WHI.06, pt. 2: The Rise of Christianity and the Fall of

Rome

Objectivesp. 105

Objective: The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient Rome from about 700 B.C. to 500 A.D. in terms of its impact on Western civilization by – a)describing the origin, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Christianity;b)explaining the development and significance of the Church in the late Roman Empire;c)listing contributions in art and architecture, technology and science, medicine, literature and history, language, religious institutions, and law;d)citing the reasons for the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Essential Understandingsp. 106

1) The followers of Jesus spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, bringing it into conflict with

2) Roman polytheism and eventually changing Western civilization.3) As the Roman Empire declined in the West, the Church in Rome grew in importance,

membership, and influence.4) Conquests and trade spread Roman cultural and technological achievements throughout the

Empire.5) Western civilization was influenced by the cultural achievements of Rome Over a 300-year

period, the western part of the Roman Empire steadily declined because of internal and external problems.

Essential Questions p. 106

1) How did Christianity become established within the Roman Empire?2) What were the essential beliefs of the early Christian faith?3) How and why did Christianity spread?4) What was the impact of the early Church in the late Roman Empire?5) How did Roman achievements influence Western civilization?6) Why did the Western Roman Empire decline?

Why do I need to know this?p. 106

1) As the world’s most widespread religion, Christianity guides the lives of billions today.2) The decline and fall of great civilizations is a repeating pattern in world history.3) Evidence of Roman culture is found throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

From Republic to Empirep. 108

Republic Only Both Empire Only

Balanced government powerful emperor

Popular representation senate long-distance trade

strong military Christianity

expanding territory

polytheistic

Republic Only Both Empire Only

Jesus

p. 107-109

The Jewsp. 107

1. zealots – wanted to rid their homeland of the Romans2. a group who believed in a messiah – deliverer chosen by God

Jesus’ Early Lifep. 107

Jewish

1. born in Bethlehem sometime around 6 to 4 B.C.

2. raised in the village of Nazareth as a Jew

3. was baptized by John the Baptist and worked as a carpenter

Traditional Jesus More Accurate Jesus

Jesus’ Messagep. 107

Teachings1.Monotheism2.principles of the Ten Commandments3.importance of love for God, neighbors, friends, enemies, and themselves (love for all)4.eternal kingdom after death for people who repented their sins

Jesus’ Messagep. 107

The Disciples1.Disciples – Jesus’ 12 most faithful pupils – they become the apostles

a. they are the main source of Jesus’ life 2.Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, reveal life and teachings of Jesus

Jesus’ Deathp. 107

His Death1.growing popularity concerned Roman and Jewish leaders2.many proclaimed he was the Messiah

a. Jewish leaders denied he was the messiah3.the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate thought Jesus challenged the authority of the Romans; conflicted with the polytheistic beliefs of the Roman Empire4.sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion in A.D. 335.after his death, Jesus was placed in a tomb and according to the Gospels, three days later Jesus’ body was gone

Pontius Pilate sentences Jesus

Crucifixion

Jesus’ Deathp. 109

The Christ1.began appearing to his followers2.came to be referred to as Jesus Christ (from the Greek word christos which means messiah)3.the apostles, led by Peter, began spreading the teachings of Jesus

Christianity

p. 101-103

Early Spreadingp. 109

1. first followers were Jewish2. Christianity was first seen as a sect of Judaism

Paul’s Missionp. 109

1. helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire2. wrote influential letters called the Epistles3. Stressed Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins4. said all who converted would be saved – which

enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion

5. roads, Greek and Latin languages helped spread Christianity more quickly

Jewish Rebellionp. 109

1. A.D. 66, a band of Zealots rebelled against Rome 2. it was squashed by A.D. 73, a half million Jews were killed3. A.D. 132 the Jews again rebelled against Rome4. again squashed with another half million Jews killed5. the Jewish people were kicked out of their homeland for 1,800 years in the

Diaspora

The Diaspora

Persecution of the Christiansp. 109

1. refused to worship Roman gods2. Nero blamed the Christians for a fire that nearly destroyed Rome and began

persecuting them3. Christians were crucified, burned alive, or killed by wild animals in arenas4. martyr – person who is willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of a belief or cause5. Christianity spread despite persecutions

Nero

Christian Persecution

Christian Persecution

Appeal of Christianityp. 111

1. embraced all people2. gave hope to the powerless3. appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial

Rome4. offered a personal relationship with a loving God5. promised eternal life after death

