The Christian Church

Reading Strategy, p. 190

Reasons for Growth of

Christianity

Peace & order of Rome

Message gave meaning to people’s lives

Ideas of Christianity were familiar

Gave people the chance to be part of a caring group

A Growing Faith

• Christianity spread throughout Rome

• Christianity became popular for several reasons

• Gave meaning to people’s lives

• It appealed to the lower classes because it offered them hope

• The ideals of Christianity were similar to what the people already believed and

• Gave people the chance to be part of a caring group*

• Roman officials began to feel threatened by Christians

How did Christians Treat Christians?

• The Romans began to persecute, or mistreat or treat someone badly, the Christians in A.D. 64.* (TTK, p.191)

• Martyrs are people willing to die rather than give up their beliefs. (TTK, p.191)

• Christians buried their dead in catacombs because of their beliefs

Catacombs

Rome Adopts Christianity• *The Roman general,

Constantine became emperor in A.D. 312 and accepted Christianity*(PTM,p.191)

• “In this sign, you will conquer” – flaming cross in the sky

• Battle of the Milvian Bridge

• The Edict of Milan in A.D. 313 gave religious freedom to all people and made Christianity legal.

Rome Adopts Christianity

• Helena, Constantine’s mother, helped build churches in Rome and Jerusalem (TTK, p.191)

• Theodosius, the emperor after Constantine, made Christianity the official religion of Rome in A.D. 392 (PTM, p.191)

• Theodosius also outlawed other religions

The Early ChurchOrganizing the Church

• Loosely organized, but each separate group was part of one body called the church

• Early Christians turned to the Roman Empire to help them get organized

• The Church came to be ruled by a hierarchy, which is an organization with different levels of authority (TTK, p.193)

Early Church HierarchyScanning, p. 192

Pope

Patriarchs

Archbishops

Bishops

Priests

Laity

Sum It Up, p. 192

• Why did the Romans see Christians as traitors?

• They would not honor the emperor as a god. They criticized Roman festivals and games. They also refused to serve in the army or hold public office

Early ChurchOrganizing the church

• Church leaders were the clergy (TTK, p.193)• Later, clergy were called priests.• Several churches grouped together form a diocese,

which was led by a bishop. • An archbishop was a bishop in charge of an entire

region. • The five leading archbishops were known as patriarchs.• The laity were regular church members (TTK,p.193)• A hierarchy is a group of people with different levels of

power or authority (TTK, p.193)

Early Churchorganizing the church

• Doctrine is official church teaching (TTK, p.193)• *Jesus’ followers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and

John, left a written record of his teachings• Each of the apostles’ works

is called a gospel, and all four gospels together are part of the New Testament of the Bible: Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John (TTK,p.193)

Early Churchorganizing the church

• Scholars known as Church Fathers wrote books to explain church teachings.

• St Augustine was a bishop in North Africa who defended Christianity in his book The City of God.*

• He recorded his life in AD 401 in the book Confessions.

Early ChurchWho is the Pope?

• The pope was the bishop of Rome

• Gradually the pope claimed power over other bishops.

• The Latin-speaking churches in the West that were led by the pope became the Roman Catholic Church.

Sum it up, p. 193

• What are the Gospels, and why are they significant?

• The Gospels are four accounts of Jesus’ life written by early followers named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are the only written records of Jesus’ life and form part of the New Testament.

Section Wrap Up, p. 194

• How did Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire?

• Constantine became a Christian after seeing a vision. He made Christianity legal. Then, his successor, Theodosius made Christianity Rome’s official language.

Section Wrap Up, p. 194

• How was the early Christian Church organized?

• It was organized in a hierarchy. Levels included the pope at the top, followed by patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests, and then the laity.

REVIEW

• What were the duties of a bishop?Bishops explained Christian beliefs, took

care of church business, and met with other bishops to discuss questions and make decisions about Christianity.

• What is a martyr?• A martyr is a person willing to die rather

than give up his or her beliefs

Review

What writings are included in the New Testament of the Bible? The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, plus the writings of Paul and other early Christian leaders

Following Jesus’ death, why was Christianity able to attract followers? Christianity offered hope and comfort. It appealed to the emotions and promised life after death. It gave people the chance to be part of a caring group.

REVIEW

Few people knew how to read during the time discussed in this section. Discuss why missionaries were, therefore, important for the spread of Christianity.