A Brief History of Christianity

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A Brief History of Christianity
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Roots of Christianity in Judaism

• AD 6 Augustus took over Judah renamed it
  Judea (it is the mountainous southern part of
  Palestine)

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Roots of Christianity in Judaism

• Jews were allowed to practice their religion but
  were treated cruelly by Romans
• Many Jews hoped for a savior (called a messiah
  / one anointed by God) to restore Jewish
  independence
• One Jew Jesus traveled though Judea from AD
  3033 saying that Gods rule was close at hand
  people should repent for their sins
• Some Jews thought Jesus was the messiah

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Roots of Christianity in Judaism

• Because the Jews in Judea disagreed about Jesus
  messiah status, there was much internal Jewish
  conflict
• The Romans were afraid that this conflict would
  de-stabilize Judea thus they arrested Jesus as
  a political rebel
• Jesus was crucified the typical Roman method of
  punishing criminals

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What was crucifixion?
Religious depictions usually show Jesus supported
by nails through the palms, but the flesh cannot
support ones body weight perhaps his wrists
were tied to the cross?
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What was crucifixion?

• A method of execution very painful and gruesome
  nails inserted into feet above wrists
  between radius and ulna
• Death possibly came through asphyxiation victim
  would have trouble exhaling while holding himself
  up (particularly after his legs were broken)
• Other possible causes of death whipping (loss of
  blood), dehydration, exhaustion

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What happened next?

• Some of Jesus followers said that he had risen
  from the dead appeared to them
• Those who believed became known as Christians
  because the word messiah translated into Greek
  is Khristos
• People like Paul and Peter helped spread the
  Christian message throughout the Mediterranean
  region

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Why were Christians persecuted?

• Monotheistic Christians refused to honor the
  Roman emperor as a god
• Some Christians refused to provide military
  service this led to charges of treason
• Some Romans also feared the wrath of their own
  deities because of the rejection of those deities
  by Christians
• As a result, Romans killed some Christian martyrs
  who would not give up their beliefs

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How does the story end?

• Christianity spread especially in cities

• In AD 312 the Roman general Constantine had a
  vision of a flaming cross in the sky before a
  battle

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How does the story end?

• Constantine had the soldiers paint crosses on
  their shields and when they won, he attributed
  his victory to the Christian God
• When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he
  issued the Edict of Milan, granting freedom of
  worship to all religious groups
• 80 years later (AD 392), Emperor Theodosius made
  Christianity the official religion of the Empire
  and banned older religions