1
00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:20,317
Laurie burst into Grandpa's study, blowing on a paper noisemaker.
2
00:00:20,318 --> 00:00:24,910
"Grandpa, will you come downstairs to watch the countdown with us?"
3
00:00:24,911 --> 00:00:30,519
It was New Year's Eve, and Grandpa had been in his study since after dinner.
4
00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:35,658
"Of course! Is it that time already?" Grandpa said.
5
00:00:35,659 --> 00:00:45,367
"Yep. It's almost 2011!" Laurie looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. "You need a new calendar!"
6
00:00:45,368 --> 00:00:57,804
"I always find it amazing that humans have been on Earth for well over ten thousand years, but our calendar only says 2011!" Grandpa said.
7
00:00:57,805 --> 00:01:01,893
"What year is it really?" Laurie asked, confused.
8
00:01:01,894 --> 00:01:05,573
"It depends on when you start your calendar.
9
00:01:05,574 --> 00:01:12,802
Most of the world uses a calendar that begins with the birth of Jesus Christ.
10
00:01:12,803 --> 00:01:20,043
Every year before that is marked with 'BC,' which stands for before Christ.
11
00:01:20,044 --> 00:01:29,975
Every year after that is marked by 'AD,' which stands for the Latin words anno Domini, meaning in the year of the Lord.
12
00:01:29,976 --> 00:01:36,687
Before Jesus, most calendars were based on the cycles of the moon or the sun, or both.
13
00:01:36,688 --> 00:01:43,486
It was also common to count years based on the start of a leader's or dynasty's rule.
14
00:01:43,487 --> 00:01:53,769
But Jesus changed the world. In the sixth century, a monk created a calendar that began with the birth of Jesus."
15
00:01:53,770 --> 00:01:59,920
"So the birth of one man changed the way humans record time?" Laurie asked.
16
00:01:59,921 --> 00:02:10,012
"Yes. And not only that. His life and death also gave rise to the largest religion in the world—Christianity."
17
00:02:10,013 --> 00:02:15,061
"I only know a little about Jesus from the stories around Christmas time."
18
00:02:15,062 --> 00:02:20,802
Laurie glanced at the clock. It was 11:46 p.m.
19
00:02:20,803 --> 00:02:24,068
"What was so special about his life?"
20
00:02:24,069 --> 00:02:30,492
"I'll tell you as much as I can—but quickly, because I know Mom and Dad are waiting for us.
21
00:02:30,493 --> 00:02:36,731
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a Jewish city that was part of the Roman Empire.
22
00:02:36,732 --> 00:02:44,834
He was the son of a carpenter named Joseph and a woman named Mary, who raised him in the Jewish tradition.
23
00:02:44,835 --> 00:02:50,632
Many people believed he was the leader who would free the Jews from Roman rule.
24
00:02:50,633 --> 00:02:54,574
Others thought he was the son of God.
25
00:02:54,575 --> 00:03:00,024
Anyway, Jesus studied Judaism carefully and became a preacher.
26
00:03:00,025 --> 00:03:04,660
He preached about love, heaven, and the forgiveness of sins.
27
00:03:04,661 --> 00:03:09,865
He wanted to tell people everywhere that God loved them.
28
00:03:09,866 --> 00:03:19,662
Now, although Jesus worshipped the same god as the Jews, his teachings strayed from traditional Jewish beliefs.
29
00:03:19,663 --> 00:03:24,552
So some Jews accepted him, but many others did not.
30
00:03:24,553 --> 00:03:33,285
And the Romans didn't bother him, because they generally allowed their subjects to follow different religions as long as no one harmed the state.
31
00:03:33,286 --> 00:03:41,446
As Jesus gained more and more followers, however, many Jews and Romans began to worry about his power.
32
00:03:41,447 --> 00:03:49,317
When Jesus was just 33 years old, a Roman official ordered him to be killed.
33
00:03:49,318 --> 00:03:57,973
But even after his death, Jesus' followers kept believing in what he had said, and Christianity arose.
