Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

6 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth is the main figure of Christianity. He is known as Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and was sent down from Heaven to clear the people of all their sins. He was crucified around 30 AD.

Paul of Tarsus

36

Paul of Tarsus is commonly known as the Apostle Paul. He taught the Gospel of Christ around the world after going through a conversion on the road to Damascus. He founded several churches and before his conversion, he was known for persecuting Christians. Paul wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the new testament.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

Nero, the leader of Rome accused the Christians for starting the Great fire of Rome. He used them as his scapegoats. This was his way of getting out of the blame. This led to the persecution of Christians.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a Christian martyr along with a slave named Felicity. They were killed for their strong belief and faith in Jesus Christ. She died at a young age off 22 and kept a record of her time in Prison. She was a mother of an infant and married at the time.

Roman Rule of Israel

300

The Jews were exiled so they migrated to Rome. They became a big percentage of Rome's population. Pompey the Roman general conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. After that, Pompey was conquered by Julius Caesar and he made Judaism a legal religion. Soon after, Christianity started to develop as a result of Constantine and the Edict of Milan.

The Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

Diocletian became the new emperor for Rome. Diocletian persecuted the Christians. He fed them to the wild beasts. He even tortured them and executed them. He also burned the Christians by using them as his tiki torches.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

This battle took place between Constantine and Maxentius. This took place along a route on the Tiber river. Constantine won this battle after he had had his vision from God. This was when Constantine first turned Christian and created the Edict of Milan.

Constantine the Great

312

Constantine the Great became the new emperor of Rome after Nero. One night he was ready to go to war with Maxentius and he had a vision. He sees the sign, “In Hoc Signo Vinces” which means in the sign you will conquer. In this dream he was told to put “XP”on his soldiers shields. (meaning Christ in Rome). The next day Constantine won the battle and gave the credit to God. He creates the Edict of Milan which made Christianity legal. He helped build churches and he gave Christians special rights.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was created by Constantine the Great. It allowed the people religious freedom. It was created after Diocletian had treated the Christians unfairly and persecuted them. Constantine gave the Christians special rights and helped build Christian Churches around Rome. Christianity spread throughout Rome and started a adoption of Christianity.

Emperor Theodosius

379

He was the last emperor of the Roman Empire. In 380, Theodosius became a Christian and was baptized for his religion. He is known for making Christianity the state religion. He fought for Christianity against other beliefs such as Paganism. He also ended Arianism during his rein.