The rise of Christianity and the Byzantine Empire
AdvancedChristianity spread through the Roman Empire by Jesus' followers, was legalised in 313 and became state religion in 380. The eastern, Byzantine half lasted a millennium: Justinian codified law and built Hagia Sophia, the churches split in 1054, and Constantinople fell in 1453.
- Jesus preaches → Paul spreads → 313 legal → 380 state religion
- Byzantium = eastern Rome: Justinian's code, Hagia Sophia, Greek learning preserved
- Schism 1054; fall 1453 → Greek scholars head west, feeding the Renaissance
§Text Passage
1In the first century Jesus preached repentance and the love of God and neighbour in the Roman province of Judaea, and around AD 30 the governor Pilate had him crucified. His disciples, above all Paul on long missionary journeys, carried the faith to the empire's great cities. The message that salvation was open to everyone, regardless of rank, drew slaves, the poor and women; repeated persecutions and a line of martyrs only made the faith spread more firmly.
2In 313 Constantine's Edict of Milan legalised Christianity, and in 380 Theodosius I made it the state religion; church organisation grew along the empire's administration into five great sees. Constantinople, built as a 'New Rome' in 330, commanded the trade routes between Europe and Asia. Justinian I (r. 527–565) compiled the code that laid the foundation of the continental legal systems, and the Hagia Sophia, completed in 537, was famed for its vast dome.
3The icon controversy of the 8th and 9th centuries deepened distrust between the churches of east and west, and in 1054 Rome and Constantinople excommunicated each other, dividing Catholic and Orthodox. Earlier, Cyril and Methodius had preached to the Slavs, and their disciples created the Cyrillic alphabet, laying the base of Christian culture among the Slavic peoples.
4In 1453 the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II breached the walls of Constantinople with giant cannons; the last emperor died fighting and the thousand-year Byzantine Empire fell. Greek scholars fled west with classical manuscripts, feeding the Renaissance, and in 1472 Moscow's Grand Prince Ivan III married the last emperor's niece, after which Moscow called itself the 'Third Rome'. The state died, yet Byzantium lived on in other forms.
1Summary 重點摘要
Christianity spread through the Roman Empire by Jesus' followers, was legalised in 313 and became state religion in 380. The eastern, Byzantine half lasted a millennium: Justinian codified law and built Hagia Sophia, the churches split in 1054, and Constantinople fell in 1453.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Lived c. 4 BC–AD 30 in Roman Judaea preaching love of God and neighbour; after his crucifixion his followers believed he rose again, and Christianity began.
Issued in 313 by Constantine and Licinius, legalising Christianity in the empire and returning church property.
The eastern Roman Empire (330–1453) at Constantinople; its people called themselves Romans, spoke Greek and preserved classical learning.
Justinian's codification of Roman law from 528 (the Corpus Juris Civilis), the foundation of later European civil law.
In 1054 the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other — Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches formally split.
'Good news' — the books recording Jesus' life and message of salvation; his disciples spread it across the empire.
Justinian's vast domed church, completed at Constantinople in 537 and praised as 'nearest to heaven'; it became a mosque after 1453.
The 'New Rome' Constantine founded in 330 on old Byzantium, guarding the Europe–Asia trade routes; today's Istanbul.
3Step by step Steps
- 1st century: originsJesus preached repentance and love of God and neighbour in Judaea; around AD 30 the Roman governor Pilate had him crucified. His disciples — above all Paul, on long missionary journeys — carried the faith to the empire's cities; the message of salvation for all drew slaves, the poor and women.
- 1st–4th centuries: persecution to state religionRome persecuted Christians repeatedly (worst under Nero and Diocletian); believers met in secret and martyrs multiplied. The Edict of Milan (313) legalised the faith; in 380 Theodosius I made it the state religion. Church organisation grew along imperial administration: the five sees of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem.
- 330–565: Byzantium and JustinianConstantinople, a 'New Rome', guarded Europe–Asia trade. Justinian I (r. 527–565) issued the Corpus Juris Civilis and completed Hagia Sophia in 537 — its vast dome praised as nearest to heaven — and reconquered North Africa and Italy, though endless war and plague drained the state.
- 8th–11th centuries: icons and schismThe Iconoclast controversy (8th–9th c.) deepened east–west distrust; in 1054 Rome (Latin, papal supremacy) and Constantinople (Greek, collegial patriarchs) excommunicated each other — Catholic and Orthodox parted. Meanwhile Cyril and Methodius evangelised the Slavs; their disciples created the Cyrillic alphabet.
- 1453: the fallSultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Turks breached Constantinople with great cannons; the last emperor died fighting and Hagia Sophia became a mosque. Greek scholars fled west with classical manuscripts — indirectly feeding the Renaissance (next unit).
- After the fall: where the legacy wentThe state died, but its influence scattered: Sultan Mehmed II let the Orthodox Church continue, appointing Gennadius as Patriarch in 1454; in 1472 Moscow's Grand Prince Ivan III married Sophia, niece of the last emperor, and Moscow began calling itself the 'Third Rome'; Greek scholars and manuscripts moved west to Italy in force. Add the code, the dome-building and the Cyrillic alphabet already deep in the Slavic world — Byzantium lived on in other forms.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: how did Christianity rise from persecuted sect to state religion within some 300 years? Separate the faith's own appeal from environmental conditions.
- The faith itself: salvation open to all attracted the lowly; churches cared for members — strong cohesion
- Network: Roman roads and sea lanes let missionaries reach every city
- Turmoil: the 3rd-century crisis drove people to seek comfort; conversions surged
- Politics: Constantine legalised it in 313; Theodosius made it state religion in 380
- Result: church organisation grew along the empire's administration → the most powerful institution of medieval Europe
- Answer: Bottom-up popular spread plus top-down imperial endorsement together lifted Christianity to state religion in three centuries. Tip: for the rise of any idea, weigh both its content's appeal and its carriers' conditions (roads, cities, printing).
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1When was Christianity legalised, and when did it become Rome's state religion?
Q2Name Justinian's two great achievements.
Q3What happened in 1054 and in 1453?
Q4Which disciple's missionary journeys carried Christianity into the empire's great cities?
Q5Which two missionaries lie behind the Cyrillic alphabet, and which scripts descend from it?
8Recap Recap
- Jesus preaches → Paul spreads → 313 legal → 380 state religion
- Byzantium = eastern Rome: Justinian's code, Hagia Sophia, Greek learning preserved
- Schism 1054; fall 1453 → Greek scholars head west, feeding the Renaissance
- Repeated early persecutions (Nero, Diocletian) → martyrdom and mutual aid drew floods of converts
- Cyril and Methodius evangelised the Slavs → their disciples created the Cyrillic alphabet