Chapter 11: Rome and Christianity

Mr. DavisSocial Studies 7

Spring 2013

Disorder in the Republic

• By the year 70 BC, Rome was a dangerous place.• Political leaders and generals went to war for

power.• There were riots to try to restore order to the

tribunes (the leaders of the assemblies who were common people).

• During all of this chaos, more and more people were moving in to Rome from other places.

Cicero• Cicero was a philosopher

and a gifted speaker. • He wanted the rich people

to work together to make Rome a better place.

• He thought it was a good idea to limit the power of the generals.

• He wanted Romans to give more support to the Senate and to bring the system of checks and balances back to the government.

Cicero and Caesar

• Even though Cicero called on changing the government, it did not change. Many Romans did not agree with him. Generals still continued to fight for power. The most powerful of these generals was Julius Caesar.

Caesar’s Rise to Power• Caesar was a great general. • Romans admired him for his skill

and his bravery in battle. • His soldiers respected him for

treating them well. • Between 58 and 50 BC, he

conquered nearly all of Gaul (the land that is now France).

• Because of his success, he became

an important person in Roman politics.

Caesar’s Rise to Power• He was an excellent

speaker. • He won over many

supporters by speaking in the Forum.

• Caesar also had many powerful friends.

• Among these friends were Pompey and Crassus.

• Together, Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, ruled Rome.

Challenges to Caesar

• Caesar’s partnership with Pompey and Crassus lasted about 10 years. (THE FIRST TRIUMVIRATE)

• His conquests made his friends jealous of him.• In 50 BC, Pompey’s friends in the Senate

ordered Caesar to give up his armies because they wanted Pompey to be ruler.

Challenges to Caesar• Caesar didn’t like to be told to

give up his armies.• Instead, he led his armies out of

Gaul back to Rome.• Once they crossed the Rubicon

River into Italy, there was no going back.

• When Pompey heard Caesar’s army was coming, they fled Italy. They didn’t think they had enough troops to stay and fight.

• Caesar’s army chased Pompey and his men out of Italy. In 48 BC, Pompey was killed by order of an Egyptian king.

Caesar Names Himself Dictator For LIFE

• Even though Caesar worked hard to improve life in Rome, many people were still angry for the way he came into power.

• The Senators were especially angry with Caesar

for taking away much of their powers. On March 15, 44 BC, a group of senators attacked Caesar on the floor of the Senate and stabbed him to death. This is called “The Ides of March.” (Et Tu, Brute?)

Marc Antony and Octavian Caesar• The first thing these men wanted

to do was punish the men who killed Caesar.

• The men that killed Caesar thought they would be viewed as heroes. It was just the opposite! They ran for their lives from Rome.

• Riots broke out in the city because many people liked Caesar and were angry he was killed.

• Antony made a speech at Caesar’s funeral and Octavian sent his armies after the killers. They met at Philippi in 42 BC and the killers were quickly defeated.

Octavian Becomes Emperor• After Philippi, Octavian

returned to Italy.• Marc Antony went off to the

east to fight more enemies. He married Octavian’s sister, Octavia. But that marriage only lasted 8 years before he divorced her and married Cleopatra of Egypt.

• When Marc Antony divorced Octavia, Octavian viewed this as an insult to their family.

• This led to a civil war in Rome.

The “Antony-Octavian” Civil War

• 31 BC Octavian sends a fleet to attack Marc Antony.• Antony’s army meets them west of Greece. This was

called THE BATTLE OF ACTIUM.• Antony’s army was defeated, but he fled back to Egypt

to be with Cleopatra.• Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide

because they didn’t want to be captured by Octavian. • Marc Antony and Cleopatra’s death made OCTAVIAN

the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.

Octavian Becomes Augustus

• By 27 BC, Octavian had absolute power over all of Rome. It was then the Senate named him “Augustus” which means “revered one” (“respected one”). Many historians believe this was the true end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.

Roman Art

• GRECO-ROMAN art = Roman art with Greek influence

• Realistic statues• Wealthy Romans had murals

and mosaics• FRESCO – a three-

dimensional mural• Romans funded the arts—

spent lots of money to create works

Roman Art

• Roman art influences RENAISSANCE painters many years later (Michelangelo, for example)

• Statues and art in Washington, DC have Roman influence

• Romans brought a sense of luxury to everyday items.

