A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions Chapter 1

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A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions Chapter 1 The Advent of Christianity

A New Combined Text Book of History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions (D.N Kundra, Goyal Brothers Prakashan)

These Solutions are part of A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions. Here we have given. A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions Chapter 1 The Advent of Christianity

I. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each ;

Question 1.
Give a brief life sketch of Christ.
Answer:
Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity was born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem around 6 B.C. His mother’s name was Mary. He spent some years of his early life as a carpenter in Nazareth near Bethlehem. Later, he started preaching his gospel among the people in a way which common men could easily understand. He was considered as a Messiah by the Jews who were at that time being severely treated by the Roman Emperors. His teachings that all are brothers and sons of the same loving father were opposed by orthodox Jews. As a result, the Roman Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate sentenced him to death on the cross on Friday in A.D. 27 at the age of 33.

Question 2.
Explain any three teachings of Jesus Christ.
Answer:
The following are the three main teachings of Christ.

  1. God is the loving Father of all of us, so there is no ground of discriminating man from man. All men are brothers as they are the children of one God.
  2. God is so kind and caring that he forgives even the sinner if he repents.
  3. Worship of various gods is of no use as God is one.

Question 3.
Why were the Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperors ?
Answer:
There were several reasons why the Roman Emperors persecuted the Christians.

  1. The Christians were forced to worship the Roman Emperors as gods and when they refused they were severely persecuted.
  2. The Christians were against Roman festivals and sports such as chariot race.
  3. Christianity was considered as the danger, to Roman powers.
  4. The rich and higher classes considered Christianity as a religion of the lower classes.
  5. The were considered un loyal and unpatriotic. That is why rulers like Nero, Marcus Aurelius etc. persecuted the Christians.

Question 4.
Explain any three causes that led to the spread of Christianity.
Answer:
The reasons that led to the spread of Christianity were :

  1. The charming personality of Jesus Christ, simple and pure life, effective and impressive teaching had a great effect on the masses.
  2. Jesus Christ never condemned or criticised any other religion. So the people were convinced of its superiority.
  3. The greatness of this religion was that it taught to love the enemies, to pray for even those who persecuted. Its emphasis on love and goodness led to its popularity.

Question 5.
Name the three Christian monks who laid stress on goodness and purity of life.
Answer:
St. Francis, St. Benedict and St. Augustine laid stress on purity of life, the pursuit of goodness and service of the people.

II. Answer the following questions in 80-100 words each :

Question 1.
Trace the rise and spread of Christianity.
Answer:
The founder of the Christian religion was Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Mary. At the age of 30, he started preaching his gospel. The central idea of Christ’s teachings was that God is a loving, father of all human beings and all men are brothers. They are equal in the kingdom of God. The simple teachings of Jesus entered the people’s hearts and infused into them faith and courage. The Romans considered Christianity as a danger to the Roman power.

As a result Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death on Friday in A.D. 27, at the age of 33. Jesus was crucified in a cruel way, but he died smilingly. This had a great affect on his disciples. With the passage of time this religion became popular and its followers increased. In A.D. 811, Emperor Constantine recognised Christianity as a state religion. Under Theodosius 1 (379-395), Christianity became the only religion recognised by the state. Rome became the center of preaching of Christianity gradually, Christianity spread to all European Countries. Today, it has spread all over the world in Africa and Asia as well. Infact it is the largest religion in the world.

Question 2.
Briefly outline the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Answer:
Jesus preached his message in simple words, in the form of stories that the common man could understand. Some of his main teachings were :

  1. All men are brothers as we are the children of the same God.
  2. God is one, so worship of various gods of is no use.
  3. God is so kind that he forgives even the sinner if he repents.
  4. God will love us if we are kind to our fellowmen.
  5. Hate the sin and not the sinner.
  6. Refrain from worldly evils like greed, avarice and vanity.
  7. Jesus called himself the ‘Son of God’ who had been sent by God to guide man to attain salvation.
  8. Kingdom of God could be built by man, purified by the love of God.

Question 3.
Account for the spread of Christianity.
Answer:
There were many causes responsible for the popularity of Christianity.

  1. The charming personality of Jesus, his simple, effective and convincing preaching affected the masses.
  2. ‘Jesus’ love and sympathy for the poor made him popular amongest the down trodden who had no hope in the world.
  3. Jesus never condemned any religion, so people found this region superior.
  4. The greatness of this religion was that it taught hatred towards none. This accounted for its popularity.
  5. Many followers of Jesus suffered great hardships. They still carried on their missionary work with great enthusiasm.
  6. Sacrifice of Jesus went a long way in encouraging his disciples.
  7. The co-operation of the later Roman Emperors like Constantine made many people of upper classes embrace it.
  8. Churches also helped in the spread of Christianity.
  9. When there was peace and order in Rome, it became easy for the missionaries to propagate Christianity.
  10. As Greek language was known by both preachers and people of the Roman Empire, it contributed a lot towards the spread of Christianity.
  11. The miracles performed by Jesus convinced the people that he was ‘Messiah’ who would establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Question 4.
Explain the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Answer:
In the beginning, some of the Roman Emperors forced the people to worship them as gods in the temples. Those who refused were severely persecuted. But Constantine issued ‘The Edict of Milan’ and recognised Christianity as the state religion. He granted freedom of worship to Christians. Later on, under Theodosius it became the only religion recognised by the state. Rome became the center of preaching of Christianity. Seeing the cooperation of the Roman Emperors, the people of the upper classes also embraced it and Rome became the center of its activity.

