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Background: The Roman World

This lesson explores how Greek influence, specifically the Hellenistic worldview, contributed to the growth of the Church. Topics include Hellenization, the spread of Greek language and philosophy, and the role of Greek philosophers in shaping theology and Church teachings.

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Background: The Roman World

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  1. Background: The Roman World HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

  2. Introductory Lesson (for first day of class) Syllabus Instructional policy Texts, Bibles, and any other materials

  3. Introductory Lesson (for first day of class) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Read “The Roman World” through “Alexander’s Empire” (pp. 2–4)

  4. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) ANTICIPATORY SET Draw a venn diagram in your notebook with three overlapping circles with Hellenistic worldview in one of the circles and Christ and Church in the center where the three circles overlap. Do not label the other two circles at this time. This lesson is about how Greek influence helped the Church grow. Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following question: What do you know already about ancient Greece?

  5. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) BASIC QUESTIONS What were the major features of the Hellenistic worldview with respect to Christianity? How did the Hellenistic worldview support the spread of the Gospel? KEY IDEAS Hellenism gave the Church a rich language and a deep philosophical heritage. This proved useful to express doctrines and explain the Faith.

  6. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is Hellenization? Hellenization is the process by which Greek ideas, culture, philosophy, and religion are adopted by people of another culture. What did Alexander the Great do to Hellenize the lands he conquered? Alexander the Great wanted to build a unified empire, so he and his officers married Persian wives, and he founded new cities populated with native Greeks in order to introduce Greek language, dress, and learning in the areas he had conquered. What effect did Hellenism and Judaism have on each other? Though Jews and Persians considered Greek religion simplistic, Greek thought gave them a new language and a rich philosophical tradition that furthered their development. The introduction of Aristotle inaugurated a tradition of Jewish commentaries on his texts.

  7. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) GUIDED EXERCISE Read aloud from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 285 (p. 25), and then discuss the philosophical question of the origin of the universe.

  8. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Complete the following table about the languages of Christ’s time.

  9. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4)

  10. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) FOCUS QUESTIONS How did the Greek language benefit the spread of Christianity? It provided a common language through which the teachings of Christ could be spread throughout the known world. What did Greek language and philosophy provide the teachings of Christ? The richness of the Greek language allowed people to explain the intricacies of Christian beliefs. The philosophies of Plato and Aristotle provided invaluable ideas for the development of theology and Church teachings. What role did Greek philosophers—especially Aristotle—play during the Middle Ages? Aristotle was held in such high esteem by theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas that he was called “the Philosopher,” the greatest of all philosophers.

  11. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) GUIDED EXERCISE “There is something which moves without being moved.” He concluded this unmoved mover is God. “We say therefore that God is a living being, eternal, most good, so that life and duration continuous and eternal belong to God.” (Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book XII) “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.” (St. Paul, Romans 1:19–20) Compare what Aristotle and St. Paul wrote about the ability of human reason to know God.

  12. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) CLOSURE Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following question: How did the influence of Hellenism help make it an ideal time for Christ to be born and found the Church?

  13. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Study Question 1 (p. 24) Workbook Questions 1–11 Read “The Romans” through “All Roads Lead to Rome” (pp. 5–11) Read “The Æneid” (p. 22)

  14. 1. The Hellenistic Worldview (pp. 2–4) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Write an answer to the question from the Closure on a separate sheet of paper for a quiz grade.

  15. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) ANTICIPATORY SET Write “Roman Empire” in one of the two unoccupied circles in the venn diagram in your notebook. The basic objective of the next two lessons is to learn how the Roman Empire helped the Church grow.

  16. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) BASIC QUESTION What major historical events were most important within the Roman Empire? KEY IDEA The Roman Empire had a unifying system of laws and organization and entered into the Pax Romana.

  17. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE Review the selection from Virgil’s Æneid on page 22, and then discuss it.

  18. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE (1) Write in your notebook the names of four Roman provinces that have corresponding modern names in English; (2) Write the name of one province that does not have a corresponding modern name in English.

  19. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Work with a partner and a dictionary to complete the following table.

  20. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)

  21. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE Study the map of the city of Rome (p. 26), and then discuss the following questions: If you were at the Forum of Augustus on business and wanted to visit the Temple of Venus to perform a sacrifice, which street would you likely take? If you then wanted to see a gladiatorial show, what amphitheater would you likely attend? If you needed to go the capitol from the gladiatorial show, what direction would you probably travel?

