HIST 1001 Final Crisis and Christianity 11 03 2014 In the early church there were only 2 sacraments Eucharist o Ritual meal o Only those initiated who have been accepted into community can celebrate the Eucharist Baptism o The main initiation ritual of Christianity o Full emersion Alexamenos graffito Anti Christian graffiti Alex worships his god Christian worship Jesus Jesus was crucified like a Roman criminal Domus ecclesia Early chrsitian meeting place House of assembly I Persecutions Why o Atheists secretive subversive orgies cannibals etc o Unrelated men and women gathering together behind closed doors freed and slaved people orgy o Eucharist seen as cannibalism When o 2nd 4th century AD Heyday of persecutions of Christianity Evidence shows sporadic persecution and not always coming from the Roman government depends on local officials o Intermittent depends on local authority How many o Unknown o Not arrested for being Christian arrested for doing something or not doing something they are supposed to be doing o Main place of trouble is from the imperial cult Perpetua o Roman woman in Carthage from a good free family o Christian martyr witnesses of their faith to the public o Don t know why she s arrested but she is arrested with slaves some of whom were her own slaves Just gave birth so she and her son are arrested o While she is in prison she keeps a prison diary primary source Her account is finished off including how she went to her death Copies are sent all over the Roman world Language of the show are used as propaganda for Christianity o Baptized in prison o Put on trial and told she has to be complete a sacrifice but she refuses because she is a Christian Upsets the balance of the family by going against her father C 203 AD Passion of Perpetua and Felicity o Theater at Carthage Gladiator animal show were condemned criminals were used as characters to be slaughtered Martyrs II End of the Pax Romana o Go to their deaths singing praying not afraid Marcus Aurelius 161 180 AD Roman general and philosopher Commodus 177 192 AD o Son of Marcus Aurelius Takes over in 180 Not cultured educated guy that his dad was Grew up around the Games Takes a lot of money from treasury and spends it on shows and military Turns into a militaristic community Diocletian 284 305 o Creates a new position the Caesar o A vice emperor ruling with the senior Augustus o Tetrarchy Rule of Four Men o Makes it harder and harder to be a Christian at this time o o The Great Persecution For him it is a part of his pro reform military program 303 anti Christian edicts Turning over property no imperial service Arrest of clergy no meetings 304 more edicts issued Forced sacrifice III Early Christianity IV Reign of Constantine Constantine 306 337 religion o Roman general works his way up the roman army practices Roman o Becomes Augustus of the West o Opposition from wife s brother rises up against him in Rome and tries to start rebellion have own troops recognize the brother as Augustus o Marches against the city of Rome to crush this usurper o The night before the battle sacrifice to the gods Milvian Bridge Sees the chi rho in the sky conquer with this sign Christian symbol Orders men to paint chi rho on their shields Successful in the battle o Maxentius o Edict of Milan 313 Says 3 things All religions will be tolerated in the Roman world Ends anti Christian legislation Any Christians who lost their jobs positions will be compensated Christian god will be the favored god of the emperor o In 324 he gets rid of the Emperor in the East Council of Nicaea o God and Jesus are co eternal the same o The people who say God is more powerful are called heretics Constantinople o The polis of Constantine o Church and race track are built here Hagia Sophia o Church of the Holy Wisdom o The church in Constantinople o Pays for it out of pocket changes the way Christian churches are made St Peters Jerusalem Holy Sepulchre o Constantine built a church in Rome over the tomb of St Peter o Constantine pays for a church to be built in the middle of Jerusalem Transformation of the Mediterranean World Greeks Germans and Muslims Germanic Migrations and the Fall of Rome Tribal structure with small farms villages Romans looked at the German as uncivilized as human as the Romans Beer and butter instead of wine and olive oil Called barbarians wore pants Danube and Rhine Rivers Visigoths o Germanic Come from the northern region of the Black Sea o Come from a larger tribe the goths o o 376 AD Visigoths agree with Rome to form o Sack of Rome Farmers NOT nomads Huns 410 o Not Germanic Come from Northern China in Mongolia o Nomadic known as skilled horsemen o Around the 3rd Century AD some Huns begin to move westward As they re moving westward they come upon the homeland of the Goths Some of the Goths fought back and others run The ones who fought become the Ostrogoths The one who ran become the Visigoths o Attila 434 453 A Hun who attacked Roman lands Battled with the Ostragoths against the Romans and Visigoths in 410 at the battle of Chalons Romulus Augustulus 475 476 AD o Last Roman emperor of the west who was deposed by Ostrogoths Germanic tribe I Constantine Christianity and the Germanic Migrations II Formation of Christendom III The Byzantine Empire Justinian 527 565 o Portrays himself as both a Christian emperor and powerful militaristic emperor o Reformed law Opened law schools o o Fan of the shows specifically circus race Falls in love with the daughter of a bear trainer Theodora Also a dancer Changes Roman law to be able to marry lowest level of Roman society Issues coins in the name of Justinian and Theodora o Attacks Spain Italy and North Africa all at once To pay for all three wars at once he bankrupts the treasury vulnerable on the eastern front o Roman emperor who captures all of Europe massacres 30 000 people at a chariot race for revenge against rioting and dies followed by the empire falling apart again o Similar to NASCAR in that you had teams with colors blue and green o Violence and fighting occurred half of the stadium was for the blues and the other half was for the greens o Hippodrome and Place Constantinople Has both teams arrested and the drivers were set to be executed at the Half time show Hippodrome race The sides stormed the field together and went after Justinian Justinian retreats into Palace and people rioted in the streets for 9 days People tore down the church he built Riot is known as the Nika Revolt o