34
00:03:57,974 --> 00:04:05,337
At first this religion was practiced by only a small number of people, and not many others understood it.
35
00:04:05,338 --> 00:04:15,901
But as Jesus' followers journeyed to tell others about their new faith, Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean world.
36
00:04:15,902 --> 00:04:20,914
These early Christians weren't treated very well in the Roman Empire.
37
00:04:20,915 --> 00:04:30,313
Roman emperors often held ceremonies related to Roman gods and goddesses. They wanted all their people to participate.
38
00:04:30,314 --> 00:04:36,923
But Christians believed in a single god and wouldn't take part in anything related to Roman gods.
39
00:04:36,924 --> 00:04:45,085
So some Roman leaders saw Christians as a threat because they obeyed their faith rather than the Roman emperor.
40
00:04:45,086 --> 00:04:55,413
These Romans persecuted Christians. But Christianity continued to gain popularity because it gave people hope.
41
00:04:55,414 --> 00:05:01,924
Christians spoke of life after death, when people would live in the kingdom of God.
42
00:05:01,925 --> 00:05:06,151
They also said that all people were equal before God.
43
00:05:06,152 --> 00:05:11,741
This included everyone—from emperors to commoners."
44
00:05:11,742 --> 00:05:18,622
"So I guess common people liked the religion, but the emperors didn't?" Laurie asked.
45
00:05:18,623 --> 00:05:31,450
"Right. Not at first anyway. But in 312 AD, the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, and persecution of the Christians ended.
46
00:05:31,451 --> 00:05:41,715
In 380 Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the empire's official religion, creating the world's first Christian empire.
47
00:05:41,716 --> 00:05:47,797
Gradually Christians began settling in large communities and building churches.
48
00:05:47,798 --> 00:05:52,653
Bishops, who were the heads of churches, became more powerful.
49
00:05:52,654 --> 00:05:59,527
In big cities, such as Rome, their authority extended from religion into politics.
50
00:05:59,528 --> 00:06:06,877
Once Christianity gained the approval of Roman emperors, it grew and grew within the empire.
51
00:06:06,878 --> 00:06:17,456
Churches were built using state money. Courts run by churches appeared, and they soon held more power than the Roman government over religious issues.
52
00:06:17,457 --> 00:06:23,059
The bishops of Rome, known as popes, became especially influential.
53
00:06:23,060 --> 00:06:26,880
They claimed authority over all other churches.
54
00:06:26,881 --> 00:06:34,418
At the same time, the Roman Empire was being attacked by nomadic troops from Europe and Asia.
55
00:06:34,419 --> 00:06:43,192
As the state grew weaker and Christianity grew stronger, people found more security with the church than they did with the state.
56
00:06:43,193 --> 00:06:48,023
Soon Christianity spread beyond the Roman Empire.
57
00:06:48,024 --> 00:06:57,442
Part of Jesus' message was that God was universal, so Christians believed they should spread Jesus' teachings throughout the world.
58
00:06:57,443 --> 00:07:04,931
Roman roads and access to the Mediterranean Sea made it easy for Christians to go on missions.
59
00:07:04,932 --> 00:07:10,269
Christians moved north throughout Europe and converted the people there.
60
00:07:10,270 --> 00:07:19,896
By the time the Roman Empire reached its last days around 500 AD, Christianity had become the dominant religion in Europe.
61
00:07:19,897 --> 00:07:30,076
And that brings us to the eve of the Middle Ages, Laurie, when the Christian church and the pope became the supreme authority on nearly everything."
62
00:07:30,077 --> 00:07:43,527
"The eve of the Middle Ages? Grandpa, it's the eve of 2011 and here we are sitting and talking about stuff that happened over 1,500 years ago!
63
00:07:43,528 --> 00:07:50,704
Let's go downstairs and celebrate what's happening now!" Laurie grabbed Grandpa's hand.
64
00:07:50,705 --> 00:07:59,652
"Okay. You have a point," Grandpa said, standing up. "I should stop rambling."
65
00:07:59,653 --> 00:08:08,527
"Happy 2011, anno Domini!" Laurie cried as they walked out of the study together.