- the triumph of Christianity marked a break with classical antiquity and the beginning of a new stage in the evolution of the West ( there was a fundamental difference between between the classical and the Christian concepts of God, the individual, and the purpose of life)
- the teaching of Jesus can be placed within the context of these developments in Judaism (1st. C. B.C.) => the existence of a lower class dissatisfaction with the legalistic Sadducees; the Pharisee emphasis on prophetic ideas and the afterlife; the Essene preoccupation with an imminent end of days and the need for repentance; and the widespread yearning of the Zealots for a Messiah who would liberate the homeland from Roman rule and establish the reign of God.
==>> All these developments relate to Jesus' teachings

- Jesus taught that the coming of God's kingdom was imminent and that people must prepare for it by undergoing a profound spiritual change. Operating in the prophetic tradition, he was critical of the rabbinical concern with ritual and restrictions and felt that the spirit of the Mosaic Law more important than the letter of the law.
- Belief in Jesus' resurrection made it possible to regard him as more than an inspired prophet; it made possible the acceptance of Jesus as a divine savior - god who had come to earth to show people the way to heaven
- at the beginning, the religion of Jesus was almost exclusively confined to Jews
- Saint Paul's extraordinary importance to the history of Christianity lies in his extensive missionary activities among Gentiles; his endeavors took Christianity out of its Jewish milieu, making it a universal religion. Paul's beliefs that Jesus was a resurrected redeemer who held out the promise of salvation to the entire world and that his coming meant that the Mosaic Law had been superseded, provided the doctrinal justification for this universality.
- the triumph of Christianity in the Roman Empire was related to factors internal to the religion and external in the Roman world:
    1. the shift away from the worldly and rational values of classical humanism to a mysticism and emotionalism, as witnessed by the growing popularity of mystery religions;
    2. Christianity's promise of personal relationship with God and membership in a community of the faithful who cared for each other, a promise having considerable appeal for those struggling with problems of alienation and lack of community in a large empire;
    3. Christianity's ability to appeal to all classes and to provide solace to all who were burdened by misfortunes, because of its promise of eternal life in a heaven where they would be comforted by God the Father;
    4. Christianity's promise of eternal life;
    5. the welcoming of women converts to the faith
    6. the provision by the church of social services to the poor and infirm;
    7. the ability of the church to assimilate elements of the Greek philosophy and from the mystery religions
    8. the ability of Christian missionaries to travel throughout the Empire over roads and across seas made safe by Roman arms;
    9. the existence of a common Greek dialect, the KOINE, in most parts of the Empire (east) which eased the task of missionaries;
    10. the universalism of the Empire, which prepared the way for the universalism of Christianity
 

- unable to crush Christianity by persecution, by the 4th century the emperors decided to gain the support of the growing number of Christians in the empire; in the A.D. 313, emperor Constantine granted toleration to Christians, and in 392 Theodosius - made Christianity the state religion
- there was a struggle in Christian ranks between conservative church fathers who wanted no dealings with pagan philosophy and the Christians who recognized the value of Greek philosophy to the religion => the use of language and categories of Greek philosophy transformed Christian religion from a simple ethical creed  into a theoretical system - a theology => that sought to explain in rational terms God's existence and revelation
- the hold of Greek philosophy over church doctrine meant that rational thought was not lost => BUT not the classicism but Hellenism
- the bishop of Rome's claim of primacy over the other bishops of the church was related to the city's importance and belief that the Apostle Peter was the first bishop of Rome
- development of monasteries => grew out of the practice to withdraw from the corruption of the world and lead a life of ascetic self - denial; the rule of Saint Benedict  - calling for monks to live in poverty and to study, labor and obey the abbot - became the standard for monasteries in western Europe
- the three Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel according to Saint John, the Acts of the Apostles, the 21 Epistles, including those written by Saint Paul, and the Revelation constitute the 27 books of the Christian New Testament; the Old Testament - was also accepted by the Christians - as God's word
- several doctrinal disputes among Christians in the early church - were resolved by councils => the Council of Nicaea condemned the views of Arius (maintained that Christ was more than man but less than God); Council of Nicaea => made official the doctrine that God and Christ were of the same substance, coequal and coeternal
- Christian thinkers challenged some of the moral values of the Greco - Roman society ==> strict sexual morality, nonviolence, and no distinctions between social classes, sexes (to a certain extent) - all one in Christ - radically different values from the Hellenistic ones
BUT: Christians were part of the world => came to see that war was justified under certain conditions; accepted slavery (urged humane treatment); inequality of the sexes => Paul said that wives should be subject ot their husbands
- Saint Augustine - one of the greatest of the early church fathers
    wrote The City of God => the highest good was to be found not in the corrupt City of Man but in the eternal life with God in the heavenly city => the vision of two opposed cities - profound influence throughout the Middle Ages

===>>>
- Christianity and classical humanism are the two principal components of the Western tradition; both place a high value on the individual (but => they represent two different world views)
    * classical humanism - the ultimate goal of life => the achievement of excellence in this world ; Christianity - the greatest achievement => the attainment of salvation in a heavenly city
    * in classical view - history has no ultimate end, no ultimate meaning; the Christian view => history is filled with spiritual meaning and will end when Christ returns to earth and evil is eradicated
    * classical humanism holds that there is no authority higher than reason; Christianity - without God as the starting point, knowledge is formless, purposeless, and prone to error
    * for Christianity - God is a living person, a loving compassionate Father; for Greeks, God was a logical abstract principle of order, a concept, impersonal and uninvolved with human concerns (the Absolute Idea - from Plato)
    * in the classical world - the political community was the avenue to the good life; for Christians - the good life is not identified with worldly achievement but with life eternal