Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire Period 555

Paul of Tarsus

2

Commonly-known as Saint Paul. He took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences. He was an apostle (although not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of Christ. Paul is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. in the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD, he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe.

Jesus of Nazareth

33

Jesus was born to a family from a village called Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee. He was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah. After his death, his followers believed he rose from the dead, and the community they formed eventually became the early Church.

The great fire of rome

64

The fire began in the merchant shops around the stadium, Circus Maximus. The Emporer at the time, Nero, used the Christians as scapegoats during the fire. It took six days for the people to calm down the fire. The fire ended up reigniting and lasting for another three days. Two-thirds of Rome ended up being destroyed in the fire.

Perpetua

203

He died March 7, 203, feast day March 7, Carthage. Perpetua was a martyr for her belief in Christianity. Martyrs were held in high esteem by many Christians and helped grow the numbers in the church. After 201, Emperor Septimius Severus forbade conversion to Christianity or Judaism, and in 203 the governor of Carthage, Hilarian, enforced this edict. Perpetua and four companions were arrested. The six were tried, refused to renounce their faith, and were killed in the arena

The Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

This was the first and most severe persecution in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius made rights for the Christians, that they should only believe what Rome believed in. Christians grew fast, especially in the east. The Christian population grew to almost 1.1 million. But before the peace between them, Christians were fed to the lions, slaughtered, burned alive, etc. It is said that Nero used the Christians as torches for his backyard.

Constantine the Great

306

He ruled Rome as Emporer for 31 years. He ended up having a vision, he said to have seen across the sky, saying "In this sign, you will conquer." Later, he had a dream in which he was told to put the labarum on the shields for his soldiers. In 313 Ad he met with Licinius, and they issued the Edict of Milan. He also reconstructed the government by separating the civil and military authorities.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The battle took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and was led on the path that led him to end the Tetrarchy and become the ruler of the Roman Empire. the battle marked the beginning of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle; his body was later taken from the river and decapitated.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. It proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire. The letter was issued in February, 313 AD and stopped the persecution of Christians. There had been already an edict of toleration issued by the emperor Galerius in 311. They were granted an indulgence, not favors. But by the Edict of Milan, the meeting places and other properties that had been taken from the Christians were to be returned.

Roman Rule of Israel

313

In 37 BCE, Herod, a son-in-law of Hyrcanus II, was appointed King of Judea by the Romans. Superior Roman forces led by Titus were finally victorious, razing Jerusalem to the ground (70 CE) and defeating the last Jewish outpost at Masada (73 CE). Jews, as part of the Jewish diaspora, migrated to Rome and Roman Europe from the Land of Israel.

Emporer Theodosius

347

He was known as Theodosius the Great. He was Emporer from 379 to 395. The last Emporer to rule over the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire. He was known as "great" because of his solution to the Gothic problem and unification of the empire and because of his championship of orthodoxy, which earned for him the extravagant praise of Catholic writers. He was born in Spain