Essential Question: What conditions in Judea contributed to the rise of Christianity? What impact has Christianity had on society?
I. The Origins of Christianity
A. Jews and the Roman Empire
1. Most Jews lived in Judea, which was a Roman province in A.D. 6
a. At first, the Romans allowed the Jews to practice their religion
b. Regardless, many Jews revolted against Rome in order to establish
their own independent state
-The Romans successfully put down these revolts
2. The Jews still practiced their faith and culture
a. In this setting, Christianity arose
B. The Teachings of Jesus
1. Jesus began teaching around 27 A.D.
a. His teachings are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John
-The Gospels make up the first four books of the New Testament
of the Christian bible.
2. Jesus�s teachings were grounded in Jewish traditions
a. People must love God above all else
b. They must love others as they love themselves
c. There is only one God (monotheism)
d. God cares more for people
e. His followers were promised forgiveness and eternal life
C. The Death of Jesus
1. The Romans feared that Jesus would lead an uprising
a. To them, he was an enemy of the state
b. Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to death
2. His followers believe that his resurrection proves that Jesus was the
Messiah
a. They believed that he died for our sins
b. Through his death, all people could be saved from
God�s final judgement
II. The Spread of Christianity
A. The Romans (polytheist) viewed Christianity (monotheist) as an attack on their
religion
1. Many Christians were rounded up and put to death
a. However, this did not stop the spread of Christianity
B. By A.D. 300 the Christian church had become so large that it was impossible to punish
everyone
1. In response, Rome finally adopted the Christian religion
a. Within 400 years, Christianity had spread across the Roman Empire