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Period: 4 BCE to 33
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth was born in April of 4 BC. He is the central figure of Christianity and believed to be the Messiah testified of in the Old Testament. Judiasm teaches that he was simply a prophet of God and not the Messiah or Son of God. He was tried by Jewish authority and crucified in April of about 33 CE, under the order of Pontius Pilate. -
6
Roman Rule of Israel
The Romans ruled over modern-day Israel, or "Judea" at the time for about 130 years. There were many revolts until the fall of Rome in that area and the loss of power by the current emperors, which occurred around 135 AD. -
33
St. Paul
St. Paul was a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. Before his conversion in the year 33 AD, Paul was dedicated to the persecution of the Gentiles and of the Christians. Paul was traveling to Damascus to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem so they could be crucified, when Jesus appeared to him in a bright light. Paul was temporarily blinded. Jesus told one of his disciples to heal him, despite his previous evil works. When Paul was touched, his sight was restored and he was converted. -
64
Great Fire of Rome
The Great Fire of Rome was started at a storehouse for flammable items. The fires spread quickly, with arsons and thieves throwing torches and laying paths for the fire to grow. They did not realize the greatness and effects of the fire. The fire burnt for 6 days and 6 nights, burning any temples, homes, markets, and anything else in its way. Many lives were lost as the fire completely destroyed three of the 14 Roman districts, severely damaged 7 others, leaving only 4 undamaged. -
203
St. Perpetua
During the persecutions of the Christians in Rome, Perpetua was imprisoned and burned at the stake in 203 CE. She and many of her fellow Christian prisoners were executed in celebration of the emperor's birthday. Many were so faithful that they willingly proclaimed their Christianity unto magistrates and went to their deaths fearlessly. This angered executioners who then killed even more Christians in spite of their arrogance of their deaths. -
250
Great Persecution
The Great Persecution, or the Diocletian Persecution, was a period of time after the emperors at the time made laws to combat the rise of Christianity, demanding that Christians comply with regular religious practice. These laws were passed in 303 BC under the emperors Decius and Valerian. Christians were compelled to make sacrifices to Pagan gods or face execution or imprisonment. Christians were killed for sport, like torn apart by lions while viewers cheered and clapped in the Colosseum. -
Period: 306 to 337
Constantine's Rule
Constantine the Great, or Constantine I made many great changes, including enacting administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to strengthen the empire. While restructuring the Roman government, he separated civil and military authorities. He also introduced the "solidus", a gold coin which became standard currency for centuries. He was extremely successful in keeping peace in Rome, and refused to participate in many wars. These things made him very popular among the people. -
312
Battle of Milvian Bridge
The Battle of Milvian Bridge was fought by Constantine I against Maxentius. The battle led Constantine to began a path that led to the end of Tetrarchy and becoming the sole emperor of Rome. The night before, Constantine and his men supposedly had a vision of a cross and the words, "In hoc signo, vinces." which translates to "In this sign, conquer." He then marked the shields of his soldiers with the Christian symbol, which he believed led him to victory. -
313
Edict of Milan
The Edict of MIlan was an ordinance to appeal the edict of toleration made by the Emperor Galerius in 311 CE, and to return all property and churches to the Christians, as well as release all Christians who had been unjustly imprisoned. The new edict was to indulge and favor Christianity rather than simply tolerate the religion. The Edict was made by Constantine and Licinus after Constantine's "vision" at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. -
Period: 379 to 395
Theodosius' Rule
Theodosius came into power in 347 AD. He defended Rome faithfully, fighting several civil wars and campaigning against many different rebels (victorious in all of these efforts). He also issued decrees to effectively make Christianity the official state church of the Roman Empire.This came quickly after the Christian persecutions only ended around 330 AD. Theodosius was the last Roman emperor to rule both the Eastern and Western halves, each of his sons taking over one half over his death in 395
