ERCILIA DELANCER EUROPEAN CULTURE NEIJIANG NORMAL UNIVERSITY

Under Julius Caesar, Rome became an empire. Octavian Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. Rome became too powerful to be challenged and entered a time of peace in the empire, known as the Pax Romana or Roman Peace.
Allowed ideas to spread across the world.

 3 million square miles 80 million people 1 million residents in the city of Rome.

 The empire became too big to control from Rome, so, in 395 AD, Emperor Diocletian divided the empire into a Greek speaking east and Latin speaking west.

 This division would later lead to the split in Christianity with the Catholic (west) and Orthodox (east) Churches. Catholic churches followed the leadership of the Pope in Rome and used Latin as the official language. Orthodox churches established local leadership and used a local language.

 After Diocletian, the emperor Constantine came to power & continued to reform Rome To help unify Rome, he ended persecutions & converted to Christianity He moved the official capital from Rome to a new city in the East, called Constantinople

Constantinople was a major trade center & was easy to defend; They city was built in the Roman style but had a strong Greek & Christian influence

 ~ AD 6 Augustus took over Judah renamed it Judea (it is the mountainous southern part of Palestine)

 Jews worship in Synagogues or temples. Men and women usually sit separately. Worship is led by a Rabbi. Friday evening is time for worship.
Stamford Hill, London

Roots of Christianity in Judaism

Jews were allowed to practice their religion but were treated cruelly by Romans Many Jews hoped for a savior (called a messiah / one anointed by God) to restore Jewish independence One Jew Jesus traveled though Judea from AD 3033 saying that Gods rule was close at hand & people should repent for their sins Some Jews thought Jesus was the messiah

Roots of Christianity in Judaism

Because the Jews in Judea disagreed about Jesus messiah status, there was much internal Jewish conflict The Romans were afraid that this conflict would de-stabilize Judea thus they arrested Jesus as a political rebel Jesus was crucified the typical Roman method of punishing criminals

The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem

 For the Greeks and the Romans, the individual had dignity because of his or her ability to reason. For the Hebrews, each person had dignity simply by being a child of God. Each person was responsible for the choices he or she made. These beliefs led to a new emphasis on the worth of the individual.

 In 312 AD, Constantine became Emperor of Rome.

During Battle, he saw an image of a cross and won.

313 AD- Constantine issues the Edict of Milan making Christianity a legal religion in Rome. To strengthen the religion he called the Council of Nicaea to establish the core beliefs of Christianity, leading to the Nicene Creed.

 Monotheists Humans are created in Gods image Each human being has a divine spark that gives him or her a dignity that can never be taken away. God gave human beings more freedom the ability to choose between good and evil.

Jews had a written code of laws Ten Commandments The Prophets Leaders and teachers who were messengers of God. Attacked war, oppression and greed. He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

 Hebrews were monotheists who believed in one god Practiced Judaism People had dignity simply by being a child of God and each person was responsible for the choices they made; emphasis on the worth of the individual

 Moses forms a covenant with God

Ten Commandments- code of morality and ethics; rules of social and religious behavior
Prophets taught that people should oppose injustice and oppression and the community should assist the unfortunate

 Judaism- The Hebrew leader Abraham founded Judaism around 2000 B.C. Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic faiths (religions with one God). Christianity - Founded by Jesus Christ, who was crucified around A.D. 30 in Jerusalem. It was after his death when his followers came to believe in him as the Christ, the Messiah. Islam - Founded in Arabia by Muhammad between A.D. 610 and A.D. 632

 Judaism is around 3500 years old and is the oldest of the world's four great monotheistic religions (religions with only one God). It's also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world. Its holy city is Jerusalem. The Jewish calendar is based on 29 or 30 days therefore they have 12.13 months.

 Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship. They await the Messiah, who will be an earthly king. They believe in heaven, but that God determines where they go after life on earth. Give a tithe (10%). Ten Commandments is the basic code of law.

 The most holy Jewish book is the Torah (the first five books of the Christian Bible). Others include Judaism's oral tradition, the written form of which is known as the Talmud. The Torah (scroll of teachings) contains the five books revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy Hebrew is read right to left.

Christianity
Jesus of Nazareth
Born a Jew and a Roman subject Public ministry Ideas came from monotheism and Ten Commandments I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Roman governor in Jerusalem saw him as a threat because some referred to him as the King of the Jews
Put to death by crucifixion His followers believed him to be the Messiah Savior (Christos)

Paul, the apostle, spread the word of Jesus.

He stressed the equality of all human beings a central belief of democracy.

 The Teachings of Christianity

Love for God, their neighbors, their enemies, and themselves Jesus was thought as the king of the Jews and was crucified Christianity Teaching of Jesus Christ

 The Spread of Christianity

Apostle Paul spread Christianity and stressed the importance of equality for all human beings Religion would welcome any converts

Rome Spreads Judeo-Christian Ideas

Jewish Diaspora- spread their beliefs that all people had the right to be treated with justice and dignity Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire

 the duty of the individual and the community to combat oppression worth of the individual equality of people before God

 What do we know about the Bible? It is the best selling book in the world It has been published in more than 1,200 languages Since it was first printed, about 15 billion copies have been made (thats two and a half copies for every person on Earth!)

