The Fall of the Roman

Empire

The Decline Begins

• 180 CE Marcus Aurelius (last good emperor) died

• His son, Commodus, took control of Rome

• Commodus was a poor leader, killed by his bodyguard

• Time of disarray follows

Commodus from the

movie Gladiator

Political Problems

• Poor leaders weakened the government

• Frequent fights for power

• Many officials took bribes

• Talented people chose not to serve due to dangers of government life

Nero

Caligula

Empire is expensive

Economic Problems• Farmers losing land to

wealthy

• Famine: There was not enough food to feed people

• Inflation occurred: (Rapidly rising prices) Coins lost value: Less gold put in, people found out Bartering grew: sell goods without using money

• People bought fewer goods, shops closed

• No taxes, no money

Military Problems• Plague (disease) spread

throughout Rome, killing

1 in 10

• Military only in it for

money (mercenaries)

• No money to pay military

= weak military

• Constant threat of

invaders on empire’s

borders

• Weak military, unable to

stop border invasions

Social Problems• Apathy

– Elites stop participating in government and paying taxes

– Commoners grow used to “bread and games” from Emperors

• Labor shortage caused by over reliance on slavery

Where Is Jesus From?

Early Christianity • Arises in Roman

providence of Judea

• Judea allowed

religious tolerance but

still desired

independence

• Messianic traditions

emerge

• Jesus of Nazareth

preaches reform

Judaism

– Emphasis on

simplifying practices

Christianity Spreads

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He spread Christianity throughout the Mediterranean

-His letters became part of the New Testament in the Bible

-Followers called Christians-Disciples preach the messages of Christianity throughout the Roman world-Peter established Christianity in Rome itself-Paul played the most influential role in spreading Christianity-Leaders in the church begin to emerge – Clergy

Christians Oppressed

• Romans were not tolerant towards Christians because:• they refused to honor the emperor with sacrifices• they refused to worship Roman gods to protect the

state • Also maybe because they were recruiting

• Christians were used as scapegoats, blamed for social and economic problems•Many Christians became martyrs- or people who suffer or die for their beliefs

•However, Christianity continued to spread due to the fact that all people were welcome

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Early Christian Church

-Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and issued the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313.

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-The Edict granted freedom of worship to all citizens of the Roman empire-Constantine also regulates church teaching with the Nicene Creed- A statement of Christian beliefs

Structure of the Church

“The Roman Catholic Clergy”

Bishop Bishop Bishop (regional leader)

Pope/Patriarch (only 1- oversees church doctrine )

DiocesePriest

+Community

DiocesePriest

+Community

DiocesePriest

+Community

DiocesePriest (local

leader) +

Community13

Rome incorporates its own love of Hierarchy, and organization into

the churches structure.

F.A.Q’sHow is Catholicism different from

Christianity

• It’s not, Catholicism is

Christianity’s first organized church,

Catholic means universal

Why does my church look

different/teacher different things than

what you are talking about?

• Today many churches have broken

away from the Catholic Church and

it’s practices/teachings. But until the

16th Century there was only one

Christian Church in Europe- The

Roman Catholic one.

Does Roman Catholicism replace Jesus’s

teaching with Roman propaganda?

• Mostly no, none of Jesus’s original

messages would have changed, but unity

of belief and loyalty were emphasized

“The Roman Catholic

Clergy”

Bishop Bishop Bishop (regional

leader)

Pope/Patriarch (only 1- oversees church

doctrine )

DiocesePriest

+Community

DiocesePriest

+Community

DiocesePriest (local

leader) +

Community

Nicene Creed• I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

and of all things visible and invisible.

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten

of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God

of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the

Father, by whom all things were made.

• Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was

incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was

buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;

and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and

He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;

whose kingdom shall have no end.

• And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who

proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the

Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

• And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge

one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of

the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Dividing the Empire• Diocletian felt that the

only way to save the

empire was to divide it in

half

• Created two empires:

Western and Eastern

• Western Empire: Europe/

North Africa and city of

Rome

• Eastern Empire: Turkey/

Asia and city of

Byzantium

• Two emperors, emperor in

charge of Rome was senior

Constantine• First Christian emperor

• Attempted reforms

• Main reform: sons had to follow fathers’ trade

• Rome continued to decline

• Constantine moved the

capital from Rome to city

of Byzantium

(Constantinople)

• City name changed to

Constantinople (today is

Istanbul)

Current Day

Rome invaded

• Western Empire unable to

hold off German tribes on

its borders

• Ostrogoths, Visigoths,

Franks, Vandals, Saxons

• German tribes wanted

warmer area, Roman

riches, and to flee the

Huns

The Fall

• Augustulus was defeated

in 476 CE

• For this reason, this date is

given as the fall of the

Western Roman Empire

• Western Empire was

divided into many

kingdoms that adopted

many of the customs of

Rome

Eastern Roman Empire

• Although the Western

Empire fell in 476 CE,

the Eastern Roman

Empire continued to

prosper for 1,000 more

years

• Became known as the

Byzantine Empire