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**Current Assignment:**
__**Christianity Hero Cycle Assignment**__

The Christian Church transformed from a congregation of a few dozen followers of the Jewish preacher Jesus of Nazareth into the world's largest religion. After the death of Jesus around 36AD, the Apostles who had followed the Messiah during his lifetime scattered throughout Judea, fearing the wrath of the Roman authorities in the region. However, within months of his death, they would reconvene and devise a plan to spread their leader's message. Slowly, but steadily, the Christian faith spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Under Roman Emperors Nero and Decius Christians faced severe persecution, but by the fourth century Christians gained tolerance within the empire after Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. With tolerance, Christianity spread to the Italian and Pelopponesian peninsulas. During this period, bishops of Rome gradually increased their influence over Church matters until gaining official recognition as the supreme leaders of the Catholic Church. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, the Catholic Church became the dominant spiritual and political institution in western Europe.
 * Historical Context:**

Each group will compose a collaborative analytical essay that applies Joseph Cambell's hero cycle to the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Each group has been assigned a page within this wiki on which they will compose, edit, and revise their analytical essays. You can access your group's page by clicking the 'projects' tab in the column on the right-hand side of this page. All students will create a 'Delicious' account. Delicious is a social bookmarking site that allows you to store, organize, and share valuable websites. Each group will create one collaborative delicious stack in which they will post links to credible websites about the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Each stack should include __eight__ websites (__six__ for groups of three). In the description for each link, write a rationale explaining why the website is credible. Use the ABC's of websites (see form below) in your rationale.
 * Assignment:**
 * Evaluating Websites:**

Each person will complete the form below and submit it as part of this assignment. You will evaluate __six__ different sites on the form. After completing the form, choose the best __two__ sites and post them to your group's delicious stack. 1. **Connections to the hero cycle**: The essay clearly and specifically connects different stages of the life of Jesus of Nazareth to the hero cycle. These connections reflect strong analysis and include specific and clearly articulated details about the life of Jesus. 2. **Theme Development**: The introduction establishes a clear theme (beyond that which might be considered cliche). The theme, although it doesn't need to be overtly stated, should be present throughout the essay. 3. **Embedding Quotations**: This skill was taught to you when we were preparing for the 'paradox of modernity' essay. Review the embedding quotes sheet for examples. 4. **Topic Sentences**: As always, each paragraph must include a topic sentence (s) that clearly and specifically articulates the intended purpose of the paragraph. 5. **Thesis Statement**
 * Scoring Criteria for Essay:** These collaborative essays will be scored according to the criteria established for the Hero Cycle essay. See below for some details: