Chapter 6: Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

Who is Jesus?

• This man’s birth, life and death rocked the Roman world and he continues to be a controversial figure in our world today. 
• The grand-nephew of Julius Caesar who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra and took the title “Exalted One”.
• An ancient culture that developed from the blending of Greek, Hellenistic and Roman cultures.
• In Ancient Rome, the supreme governing body originally made up only aristocrats. 

Who was Julius Caesar?

• First Roman emperor to become a Christian and issued the Edict of Milan to make Christianity a tolerated religion.
• A military leader who rose to power and dominated Rome until his assassination in 44 BC.
• A decline in the value of money, accompanied by a rise in the process of goods and services.
• A form of government in which power is in the hands of representatives and leaders are elected by citizens who have the right to vote.

How did Rome’s population fare during the golden age of the Pax Romana? 

• The population of Rome remained unchanged during the time of the republic and empire.
• Most of Rome’s population was made up of slaves who were freed during the reign of Nero.
• Rome’s population exploded as the result of new trade and technologies such as aqueducts.
• None of the above.

How did the work of the apostle Paul encourage the spread of Christianity? 

• He wrote influential letters to groups of believers.
• He stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins.
• He declared that converts were not obligated to follow Jewish law.
• All of the above.

Why did the Roman emperors persecute Christians?

• The Romans never really persecuted Christians; it was all a conspiracy theory.
• The Romans felt that since the Christian refused to honor their gods then they also refused Roman laws. 
• The Romans felt that they owed the Jews some form of restitution because of the Christian rebellion. 
• The main reason was that the Christians honored the Roman gods like their own. 

What was the most significant reform that Diocletian made? 

• He divided the empire into the Greek speaking East and the Latin speaking West.
• He restored order to the empire and increased its strength. 
• Double the size of the military and ruled with an iron fist.
• He restored the prestige of the office of emperor by claiming descent from Roman gods.

Which of the following was NOT one of the causes of the fall of the Western Roman Empire? 

• The separation of the Western Empire from the wealthier Eastern Empire.
• The invasions of Germanic peoples from the North who were fleeing the Mongol invasion.
• The reunion of the Western Empire to the wealthier Eastern Empire
• The worsening of internal problems such a decline in the virtues held dear by early Romans 

Why did so much of the Roman culture have a Greek flavor?

• The Romans sought to differentiate itself from Greece but couldn’t because of common language.
• The Romans were so enamored with the Greeks that they sought to recreate the Greek culture.
• The Romans mixed their culture with that of the Greeks and Hellenism.
• All of the above.

Which of the following aspects of Roman culture did NOT influence future civilizations?

• Corruption and Greed
• Architecture and Engineering
• System of Law
• Learning and Literature

During which period in Roman history was this previous passage most likely written. 

• The Punic Wars 
• The founding of the republic 
• The Pax Romana 
• The fall of the Western Empire