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Week 7The Roman Empire and Christianity

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Early Christianity In the 1 st century BCE there were 4 distinct groups of Jews in Palestine: Phariseesstrict interpretation of holy books, very conservative, wealthy Sadduceesliberal, life after death, open to new ideas (largest group) Esseneswithdrawn, cult like, small number Zealotsdisliked Romans, liberal, revolted regularly Pivotal Jewish belief in the coming of the Messiah

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Jesus of Nazareth Scholars know virtually nothing concrete about Jesus Primary sources written decades after his death Emerged around age 30 and preached a blend of Hebrew beliefs (did not have strict Pharasee interpretation) Preached love, charity, humility Judgment Day will end life on earth

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Jesus of Nazareth Inevitably began to be seen as the Messiah (christos) by many Hebrews Appealed to the uneducated lower classes Jewish leadership viewed him as a troublemaker Turned over to Roman authorities Crucifixioncommon form of execution Martyr status

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Paul (Saul) of Tarsus Life of Paul Came from Asia Minor, Hellenistic influence Never knew Jesus Paul of Tarsus--First major missionary who created many of the core Christian beliefs Christian teachings were for everyone (gentiles), not just Jews Through his death, Jesus had come to save all people from sin and death Because of original sin, one must be baptized, purified with water, before entering a union with Jesus

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Recipe for the Spread of Christianity Wide variety of religions and mystery cults during the Roman Republic and Empire Romans never had a uniform religion, borrowed beliefs Hellenism had expanded beliefs considerably and brought logic and rationalism to Western World Unmeet emotional needs of lower classes Only thing this vast group of people had in common was the empire

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Christianity as an Outlet Appealed to the lower classes, especially Women and slaves big converts early on Offered a better life after this one, glory Social outlet for people who didnt belong in society

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Roman Government and Christianity Roman law generally tolerant of different religions The size and stability of Rome during Pax Romana made the spread possible Missionaries and apostles used Roman viasroads Eventually Roman government began to see Christians as a threat to the social order, their loyalty belonged somewhere else 64 CE Emperor Nero ordered Christians be burned alive, fed to lions, used in sporting eventswould continue until 303 CE Persecution made Christianity stronger Martyrs Secret meetings in catacombs

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Christianity Accepted Officially Edict of Milan313 CE, Emperor Constantine issues official toleration of Christianity, needed Christian support in empire First Council of Nicea325 CE, canon law established Theodosius Imakes Christianity the official religion of Roman Empire in 392 CE, empire actually begins to persecute non- Christians

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Christian Philosophy Philosophers emerged to debate the philosophy of Christianity Became Hellenized, heavily written about in Greek Stoics (Plato) saw people as equal Logic and reason thus incorporated Bishops emerged in the major cities (Rome, Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem) Bishop of Rome claimed ultimate authoritybecomes Pope Apostle Peter chosen by Jesus to succeed him (Matthew 16:18) founded church in Rome

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Historical Implications of the Bible New Testament complied in the years after Jesus death First book (Mark) began 35 years later, others 100-200 years later Books of Mark, Matthew, and Luke synoptic: how the world operates, mans role Books of John and Paul recount history By the end of the 2 nd century, Church collected all books and decided what was authentic and what wasnt Destroyed or discarded what did not fit, some found in Egypt in the 1940s

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4 th Century Problems By 4 th century, size of the Church caused problems No uniform set of beliefsdifferent views of Jesus and his teachings First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 established the Nicene Creed core set of beliefs of the Church (Catholic Church) today Trinity Women as inferior Permitted slavery

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The Roman Empire, 27 BCE - 476 Augustus ruled from 27 14 BCE Maintained a faade of a Republic and pretended to rule with peoples consent Later rulers would rule absolutely, some even worshipped Due largely to reforms of Augustus, Rome entered into Pax Romana (27 BCE 180 CE) 200 years of peace and prosperity Bureaucracy Military Economy Incredible construction: bridges, aqueducts, coliseum Laws protecting slaves and women

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Paradox: Bad Leadership after Augustus Tiberius (14 37 CE) step son of Augustus Caesar The gloomiest of men. Pliny the Elder Left his empire in the hands of his advisors and escaped to the island of Capri Caligula (37-41 CE) Little Boots Tyrannical, sadistic, sexual deviant Assassinated by conspirators Nero (54-68 CE) Tyrannical, extravagant, executed his mother and brother, lit Christians on fire Committed suicide The Great Fire of Rome 25 emperors in 50 years

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Achievements during Pax Romana Rome made great accomplishments in science, literature, and law Aneidlarge work recounting the founding of Rome, written by poet Virgil GalenRoman doctor, advanced the science of anatomy Civil law developed over hundreds of years, written rules of criminal and civil law that applied to everyone Law of nations, natural law Though a world empire, all citizens seen as Romans

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Cravings for Brutality Physical contests and combat main source of entertainment for Roman citizens Colosseum: men fighting other men/animals to the death

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3 rd Century Problems Pax Romana ends around 180 CE with death of Marcus Aurelius, Edward Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire gives several problems in the third century that led to the fall of Rome: Economic problems Religious tensions Environmental problems Huge boarders Foreign invasion

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Barbarian Invasions Germans lived NE of the Rhine and Danube rivers for centuries. In 3 rd century, Huns (warrior nomads from central Asia) began marching through eastern Europe Ostrogoths (east Germans) and Visigoths (west Germans) moved into the Roman Empire for protection from Huns Roman emperor allowed them to cross the Danube in return for their aid in defending it Lack of food and provisions in the region, Visigoths revolted In 378 the Roman army was defeated at Adrianople and the emperor Valens was killed

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Diocletians Tetrarchy, 4 th Century

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Western and Eastern Empires

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Fall of the Roman Empire After 378, Germans invaded all of the empire and Roman authority rapidly declined in the late 5 th century (400s) Borders collapsed, western regions virtually abandoned Attila (406-452) most notorious Hun 476 CEofficial date for the Fall of the Western Roman Empire when 14 year old emperor Romulus Augustus is made a slave, and a German declared himself King of Italy Eastern half of the Roman empire continued another thousand years as the Byzantine Empire with capital at Constantinople