Section+6-3+The+Rise+of+Christianity

Key Words:

 * __Apostle__: 12 men who were the pupils of Jesus and wrote the Gospels.
 * __Gospels__: First four books in the New Testament of the Bible.
 * __Messiah__: A king of Jews, believed be the savor of the people.
 * __Diaspora__: The dispersal of Jews from their homeland, their exile.
 * __Bishop__: A priest who supervised the local churches, the bishop of Rome was the leader of the whole church.
 * __Pope__: The father/head of Christian Church.

Key People:

 * __Jesus__: A Jew.
 * __Pontius Pilate__: A Roman governor who ordered for Jesus' arrest.
 * __Paul__: A Jew and an apostle, who at first did not believe in Christianity and never met Jesus, but instead saw a vision.
 * __Constantine__: A Roman emperor fighting for full power over Rome.
 * __Peter__: An apostle who became the first bishop and known as the "rock" of Christianity by Jesus and said to be the first pope.

Key Terms:

 * The Life Changes of Jesus:**
 * Rome took control of Judea in 63 B.C., but it was still independent, in 6 A.D. Rome took complete control, the Jews waited for their Messiah.
 * Jesus of Nazareth:**
 * Jesus is believed to be born between 6 and 4 B.C. in Nazareth, baptized by John the Baptist, and his trade was carpentry.
 * Age 30, he started public ministry, believed to perform miracles, and taught people that they had a connection with God, emphasized on Jewish religion, and taught that God would end all wickedness and that he made an afterlife (heaven) for those who were good or those who had repented their sins.
 * A Growing Movement:**
 * There are little records of Jesus in history, except for his teachings in the Gospels.
 * Words spread, and Jesus became more popular, and Jesus ignored wealth and status.
 * Jesus' Death:**
 * Many people thought him to be the Messiah, Jewish leaders said he was not and his teachings were wrong, Roman leaders said he was going against Rome, and Jesus was ordered to be arrested and to die by being nailed to a cross.
 * His body was put into a tomb, and three days after his death, Jesus came back to life, became Jesus Christ.
 * Christianity Spreads Through the Empire:**
 * After his rebirth, Jesus and his teaching became even more popular and it started to form a new religion.
 * Paul's Mission:**
 * Paul had a huge effect on Christianity development, he spread the teaching of Christ.
 * //Pax Romana// allowed Christianity to spread easily, Paul sent Epistles, his teachings in letter form, explaining how Jesus in God's son, died for man's sins, and that Christianity should be open to everybody.
 * Jewish Rebellion:**
 * In 66 A.D. some Jewish men rebelled against Rome, in 70 A.D. Romes destroyed the Temple complex in Jerusalem, 500,000 Jews killed during this failed rebellion and it ended in 73 A.D.
 * Another attempt of freedom in 132 A.D., another failed attempt and another 500,000 Jews dead, many exiled, and the Jewish government ceased.
 * Persecution of the Christians:**
 * Christians also a threat to Rome, they did not worship their gods, but really, Christians were the scapegoat for Rome's political and economic problems.
 * 200 A.D., as the //Pax Romana// crumbled, Christians killed for not worshiping Roman's gods, punishments intensified.
 * A World Religion:**
 * By late 300s (A.D.) Christianity spread to millions, so popular because, accepted all different people, hope for the powerless, liked by those exiled by Rome, a good relationship with God, and promised eternal life after death.
 * Constantine Excepts Christianity:**
 * Before battle, in 312 A.D., Constantine prayed for victory, saw cross (Christian symbol), but it on his shield and became victorious, gave credit to Christian God.
 * In 313 A.D. Constantine stopped the killing of Christians, allowing Christianity to be an approved religion, in 380 A.D., the emperor Theodosius made it the official religion.
 * Early Christan Church:**
 * Christianity was given a structure, a priest led a small group of Christians, and the bishop looked over a few local Christian churches.
 * Every major city had a bishop, and the Pope became leader of the whole religion, Rome became the center of the religion.
 * A Single Voice:**
 * Christians began to have disagreements, some had new beliefs, others wanted to stick with the old stuff. The Hebrew Bible became the Old Testament, and the New Testament included documents such as the Gospels, Paul's Epistles, and other documents which became the outline and basics of the religion. Constantine, in 325 A.D., solidified the teachings of Christianity, all the church leaders and himself wrote the Nicene Creed, defined basic beliefs of Christianity.
 * The Fathers of the Church:**
 * Some influential people became the Fathers of the Church. One of which was Augustine, bishop of Hippo in North Africa in 396 A.D., and taught how to be saved by needing God's grace which could only be received if belonged to the Christian Church.
 * Augustine wrote //The City of God//, after 500 A.D. (Rome's fall), explained how the heavenly city (God's City) could not be destroyed, unlike Rome.