Question 5.
How did the monasteries serve the people ?
Answer:
The monasteries did a useful work for the society.

  1. The monks and priests who resided in the monasteries taught grammar, logic, arithmetic, theology etc. to the people. They became a seat of learning in the medieval period.
  2. Many hand-copied books of ancient classics were prepared here. This helped a lot in promoting knowledge and spreading learning
    among the people.
  3. They also served the sick and poor members of the society.
  4. The simple and pious life of the monks and nuns led to the upliftment of the moral life of the people.
    Thus, for a long time the monasteries served the people well.

III. Fill in the blanks :

  1. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.
  2. Jesus started preaching at the age of thirty.
  3. Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ.
  4. Constantine issued the “Edict of Toleration”.
  5. St. Paul was killed by the orders of Roman Emperor Nero.

IV. Tick (✓) the correct statements :

  1. Jesus Christ was crucified.( ✓)
  2. “Edict of Milan” was issued by the Roman Emperor Constantine.( ✓)
  3. Christ was crucified on a Sunday in A.D. 27.( ✗)
  4. The Roman Emperors from the very beginning were in favour of Chirst.( ✗)
  5. The ‘Koran’ is the sacred book of the Christians.( ✗)

A. Additional Questions :

Question 1.
What is ‘Good Friday’ and ‘Resurrection’ ?
Answer:
Jesus Christ was sentenced to death on Friday in A.D. 27. This day is celebrated as ‘Good Friday’ even up to this day by Christians all over the world. They also believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. This event is known as ‘Resurrection’ and Easter is celebrated on Sunday, immediately after the Good Friday, every year in the memory of this event.

Question 2.
Write a short note on ‘The Bible’.
Answer:
The holy book of Christianity is ‘The Bible’ which means ‘The Book’. The Bible has two parts : The Old Testament which contains the history of the Jews, and the New Testament which contains the biography and the teachings of Christ as narrated by his disciples. It was originally written in Hebrew, the language of the Jews and later translated into Greek.

Question 3.
What do Christians mean by ‘Trinity’ ?
Answer:
Christians have deep faith in Trinity or three principles which are God-the Father ; God – the son (Jesus Christ) who sacrificed his life to save mankind from sin ; and God-the holy spirit who guides thoughts and actions of the people.

B. Match the following :
A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions Chapter 1.1
Answer:
A New Combined History & Civics for Class 7 ICSE Solutions Chapter 1.2
C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
When was Jesus born ? What happened after he was baptized?
Answer:
Jesus was born around 6-4 BCE, in a small village of Bethlehem in Judea. After baptism a divine revelation convinced Jesus that the time had come for him to fulfill his mission of freemen from the bondage of evil and guiding them on the path that would lead to the victory of good over evil.

Question 2.
Mention the two fundamental principles of Christianity.
Answer:
The two fundamental principles of Christianity are :

  1. Unconditional love for God.
  2. True love for one’s neighbour.

Question 3.
What advice did Jesus give to his followers ?
Answer:
Jesus advised his followers to mould themselves in the image of God. He told to love our neighbours, including the poor, the sinners and even our enemies. To help the needy and do good even to those who harm us. To forgive our enemies and win them over with our love.

Question 4.
Why were the Jewish religious leaders angry with Jesus?
Answer:
Due to Jesus intelligence, wisdom, compassion and simplicity large crowds were attracted towards him. This greatly enraged the Jewish religious leaders who felt threatened by his growing popularity.

Question 5.
The enemies of Jesus had crucified him but Jesus would live on. Explain.
Answer:
This statement is true that enemies of Jesus had crucified him but Jesus would live in the hearts and minds of his followers throughout the world. His teachings will be followed by the people they will walk on the path shown by him.

Question 6.
Give a brief account of the spread of Christianity by its followers.
Answer:
The spread of Christianity in Palestine was actively done by Peter the follower of Jesus. Another follower Paul travelled extensively throughout the Roman Empire and spread Christianity which later on in future turned into a world religion.

Question 7.
Examine the role of Constantine in the establishment of Christianity in Europe.
Answer:
Constantine the Roman Emperor, defeated all his rivals who came in way of spreading Christianity and declared himself as the undisputed emperor. He made Christianity a legal religion and in this way persecution of Christians came to an end. Later on Christianity become the official religion of the Roman empire.

D. State whether the following arc true or false.

  1. Jesus had the power to heal the sick.
    True
  2. Jesus taught that we should harm only those who harm us.
    False
  3. In the 2nd century CE Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire.
    False
  4. The Pope became the spiritual head of Christians all over the world.
    True

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