It is made up of 66 separate books

The different books of the Bible were written by different people at different times

 In 63 BC, Rome took over Judea, the home of the Jewish religion. Judea was controlled by King Herod, a Jewish governor for Rome. After Herods death, fighting broke out among his sons. Rome sent troops to create peace in Judea.

 Judaism was tolerated by the Romans at first.

First Monotheistic Religion: Only one supreme god.

Jesus of Nazareth was born under the rule of Octavian (Caesar Augustus)
Grew up preaching the idea of one true god Spread a message of peace, love, forgiveness.

Many Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah or Savior, from the Romans.
Jesus was called Christ which means savior in

 Followers of Jesus wrote about the teachings and experiences that occurred during his life. These writings were called Gospels, meaning good news
Can be found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The Old Testament is used by the Jewish faith which does not believe Jesus was the true Messiah.

 Why did Christianity appeal to people?

Embraced All people Promised life after death for ALL people. Appealed to poorer people who were not wealthy like Romans.
Because of the Pax Romana, these ideas of Christianity were able to spread quickly through the empire.

 The popularity of Jesus with the poor angered the Romans and the Jews.
Jesus was called the Son of God and a King Jews feared Jesuss preaching would anger the Romans

Jewish leaders turned Jesus over to the Roman governor of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate to be Crucified. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.

*Followers of Jesus became known as Christians. Much of what is known about Jesus comes from the writings of his Apostles. *Apostle means One who travels. Apostles traveled, spread Christian teachings, and wrote the Gospels of the Bible. Peter and Paul were two very influential Apostles.

 Why did the Romans hate Christianity/Judaism?

Monotheism vs. Polytheism Christians/Jews didnt recognize the emperors as Gods. Blamed for any problems in Roman society. Emperors such as Nero crucified and tortured Christians and Jews as traitors. Many Jews fled their homeland to escape- Known as the Jewish Diaspora- or spreading out Christians and Jews became Martyrs: Dying for their beliefs.

 66 AD- Jews rebel against the Romans. 70 AD- Romans stormed Jerusalem and destroy their temple, leaving only the Western Wall a.k.a the wailing wall. 73 AD- Jews and Romans fight at the Battle of Masada. Over 500,000 Jews died in this battle, mostly of suicide.
Today- The Western Wall is Jerusalems holiest shrine.

 In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the Offical Religion of the Roman Empire.

 Peter the Apostle traveled to Rome and was crucified upside down by Nero.
Believed to be the first Bishop or Pope of the Christian Church. Today, all Popes are believed to be descendants of St. Peter. We now call this the Catholic church which means Universal.

 A diverse, 2000 year old religion Followed by almost 1/3 of the worlds population
2.1 billion

Based on the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus

Believed to be the Christ (messiah, savior) by his followers (thus called Christians)

 Christianity is the world's biggest religion, with about 2.2 billion followers worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.

 Roman Catholic
1.1 billion

Protestant
365 million

Eastern Orthodox
217 million

Anglican
80 million

 Born, lived, and died a Jew in the first century in Roman occupied Palestine
Nazareth

Knowledge of Him based on New Testament

Little is known of childhood

Baptized at age 30 by John (the Baptist)

Blessed by Holy Spirit as He came out of water thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11)

 Then began a mission of preaching, teaching, and healing as an itinerant teacher Had a following of 12 primary disciples
Countless multitudes attracted by his miracles and words of wisdom

What was crucifixion?

Religious depictions usually show Jesus supported by nails through the palms, but the flesh cannot support ones body weight perhaps his wrists were tied to the cross?

What was crucifixion?

A method of execution very painful and gruesome nails inserted into feet & above wrists between radius and ulna Death possibly came through asphyxiation victim would have trouble exhaling while holding himself up (particularly after his legs were broken) Other possible causes of death: whipping (loss of blood), dehydration, exhaustion

What happened next?

