World Religions - Christianity

1. World Religions - Christianity • In the first century AD, Roman soldiers occupied Judea, but the Jews living there held firmly to their own beliefs and customs. • During that time, one religious ______________ began to attract large followings among the people - That teacher was _____________ of Nazareth • Jesus was born in a small town called _______________________ at the end of the first century BC • Jesus of Nazareth was the man many people believed was the Messiah: • __________________________________________________________________________________ • Jesus’ life and teachings form the basis of a religion called ________________ • The story of his life is contained in the _____________: • the holy book of Christianity • The Christian Bible is made up of two parts, the _______ Testament and the _______ Testament • The Old Testament, is largely the same as the ________________________________ • The second part, the New Testament, is an account of the _________and _______________ of Jesus and of the early history of Christianity • As a young man Jesus lived in the town of ___________________ and like many young Jewish men of the time, Jesus also studied the laws and teachings of ___________________ • By the time he was about 30, Jesus had begun to travel and teach, and as a teacher, Jesus drew many __________________ with his ideas • Many people became Jesus’ followers after they saw him perform Miracles: ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. World Religions - Christianity • The Bible says that these miracles drew followers to Jesus and convinced them that he was the _________ of God • Once Jesus had attracted followers, he taught them through Parables: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ • But his teachings challenged the authority of _________________ and __________________ leaders and according to the Bible, he was arrested while in Jerusalem in or around 30 AD • Shortly after his arrest, Jesus was tried and executed. He was killed by Crucifixion: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ • Jesus’ followers buried him and, according to Christian beliefs, Jesus ___________ from the dead and vanished from his tomb______________ days after he was crucified • Christians refer to this at the Resurrection: _____________________________________________________________________________________ • Christians further believe that after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to some groups of his Disciples, or_______________________________ • Jesus stayed with these ________ disciples called Apostles for the next ______ days, teaching them and giving them instructions about how to pass on his teachings • During Jesus’ lifetime they were among his closest ______________________; He sent them to _____________ his teachings. After the Resurrection, the Apostles continued this task

3. World Religions - Christianity • Some of Jesus’ disciples wrote the Gospels:______________________________________________________________ • The Gospels were written by ____________________, ____________, ___________, and ___________. All the men’s accounts differ slightly from one another, but together they make up the best source we have on Jesus’ life • Probably the most important person in the spread of Christianity after Jesus’ death was ____________. Although he had never metJesus, Paul did more to ________ Christian beliefs and ideals than anyone else • Paul was born ____________ and he did not like Jesus’ ideas, which he considered a _____________ to Judaism. For a time, Paul even worked to prevent followers of Jesus from spreading their message • After his ___________________, Paul traveled widely, attracting both Jews and non-Jews to Christianity • As Christianity became more popular, some Roman leaders became concerned • Some Christians (like Paul) were arrested and killed for refusing to worship Roman gods • Most of Rome’s emperors let Christians _________________ as they pleased. However, a few emperors in the 200s and 300s feared that the Christians could cause unrest in the empire • To prevent this they __________________ Christianity - Christians were often forced to meet in _______________ • Because many churches had to meet in secret, they did not have any single leader - Instead, Bishops, or ________________________________________, led them.

4. World Religions - Christianity • The most honored of all the bishops was the bishop of Rome, the ___________ • His influence grew and many people in the West came to see him as the ____________ of the whole Christian Church • Still, Christians lived in ________, until Emperor _____________________ converted to Christianity • As emperor, Constantine removed __________ against the practice of Christianity • After Constantine died, another emperor banned all non-Christian religious practices in the empire. Christianity eventually spread from Rome all around the ______________