Lesson 4: The Early Christian World (The Growth of Christianity)
What Was the Eucharist? 🍞🍷
The Eucharist is a special Christian ceremony.
It remembers Jesus' Last Supper with his followers.
Christians eat bread (which stands for Jesus' body) and drink wine (which stands for Jesus' blood).
Jesus told his followers to do this to remember him after he was gone.
Early Christians would meet in homes and quietly share the Eucharist, even when it was dangerous to do so!
Fun Story:
Some Romans thought Christians were doing something strange during the Eucharist because they didn’t understand it.
They even spread rumors that Christians were having secret "love feasts" or doing something bad.
In truth, Christians were just remembering Jesus' love in a peaceful and holy way.
Rome’s First Christian Emperor 🏰✝️
Constantine was the first Roman emperor to become a Christian!
Before him, Christianity was illegal, and Christians were often punished.
In 312 AD, before a big battle, Constantine saw a vision of a cross in the sky.
He heard the words: "In this sign, you will win."
So he had the Christian symbol painted on his soldiers' shields.
They won the battle, and Constantine believed the Christian God had helped him.
Later, he made a very important law called the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which said:
Christians could worship freely.
No more punishment for being a Christian.
Constantine even helped build many churches, including one on the place where people believe Jesus was buried — the Church of the Holy Sepulchre!
Constantine vs. Theodosius: Their Christian Policies ⚖️🏛️
Constantine made Christianity legal. He protected Christians but still allowed other religions too.
Theodosius, later in 380 AD, went even further. He made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire!
After Theodosius, people could only legally practice Christianity. Worshipping Roman gods became illegal.
Fun Fact:
Theodosius even banned the Olympic Games in Greece because they honored the old gods!