Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire - Madison Moss

Roman Rule of Israel

64 BCE

• The Romans took Israel from the Syrians.
• Pompey, a great Roman military leader, led the conquer of Israel.
• Since Israel was in such a convenient location, the Romans wanted to conquer it to easily access other countries.
• The Romans allowed the Jews to continue practicing their own religion as long as they stayed faithful to Rome, such as paying taxes, obeying the law, etc.
• Romans ruled over Israel for over 400 years, roughly ending in 476 CE.

Jesus of Nazareth

33

• Jesus of Nazareth, or known as Jesus Christ, was a Jewish religious leader and prophet of Christianity.
• Some believe that Jesus is the son of God.
• Many people followed him since he was such a big influence on Christianity.
• Nazareth is significant to Jesus because that is where he settled down and might have grown up.
• Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans because they didn't agree with his beliefs.

Paul of Tarsus

42

• Paul of Tarsus, also known as Saint Paul or Paul the Apostle, was one of the writer of the New Testament.
• He converted to Christianity from being a Jew, which was surprising, because he formerly persecuted them.
• Paul of Tarsus helped Christianity become a universal religion.
• He went on missionary journeys to spread Christianity and encourage conversion.
• The law was very important to him and he was said to know a lot about the law.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

• The Great Fire burnt for 6 days and destroyed a lot of the city.
• It was said that the fire began along the shops at the Circus Maximus and spread quickly due to high winds.
• The rumors are that Emperor Nero started it in order to rebuild the city the way he wanted it.
• But after the fire, Nero built the Domus Aurea, a luxurious palace-like building in place of housing that had been burned.
  
• He blamed it on the Christians, which sparked the first Christian persecution.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a persecuted Christian who was a mother to an infant child. She lived in Carthage, a popular Christian community. She wrote a diary about her time in prison & how her father wanted her to abandon her Christian title so she could live. During and after her death, another Christian continued to write in her diary of the events. Her diary is called the Passion of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicitas, and their Companions. It is one of the oldest & most famous Christian texts today.

The Great Persecution

303

• Romans were very against Christianity and did not want anything do do with them.
• So, Diocletian and others against Christianity led a persecution of Christians.
• Most Romans supported mass persecutions of Christians.
• During this severe persecutions, Christians were burned alive, fed to feared animals, and tortured and brutally treated.
• Diocletian encouraged the burning of Christian churches, destroying important and holy documents.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

A man named Maxentius was ruling the other part of the Roman empire so Constantine fought for his rights to rule the whole empire. Constantine saw a vision/dream of the Christian cross, and he fought in its symbol, giving him confidence of victory. He attacked Maxentius’s troops, causing them to retreat onto a poorly built bridge, and many drowned when the bridge collapsed. This resulted with a victory for Constantine, making him the emperor of Rome and a strong supporter of Christianity.

Edict of Milan

313

• The Edict of Milan was an agreement made by Constantine and Licinius to treat all Christians equally and not persecute them.
• They gave the Christians everything that was taken from them, such as stolen property, destroyed churches, and the freedom to worship however they pleased.
• Constantine’s generosity and favor with the Christians caused Christianity to spread throughout the Roman Empire.
• His support of Christianity started a new age of religious freedom, without severe persecution.

Constantine The Great

324

• During civil war (Battle of Milvian Bridge), a war to gain rights to the position as emperor, Constantine had a vision & then a dream about the Christian cross, & he believed that would help him in the war, so he fought in that symbol
• Constantine became in favor of Christians and Christianity & supported it throughout his reign
• Under his rule, Christianity became the dominant religion and flourished
• He promoted Christianity wherever he traveled, also promoting his reign at the same time

Emperor Theodosius

379

• The last Roman emperor to rule over the entirety of the Roman Empire (rule it as a whole).
• Theodosius made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire and protected it against other religions.
• He stopped the Christian Persecution and helped them flourish.
• Did You Know: Theodosius banned the Olympics because he accused them of being supportive of other religions (not Christianity).