Respond to ONE question below by the fourth day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. Respond to TWO student posts by the last day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. Read the discussion guidelines which you will find under Content for further details.

1. Describe in general the rule of the Germanic peoples over former Roman territories in Western Europe.  How did these territories change and evolve over time?

2. What factors led to the eventual adoption of Christianity in the Roman Empire?  What factors contributed to the spread of Christianity across the empire?

3. Which of Byzantine Emperor Justinian’s policies had the longest-lasting contributions to the development of Western Civilization?  In what ways did the Byzantine state reorganize itself to face the challenges of seventh- and eighth-century invasions?

4. How did geography play a role in early Islamic history and its expansion?  In what ways did the Five Pillars of Islam contribute to the early expansion of the faith?

5. What were the different roles that the Prophet Muhammad played in Medina?  In what ways are these roles different from those of the founders of other religions studied thus far in class?

6. What accounts for the splits in the Islamic community?  Summarize the major differences between the Shi’a and Sunni sects of Islam.

7. Discuss how women and eunuchs were described in the Byzantine Empire.   How did women and eunuchs navigate an incredibly misogynistic political and social system and participate in the political life of the empire? 

1st post

Christianity In the Roman Empire

On today’s topic, we will be discussing what factors led to the eventual adoption of Christianity in the Roman Empire? And what factors contributed to the spread of Christianity across the empire? Starting out in BCE 4 with Judaism because Jesus was born as a Jew. “He was one of the many teachers spreading his ideas In the Roman province of Judea at that time.” While in the Roman Empire, there were continuing threats to many people who turned to Jesus and Christianity for “spiritual comfort and certainty in both philosophy and religion.”

One factor that adopted Christianity in the Roman Empire was Monotheism, which was an idea that there is only one God. A God that demands moral righteousness and social justice. Augustine of Hippo, who was a Roman philosopher and theologian. He was the one that influenced people in the Roman Empire that “no other belief system offered the same spiritual comfort, everyday morality” as stated in the previous paragraph. Which appealed to the people in the Roman Empire that became “firmly integrated into everyday life.” Another crucial factor was the Roman Empire was declining fast as people thought the “world was ending” And in the Roman religion did not believe in the afterlife. With the Empire continuing to decline, Emperor Constantine allowed the worship of Jesus and then converted to a Christianity himself.

Now with the factors that contributed to the spread of Christianity across the empire. Was Jesus himself. He would spread the message of peace, love, and justice. During his lifetime, he gained small but very loyal followers. And at that time people believed that Jesus was a Messiah, the son of God. They believed a savior would come to save them in a time of need. And when the Messiah came (Jesus) there would be a new “everlasting kingdom.”

Another factor was the decision to open of Christianity to non-Jews was the “central reason Christianity became a world religion instead of just a sect of Judaism.” A man named Saul Tarsus received a vision, became Paul. Paul started to send letters to followers throughout the Mediterranean. Paul was the one that said that “Jesus followers did not have to be Jews or circumcised or keep to Jewish laws.” Which allowed hundreds of thousands to convert into Christianity. Paul was also a Roman citizen, so he could walk freely around the Roman Empire, which meant he could “facilitate the geographic spread of Christianity.” With these factors, Christianity religion really took off as “European nations became bound together through their common Christian religion and culture.”

Citation:

Christianity from Judaism to Constantine. Accessed on November 16, 2021 https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/616190/viewContent/22864479/View.