History: Case Studies 1 2 3

History: Case Studies 1 2 3

1. Case study1 : the Druids

   • -priests in Gaul & Britain -claimed that they were the only ones who knew the secrets of gods -highly respected -often asked for advice -had made calendars -the Romans chased them to their stronghold on the island of Anglesey, off the Welsh coast & killed all of them
     • written by Tacitus: the Druids covered their altars with the blood & ripped-out guts of men for sacrifices after conquering Anglesey in AD61, Suetonius' men hacked down the religious woods, dedicated to devil worship & foul ceremonies
     • -Anglesey was a popular hiding place for rebellious Britons -When the Britons fought, the Druids stood in their ranks, their heads uplifted, calling to the gods for help.
   • wiped out

2. Cas study 2: the Jews

   • -the home of this religion is Judaea -Judaea was not a Roman province -Rome appointed a governor to run Judaea -as long as it was peaceful the Roman saw no need to officially make it into a province -until 4BC it was ruled by a strong king Herod the Great. He was a keen supporter of Rome & a friend of Augustus -At this time the Jews were treated well: the Jews were excused service in the army, the Romans turned a blind eye to features that they disagreed with, Augustus who wasn't a Jew paid for daily sacrifices in the Jew's temple in Jerusalem
     • Early in the 1st century AD most Jewish leaders were pro-Roman. When their king started breaking rules they'll appeal directly to Rome & the king was removed
     • Herod had been a strong king, but his successors were not. Some Roman officials sent to help made them worse. Ex: Pontius Pilate broke the religious rules of the Jews & stir up disagreement between opposing groups of the Jews. By AD60 there were some groups supporting Rome but some like poorer priests & the Zealots were the opposite In AD66 the Zealots revolted. They drove the Romans out of Jerusalem & took control of the Temple
       • An army of 50,000 soldiers were sent to Judaea. Up to 1 million Jews were killed. Thousands were transported to Amphitheatres to their deaths. The Zealots were burned alive & Titus, one of the generals, sacrificed a pig in the Temple, which is a terrible insult The revolt was crushed but that was not the end of Zealots. In AD73 1 group took over the mountain fortress of Masada
   • survived as a persecuted minority

3. Case study 3 : the Christians

   • -followers of Jesus Christ -in around AD30,a new prophet, Jesus appeared -the Jews didn't like this & handed him to Pontius Pilate, the governor, to be crucified -Pilate saw no reason to crucify Jesus. However, he bowed to pressure -Paul, who was a Roman citizen made 3 journeys to cities in Asia, Macedonia & Achaea to teach about Christianity. He was arrested & taken to Rome & was probably executed in AD66
   • the persecution of Christians continued for many years. They suffered extreme punishment.
     • For safety, Christians started to meet in underground caves. This made the government thought that they were plotting against them.
     • Despite this persecution, Christianity continue to grow & 250 years after St Paul's journey Christianity was the most popular religion
   • Christianity grew, until in 337 the Emperor Constantine became a Christian & Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. By AD400 Christianity were spreading into provinces & even to Rome itself