1350 S2025 - Lecture Notes_removed

Important Dates and Key Information for the Exam:

• 29 AD - Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

• 64 AD - Nero’s Persecution

• 250 AD - Decius’ Persecution

• 303 AD - Diocletian Persecution

• 313 AD - Edict of Milan

• 325 AD - Council of Nicaea

• 380 AD - Edict of Thessalonica

• 476 AD - Collapse of Rome

Jupiter, Greatest and Best: Traditional Roman Religion, 753 BCE to 29 CE

• Ancient Origins

  • Romans believed Aeneas, a hero from Greek mythology, was their founder.

  • Julius Caesar claimed descent from Aeneas through his son Iulus.

  • Aeneas fought in the Trojan War for Troy (1200 BCE)

    • Fled to Laurentum, where Rome would later be built, became king of the local tribe and an allied tribe he formed

  • Romulus and Remus - gathered a gang out outcasts to travel to Rome & defeat the king (770 BCE)

    • Romulus settled on Palatine, Remus on Aventine. Remus received an omen of 6 vultures, and Romulus 12 vultures.

    • Led to an angry altercation, where Remus was killed

• Mythical Kings

  • Seven kings ruled Rome from 753 BCE to 509 BCE, with Romulus as the first.

    • Romulus formed the military (legions), state (appointed 100 senators), and name

    • Numa Pompilius (2nd king) turned Rome into a civilized society, gave them their calendar, and introduced priesthoods & religion

      • The Vestal Virgins and pontifex maximus were significant institutional developments.

  • Mythical kings overthrown in 509 BC

    • Republican era ends in 44 BC when Julius Caesar overthrew the state and made himself a new king

    • Romans had a history of hero worship & patronizing opponent gods

    • Caesar recognized as a god after his death (as were all “good” Roman emperors)

Alexamenos Worships His God: Jesus and the First Christians

• Jesus of Nazareth

  • Born around 4 BCE in Bethlehem during a politically unstable time in Judea.

  • His public ministry began around 29 CE, following John the Baptist's example. Announced the coming of the Kingdom of God

    • God would soon liberate Judea from Roman rule

• The Apostles

  • Following Jesus' death (between 26-36 CE), the disciples believed he rose from the dead, prompting the spread of his message.

    • Early Christianity focused on individual salvation rather than national liberation.

    • The Apostles, particularly Paul, shaped early Christian doctrine and outreach (between 13 and 500 apostles)

  • Apostolic Age ends in 64 CE when Peter & Paul were killed in the persecution of Rome

    • A fire broke out in the Colosseum and burned ¾ of the city. Emperor Nero blamed Christians for it, leading to their persecution

• Apostolic Succession - Christians preserved what the Apostles preached there (eventually guarded by the office of bishop, leader of Christians in a city)

• Canonization - collecting the writings of the Apostles to be treated as Scripture

  • Christian community now combines tradition and textual reasoning

Be Subject to the Bishop as to Christ: First Institutions and Orthodoxies

• Post-Apostolic Christianity

  • Early Christians transitioned to a community led by bishops as apostles died out.

    • Earliest church building ever discovered: Dura-Eripos church (early 3rd century CE) - included 18 buildings

  • Stark’s theory - Christianity grew about 40% per decade (40-300 CE), then took over Roman Empire

  • Christians used Apostolic Succession and the Canon to determine directions Christianity should take

    • Church structures laid grounded authority for bishops who held teachings passed down from the Apostles

• Determining Orthodoxy

  • Ebionism - Jewish-Christians believed Jesus was not divine, and one must keep all Old Testament laws to be saved

  • Docetism - says Jesus was divine, but not human— believed Jesus was a god visiting earth, disguised as God

  • Gnosticism - claims there is an eternal realm of Spirit in the world, the world is an imitation of a higher, purer spiritual world

  • Marcionism - Marcion (Christian leader 130-60 CE) questioned the relationship of Jesus to the Old Testament, causing bishops to clarify what counted as NT scripture

