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Notes:

1. The life of the Hebrew prophet Jesus ended in the agony of the crucifixion by a Roman governor, but his teachings were written down in the Greek language and became the sacred texts of the Christian church.
2. The teachings of Jesus were revolutionary in terms of Greek and Roman feeling, as well as the Hebrew religious tradition.
3. Until Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, declaring tolerance for all religions, in 313, the Christian church was often persecuted by imperial authorities, particularly under the rule of emperors Nero, Marcus Aurelius, and Diocletian.
4. The four Gospels were collected with other documents to form the New Testament, which Pope Damasus had translated from Greek to Latin by the scholar Jerome in 393–405.
5. In his Confessions, Augustine sets down the story of his early life for the benefit of others, combining the intellectual tradition of the ancient world and the religious feeling that would come to be characteristic of the Middle Ages.

Text:
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1. In the last years of emperor Augustus's life Jesus was born in the Roman province of Judea to Joseph of Nazareth and his wife Mary. As with all prophets, Jesus was rejected by his contemporaries. The life of the Hebrew prophet Jesus ended in the agony of the crucifixion by a Roman governor, but his teachings were written down in the Greek language and became the sacred texts of the Christian church. Jesus' death on the Cross and resurrection provided his followers and their converts with an unforgettable symbol of a new religious dispensation: the suffering of the son of God in human form to atone for the sins of humanity.
2. The teachings of Jesus were revolutionary in terms of Greek and Roman feeling, as well as the Hebrew religious tradition. Unlike Greek and Roman religions, which were outward and visible, Christianity was inward and spiritual, emphasizing the important relationship between the individual and God. The Hebrew conception of God was broadened from one who was personal, non-anthropomorphic, omnipotent, omniscient, and infinitely just to one who was also infinitely merciful in his justice.
3. After the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus, military commanders fought for control of the empire with more than one short-lived emperor after another being killed. In addition to internal turmoil, the stability of the Roman empire was threatened externally by new enemies: the Persians to the east, and the Goths to the north. Until Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, declaring tolerance for all religions, in 313, the Christian church was often persecuted by imperial authorities, particularly under the rule of emperors Nero, Marcus Aurelius, and Diocletian. Constantine declared himself a Christian, enlisted the support of the Christian church in the reorganization of the empire, and established Constantinople (formerly the Greek city of Byzantium) as the new capital of the Roman empire. By 391, the eastern and western halves of the empire functioned as separate states. Each had its own distinct cultural, linguistic, and religious entities. The Christian church survived the fall of both the Western and Eastern empires. Rome was sacked by Alaric, the head of the Visigoth army, in 410, and invaded by the Vandals in 455; its last emperor was deposed in 476 by Odoacer, the king of Heruli. Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
4. At the time of Jesus' birth, four languages were spoken in Judea: classical Hebrew by priests and other educated people, Aramaic by the general population, and Greek and Latin by Jews who had entered the administrative or commercial milieux under the Hellenistic and Roman empires. The four Gospels were written in Greek about forty to sixty years after the death of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain a central core of material that is believed to have come from a now-lost source, known today as the Q document. Each of these Gospels addresses a different audience: Matthew wrote for a Jewish public, Mark for a Gentile audience, and Luke for cultured Greek readers. The Gospel of John draws upon different sources. The four Gospels were collected with other documents to form the New Testament, which pope Damasus had translated from Greek to Latin by the scholar Jerome in 393–405. This translation soon became known as the Vulgate, the "common" or "popular" version.
5. Born in Tagaste, North Africa, Aurelius Augustine did not convert to Christianity until midway through his life. He went on to become the bishop of Hippo, North Africa, and one of the men responsible for the consolidation of the Christian church in the west. In his Confessions, Augustine sets down the story of his early life for the benefit of others, combining the intellectual tradition of the ancient world and the religious feeling that would come to be characteristic of the Middle Ages. In them, he talks with humility directly to God, aware that God is concerned for him personally, and comes to an understanding of his own feelings and development as a human being.