5/9/14

• Jesus spends three years preaching, is killed by Roman leaders
• Jesus` followers believe he is the messiah and Savior who has risen from the dead
• Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelist), spreading Jesus` message (one true god, not roman gods)
• Christianity evolves from cult statues to established, official statues
• Priest, bishops, pope (Bishop of Rome)
• Christians and Jews were monotheistic (believing in one God)
• this conflicted with Roman beliefs
• persecution against both was common
• Christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor, their numbers grew
• as it grew, even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity
• (can you see the tide beginning to turn...?)
• AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• He issues the Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• the Roman Empire and Christianity are now linked in power and influence
• AD 180: Rome has problems
• economic (trade became risky; taxes were too high; food supply was dropping)
• military (frontiers were hard to patrol; Roman generals fought for control; soldiers' loyalty declined and mercenaries appeared)
• Diocletian divided the empire into two
• Greek-speaking East (had more resources)
• Latin-speaking West (Rome, tradition)
• AD 324 - Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople), where Asia met Europe (now Turkey)
• after his death, empire is divided again
• this time, "barbarian invaders" (Huns, Vandals, Visigoths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) overrun the empire's frontiers
• that's it for the Roman Empire (AD 476)