Name: Student #:

Date: HR:

1) Christianity originated under which empire?

a. Akkadian

b. Roman

c. Macedonian

d. Babylonian

2) What was the ‘messiah’ supposed to do for the Jewish people?

a. Create a strong Jewish Empire in the Mediterranean region

b. Help them gain their independence and regain Israel

c. Force all non-Jews to convertd. None of the above

3) What led to the creation of Christianity?

a. Constantine seeing a cross on the battlefield

b. Reports of Jesus’ rising from the dead

c. A law code was given to the Jews through a prophet

d. All of the above

4) Which of the following isn’t true regarding Jesus of Nazareth?

a. He taught his followers to love and forgive people

b. He led the Hebrews out of slavery under the emperors

c. He was crucified out of fear he might insight rebellion

d. His life and resurrection are detailed in the New Testament

Lesson Information

Title: Christianity Spreads

Objective: I can analyze a video, images, maps, and texts to answer questions relating to the spread of early Christianity.

Guiding Question: How did early Christianity spread?

Agenda:1) Paired Work2) Independent Work3) Video Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNyNYYZuGzY&nohtml5=False

4) Exit Ticket

The First ChristiansJesus’ disciples began to spread the message of Jesus and his resurrection. Small groups in Greek-speaking cities of the eastern Mediterranean accepted this message. Some were Jews, but others were not. Those who accepted Jesus and his teachings became known as Christians and referred to him as Jesus Christ. The word Christ comes from

Christos, a Greek word for “messiah.”

The early Christians formed churches, or communities of worship and teaching. They met in people’s houses, many of which were owned by women. At these gatherings, Christians prayed and studied the Hebrew Bible. They also shared in a ritual meal like the Last Supper to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.

1) Christianity first spread to people living in _______________-speaking cities.

2) Which of the following scriptures did early Christians study?a. the Vedasb. the Hebrew Biblec. the Republicd. the Quran

3) According to the map to the left, which region had the most Christian cities?a. Romeb. Greece

c. Asia Minor

d. Israel

4) Which of the following cities didn’t have a Christian community on the map above?

a. Jerusalem b. London c. Athens d. Rome

Who Were Peter and Paul?Apostles, or early Christian leaders who had been chosen by Jesus to

spread his message, played an important role in the growth of Christianity. One of the most important was Peter.

Simon Peter was a Jewish fisher. He had known Jesus while he was alive and had been one of the original 12 people Jesus had chosen to preach his message. Christian tradition states that he went to Rome after the death of Jesus and helped set up a Church there. Today, the

leader of Catholic Christians resides in Rome.Paul of Tarsus was another important Christian leader. He was a well-

educated Jew and a Roman citizen. Paul at first worked to stop Christian ideas from spreading. The chief Jewish priest in Jerusalem then sent him to Damascus, a city in Syria, to stop Christians in the city from spreading their ideas.

While on the road to Damascus, Paul had an unusual experience. According, to Christian belief, he saw a great light and heard Jesus’ voice. Paul became a Christian on the spot. He spent the rest of his life spreading Jesus’s message. Paul traveled widely. He founded churches throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

5) How did Peter help Christianity spread?Claim

Underline and label your evidence in the text.

6) Based on the text and map above and your knowledge of world history, which of the following is true?a. Peter and Paul didn’t aid in the spread of early Christianity.b. Christianity was spread by Paul solely in Mesopotamiac. Peter and Paul helped Christianity spread all over the Mediterranean regiond. Paul established the fist Christian church in Rome

Paul of Tarsus10 CE – 65 CE

Without the apostle Paul, Christianity might not have become one of the world’s most widely accepted religions. It was Paul who spread the word about Jesus to Gentiles, or non-Jews, and helped Jesus gain acceptance as the messiah.

Paul was a Jew from Tarsus, a major city in Asia Minor. His father was a Roman citizen, and his family followed the laws and rules of the Pharisees – a Jewish group that stressed the need

to follow Jewish laws. His parents named their son Saul after the first king of the Jews. The first trade Saul learned was tent making. Around age 10, he was sent to Jerusalem to attend a school under the direction of the famed Pharisee teacher Gamaliel. Saul received a well-rounded education. He learned the language and history of the Romans, Jews, and Greeks.

When Saul was in his twenties, he opposed Christians and their newly formed church in Jerusalem. He was on his way to Damascus in Syria to try to stop the spread of Christian ideas there when a vision of Jesus led him to accept Christianity.

Saul began using the Latin name Paul after his conversion to Christianity. He traveled extensively, preaching and writing to Gentiles. He also wrote many important letters, known as epistles, to churches in Rome, Greece, and Asian Minor. These letters are included in the Christian Bible.

Paul convinced many people that if they died as Christians, they would have eternal life. Even though Paul’s only meeting with Jesus was supposedly in his vision, Paul visited more places and preached to more people than most of the apostles who had known Jesus in person. Paul worked as a missionary for around 35 years. He was probably killed

when the Roman emperor Nero ordered that Christians in Rome be arrested and put to death.

7) Based on the text and map above, which of the following regions did Paul travel to?

a. Rome and several cities in the eastern Mediterraneanb. Corinth, Sparta, Greece and other city statesc. He did not expand beyond cities on Asia Minord. All of the above

8) Paul likely died when Emperor _______________ ordered all Christians be put to death.

What Do Christians Believe?From the beginning, Christians taught that Jesus was the Son of God

and had come to save people. By accepting Jesus and his teachings, people could gain salvation, or be saved from sin and allowed to enter heaven. Like Jesus, after death they would be resurrected and join God in everlasting life.

Because of their faith in Jesus, Christians began to understand God in a new way.

Like the Jews, Christians believed in the God of Israel and studied the Hebrew Bible. However, most Christians came to believe that the one God existed in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This idea became known as the Trinity, which comes from a word meaning “three.”

9) What did both Christians and Jews believe in?Claim

Underline and label your evidence in the text.

10) What did Christians believe in that Jews didn’t?

Claim

Underline and label your evidence in the text.

Name: Student #:

Date: HR:

Exit Ticket

1. Which of the following is true regarding early Christians?a. Small groups of people in Greek-speaking cities followed itb. It spread in the Eastern Mediterranean regionc. They studied the Hebrew Bibled. They were only Jews

2) Christians refused to worship the emperor as a god. How did Roman officials respond to this?

a. They persecuted, imprisoned, and/or killed early Christiansb. They allowed early Christians to worship openlyc. They allowed citizens of the Empire to follow any religion they wanted regardlessd. They converted to Christianity themselves

3) Which former apostle of Jesus was believed to have started the Christian church in Rome?

a. Peterb. Paulc. Thomasd. Luke

4) Which of the following is true regarding Paul of Tarsus?a. He spent the later half of his life spreading Christianityb. He started off as someone who worked against the spread of Christianityc. He was a Roman citizen who founded Christian churches