Today in class we went over the test that we took thursday. Then we had a parttty ! & we watched some video about Carp fish. and There was food there too that people brought.

Today in class we took the final test of the year besides the exam. I got an 80% on the test which helped my grade a lot. It was really short.

I wasn't in class today.

Today in class I found out we have a test on Thursday. We went over the answers to a handout we did in class today. I got most of the answers right so I'm feeling pretty good about Thursday's test.

Today in class we went over the tests. Everyone turned in their essays on time today too. This is just a reminder that i'm not going to be in school Thursday or Friday.

Today in class we got to review each others papers. Rita, Colleen and Cole reviewed mine. They all gave me some good ideas on how to make my paper better! I hope i get a good grade on this paper because i worked really hard and it could really help my grade in this class.

Today in class Mr. Schick wasn't here. We got to work on our essays. I got mine almost done. I think it's pretty good so far.

Today we took a test. Then we got assigned to write an essay on the difference between the roman empire and roman republic. It has to be 500 words meaning 475- 650.  It needs to be 12 size font in times new roman. It needs to be typed and handed in by Wednesday. Bring it in tuesday or else you lose 20 points.

Baby on his leg on a dolphin is Cupid.


Meanwhile - religious troubles

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god.
• ad 66: a group of Jews called the zealots tried to rebel, but roman troops put them down and burned their temple, except for one wall)
• the western wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• half a million Jews died in the rebellion.

Persecution of Christians

• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• especially Christians, who were vied as followers of new, upstart religion (cult)
• often used for entertainment purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc)
• despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly- by ad 200 around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians.
• no one wanted to say they were a Christians

Augustus- the first emperor- getting it done

• begins the pax  romana- the roman peace
• begins with Augustus
• quit trying to conquer
• focused on the empire
• built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• good for transportation
• good for security
• could get fresh water into the city
• set up civil service to take care of roads, the grain supply, even a postal service
• took care of roads
• got stuff where it needed to be
• taxes used to maintain the city
• Augustus dies at age 76 in AD 41,  and passes power to Tiberius.

From Jesus to Christianity

• Jesus was a roman citizen and a practicing Jew.
• lived in a roman province
• born in Judea
• lived in an area controlled by romans
• observed the passover- plenty in the bible
• only know about him from what's in the gospel
• a lot of guys like Jesus
• at 30, he began his ministry preaching to the poor in the empire and reaching out to outsiders
• focused on the poor because there we so many of them
• tried to make them feel like someone was looking out for them (god)
• was non violent and non confrontational
• statements like "my kingdom is one of this world" made the Romans (and the Jews) nervous and they began to plan his execution
• Romans only had the right to execute Jesus
• religious people didn't execute people

The word spreads about the risen Jesus.

• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus life, death, resurrection, and message
• he travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
• spread the word of jesus
• He writes letters to many of those he spoke to- these epistles are a part of the New Testament
• if not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher instead of the central figure of the world's largest religon

The 100: A ranking of the Most influential personsin history

1. Muhammad
2. Sir Isaac newton
1. only non religous person
3. Jesus
4. Buddha
1. started a relgion
5. Confucius
1. founded the biggest religon in china
6. st. Paul of tarsus

Back to Tiberius

• As augustus' stepson and adopted son, Tiberius succeeded Octavian
• Octavian had other people in mind but since he was so old the other people died.
• forced into it
• Although a great general, he was a dark, somber, reclusive, and reluctant emporer.
• He referred to the Senate as "Men fit to be slaves"
• not a good thing to compare
• germinacus started out as Tiberius' ally, since he quelled a legion mutiny, but when it looked like he would suceed Tiberius, he god paranoid and had Germanicus killed
• died in ad 37 at the age of 77, giving way

Caligula - good start...

• in addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and a great nephew
• putting him next in line for emperor
• he started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a public record
• all in all the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" then...

...Bad finish for Caligula

• he began to fight with the senate
• he claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem
• wasn't as weird as you would think
• got weird when he asked for his statue to be going into other religious places of worship
• tried to make his horse a consul
• rode his horse across a river after someone made a remark

Next in line: Claudius

• ostracized by his family because of his disabilities, he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup - so Claudius had them killed