THE FIRST CHRISTIANS

Ch. 9 Sec. 1

THE JEWS AND ROMANS

Jerusalem—capital of Israel

Kingdom divided into two kingdoms• Judah and Israel

Israel was destroyed

Jews survived—people of Judah

ROMAN RULE

63 B.C. Romans took over Judah

6 A.D. Emperor Augustus turned Judah into a

Roman province called Judaea

Procurator—Roman governor

JEWS REBEL

Jews believed they should take back control

Zealots convinced Jews to rebel in A.D. 66

Romans destroyed them

Josephus—fought in war and wrote History of the Jewish

War

JEWS REBEL

132 A.D. Jews rebelled again and were defeated

Jews scattered all over the world

By 700 A.D. Jews had settled in• Spain• Central Asia• Europe• Americas

THE LIFE OF JESUS

Messiah—a deliverer of God and would help lead

the Jews to freedom.

Jesus-a Jew who was from Nazareth, who began

preaching

30-33 A.D. traveled throughout Judaea and Galilee

THE LIFE OF JESUS

Crowds gathered to hear him preach

Assembled a small band of 12 close followers

called Disciples

WHAT DID JESUS TEACH

Jesus preached, according to Christian Bible, that

God was coming soon to rule the world

Urged people to turn from sin

Important to love God and their neighbors

WHAT DID JESUS TEACH

Jesus’s main teachings from Sermon on the Mount• Love and forgive from the heart• Love and forgive each other• God loves and forgives people

These teachings helped shape the values many people in Europe and America hold today

WHAT DID JESUS TEACH

Parables—stories that used events from everyday

life to express spiritual ideas.• Prodigal Son• Good Smaritan

WHAT IS THE CRUCIFIXION

Followers spoke of healing and miracles

Others rejected Jesus and called him a deceiver

Roman rulers feared Jesus and effects of his

teachings

WHAT IS THE CRUCIFIXION

Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover

—an important Jewish holiday• Jesus was arrested• Charged with treason (disloyalty)• Jesus was crucified—hanging from a cross until dead

WHAT IS THE CRUCIFIXION

Jesus’s followers reported Jesus was alive and risen from the dead.

Mary Magdalene was the first to report

Proof Jesus was the messiah

Resurrection—rising from the dead

This was the beginning of Christianity

THE FIRST CHRISTIANS

Jesus’s disciples spread the message of Jesus and

resurrection

Became known as Jesus Christ• Christo—Greek word for “Messiah”• Formed churches for worship and teaching

WHO WERE PETER AND PAUL

Apostles—early Christian leaders who had been

chosen by Jesus to spread the message

Simon Peter• Jewish fisher• One of the original 12 disciples• Went to Rome and set up a church

WHO WERE PETER AND PAUL

Paul of Tarsus• Well educated Jew and Roman citizen• First worked to stop the spread of Christian ideas• While traveling to Damascus, Paul saw a great light

and heard Jesus’s voice• Became a Christian on the spot and spread

Christianity for the rest of his life

WHAT DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE

Salvation—be saved from sin and allowed to enter

heaven

After death would be resurrected and join God in

everlasting life

God existed in three persons• Father• Son• Holy Ghost• Became known as the “Trinity” –meaning three