Lesson 2 - The Origins and Spread of Christianity
How was Paul important to the early development of Christianity?
He spread Christianity to people who were not Jews.
Why did the Jews distrust King Herod?
He was controlled by the Romans.
Why did Jesus preach mostly outdoors?
The crowds were too big to fit in the buildings.
Jesus often taught using simple stories with moral or religious messages. These stories were called
parables.
According to the New Testament, why did Jesus go to Jerusalem a few days before his execution?
to celebrate the festival of Passover
Why did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels?
to spread the news of Jesus's life and teachings
According to the gospels, which statement showed that Jesus did not preach revolt against the Romans?
"Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."
What helps the viewer know which figures are Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?
a halo behind each head
When Judea came under Roman rule, was Rome an empire or a republic?
a republic
One example of a parable is a story about
a traveler helping an injured man.
What are the gospels?
accounts of Jesus's life
The New Testament tells that the rulers of Jerusalem had Jesus arrested because they
feared he might lead a revolt.
Roman emperors sentenced Christians to die in cruel and public ways
in the hopes of destroying the new religion.
According to the earliest written accounts, what did Jesus emphasize in his teachings?
love
The Edict of Milan gave Christians the right to
practice their religion openly.
According to the gospels, where was Jesus born?
Bethlehem
What is the main source of early information about the life of Jesus?
Gospels written in Greek by his followers
How did Emperor Constantine affect the spread of Christianity?
He freed Christians to worship openly.
How was Jesus Christ executed?
He was crucified on a cross.
Why did the Romans consider Jesus so dangerous that they decided to put him to death?
Jesus had such a large following that the Romans feared he might lead a revolt against Rome.
According to the gospels, what happened that convinced the disciples that Jesus was the son of God?
Jesus rose from the dead.
According to the New Testament, which event introduced Jesus's years of public preaching?
John the Baptist identified him as the Messiah.
According to the gospel of Luke, why was Jesus born in a stable?
Mary and Joseph had arrived in Bethlehem too late to find a room at the inn.
This stained-glass window shows Jesus and the four evangelists who wrote the gospels in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Who are they?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
According to Jesus, what would the kingdom of God be like?
People would live according to God's will.
What were the methods of persecution the Christians faced? What were the results of Christians being persecuted?
Roman persecution of Christians included making their religion illegal and sentencing them to death. Results of Persecution: Helped to Spread Christianity because people admired the bravery of the Christians. Christianity also offered hope to the poor and to slaves.
Which teaching helped to spread Christianity in the Roman Empire?
Slaves and the poor could hope for a better life after death.
Why did the Romans decide that Jesus should die on the cross?
The Romans routinely punished their enemies by hanging them from a cross.
17. How did the Romans kill many Christians?
They put them into areas so they could be publicly killed by animals.
Who was the Roman emperor when Jesus was born? Who was the local ruler of Judea when Jesus died?
Augustus Caesar; Pontius Pilate
When did Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire?
by the time Emperor Theodosius I died in 395
How did Paul continue to have influence while in jail?
by writing letters
The four evangelists
composed the gospels several decades after Jesus died.
According to the gospels, Jesus called a small number of men to be his followers. What were they called?
disciples
Jesus probably grew up in the family of
a carpenter in Nazareth.