Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

64 BCE

The Roman general Pompey in his eastern campaign established the Roman province of Syria in 64 BC and conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. Julius Caesar conquered Alexandria 47 BC and defeated Pompey in 45 BC. This was greatly affiliated with the growth of Christianity because the Israelis practicing Christianity were now under Roman control, causing the Religion to spread thoroughly throughout Rome, an enormous Empire.

Paul of Tarsus

64 BCE

Paul of Tarsus, or Paul the Apostle, taught biblical teachings and Christianity to the first century people. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the Apostolic age. He accelerated the growth of Christianity by teaching it to a wide variety of people. He was born 4 BCE and was believed to be executed between 62 and 64 BCE.

Jesus of Nazareth

5

Jesus was believed to be the son of God and was the savior for all Christians. Jesus was very important because during a bad time for Christians he came and gave all Christians a reason to stay Christian which is why Rome disliked him. Jesus is believed to have died April 3rd 33 AD.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome was believed to be started by the emperor Nero because he wanted to rebuild Rome without having to be approved by the senate. After the fire burnt down 2/3 of Rome for 6 days and finally ending July 23 64 AD Nero began to blame the outbreak of the fire on Christians. They began to be disliked by the citizens of Rome and crucified.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a famous Christian Martyr of the third century who died in 203. Perpetua was a married noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant she was nursing. She was put to death along with others at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. Her inspiring bravery inspired other Christians to not give up and push through during this awful time.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine was the first Christian emperor and he was born February 27th 272 AD. The battle of Milvian Bridge took place October 28. Constantine put the letters X,P on the front of all the soldiers shields after God told them they would win if they put the first two letters of Christ on the front of there shield XP. The Greeks eventually won the battle against Maxentius which then influenced the writing of the Edict of Milan which ended the persecution of Christians.

The Great Persecution

303

The Great Persecution lasted 2 centuries starting at the End of the Great fire and ending when the Edict of Milan was created. During this time Christians were often put into the coliseum where they were forced to fight each other to death for entertainment. Christians would hold underground Church meetings during this time, they were only allowed to warship Roman Gods and it was very illegal if they chose not to.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

Conflict between two different emperors one from the west and the other from the east. Maxentius was killed during the battle after he drowned in a River. Constantine won this battle and it became a very important mark in the rise of Christianity. Before the battle took place Constantine and his army saw a sign in the sky reading In hoc signo vinces meaning, In this sign we conquer.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was an agreement signed by Constantine and Licindius , Roman Emperors. The agreement allowed the Christians and all citizens of Rome religious freedom. Constantine agreed to this because he believed that God had helped him win the battle of the Bridge of Milivian. This was a huge step for the growth of Christianity, and was the final step of stopping the persecution of Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Theodosius the Great was the last Roman Emperor to rule a both the east and west Roman Empire. He established Christianity as the state religion and successfully defended it against paganism and Arianism. Theodosius basically protected the religion Christianity while also making it other peoples religion at the same time. In 380 he proclaimed himself a Christian.