Religious Freedom in Rome

Roman Rule of Israel begins

63 BCE

The Romans were introduced to Christianity because of this which lead to a rise in early Christianity. Christianity is said to be originated in Israel among Jewish people because Jesus is said to be Jewish. The first church is said to be set in Isreal, but when the Romans came to conquer Isareal the Jewish-Roman fight began. Israel was destroyed but Christianity survived. When the Romans conquered Israel the Jews and Christians were taken as slaves in the Roman Empire.

Jesus of Nazareth

5 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth was really important for Christians because he was the son of the God who was crucified by the Roman Empire. He gave the Christians hope and kept them going. He grew up in a Roman city, Judea and was the first Jewish preacher and religious leader. He told people there was land greater than the Roman empire. People were angered when he told them that he was the son of the God. He died when due to his arrest and died on the cross.

Paul of Tarsus

33

Paul was originally known as Saul who was born in Tarsus(Turkey). He was a faithful Jew and believed in the Messiah. He learned about Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah. Saul began to persecute Jesus' followers and told them to give up this new faith but, the religion kept growing as Christianity. One day, Jesus' voice called out to him and told him to be baptized. Once baptized he came to his senses and was now known as Paul. He worshiped Jesus and traveled the world to spread Christianity.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Fire lasted for 6 days, from July 18, 64 AD to July 23, 64 AD leaving most of Rome destroyed expect the Christian communities. Emperor Nero used the Christians as a scapegoat for the fireand the people of Rome easily believed Nero because they always found the Christians suspicious due to their monotheistic belief in God. This lead to the execution of Christians in Rome and them practicing their religion hidden. After this, many emperors encouraged the execution of Christians.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was captured because she was Christian. She was locked up in prison when her father came to visit her, who was a pagan and told her to deny her being Christian. He told her to deny for being there for her newly born baby but she refused. She was taken and asked if she was Christian, her father pleaded her to say no, but she said she was. She got taken to the arena where she pointed the soldier's sword to her neck and was killed. This inspired people and spread Christianity.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

In the 3rd century when the Romans entered a crisis the Christian persecutions increased. The Roman people believed that the Christians not sacrificing was angering the gods which caused the crisis. Emporer Diocletian decided to persecute the Christian so the Romans Empire could be reunified under a shared belief in gods. The Great Persecution killed thousands of Christians by feeding them to Gladiators and torturing them in horrendous ways if they refused to follow the Roman belief in gods.

Constantine the Great

312

Before going into battle Constantine saw a cross sign and had a vision where Christ told him in this sign you will conquer. He went into battle with a cross sign and they were victorious. To honor the Christians he formed the Edict of Malan which allowed them to practice their religion freely. He also, created Constantinople to honor the Christian god. This attracted more people to Christianity and led to a rise in it.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

Before going into battle Constantine had a vision where he saw a cross sign and it says “In Hoc Signo Vinces”, meaning in this sign, you will conquer. He painted the symbols of Christianity on his soldier's shields before the battle. After a year of battle, Constantine is victorious and believes it was fate. He wants to honor the Christians so he builds Constantipole and enforces the Edict of Milan so the Christians are free to practice their religion now and more people adopt Christianity.

Edict of Milan

313

After Constantine won the battle using the cross sign, he used the Edict of Milan to honor the Christians. The Edict of Milan proclaimed religious toleration with the agreement of Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. The Christians and other religions could practice freely without fear of persecution. This lead to Christianity growing more and people adopting it since now they could see how it worked.

Emperor Theodosius

380

In 380 CE, the emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. He also withdrew the state support from all the other religions. He allowed the people of Christianity to relocate. This really helped Christianity grow more ans more people were influenced by it