a council is a group of people that meet to give advice or make decisions

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire

to have supremacy is to have ultimate power and authority

a monk is a man who devotes his life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life

a nun is a woman who devotes her life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life

Christianity in Western Europe

History

In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils build on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East. In ‘Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?’ pupils explore the evidence of where Christianity survived in Britain.

In 'The Romans: What impact did the Romans have on Britain?' pupils will examine, in depth, the way that Roman invasion and settlement changed life in Britain. In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils will build on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East.

In this unit, pupils learn about the history of early Christianity's changing fortunes: from a persecuted faith to the official religion of the Roman Empire. They also learn about three great centres of this religion: Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the East African kingdom of Aksum.

The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

priest who delivers sermons and has their own congregation

supports the presbyter and does charitable work

supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church

live in a religious community and dedicate their life to God

to decide which books to include in the Bible

to agree on a set of core Christian beliefs

What was the goal of the early Christian councils?

choose which parts of the Bible to leave out

Which of these was not a job that monks were expected to do?

Is the following statement true or false? Many Christian churches still use the organisational structure of bishop, presbyter (priest) and deacon.

Christians are persecuted in the Roman Empire.

Emperor Constantine legalises freedom of religion.

Place the events in the correct order, starting with the earliest.

Many Christians would rather be punished or even die than give up their religious beliefs, making them __________.

religious leader and, according to Christians, a divine person

 a religious leader in some Christian churches

The Roman Empire was split in two in 395 CE and became the Western and __________ Roman Empires.

The capital of the Western Roman Empire was __________.

The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was __________ named in honour of Emperor Constantine.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

Starter Quiz