Lesson #28 - The Rise of Christianity

|

We'll start out today with your 6:4 reading quiz.


THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY:
As with the other great religious traditions that we have examined, I'm guessing that the class has a wide variation in its familiarity with the early history of Christianity. While your own beliefs may range widely, it's clearly important to take a look at major events in the birth and spread of what has become the world religion with the greatest number of followers.

We'll work through two major topics today.

  • Jesus' Life and Teachings
  • The Spread of Christianity


Jesus' Life and Teachings:
Together, we'll piece together the historical record as it exists regarding the figure Jesus of Nazareth. In addition, we'll attempt to figure out what it was about his message that was compelling to its followers.

NOTE: At the turn of the millennium, a group of artists met to consider a "newer" face for Jesus that they believed would be more historically accurate. You can see the image they produced here.

From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians- PBS Frontline

This is a good site where you can find a number of references and links related to the early years of Christianity.


The Spread of Christianity: Let's consider how what begin as a small group of Jewish followers grew to be the dominant and official religion of the Roman Empire.

  • Paul's contributions
  • Peter's journey to Rome
  • Rebellion in Judea - 66 CE (Temple destroyed in 70 CE), Masada in 73 CE, Diaspora
  • Persecution by Rome
  • Constantine's conversion - Edict of Milan (313 CE) legalizes Christianity
  • 380 CE - Theodosius makes Christianity Rome's official religion


GREECE AND ROME THROUGH "FAKEBOOK"

Ms. Murr came up with this one, and her class last quarter seemed to enjoy it. We'll give it a try. (If you enjoy it, be sure to give her props. If you hate it, blame me.)

This assignment will require you to select a figure from Greek or Roman history and complete a small amount of research in order to create a "Fakebook" page for your person.

1.  Each of you will select a person from one of the following two lists:

Greeks

  • Homer
  • Pericles
  • Plato
  • Socrates
  • Aristotle
  • Sophocles
  • Sappho
  • Alexander the Great

Romans

  • Gracchus Brothers (Just one if you prefer)
  • Julius Caesar
  • Augustus Caesar
  • Pompey
  • Mark Antony
  • Cleopatra
  • Virgil
  • Constantine
I'll listen to suggestions for other figures as well.

2.  Research your person.  You want to understand why your person was significant in Greek or Roman history.  You also want to understand how your person relates to some of the themes and trends we have examined.  These include:

  • The rise of Athens and the Age of Athens
  • The development of philosophy
  • The development of democracy
  • The decline of Athens
  • The development of Hellenistic culture
  • The development of the Roman Republic
  • The shift to the Roman Empire
  • The emergence and growth of Christianity
  • The decline of the Roman Empire
  • The development of history and literature

You will be expected to turn in a printed copy of a bibliography for this assignment.  That bibliography must include at least 5 sources. Those sources must be high quality, reputable sources, and they must include a minimum of 2 library database sources. Wikipedia will NOT count as a source. (You are allowed to use it for basic information, but does NOT count as a source.)

3.  Once you have completed your research, you will need to complete your "Fakebook" page.  In order to complete this project, we will be using Fakebook.  Once you get to this site, you can watch the short tutorial video and begin creating your page (It's pretty self-explanatory.).  When you reach a stopping point, be sure to click "save" in the right hand column.  When you do this, you will receive a URL for your site.  SAVE THIS INFORMATION because this is how you can access your site again, and this is what you will send to me when you "turn in" your assignment.

4.  Your Fakebook page must include the following:

Profile:  This is where you introduce your person. You need to use short phrases and ideas to point out what is important about your person and how your person relates to some of the major themes from the class.This is not just a regurgitation of the facts.

  • Birthdate and Death
  • Job (of historical role)
  • Birthplace
  • Education
  • Home
  • Relationship
  • FOUR other additions to the profile that you create

Friends:  You need to create five friends for your person. These friends must be real people, and they must be people who your person might have actually friended (or at least interacted with).

Posts: You need to have TEN posts on your wall. Each post must be dated, and you must put the posts in chronological order.  Each post should be about three sentences long. The posts should highlight the key events and issues from your person's life.  The posts should also explain your person's key beliefs and accomplishments.

You should also use images, music, and videos where appropriate to enhance your "Fakebook" presentation.  Be sure to adhere to copyright rules.

Be creative with this assignment.  It is due on Monday, January 9th.

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, December 15th

Please read Section 5, "The Legacy of Rome." (It's pp. 178 - 183 in your textbook.) The quiz will be multiple choice.

Your "Fakebook" assignment will be due on Monday, January 9th.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Mike Vergin published on December 14, 2011 8:00 AM.

Lesson #27 - Augustus Caesar and the Roman Empire was the previous entry in this blog.

Lesson #29 - The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Powered by Movable Type 5.12