Video Lesson

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• realize how religious leaders, the Romans and the public understood the advent of Jesus Christ;
• memorize the decisions that were passed in the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople.

Brainstorming Questions

• What do you know about Moses, Abraham, and Judaism?
• What books are the Old and New Testaments?

Key Terms and Concepts

2.5. The Rise and Spread of Christianity

In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered Judea, the southern part of Palestine where most Jews lived. Despite the Roman occupation, Jews were generally allowed religious freedom due to their monotheistic beliefs in Judaism. However, some Jews, known as zealots, opposed Roman rule and called for revolt, anticipating a messiah to lead them to freedom. In 70 A.D., the Romans suppressed a major rebellion and destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. This event marked a dark period of Jewish enslavement and dispersal, significantly impacting Jewish history and identity.

Jesus, a Jewish figure, emerged during a turbulent period in Palestine. His teachings, as recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament, the first four books of the New Testament of the Christian Bible, which belongs to four followers of Jesus named St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. According to Jesus, a person’s major duties were “to love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “to love your neighbor as yourself.” emphasized love for God and for others, as well as forgiveness. While some Jews welcomed him, others, including Jewish priests and Roman authorities, viewed him with suspicion and saw him as a potential threat. Jesus was eventually arrested, tried, and condemned to death by crucifixion around 30 A.D. His followers later spread his teachings, leading to the emergence of Christianity as a separate religion from Judaism.

The first Christians were Jews in Palestine and Syria. Soon, many gentiles (non-Jews) were converted to Christianity. The number of gentile Christians gradually exceeded that of the Jewish Christians. Local Christian communities were initially led by bishops, who later answered to archbishops overseeing larger regions. Patriarchs eventually emerged, with authority over multiple archbishops and bishops in vast territories known as patriarchates. The five major patriarchates were Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. The Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, asserted primacy over the other patriarchs by the middle of the third century.

During this period, monasticism also developed, with monks and nuns living in separate communities known as monasteries. Monks living together were governed by an abbot, while those living in isolation were called hermits. Monasticism played a significant role in the spiritual and social life of Christianity, emphasizing asceticism, prayer, and community service.

Heresies were doctrines rejected by the Church, and their followers were termed heretics. Church doctrines were established through councils comprising patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops. The Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. affirmed the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which states that God exists as three equal persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. This doctrine was later confirmed by the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D.

The Council of Nicaea specifically condemned Arianism, which denied the divine nature of Jesus Christ. This theological debate marked a significant moment in the early Church’s efforts to establish orthodox Christian beliefs and combat deviations deemed heretical. Early Christians faced severe persecution from Roman rulers due to their refusal to participate in emperor worship, seen as political disloyalty. Despite persecution, the Christian community and churches grew over time.

In 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity marked a turning point. He issued the Edict of Milan, granting freedom of worship throughout the Roman Empire, effectively ending official persecution of Christians. Subsequently, Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity the empire’s official religion in 380 A.D., leading to the suppression of other faiths.

By 395 A.D., Christianity had developed into Western and Eastern branches. The Western Church, centered in Rome under the leadership of the Pope, and the Eastern Church, centered in Constantinople under the Patriarch, had distinct theological and cultural differences. The Great Schism of 1054 A.D. formalized the split between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East, establishing separate Christian traditions that endure to this day.