Early Christianity
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the story of the early days of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Key learning points
- Christianity began in the 1st Century CE when followers of Jesus Christ began to spread their new religion.
- Early Christianity spread from Judea throughout the Roman Empire, reaching Roman Britain in the late 2nd century CE.
- At first Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire as their faith worried the Romans.
- Christians were scapegoated and punished severely, often by being attacked and killed by wild animals in amphitheatres.
- Many Christians were killed for their faith, making them martyrs.
Keywords
Religion - a religion is a belief in a god or gods and the practices the belief says to live by, such as praying and worshipping in a church, temple or mosque
Follower - a follower is a person who believes in the teachings of a leader
Judea - Judea is the mountainous region of ancient Palestine and once a kingdom of the Jewish people
Scapegoat - a scapegoat is someone who carries the blame for others' mistakes and wrongdoings
Martyr - a martyr is someone who would rather die or suffer than give up their religious or political beliefs
Common misconception
Christianity started with the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christianity developed after the death of Jesus when his followers continued to spread his teachings.
Teacher tip
In Jewish scripture, once a year the priests of Israel would cleanse the nation of sins. Two goats were sacrificed: one was slaughtered and the other, the scapegoat, was sent away carrying the nation's sins with it (see Leviticus 16:8–10, KJV).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.According to Christians, who is the son of God?
Q2.Match the abbreviation to its meaning.
the period on a timeline before the year 1
the period on a timeline after the year 1
Q3.Who was the leader of the Roman Empire?
Q4.Match the word to its meaning.
a place controlled by Rome that was outside of Italy
a large group of territories ruled over by an emperor
a land with borders that has one government
a place where many people live close together
Q5.The Roman Empire became too big to rule and in 395 CE it was spit in two. The Eastern Roman Empire was also known as the __________ Empire.
Q6.Jupiter, Mars and Apollo are examples of Roman __________.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Christianity started in the first century .
Q2.Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of __________.
Q3.Match the keyword to its definition.
belief in a god or gods
a person who believes in the teachings of a leader
someone who is blamed for others' mistakes and wrongdoings
someone who would rather suffer than give up their beliefs
Q4.Place the events about early Christianity in the correct order, starting with the earliest.
Q5.Why were the early Christians persecuted in the Roman Empire?
Q6.Many Christians were killed for their faith, making them .
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Early Christianity, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Early Christianity, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.