Early Christian Churchp. 111

1. gained a structure, a hierarchy

2.A bishop(p. 156) was a priest who supervised

several local churches

3. Peter( became the first bishop of Rome

4.later bishops of Rome will call Peter the first

pope – the father or head of the

Christian Church

5.whoever was bishop of Rome was the head

of the Christian Church

Constantine Accepts Christianityp. 111

1. A.D. 312, the emperor Constantine saw cross of light the night before a battle2. ordered his soldiers to paint a cross on their shields3. Constantine was victorious and issued the Edict of Milan in 313

a. declared Christianity one of the official religions of the Roman Empire4. everyone was allowed to worship as they pleased5. the emperor Theodosius made it the only official religion of the Roman Empire

Discord and Harmonyp. 111

1. disagreements about beliefs developed2. heresy – any belief that appeared to contradict the basic teachings of Christianity3. official standard of belief became the New Testament

a. contains the four Gospels, the Epistles of Paul and other documents

Heresy

The Legacy of the Greco-Roman

Civilization

p. 113

Roman Fine Artsp. 113

1. Greco-Roman culture – blending of Greek, Hellenistic and Roman culture2. Roman art was practical, intended for public education3. most Roman villas had at least one mosaic – picture made by setting small

pieces of stone, glass or tile on a surface

Mosaic

Learning and Literaturep. 113

1. influenced heavily by the Greek philosophy of Stoicism2. encourage virtue, duty, moderation and endurance3. Virgil – wrote the Aeneid, the epic of the legendary Aeneas

Roman Achievements

p. 113

Latin, the Language of Romep. 105

1. official language of the Roman Catholic Church into the 1900s2. Latin influenced the development of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and

Romanian3. more than half the words in English are based in Latin

Romance Languages

Languages in Europe

Architecture, Engineering, and Technology p. 1131. aqueducts – structures that brought water into cities and towns2. the U.S. Capitol includes Roman arches and domes 3. roads that connected the empire are still used today4. the Colosseum has influenced many of the larger stadiums of today5. the Roman Forums influence town halls today

Aqueduct

U.S. Capitol

System of Lawp. 113

1. most lasting and widespread contribution2. all persons had the right to equal treatment under the law (14th amendment)3. a person is innocent until proven guilty (used in the U.S.)

The Decline of the Roman Empire

p. 113

Politicalp. 115

Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus

1. the decline of Rome began at the end of the reign of Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 161-180), the last of the five good emperors

2. there were 79 emperors from 180-280, most killed off by their own army3. political office was no longer prestigious, it was a burden

Economic Declinep. 115

1. hostile tribes outside the boundaries of the empire disrupted trade

2. wars were frequent and costly

3. the wealthy spent the Roman treasury on luxury goods from east Asia

4. inflation – drop in the value of money when prices keep rising

5. farmland had been destroyed by warfare

a. less food to feed everyone

Military Upheavalp. 115

1. Germanic tribes kept attacking from the north

2. Persia threatened Roman territory in Syria and Anatolia

3. soldiers gave their loyalty to their commanders who competed for the throne

4. the Roman government hired mercenaries, paid soldiers, to defend it

Moralp. 115

1. the people lost faith in their leaders and in the family

Attempted Reforms to Save the Empire

p. 115-117

Emperor Diocletianp. 115

1. governed as an absolute ruler and severely limited personal freedoms

2. attempted to control inflation by setting fixed prices for goods

3. required farmers to never leave their land and for people to stay in their jobs forever

4. most important reform – believed the empire was too large for one person to rule, so he split the empire in two and made General Maximian emperor of the West and he remained emperor of the East

Diocletian’s Rome

Emperor Constantinep. 109

1. took control of the western part in A.D.312 and the eastern part in 324 – uniting the empire as one again

2. moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople

a. strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between

the West and East

Emperor Theodosius Ip. 117

1. declared that when he died, the empire should be divided into two separate empires again

2. eastern empire will become known as the Byzantine Empire

3. western part will remain known as the Roman Empire

Barbarian Invasions

p.117

The Hunsp. 117

1. fierce nomad warrior group from Mongolia

2. People fled before them – usually into the Roman Empire

3. Led by Attila

a. united all the Hun tribes

b. directly attacked the Byzantine and Roman Empires

c. Visigoths and Romans joined forces to fight them

4. after Attila’s death in 453, the Huns were no longer a threat

Attila’s Empire

The Germanic Tribesp. 117

1. Franks, Burgundians, and Vandals first invaded Rome to avoid the Huns

2. the Franks and Goths divided Gaul between them

3. The Visigoths, led by their king Alaric, sacked Rome

4. the Vandals sacked and burned Rome in 455

5. in the year 476, the German soldier Odoacer invaded Rome and declared himself king

a. accepted as the year the Roman Empire fell

Alaric

Military Invasions of Roman Empire