The First Christians

1. The First Christians Chapter 10 Section 1

2. Jesus • The Jewish people had been hoping for a messiah to free them from the oppression that they had been subjected to for a while. • Jesus had begun teaching a few years before the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, who controlled the territory. • He had attracted a great deal of attention as he and his followers spread their message throughout Northern Israel.

3. Jesus Teaches • Jesus’ main mode of teaching was to tell stories. These were called parables. • These stories were often told to large groups and were on topics that the group hearing the stories would be familiar with.

4. The Crucifixion of Jesus • The Jewish leaders were concerned with the message Jesus was spreading. • The Romans were also concerned that it might affect law and order in the Roman territory of Judea. • Jesus was arrested by the Romans and under the request of the Jewish leaders, Jesus was arrested.

5. The Trial and Execution of Jesus • Jesus was brought before the Roman Procurator (governor) Pontius Pilate. • He was sent to the Jewish leader Herod, who refused to deal with him. • He was sent back to Pilate and was scourged then sentenced. • There he received his fate. • He was to be crucified.

7. What is Crucifixion? • This was a traditional method of execution by the Roman government. • It involves fixing a person to a cross until they die.

8. After the Crucifixion • Three days following the execution, Jesus body was no longer in the tomb. • He had resurrected and this was proof to his followers that he was the long promised messiah. • The disciples then met with Jesus and began to spread throughout the region spreading his message.

9. Simon Peter • Was one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples. He had been with Jesus all through his ministry. • He eventually went to Rome where he established a church, which is today called the Roman Catholic Church. • He is considered to be the first Pope. • He was executed in Rome

10. Paul of Tarsus • Paul a former Jewish tax collector and persecutor of the Christians became one of the most aggressive of the missionaries to spread the message of Jesus. • He carried the religion through the eastern Mediterranean basin. • He was executed in Rome.

11. After Rome • Following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, a new empire developed in the East. • The old Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople. • This group was more heavily influenced by the Greeks and developed their own culture. • This cultural shift spilled over into religion.

12. The Eastern Orthodox Church • This is the Christian church that developed in the East. • The Byzantine emperor appointed a Patriarch to run the church. • This church broke from the church in the west and had several key ideological differences. • Even within the Eastern church several key ideas sparked controversy.

13. Icons • One of the key disagreements was over the use of icons. • An icon is a depiction of Jesus or other holy people. • The icons were outlawed for a while, but eventually regained favor.

14. The Two Churches Collide • The Christian churches collided over the issue of power. • The Pope in Rome claimed to be the leader of the Christian Church and the Patriarch in Constantinople claimed to be in charge. • This came to a head when the Pope granted a western leader the title emperor. • In A.D. 1054 the two churches broke in what is known as the Great Schism. This break lasts through today.

15. Monastic Life • Throughout the Christian world, groups of religious men banded together to form groups called monasteries. • Later women followed this example and began forming convents, these women were called nuns.

16. Important Monastic Orders • Basilian- Became the predominant monks in Eastern Europe. Founded on the teachings of Basil. • Benedictine- A group who gave up all worldly possessions to work with the poor. Founded on the teachings of Benedict.

17. Gregory the Great • The Pope most responsible for the rapid spread of Christianity is Pope Gregory. He sent out thousands of missionaries to various parts of Europe.

18. Eastern Missionaries • Cyril- Spread Christianity to Russia. Responsible for the Cyrillic alphabet. Worked with his brother Methodius.

19. Western Missionaries • Patrick- Took Christianity to Ireland.

20. Canterbury • This is the location of the first Christian church in England. They were slow to adopt the faith but eventually King Eltherbert allowed the Christians to establish a church in Canterbury. It remains the holiest site in England today.

21. An Illegal Religion • Rome viewed the Christians as a threat and allowed for the legal persecution of any Christian. • Nero was the first to go to great lengths declare the religion officially illegal. • This followed a great fire that destroyed much of Rome. • He (Nero) blamed the Christians for starting it.

22. Christians React • The Christian church went underground…literally and figuratively. • They began meeting and burying their dead in underground vaults called catacombs. • Over five million bodies, mostly Christian, were buried in these areas. Catacomb-an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried

23. RomanCatacomb

24. Acceptance • The Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity and made it a legal religion in Rome. • He had a vision of Jesus telling him what to do in order to win a battle. Once he acted on it, he won and allowed the religion. • The Edict of Milan is the device that made it legal

25. Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge

26. Theodosius • The Emperor Theodosius made the religion the official state religion. • This meant that all Romans had to give up their other religion to accept this religion that had been for so long illegal. • This occurred in A.D. 392.

27. The Early Church Structure • The early church established itself after the only model they know, the Roman Empire. • They had a hierarchy that resembled the government. Patriarchs Archbishops Bishops Priests Laity

28. Roles of Each Level of Hierarchy • Clergy-The leaders of the church • Laity- Regular church members • Priests were the local church leaders • The Bishops was in charge of a diocese, or several churches. • The Archbishops were in charge of several Bishops • The Patriarchs were the overall leaders of the church • The main job was the establishment of doctrine or official church teaching.

29. The New Testament • The New Testament is a collection of the writings left by those associated with Jesus about his teachings as well as their struggles to spread the teachings. • This forms the Holy text of the Christian Church.

30. Other Texts • St. Augustine wrote two famous books, The City of God and Confessions both of these were instrumental in the development of Christian theology.