Religion and the Roman Empire

Ms. Carmelitano

Numina: Powerful spirits or divine forces

worshiped by the earliest Romans Believed to live in everything

Lares: Guardian spirits of each family Names were given to them and honored

through rituals

Early Religion

Romans adopted the Greek Gods and

Goddesses Changed the names

Religion was linked to the government Deities were symbols of the state

Later Gods and Goddesses

As the empire grew, so did a new religion

Christianity It was born out of Judaism (Abrahamic Religion)

Roman power spread to Judea, where the Jews were living in 63 BCE

6 CE Judea became a province The Jews believed that they would again be

enslaved under a non-Jewish king

Rise of Christianity

66 CE a group of Hebrews rebelled against Rome

70 CE Romans destroyed the temple complex All that was left was the Western Wall – which is the holiest

place for Jewish followes to worship today Half a million Jews were killed in the rebellion until the

Romans won in 73 CE 132 CE

Another rebellion, half a million again were killed Many Jews were driven from their homeland in the

Diaspora: The time when Jews were driven into exile from their

homeland This facilitated a further spread of the religion

Jewish Rebellion

Estimate birth 6-4 BCE Born in Bethlehem, Judea

There is little historic information about his life The majority of information about his life is found

in: The Bible and the Gospels (Holy Book of

Christianity) The first four books of the New Testament of the

Christian Bible

Jesus was raised in Nazareth in Northern Judea He became a carpenter

Jesus of Nazareth

By age 30 he began public ministry

He preached for 3 years He began preaching a new Monotheistic

religion: Christianity The Ten Commandments: religious law Belief: good people would live in an eternal

kingdom after death, wicked would be punished for their sins

Jesus’ Teachings Rise out of Judaism

29 CE Jesus visited Jerusalem

People called him the Messiah or king the one who would rescue the Jews

Roman governor, Pontius Pilate accused Jesus of defying the authority of Rome He was not the Roman King

He was sentenced to crucifixion a common punishment for opponents to Rome

His body was placed in a tomb Gospels preach that three days later his body was gone,

and a newly living Jesus was appearing to his followers

Death of Jesus

Gospels were written by disciples

12 men, later called Apostles These people helped to spread the message of Christianity They traveled, teaching of Jesus, and the Monotheistic

Religion Example: the Apostle Paul

Never met Jesus At first and enemy to Christianity Believed he had vision of Jesus Spread the word of his teachings

Pax Romana allowed the religion to spread quickly and easily Safe roads and trade

The Movement Grows

Three million Christians by the third century

CE People converted because Christianity:

Embraced all people – men and women, enslaved, poor, nobles

Gave hope to powerless Appealed to those who disliked the extravagance

of Rome Offered personal relationship with God Promised eternal life after death

Becoming a world Religion

Roman Emperor 312 CE

He Reported seeing an image of a cross before a battle

symbol of Christianity Put symbol on shields Troops won at the battle of Milvian Bridge

313 CE legalized Christianity EDICT OF MILAN

380 CE Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official

religion of empire

Constantine

Old Testament: The Jewish Torah – first part of

the Christian Bible DIFFERENCE: Christians believe Jesus is the

Messiah, Jews do not. New Testament : Second part of the Christian

Bible Four Gospels believed to have been written by

the apostles 325 CE Constantine wrote the Nicene Creed

defining basic beliefs

Holy Book: Bible

Roman hierarchy Priest: lead

congregation Bishop: priest who

supervised many churches Peter was first Bishop

of Rome Pope: leader of the

whole church Peter was the first Pope Bishop of Rome was

leader of church

Early Church