Pg. 168

Roman rule spread to the Jewish province of Judea, the home of Jesus. Jesus grew in popularity and this worried the Roman and Jewish leaders. Pilate arrested Jesus and sentenced him to crucifixion. Christianity began to spread throughout the Empire. Paul spread the religion to much of the Empire and encouraged conversions to the faith. He wrote Epistles to groups of believers. The Jews tried to rebel against Roman rule but they were put down twice. The Romans then began to persecute the Christians. Christianity had attracted over a half a million followers at that point. The Roman Emperor Constantine allowed Christianity in A.D 313. Peter became the first bishop of Rome who later became the Pope. Church leaders created the Nicene Creed to create a uniform statement of beliefs.