Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

6

• Some Christians call him the "incarnation of God"
• According to a passage in the bible, Jesus life his father also became a carpenter
• Jesus is a dominant figure for Christianity and during his time he had a huge following of people who believed in him and his teachings
• Jesus himself spoke many different languages and was well educated
• Crucifixion was not rare in Rome and this was a the way Jesus was killed

Roman rule of Israel

63

-Israel was in a good spot for Rome to take over and rule
-The people of Israel could still be Jewish as long as they obeyed the Roman rule, paid taxes, and kept peace.
- The people of Israel were also excused from Military Services
- But because of the Jews being economically exploited this would lead to the Jewish Roman war
- The first Jewish-Roman war was actually caused by the Roman policy

Great Fire Of Rome

64

• A massive fire broke out in Rome, specifically in the circus maximus Stadium. When the fire was finally extinguished 10 of the 14 districts were destroyed
• The emperor at the time, Nero, blamed the upcoming cult known as Christianity.
• Many also blamed the construction of building since they were made with wood instead of cement or brick which meant fires were highly dangerous
  
• The fire lasted for 6 days
• Nero was also aid to be playing the fiddle while there was the ongoing fire.
  

Paul of Tarsus

64

• Paul had a huge influence on Christians because of his writings
• At first Paul disliked the Christians because he and his family were Jews
• It is said that Jesus talked to Paul and asked him why he was persecuting the Christians
• He traveled to many different countries to teach about Jesus and his ways
• Paul decided to be imprisoned in Rome where there was a Christian following
  

Perpetua

203

• A Christian Martyr that wrote a famous Journal on her trial and imprisonment
• Perpetua gave birth while being in prison and died without question when pointed to, by a sword
• Her journal was so influential that it inspired Orthodox Christians and were praised by them
• Perpetua was strong in faith and had a strong belief in Christianity
• Perpetua died trying to help her friends in the arena

Great persecution of 303

303

• The very last and most severe important persecution
• The Roman emperor at the time wanted to draw out all the Christians and wiped out the church and christian faith
• In the beginning The Roman emperor didn't have the intention of killing the Christians but that soon changed as he started the biggest christian persecution
• The Roman Emperor's wife and daughter were thought to be Christians
• The Roman emperor was trying to convert the Christians back to Paganism

Constantine the Great

306

• Constantine was the very first Christian roman emperor, supporting the ideas of Christianity
• Constantine had defeated Maxentius during the battle of the Milvan Bridge and after he had thought that "fate" helped him win
• Constantine became a supporter and helper to the the rise of Christianity because of the legalization of Christianity
• There is a monument to honer Constantine and his victory at Milvian Bridge
• Constantine proclaimed the Edict of Milan

Batlle of Milvian Bridge

312

(1)The night before the battle, Constantine was said to have a dream which made him more persuaded to go to battle the next day to win(2)Constantine and his men called themselves the "Christian soldiers".(3)Maxentius made a mistake during battle and was punished for it since Constantine called the right move which made it harder for Maxentius's troops to fight(4)Maxentius was killed by drowning.(5)Constantine took over Rome on October 29 and made Christianity the official religion of Rome

Edict of Milan

313

-When the Edict of Milan was declared, Christians no longer had to be afraid of Persecutions and Christianity was finally legal and allowed to be practiced
-Proclaimed by Constantine and Licinius
-This made Christianity more popular in Rome and Christianity spread across Rome
-Today,Many look back at the edict of Milan because of its importance on how we get to have Christianity or even other religions without being punished
-Without the help of Constantine, Christianity would not be here today

Emperor Theodosius

379

• Theodosius wanted to get rid of Paganism and because of this he had many christian followers
• Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica which made Nicene Christianity the official Roman religion.
  
• He was good at military fighting and tactics because his father was a military commander
• Theodosius was baptized as a Christian
• Theodosius protected the Romans from Barbarians