Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

63 BCE

-Israel became a Province of the Roman Empire
-Jewish people didn't like Roman Rule
-Had tons of leader switches
-The more Jewish poeple were angry about the more they were suppressed by the Romans

Jesus of Nazurus

1 CE

-Jesus's birth has been speculated to have occurred anywhere from year zero to year 30
-Jesus is the leader of the wave of Christianity that overtook Rome
-He believed to be God's son and the Messiah
-Christian's believe that he toured around preaching the word of God and performing various miracles.
-Christian's believe that he died on the cross for their sins

Paul of Tarsus

10

-Also known as Saul of Tarsus(his Jewish name), Saint Paul, and Paul the Apostle
-Was an Apostle who preached the word of God
-Traveled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the word of Jesus
-One of the most important characters in the bible

The Great Fire of Rome

64

July, 18-23, Christians were persecuted for this but it is speculated that Emporer Nero started it. Nero supposedly was playing the fiddle when it happened and he just continued to play while his city burned to the ground. This fire helped the rise of Christianity because although it was horrible and lots of people died, the Christians were persecuted for it which let them become more widely known. This happened because they were persecuted in places like the colleseum.

Perpetua

181

-Perpetua was a Christian Woman
-We don't know a ton about her, but we have her diary which describes her life as a Christian
-Later turned into a Saint by the Catholic Church

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine the Great was born on this day and died on May 22, 337. His full name is Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus. Before a major battle called the Milvian Bridge he had a dream to put crosses on his soldiers' shields so he did and they ended up winning. Throughout his life, he attributed his success to the Christian God and even signed the Edict of Milan. This helped the rise of Christianity because it had the endorsement of an emperor.

The Diocletianic Persecution

303

-Last and most severe of Christian persecutions in the Roman Empire
-Emperor Diocletian forced Christians to worship him and the Pagan gods
-They were brutally killed in the Colosseum usually by wild animals.
-Christians were faithful right up to their death which made lots of people really think that they truly believed in Christianity.
-Also the emperor actually doing something about Christianity brought more attention to it.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

-Great battle between Constantine and Vicintius
-Constantine had a dream and put God's symbolon their shields
-Constantine won
-After this battle he converted to being a Christian and made the Edict of Milan

Edict of Milan

313

-Constantine came together with Lucinius to make this holy pact
-Basically meant freedom of religion
-Because Constantine was a strong believer in Christ it was really directed towards Christians and them not being prosecuted anymore
-Constantine made this pact after winning the battle of Milivian Bridge

Emperor Theodosius

347

-Was emperor from 379 until his death 395
-Brought Christianity into the spotlight when he made it the state religion
-Denied the teachings of Arius who said that Jesus was inferior to God
-Pushed the notion that Jesus and God are the same