Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Rome Takes Control of Israel

63 BCE

Gabbiness reorganized the Israel government and divided the country into 5 districts. This was done to destabilize the county so resistance and uprising would be impossible. Hyrcanus became leader and converted everyone to Judaism.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in Judea. He was the central figure of Christianity believed to we conceived of the holy spirit and the son of God, he performed miracles and founded the Church. He died by Crucifixion as a sacrifice for atonement, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven

Paul of Tarsus

62

Born in Turkey, as a boy Paul took up the family business of making and repairing tents. He was sent to Jerusalem as a young man to study Jewish law. Upon return he heard of the prophet Jesus who claimed to be the messiah. He then began to persecute Christians and demanded they give up their faith. He later spoke to Jesus who baptized and converted him. He became a teacher of Christianity.

Great Fire of Rome

64

This fire destroyed 60-70% of Rome and was believed to be caused by the emperor Nero. Many of the parts that were saved were mainly Christian areas so Nero was able to shift the blame to the Christians and this was the start of their prosecution

Perpetua

203

Executed during the emperor's birthday, Perpetua was a Christian martyr and was imprisoned with Felicity was a pregnant slave imprisoned and was martyred with Perpetua

The Great Persecution

303

The emperor Diocletian left the Christians in peace until he suddenly changed. He randomly began persecuting Christians horribly. This was the worst persecution the Christians ever faced.

Constantine The Great

306

Constantine was the Roman emperor from 306 to 337 AD. Many accomplishments were achieved by Constantine including many military victories and the removal of christian discrimination. He was an amazing leader for the empire.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

During the battle Constantine saw a vision in the sky that said "in this sign you will conquer". He then had his soldiers mark their shields with a cross like image. He then won the battle and attributed it to god.

The Edict of Milan

313

This was a letter signed by Constantine that allowed religious freedom in the Roman empire. In the time after Constantine granted favors for the Christian Church

Theodosius

379

Theodosius was the last Roman emperor to rule over the eastern and western halves. He campaigned against barbarian invaders, but had little resources to do so.