Judea (or Palestine) was one of the conquered nations. During the reign of Caesar Augustus, early in the Roman Empire, there was a Jew named Jesus born in Nazareth, which was a province in Judea, in an area called Galilee.
A new religion began in Palestine as people followed Jesus and worshipped him. The people who followed the teachings of Jesus were called “Christ’s men” or “Christians.” As you may remember from Lessons 5 and 6, Christianity, along with Islam, is considered one of the Semitic religions, Judaism being the first. Christianity is the second Semitic religion. Christianity spread throughout the ancient world, even finding followers among the Romans. By the time the Roman Empire fell, Christianity had become its official religion.
Stories about Jesus and his teachings are in the New Testament of the Bible. As you may remember from your lessons on the Israelites, the Old Testament, including the Hebrew Torah, makes up the beginning of the Bible. The story of the birth of Jesus is told in the New Testament’s Gospel according to St. Luke. This story is important in understanding what Christianity is about.
The map below shows the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. You have learned that Christianity began near Palestine and spread throughout the Empire.
Assignment
What challenges would have existed in the spread of Christianity. Come up with a list of challenges and how or why you think they were able to be overcome. Remember social media and cell phones did not exist back then!
