Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

By katiegrell
  • 64 BCE

    Roman Rule of Israel

    Roman Rule of Israel
    The Roman rule of Israel split the country into five districts. They did this because they wanted to destabilize the nation. Julius Caesar restored certain territories to Judea.
  • Period: 4 BCE to 30

    Jesus of Nazareth

    Jesus proclaimed that there was a kingdom greater than Rome, heaven. This excited his audiences and they wanted to follow him. However, the proclamation that he was also God's only son offended some people and caused them to feel threatened. He was then crucified and arrested for treason. By doing this, a new religion was started and began to spread over time.
  • 64

    The Great Fire of Rome

    The Great Fire of Rome
    In 64 AD a fire started in the shops along the Circus Maximus. Fires were normal, however this one lasted for six days before coming under control, but then reignited for three more days and ended up ruining 10 of Rome's 14 districts. The Emperor at the time, Nero, was blamed for the tragedy. In attempt to not be blamed for the crime, he turned the blame onto the Christians.
  • 64

    Paul of Tarsus

    Paul of Tarsus
    Paul of Tarsus was one of the first leaders of the Christian church. He was Roman by birth and worked to spread the Gospel and establish the church in Rome. Paul's surviving letters had a huge impact on christian faith.
  • 203

    Perpetua

    Perpetua
    Perpetua was a christian martyr in ancient Rome. Perpetua was arrested and killed for being christian. She kept a diary and it is now one of the most rare surviving documents written by a women in history.
  • Period: 272 to 337

    Constantine the Great

    Constantine the Great was the first emperor to be christian. He helped create the Edict of Milan in 313. He had a dream in which he saw a cross in the sky and was told if he put a specific symbol on his armor that he would win his battle. And he did win the battle. He then put Christianity on a platform and gave people a more public figure to look up to in the christian faith.
  • 303

    The Great Persecution Of 303 CE

    The Great Persecution Of 303 CE
    The great persecution was the most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. It was started by the emperor Diocletian. He was not always like this though, and for the most part, he just ignored the Christians. But then, Diocletian needed to stabilize the empire and wanted to do so by reuniting the empire under the original religion. He needed the Christians go to do so, and he started the great persecution.
  • 312

    Battle of Milvian Bridge

    Battle of Milvian Bridge
    At the battle of Milan, Constantine and his troops supposedly saw a cross in the sky with the message "In this sign conquer". That night, Constantine had a dream where Christ told him that he should use the sign of the cross against his enemies, because he will win if he did. And Constantine did win the battle, which made him believe in the Christian faith, helping the faith spread.
  • 313

    Edict of Milan

    Edict of Milan
    The Edict of Milan allowed Christians and people of all religions to freely practice their religion. This was passed by Constantine and Licinius in what is now modern day Milan. Other Edict like this were attempted to be made, but never suck, however this one did and allowed people to practice their religion freely.
  • Period: 347 to 395

    Emperor Theodosius

    Theodosius was a Christian emperor. Some historians later looked back on his "Christianization" of the empire one of the greatest causes of it's fall. Theodosius really helped Christianity to spread throughout the empire.