Year 4 - History
Christianity in Western Europe
The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
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.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe some features of the Western Christian Church.
Key Notes
- The early Christian Church that Constantine allowed was organised into Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons.
- Various councils were held over the years to agree on core beliefs like the three forms of God.
- After the establishment of Constantinople, Christianity in the Western Roman Empire developed in its own way.
- The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, was believed to have supremacy over the Christian Church as a whole.
- In Western Europe various monastic orders developed where the members devoted their life to God.
Vocabulary To Learn
- council: a council is a group of people that meet to give advice or make decisions
- Constantinople: Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire
- supremacy: to have supremacy is to have ultimate power and authority
- monk: a monk is a man who devotes his life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life
- nun: a nun is a woman who devotes her life to a religion and gives up regular, worldly life
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The early Christian councils selected the books of the New Testament.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
The early Christian Church that Constantine allowed was organised into Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons. Various councils were held over the years to agree on core beliefs like the three forms of God.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'council'
a council is a group of people that meet to give advice or make decisions.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: The early Christian councils selected the books of the New Testament. Correction: Though various local regional councils published lists of Old and New Testament books, there is no evidence of councils meeting to vote on the New Testament canon.
More Lessons In This Unit
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