How did Judaism and Christianity originate, what do they teach, and how did Christianity spread through and beyond the Roman Empire?
Apply social science skills to understand the origins, beliefs, and spread of Judaism and Christianity: Judaism as an early monotheistic faith with the Torah and the covenant, and Christianity arising in Roman Judea from the teachings of Jesus, spread by the apostles and Paul, and eventually made the official religion of the Roman Empire (WHI.6).
A standards-level answer on Judaism and Christianity for the Virginia World History SOL: the origins, beliefs, and spread of two monotheistic faiths, the Torah and the covenant in Judaism, the teachings of Jesus, and the spread of Christianity through the Roman Empire, with worked exam questions.
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What this topic is asking
The 2015 standards ask you to understand the origins, beliefs, traditions, and spread of the major world religions. This page covers the two monotheistic faiths that arose in the Middle East and shaped Western and world history: Judaism and Christianity. Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions; Christianity grew out of it in Roman Judea and spread across the Roman Empire to become a world religion. The standard wants you to know where each began, what each teaches, and how it spread, and to be able to compare them.
Judaism
Judaism's significance for world history is large out of proportion to the small population that practiced it. As one of the first faiths to teach belief in a single God and a moral law given by that God, it shaped the two later monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam, both of which trace part of their heritage to it. Key figures in the tradition include Abraham, regarded as a founding patriarch, and Moses, associated with the law and the Exodus.
Christianity
Christianity began as a small movement within the Jewish world and grew into a world religion. Its ethical teachings, that all people are equal before God and that the poor and humble matter, gave it wide appeal across the Roman Empire's classes.
How Christianity spread
Comparing Judaism and Christianity
The SOL often asks you to compare the major religions. Judaism and Christianity share a great deal: both are monotheistic, both arose in the Middle East, both teach a moral law and value justice and mercy, and both have sacred texts (the Torah; the Bible). The key difference the standard highlights is that Christianity centers on Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah, a belief Judaism does not share, and Christianity actively spread by missionary work across the empire, becoming a world religion with a global following.
Try this
Q1. Name the sacred text and holy city of Judaism. [Recall]
- Cue. The Torah; Jerusalem.
Q2. Explain two reasons Christianity spread across the Roman Empire. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Missionaries such as Paul and the apostles preached widely; Roman roads and the Pax Romana eased travel; and after persecution, Constantine legalized it and it became the official religion.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA SOL WHI (MC)1 marksJudaism and Christianity are alike in that both (A) are polytheistic; (B) are monotheistic, worshipping one God; (C) reject all sacred texts; (D) began in China.Show worked answer →
The correct answer is (B). Both Judaism and Christianity are monotheistic, meaning they worship one God. Judaism was one of the first monotheistic religions, and Christianity grew out of the Jewish tradition, also teaching belief in one God.
Why the others are wrong: (A) polytheism (many gods) describes Greek and Roman religion, not these faiths; (C) both have sacred texts (the Torah and the Bible); (D) both began in the Middle East, not China. Markers reward identifying shared monotheism as the key similarity.
VA SOL WHI (MC)1 marksHow did Christianity spread widely in its first centuries? (A) it was confined to one city; (B) the apostles and missionaries such as Paul carried it across the Roman Empire, and it was later made the official religion; (C) it spread only by military conquest; (D) it was never allowed in the Roman Empire.Show worked answer →
The correct answer is (B). Christianity began in Roman Judea and spread as the apostles and missionaries, especially Paul, traveled the empire preaching. Roman roads and the Pax Romana aided travel. After early persecution, the emperor Constantine legalized it, and it later became the official religion of the empire.
Why the others are wrong: (A) it spread far beyond one city; (C) it spread by missionary preaching, not conquest; (D) it was eventually embraced, not banned forever. Markers reward the role of missionaries and the empire's later adoption.
Related dot points
- Apply social science skills to understand the origins, beliefs, and spread of Hinduism and Buddhism: Hinduism as an Indian faith with reincarnation, karma, and the caste system, and Buddhism founded by Siddhartha Gautama with the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, spreading along trade routes across Asia (WHI.4 and WHI.6).
A standards-level answer on Hinduism and Buddhism for the Virginia World History SOL: their origins in India, the beliefs of reincarnation, karma, and caste in Hinduism, the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path of Buddhism, and the spread of Buddhism across Asia, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the origins, beliefs, and influence of Confucianism and other Chinese philosophies: Confucius and his teachings on social order, the five relationships, and respect for elders, alongside Daoism and Legalism, and their influence on Chinese government and the civil service (WHI.4 and WHI.12).
A standards-level answer on Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism for the Virginia World History SOL: the teachings of Confucius on social order and the five relationships, the ideas of Daoism and Legalism, and how these philosophies shaped Chinese government and the civil service, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the origin, beliefs, and spread of Islam: Muhammad and the rise of Islam in Mecca and Medina, the Five Pillars and the Qur'an, the expansion of Islam through the caliphates across the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain, and the Sunni-Shia split (WHI.8).
A standards-level answer on the origins and spread of Islam for the Virginia World History SOL: Muhammad and the rise of Islam, the Five Pillars and the Qur'an, the rapid expansion through the caliphates across three continents, and the Sunni-Shia split, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand the Byzantine Empire: the founding of Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the achievements of Justinian including Justinian's Code and Hagia Sophia, the spread of Orthodox Christianity and the Great Schism, and the empire's influence on Russia and Eastern Europe (WHI.7).
A standards-level answer on the Byzantine Empire for the Virginia World History SOL: Constantinople and the Eastern Roman Empire, Justinian's Code and Hagia Sophia, the spread of Orthodox Christianity and the Great Schism, and the influence on Russia and Eastern Europe, with worked exam questions.
- Apply social science skills to understand ancient Rome and its impact on Western civilization: the influence of geography, the structure of the Roman Republic (consuls, Senate, patricians, plebeians, the Twelve Tables), expansion through the Punic Wars, the transition from republic to empire under Augustus, the Pax Romana, and Roman contributions in law, engineering, and language (WHI.6).
A standards-level answer on ancient Rome for the Virginia World History SOL: geography, the Roman Republic and its institutions, the Punic Wars, the shift to empire under Augustus, the Pax Romana, and Roman contributions in law, engineering, and language, with worked exam questions.