Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

63 BCE

Rome conquered Israel when they were on an expedition to conquer most of the known world. Their rule of Israel would last until 476, when the Byzantine Empire took over. Although Romans would widely influence agriculture and Judaism, the Roman control of Israel would later result in Jesus being crucified by Roman troops. Romans would later face many troubles with Christians, with revolts and such.

Paul of Tarsus

4

Paul of Tarsus was an author of Christian literature. He was born in a Greek-speaking section of the Roman Empire, but he was educated in Jerusalem. He had supported the killings of Christians, until he experienced a vision of Jesus Christ. He then went on to write a lot of Christian literature, and was arrested and later on executed in 64.

Jesus of Nazareth

4

Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as "Jesus Christ," was a religious leader who is the center figure of Christianity. He started the popular religion Christianity, and expressed it orally After he was crucified and brought back to life, many people started following Jesus' words. His Roman followers would be mass executed for "endangering the Roman Society."

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome was an urban fire that occurred in Rome in 64 AD. The Christians were blamed for this fire. Many suspect the Emperor Nero, and while Rome burned Nero supposedly "fiddled" around instead of taking charge. The fire burned for over 6 days and then was finally tamed.

Perpetua

182

Vibia Perpetua was a Christian martyr. A martyr is someone who would rather die than deny their religion. Perpetua was the journalist behind The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Perpetua was arrested with four other companions for disobeying the law and following Christianity. She began to write her book when she was in prison, and her book has inspired many others today, some churches even praise this book annually.

Great Persecution

303

The Great Persecution was the mass killing of Christians. After Christians disobeyed the order to follow the gods instead of Jesus Christ, they were executed. The executions could be seen inside of the Colosseum, Where Roman citizens were entertained by watching Christians get devoured by a beast, or have them fight each other to the death.

Constantine the Great

306

Constantine the Great was the Western Emperor of Rome, and in 312 AD, he had a vision of a crucifix, which resembles Jesus. After he won the battle for power, Constantine passed different laws such as the Edict of Milan. He also made an entire town and named it Constantinople.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place between Maxentius and Constantine, who at the time were the Roman Emperors. The Milvian Bridge is a route over the Tiber River, and this battle was named after this route because it was crucial to Constantine's victory over Maxentius. This was also the battle where Constantine and his men had seen a vision in the sky of a crucifix, so this battle marks the beginning of Constantine's Christian journey.

Edict of MIlan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter that allowed religious toleration within the Roman Empire. It was signed by Constantine and Licinius, who were the emperors at the time. Christianity was decriminalized, and people who followed Christianity were now able to follow their thoughts freely. Constantine would later convert to Christianity and grant favors to the Christian Church. It is still not known to this day what the words on the letter were exactly.

Emperor Theodosius

379

Commonly referred to as Theodosius the Great, Emperor Theodosius established Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire. He also successfully restored unification to the Roman Empire.Theodosius even banned the Olympics that originated from Ancient Greece. He died from "swelling" in 395 CE.