Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

313 BCE

Israel was destroyed as a nation after Judah was taken over by the Babylonians. The area was highly populated with Jews and Israel was not a nation again until 1948. Israel was under control of the Roman Empire, so they had to follow the Roman Rule like everywhere else that was a part of the Roman Empire. Jews were also given more palatable laws by the Roman emperors.

Edict of Milan

313 BCE

The Edict of Milan was what made Christianity legal. It removed all restrictions on Christian worship and the purpose of it was to grant Christians full authority to do/ follow whatever they wanted. They were also going to abolish all conditions against Christians. After this Christianity started to spread past Rome

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303 BCE

The Diocletian/ Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in Rome. The Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius all decided to rescind Christians rights. It demanded that they comply with traditional religious practices. Although the persecution did fail to check the rise of the chruch.

Perpetua

203 BCE

Perpetua was a woman who got thrown to beasts and somehow survived them. She then got executed with a sword. Many said she helped her executers kill her, to make things easier. Her death became famous by people getting inspired by her.

Paul of Tarsus

67 BCE

Paul was originally Jewish and then got converted to Christianity after seeing a vision of Jesus. He wrote a big portion of the Testament and his letters are some of the earliest surviving literature. Paul got imprisoned in Jerusalem and was then beheaded under Nero according to some.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus was originally Jewish born as was his mother Mary. He was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Everybody in the town of Nazareth appreciated and loved his kind gestures. He died on the cross to sacrifice himself instead of sacrificing those around him. The next day his spirit came back and this is how Christianity began.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome was an urban fire that was caused by Emperor Nero. He ended up blaming it on the Christians and this initiated the first persecution against the Christians. Nero started this fire to bypass the senate and rebuild Rome to his liking. He also had people in gangs threaten anyone who would try to put out the fire.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine the Great was a Roman emperor that was very well liked by his people. He was the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity and it was very hard for citizens to accept this. He professed it, because of a strong sign in the clouds he thought he saw

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

This battle took place between Emperor Constantine and Emperor Maxentius. This battle caused Constantine to gain victory and appreciate the gods of Christians. Constantine saw a message in the sky with a cross near it and he had a dream that told him to defeat his enemies using the sign of the cross. Because of this sign, Constantine believed they won as Maxentius' men all drowned before the battle. Some think Maxentius cut the bridge itself when it collapsed.

Emperor Theodosius

379

Emperor Theodosius was a roman emperor from 379 AD- 395 AD. He was the last emperor of Rome to rule over both the Western and Eastern halves of Rome. He also campaigned against goths and barbarians who tried to invade the Empire. Theodosius became nominal leader of the empire and he established Christianity as the state religion. He also successfully defended it against paganism and Arianism.