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Chapter 13.2 The Early Church
SPI 6.68 • 6.68 Describe the origins and central features of Christianity. (C, G, H, P) · monotheism · the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s Son · the concept of resurrection · the concept of salvation · belief in the Old and New Testaments · the lives, teachings and contributions of Jesus and Paul · the relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman Empire
Christianity and the Empire • Many people in the Mediterranean world became Christians
Christianity Spreads • Factors that contributed to Christianity Spreading • 1. well-constructed roads • allowed people to travel from on region to another • 2. attractive message • Roman religion required people to honor emperor and the state • Christianity gave people hope that even if life was bad on Earth, there was a promise of a better lif • 3. provided its followers with security • Christian communities took responsibility for the needs of others
Why Did Romans Mistreat Christians? • 1. Felt Christians were a threat to empire • 2. Romans worshipped emperor as a god • 3. Christians only worshipped God • 4. Christians did not support warfare as a way to solve problems • 5. Refused to serve in army
Why Did Romans Mistreat Christians? • Romans blames Christians for causing natural disasters • Nero said Christians started the fire that burned Rome • Christianity was outlawed • Christians became martyrs- someone who would rather die than give up their beliefs
The Empire Accepts Christianity • Diocletian carried out last great persecution of Christianity • Constantine becomes a supporter of Christianity
Edict of Milan • Decree that allowed all religions to be practiced in the empire, including Christianity • Constantine and his mother, Helena built Christian Churches in Rome and Jerusalem
Theodosius • Emperor Theodosius banned Greek and Roman religions and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire
Organizing the Church • As the number of more Christians grew, the church had to become more organized
Church Doctrine • Bishops met in councils to define the teachings of the Church • Wanted to make sure that Christians practiced the same beliefs • Decisions they reached at these councils were accepted as doctrine-official church teachings • Ideas the bishops rejected were heresies-teachings that did not support the Christian faith
What Writings Shaped Christianity? • Church leaders preserved stories about Jesus and the writings of the apostles • Christians believe the four apostles of Jesus wrote Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Gospel • Each account of Jesus’ life was called a gospel- or “good news” • Christians combined the gospels with writings of other Christian leaders and Paul to create the New Testament
New Testament • New Testament was added to the Greek version of the Jewish sacred writings to form the Christian Bible
The Bishop of Rome • Bishop of Rome claimed power over other bishops • People began to call the Bishop of Rome the pope • Latin churches became Roman Catholic Church • Greek-speaking Christians became the Eastern Orthodox Church