arrested and crucified. His followers believed that this did not stop Jesus and that he returned from the dead, at Easter. 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 Judaism.

Read more about Jesus' history here.

source 2.9.2

Crucifixion of Jesus. 13th century painting

source 2.9.3

Christian art from the second century. The fish was an early symbol of Christianity (Rome, 2nd century AD).

In Christianity most refer to Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus Christ, which means Jesus the anointed one. Only kings were anointed so the title Christ refers to him as a king.

The rise of Christianity

Christianity had quickly grown from a small Jewish cult into a general religion. The religion was opened up to non-Jewish, or gentile people, by Saint Peter. According to the Bible, Jesus had left him in charge. Later Saint Peter became the first bishop of Rome. Today the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, is still also the bishop of Rome.

The early saints spread Christianity across the Roman Empire.  A Saint is a very special member of the church, who has done something big for the faith. It is like an honorary title the Pope can give someone.

At first the Romans hated Christians, as they rejected the Roman gods and refused to worship the Roman emperor. Emperors like Nero (reign: 54 - 68 AD) persecuted Christians. 

Being a Christian meant that you could be arrested and condemned to death. Many Christians died a gruesome death in Roman arenas. Sometimes they were fed to hungry lions to entertain the audience.

All this only changed after 250 years, when Constantine became emperor. 

source 2.9.3

modern map of the spread of Christianity

source 2.9.4

Jan Hendriks, a present day Dutch bishop in the Catholic Church

source 2.9.6

Emperor Nero organised huge spectacles for the Romans in the amphitheater of Rome. Besides gladiator fights, there was also a special entertainment when Christians were publically executed. They were crucified, burned alive or fed to hungry wild animals.

This is a modern illustration.

Constantine and the division of the empire

Before a battle in 312 AD, Constantine saw a cross in the sky with the words in hoc signo vinces (Latin for "in this sign you shall conquer"). Constantine had his army put Christian symbols on their shields. He said that God had told him they would win if they did. After they won that battle, he took Rome and became the first Christian emperor.

Constantine had not only embraced Christianity. In 324 AD, he moved the capital to Constantinople, present day Istanbul. Constantinople also marked a new beginning: that of a more Christian empire. While Rome was full of temples, Constantinople mostly had big Christian churches.

source 2.9.6

Head of the colossal statue of Constantine I, Musei Capitolini, Rome. Marble, Roman artwork, 313–324 CE.

source 2.9.5

The famous painting of Constantine seeing his Christian message (in Greek) : " ΕΝ ΤΟΥΤΩΙ ΝΙΚΑ " Which means "By this, conquer", later rendered as Latin "In Hoc Signo Vinces" from which we get English "In This Sign You Will Conquer".

Painted between 1520 and 1524

source 2.9.6

Head of the colossal statue of Constantine I, Musei Capitolini, Rome. Marble, Roman artwork, 313–324 CE.

source 2.9.5

The famous painting of Constantine seeing his Christian message (in Greek) : " ΕΝ ΤΟΥΤΩΙ ΝΙΚΑ " Which means "By this, conquer", later rendered as Latin "In Hoc Signo Vinces" from which we get English "In This Sign You Will Conquer".

Painted between 1520 and 1524

Decline of the Western empire

In 395 AD, the Roman empire was split in two parts. Rome remained the capital city of the western part while Constantinople became the capital of the eastern part.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantium Empire and remained in power for another 1000 years.

The Fall of Rome didn't happen in a day, it happened over a long period of time. There are a number of reasons why the empire began to fail. Here are some of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire: 

1. The politicians and rulers of Rome became more and more corrupt. They were more interested in power and wealth than in the prosperity and safety of the empire.
2. Attacks from barbarian tribes outside of the empire such as the Visigoths, Huns, Franks, and Vandals. 
3. The Roman army was no longer an invincible army. 
4. The empire became so large it was difficult to govern

source 2.9.7

Modern map showing the barbarian invasions in to the (mainly) Western Roman Empire

source 2.9.7

modern illustrations showing the difference between the late Roman army and the barbarian warriors.

The Fall of Rome

The city of Rome was thought by many to be unconquerable. However, in 410 AD, a Germanic barbarian tribe called the Visigoths invaded the city. They looted the treasures, killed and enslaved many Romans, and destroyed many buildings. This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome had been sacked. 

In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became king of Italy and forced the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, to give up his crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire. 

With the fall of Rome, many changes occurred throughout Europe. Rome had provided a strong government, education, and culture. Now much of Europe fell into barbarianism. The next 500 years would be known as the Dark Ages of Europe.

 

source 2.9.8

The sack of Rome, 16th century painting

Source 2.9.9

The Huns are completely untrustworthy about keeping a truce. They are blown by the slightest breeze of new events and are committed to total violence. Like mindless animals, they have no idea of the difference between right and wrong. When negotiating they are ambiguous and dishonest. 

They respect no religious beliefs. Gold drives them wild with greed. They are so unpredictable and easily made angry that they can fall out with friends several times in a day. 

 

Written by Ammianus Marcellinius, a 

Roman soldier and historian in about AD 378. 

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