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63 BCE
Roman Rule of Israel (begins)
The Jews of Judea rebelled against the Roman Empire and this made the Romans mad. The Romans attacked the Jewish kingdom and made them a Roman provience. Emperor Gabinius reorganized Judea's government structure and divided the country into five administrative districs to eliminate the age old system of toparchies. -
1 CE
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus' last name was not actually Christ. Christ means "the anointed one". Ancient Jews typically only had one name followed by their fathers name or their place of birth. Jesus was a rabbi (teacher/priest) and attracted considerable attention. After his death his disciples/followers became convinced he lived on in spirit and body. They converted others to believe that also and started a new religion, Christianity. -
64
Nero and the Great Fire of Rome
Researchers think Nero purposefully set fire to Rome because he was not mentally stable and wanted a clean slate to rebuild. The fire burnt for 6 days before being controlled and then started for another 3 days. It burnt around the ring of the Circus Maximus One small Christian town did not burn. Nero then used the Christians as a scapegoat to blame. -
65
Paul of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus once wanted to put all Christians to death and yet became one of the Church's greatest saints. Saul (Paul's real name) and his family were very faithful Jews. When Saul was young he was sent to Jerusalem to study Jewish law. When he got home he heard of a man named Jesus who was claimed to be the messiah. Saul tried to persecute Christ's followers but it didn't work. Saul became baptized to see what it was like, then he changed his name to Paul as a sign of his new resurrect life. -
203
Perpetua
Perpetua was a Christian noblewoman who lived with her husband, her son, and her slave, Felicitas, in Carthage. Perpetua was arrested while taking a class to prepare for a baptism. Her dad tried to rescue and convince her to say she wasn't Christian but she said she was Christian and wouldn't be called anything other than what she was. Perpetua wouldn't give in to the governer about giving a sacrifice to the emperor. Perpetua and her slave, Felicitas, were thrown in a gladiator pit and died. -
303
The Great Persecution
Thousands of Christians were persecuted because they were not worshipping the Roman emperors. The Christians were a minority and seen as a threat due to accusations of cannibalism, incest, and agape. The emperor Nero used Christians as entertainment by throwing them to wild beasts. He would also light them on fire as torches for his garden. Diocletian and Galerius tried to execute Cristians because monotheism is what had held Rome together in the past. -
312
Battle of Milvian Bridge
This battle was a crucial moment in the Roman Civil War which helped establish Christianity as Rome's official religous. Constantine had a vision which is said to have helped him win the battle. Constantine believes it was due to having put an XP symbol on his soldier's shields converting them to Christian soldiers for the battle. -
313
Edict of Milan
This document granted religous freedom to the people of Rome. Alexander the Great had this idea for Mesopotamia but when the Edict of Milan was written more freedom was granted and it was followed through with better. -
324
Constantine the Great
Constantine was not Christian but did not hate them either. Constantine had a vision of a cross in the clouds and a message saying "In this sign, you will conquer". Constantine went on to win the Battle of Milvian Bride which convinced Constantine that Christian beliefs were good. He built a city named Constantinople filled with churches to honor Christian Values. He also legalized Christianity and gave special rights such as tax exemptions to Christians. -
325
Emperor Theodosius
He established the Council of Nicaea. This council came together to talk about what to do about Christianity's prescence and and solve the Arianism problem. The Arianism problem was the people saying Jesus was not divine but a created being. -
Growth of Early Christianity (remove)
Christianity was a minority until the Fathers of Church helped define and record Christian doctrines. These doctrines helped sway peoples animosity towards Christianity. -
Christianity's Continuous Growth (remove)
Many people were attracted became attracted to Christianity's message of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. Some people blamed the plague and barbarian invasions on the Christians, while others found Christian beliefs to be very appealing for these situations.