Crises of the Third Century: Invasion, Persecution, and Diocletian

• Early Imperial Rome

  • Julius Caesar won his civil war in 45 BCE

    • His heir Octavian (known as Augustus) reigned from 27 BCE-16 CE, one of the best emperors in Rome’s history

  • Rome ended by Nero, infamous for mismanagement and cruelty (54-68CE), The Great Fire of Rome in 64 leading to Nero’s Persecution

    • Nero killed himself before being overthrown in a coup in 68 CE

• The Doctrine of Trajan

  • “Year of the Four Emperors” - extreme instability in the empire, won by Vespasian in the Jewish revolt 66-74 CE

  • After Marcus Aurelius (161-180), empire descended into chaos again, Christians experienced peace (but still illegal)

    • State would not hunt Christians, but would have to recant or die if accused publicly of being a Christian

  • Commodus (son of Aurelius) became emperor, died in 192 by assassination, launching a dark time with coups fighting for position of emperor, Rome also invaded by barbarians

  • Decius (250) announced everyone must worship Roman gods

    • People had to present “libelli” (receipts) that show you worshiped the gods, would get in serious trouble if not provided (Decius’ Persecution)

  • Diocles (284) took the throne, adopted name Diocletian, would sacrifice animals and “read” their organs to try to find messages from the gods

    • 303-313 - Diocletian persecution, eradicating Christians & destroying text

    • Ended in 313 when Constantine (a Christian emperor) the Great seized the throne and ended the persecution

In This Sign Conquer: Constantine and the Conversion of Rome

• Diocletian's Reforms

  • Diocletian's rule restructured the empire into a more regenerative government with Tetrarchy but faced challenges of power succession.

• Constantine's Ascension

  • Caesar's son Constantius's backed Constantine's rise amid civil strife.

  • The vision prior to victory at the Milvian Bridge cemented Constantine's role as a significant figure in Christian integration within the state.

  • Post his victory, the Edict of Milan legitimized Christianity.

Nicaea in World Perspective

• Early Church Structure

  • The Council of Nicaea set the stage for Christian orthodoxy, addressing theological issues that dominated early Christianity's growth.

  • The emergence of Arianism as a contested theology led the church councils to deliberate on the relationship of Christ to God.

• Diocletian appointed co-emperors to rule alongside him, empire was too big and this prevented future military coups, called “Tetrarchy” (293), Augustus is the emperor and Caesar is the assistant

  • East: Diocletian A, Galerius C; West: Maximian A, Constantius C

• Battle of Milvian Bridge (306-312) - Constantine had a vision of the Chi-Rho

• Edict of Milan in 313 - legalizes Christianity, establishes Churches (Christendom)

• Council of Nicaea (325) - deals with the problem of Arianism

• Constantinople - became sole roman emperor (324) defeating the east (Licinius)

  • Constantine dies in 337, then Rome began persecuting again, western roman empire begins to collapse and topples in the 400s

The Fall and Transformation of the Western Roman Empire

• Relationship of Empire and Church

  • The conversion of the Western Empire to Christianity laid a paradox where the state faith flourished as the empire began to decline.

  • As administration devolved, bishops rose as political figures to navigate the transition into a post-Roman reality.

Expansion into Syria: Christianity in the Language of Jesus

• Early Presence of Christianity in Syria

  • Christianity spread rapidly in Syria, diverse but rooted in cultural and linguistic similarities to Jesus' life.

  • The Dura-Europos church and significant figures like Bardaisan highlighted early Christian beliefs and practices.

Expansion into China: Journey to the East

• Christianity's Introduction to China

  • The narrative of Aluoben reflects early Christian efforts during the Tang Dynasty, where Buddhism also found significant growth.

  • The Xi’an Stele chronicles the establishment and spread of Christianity in China, highlighting both acceptance and resilience.