Origins of Christianity

Origins of Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth was the man many people believed was the Messiah—a great leader the ancient Jews predicted would come to restore the greatness of Israel. Jesus was a great leader and one of the most influential figures in world history. Jesus’ life and teachings form the basis of a religion called Christianity. However, we know relatively little about his life. Everything we do know is contained in the Bible, the holy book of Christianity.

​The Christian Bible is made up of two parts. The first part, the Old Testament, is largely the same as the Hebrew Bible. The second part, the New Testament, is an account of the life and teachings of Jesus and of the early history of Christianity.

Multiple Choice

a SAVIOR who many Jews believe had been promised to them by God

• Messiah

• Christianity

• Gospel

• emphasis

Multiple Choice

The Bible is the sacred text (book) for which religion?

• Christianity ✝️

• Judaism ✡️

• Islam ☪️

​The Birth of Jesus

​According to the Bible, Jesus was born in a small town called Bethlehem at the end of the first century BC. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was married to a carpenter named Joseph. But Christians believe God, not Joseph, was Jesus’ father.

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Where was Jesus born?

• Rome

• London

• Bethlehem

• Mecca

​The Crucfixion

​As a teacher, Jesus drew many followers with his ideas. But at the same time, his teachings challenged the authority of political and religious leaders. According to the New Testament, they arrested Jesus while he was in Jerusalem in or around AD 30.

​Shortly after his arrest, the Romans tried and executed Jesus. He was killed by crucifixion, a type of execution in which a person was nailed to a cross.

Multiple Choice

Near what city was Jesus crucified?

• Galilee

• Jerusalem

• Nazareth

• Samaria

Multiple Choice

Many Jewish leaders hated Jesus.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

Jesus was killed by

• crucifixion
  
• beatings
• jail
• weapons

​The Resurrection

According to Christian beliefs, Jesus rose from the dead and vanished from his tomb three days after he was crucified. Now, Christians refer to Jesus’ rise from the dead as the Resurrection.

Christians further believe that after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to some groups of his disciples , or followers. Jesus stayed with these disciples for the next 40 days, teaching them and giving them instructions about how to pass on his teachings. Then Jesus rose up into heaven.​

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​Early Christians believed that the Resurrection was a sign that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God. Some people began to call him Jesus Christ, from the Greek word for Messiah, Christos. It is from this word that the words Christian and Christianity eventually developed.

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The term for someone who is a follower of a teacher is a

• miracle
• rabbi
• teacher
• disciple

Multiple Choice

Jesus resurrected, which means

• float up to heaven
• came back to life
• disappeared

​Miracles

​According to the New Testament, many people became Jesus’ followers after they saw him perform miracles. A miracle is an event that cannot normally be performed by a human. For example, the books of the New Testament tell of times when Jesus healed people who were sick or injured. One passage also describes how Jesus once fed an entire crowd with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Although there should not have been enough food for everyone, people ate their fill and even had food to spare.

​Jesus' Acts & Teachings

​During his lifetime, Jesus traveled from village to village spreading his message among the Jewish people. As he traveled, he attracted many followers. These early followers later became the first Christians.

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​Parables

​The Bible says that miracles drew followers to Jesus and convinced them that he was the son of God. Once Jesus had attracted followers, he began to teach them. One way he taught was through parables, or stories that teach lessons about how people should live. Parables are similar to fables, but they usually teach religious lessons.

​Jesus' Message

​Much of Jesus’ message was rooted in older Jewish traditions. For example, he emphasized two rules that were also in the Torah: love God and love other people.

Jesus expected his followers to love all people, not just friends and family. He encouraged his followers to be generous to the poor and the sick. He told people that they should even love their enemies. The way people treated others, Jesus said, showed how much they loved God.

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What did Jesus emphasize in his early teachings?

• Personal relationship with God for everyone

• Love your enemies

• Love your neighbors

• All of the above

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What did Jesus emphasize in his teachings?

• anger

• love

• power

• pride

​The Apostles

​The Apostles were 12 men whom Jesus chose to receive special teaching. During Jesus’ lifetime, they were among his closest followers and knew him very well. Jesus frequently sent the Apostles to spread his teachings. After the Resurrection, the Apostles continued this task.

​The Gospels

​Some of Jesus’ disciples wrote accounts of his life and teachings. These accounts are called the Gospels. Four Gospels are found in the New Testament of the Bible.

The Gospels were written by men known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All the men’s accounts differ slightly from one another, but together they make up the best source we have on Jesus’ life.

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Jesus life story is found in the ...

• Old Testament

• Qu'ran

• The Gospels

• 4 Noble Truths

​Paul

​Probably the most important person in the spread of Christianity after Jesus’ death was Paul of Tarsus. Although he had never met Jesus, Paul did more to spread Christian beliefs and ideals than anyone else. He had so much influence that many people think of him as another Apostle. After Paul died, he was named a saint, a person known and admired for his or her holiness. Paul traveled the coast of the Mediterranean numerous times to spread the teachings of Christianity.

​The Spread of Christianity

​Early Christians like Paul wanted to share their message about Jesus with the world. To do that, Christians began to write down parts of Jesus’ message, including the Gospels. They distributed copies of the Gospels and other writings to strengthen people’s faith. Because of their efforts, Christianity spread quickly in Roman communities.

​•Many leaders of the early Christians were killed for spreading Christian teachings.

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•To prevent unrest in the empire, some emperors in the 200s and 300s banned Christianity, leading to periods of persecution.

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•Persecution means punishing a group because of its beliefs.

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•Christians were often forced to meet in secret.

​Persecution

Multiple Choice

How did early Roman emperors treat Christians?

• acceptance

• persecution

• ignored

• worshipped

​The Acceptance

​•Emperor Constantine became a Christian and removed the bans against the practice of Christianity.

​

•Constantine also held a conference to clarify Christian teachings.

•He built many churches around the empire.

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•Later, another emperor banned all non-Christian religion within the Roman Empire.

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•Eventually, Christianity spread from Rome all around the world.

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Multiple Choice

Which Roman emperor was the first to convert to Christianity?

• Nero

• Augustus

• Cesar

• Constantine