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Pilate was Prefect from 26-36. He is likely responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus and other political prisoners. The inscription at Caeserea Maratime is one of the only records of his reign.
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According to tradition Thomas travels to India where he spreads the Xian tradition. The Mar Toma/ Syrian Orthodox Church in India traces itself to the 2nd century CE.
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According to Christian tradition Peter, one of Jesus' inner circle of disciples, is crucified by Nero in Rome.
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The Emperor Nero likely had something to do with this fire, which conveniently allowed him to move forward with a building project, but he blames Xians. According to later accounts he crucifies and burns them.
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The Jerusalem Temple is destroyed by the Romans.
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The early Christian writer Eusebius dates this event to 108, but scholars think it was much later, perhaps 135.
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This Christian religious movement, which is eventually deemed a heresy, includes two women prophets, Priscilla and Maximilla. Montanists apparently believe that Christ was returning in their lifetimes.
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This textual fragment is the earliest known list of books to be considered "canonical." It differs from later Xian canons, including texts like Apocalypse of Peter and Wisdom of Solomon and excluding Hebrews, James, and others.
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His appointment as bishop was controversial and shortly thereafter Christians began to experience persecution under Decius.
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Roman Emperor Decius (249-251) issues an edict requiring citizens demonstrate their loyalty to the Empire by sacrificing to the gods. Upon doing so, citizens would be issued a libellus (pictured, from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt) .
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Under the Emperor Diocletian Xians are required to participate in Roman religious sacrifices or face punishment.
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Constantine reigns until 327.
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An edict under Constantine allowing Christians the right to worship.
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Called by Constantine, this council deliberated on the relationship between God and Jesus.
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Melania is a wealthy woman from Spain who moves to the desert near Alexandria, Egypt to live a monastic life. This is her death date,
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Jerome is a priest and author who translates scripture into Latin, which is called the Vulgate.
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Confronts the views of Nestorius. Mary is proclaimed "Theotokos" or "God-bearer," and not just "Christ-bearer." This is an affirmation of Christ's divinity.
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Benedict of Nursia (now Norcia, Italy) writes a "rule" outlining behavior within a Christian religious community.
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Among other things, this council forbade married women from being deacons.
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Located on an island off the coast of what is now Scotland, this is one of the earliest Christian religious communities.
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An ongoing debate over the proper use of icons emerges.
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Beginning of the separation between Byzantine (Greek-speaking) and Roman (Latin-speaking) traditions in Christianity. This break occurs over political and theological disagreements, including the authority of the Bishop of Rome (aka the Pope) over Christian churches overall.
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This event was brutal, as the lives of many Muslims, Jews, and Christians living in the city were lost.
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Among the rulings at this council was the banning of married priests.
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Hildegard, who lived in what is now Germany, was an extremely influential and prolific Benedictine nun and visionary. Not only did she author numerous religious/ devotional texts and letters, she was an herbalist, scientist, artist, and composer. -
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Columbus' travels were motivated by his hope in retaking Jerusalem for Christians and bringing about Jesus' Second Coming.
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This is done on the condition that efforts are made to convert indigenous populations to Christianity. -
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Anabaptists believed that baptism must be chosen freely, thereby rejecting infant baptism. This movement is often associated with the Protestant Reformation, even though it is unique and leads to movements such as the Mennonites.
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The Luther Bible is translated by Martin Luther from Hebrew and Greek into German and becomes widespread thanks to the invention of the printing press. -
The Jesuits are typically associated with education and evangelism. They were especially involved in the missionizing of the Americas, although they sometimes came into conflict with political leaders because they were accountable only to the Pope.
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Founded by a former Anglican (English) priest, John Smyth, the Baptists accepted "believers' baptism." -
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The Puritans hoped to "purify" the Church of England by embracing a more radical form of Protestantism, emphasizing the singular importance of the Bible. The were various types of Puritans and the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth were a kind of separatist movement who thought the Church of England could not be reformed.
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First published in 1632, the Jesuit Relations are yearly reports written by French Catholic missionaries who ministered to the Native American population in what is today the Northeast United States. The Relations detail efforts to Christianize the Native population, who are believed to be "pagan savages." The reports, printed until 1673, offer a rare portrait of Native culture and daily life. (https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/timeline/)
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By the early 1600s, Franciscan friars report that hundreds of Pueblos are converting to Catholicism, but they notice that many of the "converted" Pueblos continue to practice their own religion. They ban Native ceremonies, burn religious icons, destroy sacred places and demand the colony's soldiers enforce the one true faith..Tensions mount and on Aug. 10, 1680, 2,000 Pueblos rise up in what becomes known as the Pueblo Revolt. Hundreds from both sides die in the fighting...
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Anglican missionaries begin to actively promote the Gospel to slaves. Over time, enslaved Africans meld African worship with Christianity, creating new religious forms that eventually give rise to the black church. (https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/timeline/) -
A religious revival movement, especially among Protestants, focused on piety, conversion, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The movement leads to the emergence of denominations like the Methodists.
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This movement was begun by brothers John and Charles Wesley. -
Ann Lee was an early leader of the Shaker Movement. Her followers believed her to be an incarnation of Christ. The Shakers practiced celibacy and radical egalitarianism. -
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The Presbyterian Church pronounces slavery "inconsistent with the Gospel."
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Thomas Jefferson creates his own version of the Bible by cutting out verses and texts that are more supernatural in nature. -
Methodist minister Richard Allen, -- himself a former slave -- founds St. Bethel's African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, which formally severs ties to white Methodist congregations in 1816. During the early 19th century, the AME Church becomes one of the largest black churches in the United States, finding adherents among free blacks living in major cities across the Northeast. (https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/timeline/) -
Born in New Jersey, Lee begins preaching in 1816 and eventually is authorized by the AME Church and Rev. Allen. She is also active in the abolitionist movement. -
Founded by Joseph Smith based upon revelations he received that were aimed at restoring the primitive Church in anticipation of the Second Coming. -
Angelina Grimké publishes a tract laying out biblical reasoning to support the need for Christian women, especially in the South, to join the abolitionist cause. Grimké and other reformers aim their appeals at mothers -- slave mothers, poor mothers or mothers of alcohol abusers -- who are seen as responsible for maintaining the nation's moral foundations. (https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/timeline/) -
Rebecca Cox Jackson was a spiritual leader raised in the AME Church but who later became part of the Shaker movement, along with her companion/ partner (also named Rebecca). The two led a multi-racial group of Shaker women and Jackson experienced visions of the two being crowned as king and queen by Christ. While some feminist writers have identified them as a lesbian couple, Alice Walker associates the "Two Rebeccas" with Womanism. After Jackson's death, her partner took her name. -
Zitkala-Sa was a Dakota Sioux who attended first a Quaker Missionary school and then Earlham College. She was a violinist, teacher, and author. In 1926, she founded the National Council of American Indians.