  22. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)  FOCUS QUESTIONS What is a triumvirate? From the Latin trius (“three”) and vir (“man”), a triumvirate is an agreement between three men to share power, especially one of the triumvirates that ruled the Roman Empire. How did Julius Caesar become dictator of the Roman Empire, and what was his fate? A member of the First Triumvirate, Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and invaded Italy. The Roman senate was forced to elect him dictator; soon after, a group of senate conspirators assassinated him.

  23. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) FOCUS QUESTION Who was in the Second Triumvirate, and what happened to each man? Marc Antony, a follower of Julius Caesar; the nineteen-year-old Octavian, Julius’s stepson; and Marcus Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate. These men eliminated their political opponents ruthlessly. After Lepidus retired, Marc Antony and Octavian vied for power. When Marc Antony and Cleopatra saw their defeat was certain, they committed suicide, leaving Octavian to be sole ruler of the Roman Empire.

  24. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE Brainstorm: (1) Why a nation would want to have a large number of slaves; and (2) Some of the inherent problems with a large slave population. Then, read aloud Spartacus, Leader of a Slave Revolt, and discuss how his story ties into the brainstorming you just did.

  25. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) FOCUS QUESTIONS How many Punic Wars were there? There were three Punic Wars. Against what city did Rome fight the Punic Wars? Rome fought against Carthage in North Africa. Which territories did the Punic Wars bring under Roman control? They won for Rome Sicily, Spain, and North Africa.

  26. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Review the section “The Roman Empire: The Reign of Augustus” (p. 10), and then work with a partner to complete the following table.

  27. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11)

  28. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) FOCUS QUESTIONS What was the Pax Romana? The Pax Romana (Roman Peace), was the 200-year period of relative peace and prosperity within the Roman Empire beginning under Caesar Augustus (Octavian), the first emperor of the Roman Empire. What specific changes implemented by Augustus helped to facilitate the Pax Romana? Augustus convinced the Senate to give him exclusive control over the provinces in which most of the Roman legions were stationed, precluding further civil wars. He centralized the bureaucratic, republican administration, which dramatically improved communication within the empire. He also had new highways built and encouraged marriages and the family.

  29. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) FOCUS QUESTION How did the Pax Romana contribute to the growth and spread of the Church? The Pax Romana made possible safe and efficient travel and communication over vast distances, which made the spread of Christianity easier. Extension: Christians could move throughout the empire and maintain communication with one another. For example, the Apostles undertook missionary journeys; St. Clement I, the fourth Pope of Rome, was kept abreast of what was happening in Corinth and wrote a letter to that Church; and ordinary Christians emigrated to other cities and so brought the Faith into new regions.

  30. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE Read aloud the excerpt from Tacitus’s Annals (p. 22), and then discuss it.

  31. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) GUIDED EXERCISE Review “All Roads Lead to Rome,” and then discuss the following questions: Have you ever taken a road trip in which you did not travel on highways but on country roads? What happened when you came to a town or city? What would travel be like if there were no interstate highways and all traffic traveled only on city streets and two-lane highways? What would travel be like if there were no paved roads whatsoever?

  32. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) CLOSURE Free write for five minutes using the following question: Based on what you have learned and your previous knowledge, what is the most important relationship between Christianity and the Roman world into which it was born?

  33. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Study Questions 2–7 (p. 24) Workbook Questions 12–32 Read “Cultural Impact of the Romans” through “Categories of Roman Slaves” (pp. 12– 16) Read “The Annals” (p. 22)

  34. 2. The Romans (pp. 5–11) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Create a simple timeline of the Roman Empire that includes the following items, finding the dates in your text: The founding of the city of Rome The founding of the Republic The Punic Wars Julius Caesar’s invasion of Italy The beginning of the First and Second Triumvirates The beginning of Caesar Augustus’s (Octavian’s) reign.

  35. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) ANTICIPATORY SET Open your notebooks and review the graphic with the three intersecting circles. The emphasis of this lesson is how the Roman Empire helped the Church grow.

  36. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) BASIC QUESTION How did conditions in the Roman Empire support the spread of the Gospel? KEY IDEA A unified system of laws and organization and the Pax Romana aided the spread of the Gospel greatly.

  37. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS What does it mean to call the Romans a practical people? While the Greeks excelled at philosophy and art, the Romans flourished in practical disciplines, including organization, administration, government, building, the military sciences, and law. What is the orbis terrarum? The orbis terrarum was the circle of lands comprising the Roman Empire (cf. pp. 6–7). It was the known world of the Romans. In what ways did the Romans influence other peoples living within the orbis terrarum? Latin culture had a profound impact on the peoples living in the northern and western provinces and in North Africa before the rise of Islam. In the East Roman law was respected, and Latin was spoken alongside Greek.

  38. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) GUIDED EXERCISE Complete a Think/Pair/Share using the following questions: What Roman religious duty did the Jews refuse to perform, and why? What was the eventual outcome of the intransigence of the Jews?

  39. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS What was the trend with respect to morality within the Roman Empire? Generally, it declined infamously. What did Caesar Augustus do to promote population growth after the devastating civil wars? He enacted laws to restrict the rights of those who did not marry and who remained childless. This demonstrated Romans saw the family as the place to cultivate moral values. What is the source of Roman ideas about virtue? The Roman understanding of virtue developed from the Hellenistic tradition. This is evident in the Roman literature that flourished during Caesar Augustus’s reign.

  40. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Complete the following table about three widely spoken Romance languages.

  41. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16)

  42. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS Where did the Romans get their religion? They imported it from Greece; it was a result of Hellenization. Were the Romans tolerant of other religions? Generally, the Romans allowed conquered peoples to worship their own gods as long as they sacrificed to the Roman gods, too. Sacrifice to the emperor was a civic duty. What does it mean to say the Romans had a practical outlook on religion, and how was this reflected in their concept of piety (pietas)? Religion was a way to enforce political unity; thus, everyone sacrificed to the Roman gods. It was an act of piety to placate the gods so they would protect the Roman state.

  43. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS Why did the Roman emperors associate themselves with the god Jupiter? Jupiter was the chief Roman god. The emperors wanted to place themselves at the center of pagan worship. What class of Romans was most interested in Mithraicism? Soldiers were most interested in this cult because it was a fraternal order that cultivated virtues important in the life of a soldier. How were some of the rituals of Mithraicism similar to Christianity? The Mithraic cult shared a communal meal in which members ate flesh that symbolized their god. They also believed in personal salvation.

  44. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS What were bread and circuses? To keep the poor happy and content, the emperors began to supply them with tax-subsidized food and entertainment. What was the condition of the poor and women in the Roman Empire? Because of high taxes and competition from slave-labor agricultural estates, the poor in the countryside tended to be forced into cities. Life was precarious for freemen in the cities as there was little money and employment for them. Though during the republic the role of woman as wife and mother was honored, during the era of the empire women were often sold as concubines, a destructive substitute for marriage. How were most slaves obtained, and how numerous were they? Most slaves were obtained as prisoners of war. During the time of the empire, more than one-fourth of the population was enslaved.

  45. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) GUIDED EXERCISE Read silently the section “Slavery” (pp. 15–16), and then answer the following question in your notebook: What was the original relationship between slavery and Christianity?

  46. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) GUIDED EXERCISE Mini-Lecture on religion, philosophy and the natural law. Review the section “Stoicism” (p. 15), and then identify the tenets of Stoicism.

  47. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) GUIDED EXERCISE Discuss how Jews and Christians might have viewed emperor worship.

  48. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is a chattel slave? A chattel slave is considered not a person but property. Therefore, the owner held the power of life and death over the slave. Was slavery always a permanent condition? No, a slave could be freed by his master or even earn enough money to purchase his freedom. Once free, it was even possible for a slave to become a Roman citizen. What kinds of work did slaves do? Slaves did every kind of work in the Roman Empire except hold public office. Plautus’s comic plays illustrate the wide variety of jobs slaves performed.

  49. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) CLOSURE Free write for five minutes about the Basic Questions of the past two lessons: What major historical events were most important within the Roman Empire? How did conditions in the Roman Empire support the spread of the Gospel?

  50. 3. The Romans (continued) (pp. 12–16) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Study Questions 8–11 (p. 24) Practical Exercise 1 (p. 24) Workbook Questions 33–51 Read “The Jews” through “Conclusion” (pp. 17–21)

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