Slides document the spread of Christianity within the Roman Empire.

1. Why and How did Christianity go
from a start up religion to the worlds
most popular religion

2.  Judaism was the first Monotheistic religion.
 Also the first of the “Abrahamic religions”.
(Christianity and Islam are also Abrahamic)
 Judaism does not actively seek converts.

3.  Jesus and all his original followers were Jewish.
 Tensions grew between the Jewish leaders and
the followers of Jesus who believed that Jesus
was the Messiah.
 Christianity started as a whole new religion
when they began to allow in non-Jewish people
and did not make them follow the Jewish law.

4.  The Roman Empire provided many things that
helped this new religion spread:
 Safe roads to travel on
 A single language for people to speak and read
 Romes religion did nothing to help the poor
 Early Christianity provided security. People lived in
communities where they took care of each other.
 Even if life was bad on Earth, Christianity offered a
better afterlife.

5.  Romans thought Christians were dangerous
 Christians wouldn’t worship the emperor
 Christians criticized festivals that honored
Roman gods
 Christians wouldn’t serve in the military
 Christians were blamed for things such as the
burning of Rome
 Christians were persecuted and many became
martyrs (people who were willing to die rather
than give up their faith)