Chapter 5, Section 4 – Flashcards
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"Mystery Religions"
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-emphasized secret rituals and promised special rewards -one of the most popular was the cult of Isis, which started in Egypt and offered women equal status with men -Roman soldiers favored the cult of the Persian god Mithras, who championed good over evil and offered life over death
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How did Rome treat those with varying beliefs?
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-tolerate the varied religious traditions of its subjects (generally) -as long as citizens showed loyalty by honoring Roman gods and acknowledging the divine spirit of the emperor the government allowed them to worship other gods as they pleased -since most people were polytheistic, they were content to worship the Roman gods along with their own
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Judea
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-Rome conquered where most Jews of the time lived -to avoid violating the Jewish belief in one god, the Romans excused Jews from worshiping Roman gods -however, between themselves religious ferment was creating deep divisions: during the Hellenistic age many Jews absorbed Greek customs and ideas - concerned about the weakening of their religion, Jewish conservatives rejected those influences and called for strict obedience to Jewish laws and traditions
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Zealots
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-compared to the majority, were Jews that were not willing to live under Roman rule -called on Jews to revolt against Rome and reestablish an independent state
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messiah
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-anointed king sent by god some Jews believed would soon appear to lead their people to freedom
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Jewish rebellion:
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-discontent flared into rebellion -four years later Roman forces crushed rebels, captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the Jewish temple next century: -Roman armies leveled Jersualem -thousands of Jews were killed in the fighting and many others were enslaved and transported to various parts of the empire -growing numbers of Jews decided to leave Judea
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How did Judaism survive?
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-Jews survived in scattered communities around the Mediterranean -rabbis extended and preserved Jewish law
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Explain Jesus and how his message spread.
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-a jew -almost all of the information we have about the life of him comes from the Gospels: the first four books of the New Testament of the Christian Bible -early Christians attributed the writing of these accounts to four followers of Jesus- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
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Jesus Begins Preaching
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-born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem -according to the Gospels was a descendant of King David of Israel -grew up in the small town of Nazareth, Jesus worshiped God and followed Jewish law -at 30, began preaching to villagers near the Sea of Galilee: large crowds gathered to hear his teachings, especially when word spread that he had preformed miracles of healing -often used parables (short stories with simple moral lessons) to communicate his ideas -recruited 12 of his disciples (close followers) to help him in his mission called the 12 apostles (in Greek, a person sent forth) -after three years, Jesus and his apostles went to Jerusalem
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Jesus Teaches New Beliefs
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-teachings were firmly rooted in Jewish tradition -believed in one God and accepted the Ten Commandments -preached obedience to the law of Moses and defended the teachings of the Jewish prophets -called himself the son of God -proclaimed his mission was to bring spiritual salvation and eternal life to anyone who believed in him -emphasized God's love and taught the need for justice, morality, service to others, and forgiveness
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When did Jesus travel to Jersualem?
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near the time of the Jewish festival of Passover, a celebration of the exodus from Egypt
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Why was Jesus a threat to Roman authorities?
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his speeches could inflame those eager to end Roman rule
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Jesus' Condemnation to Death
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-Gospels state that he was betrayed by his disciples -arrested by the Romans and killed via crucifixion -rumors spread through Jerusalem that Jesus was not dead at all -Gospels report that his disciples saw and talked with Jesus, who had risen from death
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How did Jesus' apostles spread his message?
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-at first preached only among the Jews of Judea -some accepted the teaching that Jesus was the messiah, or the Christ -gradually these disciples went to preach in Jewish communities throughout the Roman war -apostle Peter established Christianity in the city of Rome himself (according to tradition)
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Paul
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-never met Jesus and had been among those who persecuted Jesus' followers -one day had a vision of Jesus speaking to him and joined the Christians and decided to spread his teachings to gentiles (non-jews) -journeyed around the Mediterranean and set up churches in Asia Minor and Greece -in letters to the Christian communities, explained difficult doctrines, judged disputes, expanded Christian teachings, emphasizing that Jesus had sacrificed his life out of love for humankind
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Why was Rome's tolerant attitude toward religion not extended to Christianity?
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-Roman officials found the Christians disloyal to Rome because they refused to honor the emperor with sacrifices or ask the traditional gods to protect the Roman state -when Christians met in secret to avoid persecution, rumors spread that they were engaged in evil practices
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Nero + martyrs
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-used Christians as scapegoats, blaming them for social or economic ills -Christians who were killed in times of persecution became known as martyrs (people who suffer or die for their beliefs) -Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero
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Why did Jesus' message appeal to many?
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-welcomed all people, especially the lowly, the poor, and the oppressed -people found comfort in his message of love, as well as in his teachings of equality, dignity, and the promise of a better life beyond the grave
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Who did Christian missionaries borrow ideas from?
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-Plato, the Stoics, and other Greek thinkers to explain Jesus' message
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Why did Christianity appeal to educated Romans?
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-it incorporated the discipline and moderation of Greek philosophy
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How did the unity of the Roman empire ease the work of missionaries?
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-Christians traveled along the Roman roads across the Mediterranean Sea which was protected by Roman fleets -early Christian documents were usually written in Greek or Latin -people were impressed by the strength of Christians' belief
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Constantine
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-ended the persecution of Christians -issued the Edict of Milan which granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the Roman empire
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Theodosius
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-made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire and repressed the practice of other faiths
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Baptism
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-one had to be baptized (blessed with holy water) to join the church -through the rite of baptism their sins were forgiven by the grace of God
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How did members of the community address each other?
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-as brother or sister because they were considered equals
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Each Sunday what did Christians do?
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-gathered for a ceremony of thanksgiving to God -the baptized ate bread and drank wine in a sacred rite called the Eucharist
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Women in Christianity:
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-many women welcomed Christianity's promise that in the church "there is neither Jew nor Greek ... neither slave nor free ... neither male nor female" -in churches women served as teachers and administrators -later women were barred from any official role in the church -continued to work as missionaries
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clergy
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-group of people who conduct Christian services -only men were eligible
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diocese
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-each Christian community and its clergy as a diocese -ever diocese had its own priest
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bishop
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-presided over the priest -high church official responsible for everyone in his diocese
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Who did bishops trace their spiritual authority to?
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-the apostles and through the apostles Jesus himself -in the early Christian Church, all bishops were considered equal successors of the apostles
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patriarch
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-the bishops of the most important cities of Rome - exercised authority over other bishops in their area -Christian church developed into a hierarchy (organization in which officials are arranged according to rank)
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popes
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-bishops of Rome who began to claim authority over all bishops
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What did the Greek-speaking east patriarchs believe?
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-that the five should (had four other patriarchs) share spiritual authority as equals
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heresies
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-beliefs contrary to official church teachings -to end disputes over questions of faith, councils of church leaders met to decide official Christian teachings
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What did early Christians produce an abundance of?
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-works defining Christian theology
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Clement and Origen
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-leading scholars of the early church -worked as teachers in Egypt, in Alexandria
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Augustine
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-greatest of the early Church scholars -bishop of Hippo in North Africa -combined Christian doctrine with Greco-Roman learning, especially the philosophy of Plato
