Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

40 BCE

This was the last time that they tried to recreate the Hasmonean rule to keep going but when it was defeated, and Herod the son-in-law of Hycranus ll, was appointed King of Judea by the Romans.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth was born in 6/4 BCE and was a very big part of Christianity and a very important Christian leader. He died in 30 CE.

Paul of Tarsus

5

Paul of Tarsus was born around 5 AD. For the first parts of his life, he persecuted followers of Jesus of Nazareth, people who were Christian. Then later on, he became an apostle who was a leader of Christians and taught the gospel of Christ. Later on, he was arrested and sentenced to death by the emperor, Nero. He died around 67 AD.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome started on July 18, 64 AD. The emperor at the time was Nero and he was thought to have started the fire. When he was beginning to get blamed, Nero blamed it on the Christians. This fire burned for 6 days before it was finally brought under control on July 23, 64 AD.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua and her slave Felicitas were Christians. They were arrested when Septimius Severus was the Emperor. Her father came to her in prison and begged for her to say that she was not a Christian so that she wouldn't get in trouble. Although, she stayed faithful and did not deny it. Perpetua, Felicitas, and the other people who got arrested for being Christian were eventually put into the arena with the beasts then killed with a sword. Perpetua died in 203 AD.

The Great Prosecution

303

The great prosecution started when there were many problems going on in Rome, like plague, invasion, bad economy, and more. These would typically be signs of a bad emperor or a bad leader. Although, Decius, the emperor at the time, blamed it all on the Christians saying that since they refuse to sacrifice to the Gods, the Gods weren't protecting them. During this time, many Christians were killed. The prosecution ended in 313

Constantine the Great

312

On the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine sees a vision and a sign. The sign says "In hoc signo vinces" which translates to "In this sign you will conquer". He believes this sign as fate and puts the symbols on his shield. The day of the battle, he was victorious. Constantine became emperor and met with Licinius, the eastern emperor, to create the Edict of Milan so that Christianity was legal and there was free religion.

The Battle of the Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of the Milvian Bridge happened on October 28, 312. This was the day after Constantine saw his vision and put the Roman numerals and symbols on the shields. This battle was with Constantine vs. Maxentius near the Tiber River. At the end of the battle, Constantine was victorious and became emperor.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a proclamation that made Christianity legal and allowed people to have free religion. This proclamation was made by the Roman leaders Constantine and Licinius, Licinius being the emperor of the Eastern side of Rome, including Milan, and Constantine was the emperor of the Western part.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Theodosius was the last emperor of the Roman Empire as a united empire, meaning he was the last emperor to rule both the eastern and the western side of the Roman Empire. Emperor Theodosius was the one who established Christianity as the state religion.