1. The Life and Teachings of Jesus
1.1. Jesus' Message
1.1.1. At 30, Jesus began to teach, do good works, and reportedly performed miracles
1.1.2. He emphasized God's personal relationship to each human being
1.2. Jesus' Death
1.2.1. Jews and Romans thought he was a threat to their kingdom
1.2.2. He was crucified, and then laid into a tomb. According to gospels, he rose three days later
2. Jews Come Under Roman Rule
2.1. Judea
2.1.1. Herod was a Romanized Jew. When he died, Jews revolted.
2.1.2. To restore Judea, Romans gave control of religion to the Sanhedrin
3. A World Religion
3.1. Early Christian Church
3.1.1. Early Churches were establised in the hierarchy. The Preist lead each small church, and Bishops lead several churches
3.2. Constantine Accepts Christianity
3.2.1. In 313 A.D., Constantine announced an end to the persecutions of Christians
3.3. Discord and Harmony
3.3.1. New Testament was written to teach all accepted beliefs
3.4. The fathers of the Church
3.4.1. Bishop Augustine taught that people needed the grace of God, and he gave it freely
4. Christianity Spreads Through the Empire
4.1. Paul's Mission
4.1.1. Paul was an apostle
4.1.2. Enormous influence on Christianity's development
4.2. Jewish Rebellion
4.2.1. In 70 A.D., Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem
4.3. Persecution of the Christians
4.3.1. Christians refused to worship Roman gods
4.3.2. Christians were used as scapegoats by the Romans
4.3.3. By third century A.D., there were millions of Christians in the Roman Empire