Roman Architecture

• Arches, vaults, and domes

• Widespread use of concrete—able to build much larger than anyone else had before

• Invented the stadium (Colosseum)

• Influence seen today in Washington, DC

Roman Engineering

• World’s greatest builders of roads, bridges, and aqueducts

• 53,000 miles of road• Aqueducts transported water into Rome for

baths and fountains

Language

• LATIN – the language of Rome• It is a dead language, but many of our words

come from it• “Romance” languages = Italian, Spanish,

French… heavily rooted in Latin• Julian calendar (“July” and “August” are from

the Caesars)

Language

• English words start with Latin prefixes (pre-, re-, trans-…)

• Many root words come from Latin as well• Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, V, X, XX, L, C, D,

M)

Philosophy

• STOICISM = belief that godly intelligence rules all nature.

• To “live rightly” meant to live in a way that agreed with nature

• Have good character (integrity), self-control, courage

• Marcus Aurelius – famous stoic Roman emperor

Law and Justice

• Law covered marriages, inheritances, contracts between people… etc.

• Romans believed there was a universal law of justice that came from nature

• By this law, every person had rights• Even still, laws were not fair based on status.

Religious Tolerance and Conflict

• Romans were very religious. They held many festivals to honor many gods, but did not impose (force) beliefs on others.

Freedom of Worship

• Romans allowed conquered people to keep their own religious customs.

• Influences from Greeks and Egyptians… temples were built to many of these “outsider” gods.

• Romans prayed to many gods because they didn’t know which gods existed and which ones didn’t

• Romans would ban a religion if the leaders viewed it as a political problem.

Clash with the Jews

• Unlike many Romans, Jews worship one god. MONOTHEISM

• Jews lived in Judea, which was conquered by the Romans

• They resented Roman rule and rebelled throughout the 1st Century AD… Rome defeats the Jews every time.

Clash with the Jews

• By the year 100, Romans treated Jews harshly

• Jews were taxed heavily, and some rituals were banned.

• Jews rebelled again in response. Emperor Hadrian sent his army to destroy Jerusalem. The Jews were forced out and the Romans rebuilt a new city on top of Jerusalem.

Christianity

• Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

• At this time, Jews followed the teachings of Moses (The Ten Commandments and Covenant with God)

• This made daily Jewish life VERY structured

Christianity

• According to prophecy, a “MESSIAH” (meaning “anointed one”) would come as a descendant of King David. This Messiah was chosen by God to lead the Jewish people.

• With the Roman conquest of Judea, many Jews were awaiting for this Messiah to come.

Jesus of Nazareth

• Arguably the most influential man in history.• Historically, we know little about his life as a

man—what we do know is what is in the Bible, the Christian holy book

• Two parts: Old Testament (time before Jesus), and the New Testament (time after Jesus)

Birth of Jesus

• Born in a city called Bethlehem

• His mother, Mary, was married to a carpenter named Joseph.

• Christians believe that God is actually Jesus’ father—Joseph was his “father on Earth.”

Jesus’ life• Grew up in Nazareth, studied

under his father Joseph to be a carpenter, but also studied Jewish teachings.

• By age 30, Jesus was traveling and teaching about religion… much of this makes up the New Testament of the Bible

• Jesus was very charismatic—well liked. He stirred up excitement wherever he went.

Crucifixion• Jesus’ teachings challenged the

authority of Roman leaders.• Jesus was arrested by the

Romans around the year 30.• He was put on trial by Pontius

Pilate and sentenced to crucifixion—death by being nailed to a cross.

• Crucifixion was a VERY common Roman execution method—especially among political prisoners.

Resurrection

• According to Christian beliefs, Jesus rose from the dead three days after his death. RESURRECTION

• Several of Jesus’ disciples claim to have seen him after his death.

• Christianity is rooted in the belief that Jesus’ rise from the dead must mean he is the Messiah. “Christ” = Messiah in Greek

The Teachings of Jesus

• Two big things: Love God, Love other people• Be generous to the poor and the sick• The way you treat others shows how much you love God• Salvation: rescue of people from sin• It is hard to love money and material things and receive

salvation• These are interpreted in many different ways. Over the years,

denominations of Christianity develop (Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal… etc.) The main idea of these is still centered on Jesus’ life and teachings.

Spread of Jesus’ Teachings

• Jesus’ 12 APOSTLES (followers) spread his teachings by traveling and writing.

• PAUL’s letters spread Jesus’ teachings further than any other apostle… these letters are in the New Testament of the Bible

The Growth of Christianity

• Within 100 years after Jesus’ death, thousands of Christians lived in the Roman Empire

• Some Roman officials arrested and killed Christians for refusing to worship Roman gods

• Some leaders banned Christianity• PERSECUTION = the punishment of people for

their beliefs

The Growth of Christianity

• Christians continued to meet in secret

• 300s – Emperor Constantine becomes a Christian. He removed all bans on Christianity in the Roman Empire.