Religion in Ancient Rome

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Religion in Ancient Rome  

After this lesson you can 

Explain what religious tolerance meant in Ancient Rome

Explain how the Romans became Christian 

Explain why Christianity was one of the reasons of the Roman empire's downfall 

What do we already
know about
Roman religion?

Roman culture 

Before Christianity the Roman empire was religiously tolerant 

- as long as you workshipped the state gods and the emperor you were free to worship any gods you liked. 

The Romans adopted many gods from different cultures as well 

Rome was a multicultural society where all cultures were tolerated 

Explain in your own words what 'religious tolerance' meant to the Ancient Romans

What are 'state gods'?

State gods 

State gods were gods that, according to Roman law, needed to be worshipped (aanbeden)  by Roman citizens. Gods like Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune. The Romans also considered their Emperor to be a god and therefore he also needed to be worshipped by the people. 

00:23

When did Christianity become an official religion in Rome?

00:52

How did most Christians feel about 'Gladiator games'?

01:13

The Christians still organised 'gladiator' games. Why did they do this do you think?

The start of Christianity 

In 64 AD a large part of Rome was burned in a huge fire. The Roman emperor Nero blamed the Christians and had them burned, crucified and fed to the dogs. Romans disliked christians because they worshipped their own gods and refused to acknowledge the Roman gods or the divinity of the emperor.  The Christians also tried to convert other people which the Romans didn't want! 

To convince somebody to become a part of a religion 

someone's godlike qualities 

To be put upon a cross and killed 

to pray to someone or something 

to worship

to convert

Divinity

Crucified 

The victory of Christianity

In 313 AD, emperor Constantine of Rome granted the Christians freedom of religion and became a Christian himself. In 392 Christianity became a state religion which ended religious tolerance in Rome. Jews were now discriminated against and other religions were banned. Temples for Roman gods were destroyed and churches were built instead. 

What did religious tolerance mean to the Ancient Romans?

1. That you had to believe in Roman gods.
2. That everyone could believe in what they wanted
3. That you were free to believe what you wanted as long as you also believed in Roman gods
4. That you could believe in Greek and in Roman gods.

Why do you think the Christians banned all other religions?

What do you call it when a religion only has one god?

1. polytheism
2. monotheism

Words 

Meanings

Pictures

Drag the words and meanings to the right picture.

Christianity

resurrected

crucified

miracle

disciples

Palestine

The friends of Jesus

A wonder, like healing the sick

Nailed to a cross

Came back to life

A country, now called Israel

The religion of Christians

The Roman Catholic Church

After Christianity became the Roman state religion a religous organisation is born: The Roman Catholic Church divided the Roman empire into church provinces led by bishops. The bishop of Rome became the most powerful religous leader and was called the pope. 

What do you know about the Catholic church?

The downfall of the Roman empire

There's a lot of reasons why the Roman empire eventually failed. Christianity is one of them. The Roman empire contained so many people with different cultures and religions who didn't like being forced into becoming Christian. Religion became a reason why the different people in the Roman empire began to revolt against Rome 

What does 'to revolt' mean?

When did Rome officially become Christian?

1. 313 BC
2. 64 AD
3. 313 AD
4. 392 AD

Which Roman emperor enjoyed murdering Christians?

1. Constantine
2. Nero
3. Commodus
4. Caligula

Can Christianity (back in Ancient Rome) be considered a tolerant religion? Explain your answer

Is there anything else you would like to learn about Christianity during Ancient Roman times?