Some of Jesus followers said that he had risen from the dead & appeared to them Those who believed became known as Christians because the word messiah translated into Greek is Khristos People like Paul and Peter helped spread the Christian message throughout the Mediterranean region

 Jesus claimed that he spoke with the authority of God Betrayed by disciple Judas Put on trial for being a revolutionary & a political threat to Roman and Jewish authorities Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate
condemned and put to death by means of crucifixion

The following Sunday, He appeared to his followers as a triumph over death

Later ascended into Heaven

Focused on the kingdom of God Standards of human conduct Merciful Godhow people should treat each other Golden Rule Personal God --Our Father Used stories and parables to teach Known as miracle worker and faith healer Religious and social reformer Accepted a variety of people Go above and beyond the letter of the law Preached forgiveness of sin over punishment for sin Turn the other cheek

 Jesus work was continued after resurrection by St. Paul and St. Peter
Established churches throughout Europe

Church remained small and persecuted

Roman Emperors Nero, Domitian, Diocletian

Constantine promoted Christianity

Became official religion of Rome

Great Schism, 1054

Split western (Roman Catholic church) and eastern (Orthodox church)

 Pope is supreme spiritual leader and Vatican head of state

Vatican City is an independent country surrounded by Rome St. Peters Basilica, St. Peters Square

First pope was Leo I (officially), or St. Peter

 Literally means right teaching or right worship Derived from two Greek words: orthos (right) and doxa (teaching or worship) Followers believe that there were false teachings and divisions in early Christian times Threatened the identity and purity of the Church Followers believe the Orthodox Church carefully guards the truth against all error and schism Believe in saint worship, Eucharist, confession of sins, baptism

St. Basil Cathedral, Moscow

 Movement from 16th century Reformation

To reform the (Catholic) church Corruption, leadership, authority, etc. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox Brought to America in various forms

Usually recognize only 2 sacraments of baptism and communion

7 in Catholicism No saints, no rosary, no pope, etc.

 Began in 6th century England Followed Luthers protest King Henry VIII spent most of his reign challenging the authority of Rome Divorce was just one issue Spread by English colonization and missionaries Do not follow Popes authority Led by bishops Now ordain women priests Book of Common Prayer Often called Episcopal

 Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) New Testament (written after Jesus death, by his followers, during the first century; not canonized until the 4th century) Four gospels (good words) about the birth, life, teaching, acts, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Written by Mark, Matthew, Luke & John The Book of Acts of the apostles earliest history of the developing church Epistles (letters) of Paul addressed to the churches they founded and led throughout the Mediterranean The Book of Revelation of John - a vision of the end of time, or the Apocalypse.

 Baptism: outward sign of commitment to Jesus Eucharist (communion): symbolic meal of Jesus last meal with disciples; taken in thanks and celebration Trinity: belief in God as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; not 3 different gods Saints: celebrated people who led good lives, often associated with miracles

 Original sin: all humanity is inherently separated from God The sacrifice of Jesus a sinless representative of humanity (a scapegoat) - as the ultimate atonement for the sins of humanity Heaven and Hell: Eternal life for those who are saved by the blood of the lamb (Jesus) Eternal damnation for those who are not so saved

 Damnation New covenant based on Christ needed to atone for Adams sins Efforts and good deeds alone cannot save you; you must have faith in Christ

Two major seasons in the Christian calendar: Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Easter commemorating the resurrection of Christ
Christmas:
Advent (four weeks leading up to Christmas day) Christmas Day (December 25th) Epiphany (the twelfth day of Christmas)

 Easter: (early spring, date varies) Ash Wednesday and Lent (40 days before Easter, a period of sacrifice and spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter) Holy Week including: Palm Sunday (Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem) Maundy Thursday (communion meal/Last Supper) Good Friday (Jesus Passion and crucifixion) Easter Sunday (celebrating the resurrection) Pentecost: the 50th day (seven weeks) after Easter (commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles)

 Lutheran Church of England, Anglican, Episcopal Presbyterian, Congregational Baptist Methodist Latter Day Saints (Mormons) Pentecostal Shaker

Mennonite Amish Quaker Separatists Brethren (Puritan) Christian Scientist Jehovahs Witness Seventh Day Adventist Unification Church

 Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his Crucifixion (the Resurrection) Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament Christians believe that there is only one God, but that this one God consists of 3 "persons" Christians believe that God made the world.

 The Bible is the Christian holy book. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments. Parts of the writing contained in the Old Testament are also sacred to Jewish and Muslim people.

 Christians believe that they can have a personal relationship with God, and that they are saved by faith, not works. Grace is the law code. They believe in actual heaven and hell. They believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Their giving is a tithe or offerings.

 The Christian place of worship is called a Church, which are built in the shape of a cross with the altar facing east towards the rising sun. Services are led by a priest, pastor or reverend. Day of worship is normally Sunday but most recently Saturday has been added.
Westminster Abbey London

 ReligiousTolerance.org Christianity menu:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/christ.htm a jumping off point for the basics on Christianity, including the Bible, important personalities (Jesus, Mary, saints, etc.), history, beliefs, practices, trends, denominations.

The Spiritual Sanctuary Christianity page:

http://www.thespiritualsanctuary.org/Christianity/Christianity1.html provides basic information on major Christian groups and distinctive movements with links to official denomination websites. Orthodox Christianity: http://www.kosovo.com/orthodoxy.html Basic introduction, history, doctrine and links to other Orthodox sites. Catholic Online: http://www.catholic.org an inside look at Catholic concerns and life; includes a nice section on saints and angels. Protestantism: (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantism the basics, with links to details about a variety of Protestant denominations.