Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

30

-Jewish preacher from the first century
-Christians believed he was the son of God
-Spread the word that there was is a better empire than Rome which God would help provide for even the poorest citizens in Rome.
- Arrested on a charge of treason and was crucified
-By executing Jesus, the Romans had started a brand new religion that, in time, would spread across Rome and, eventually, the world.

Great Fire of Rome

64

-Began in a shop in the Circus Maximus
-Fire was brought under control in 6 days, before damage could be measured it burned for another 3 days
-Destroyed 2/3 of Rome
-Nero blamed the fire of the Christians so he could start the fist Christian prosecution in the city
-Tacitus was a historian who wrote that Nero watched the fire doing nothing

Paul of Tarsus

64

-Was an apostle
-Founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe
-Took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences.
-Thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to him
-Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

66

-In 66 AD, the First Jewish–Roman War began
-In the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed much of the Temple in Jerusalem
-By the time Rome took occupation of Israel, the Empire was large, but spread thin
-Israel had a strategic location
-Rome allowed Israel to keep their religious practices if they paid taxes and kept peace

Perpetua

201

-Christian martyr
-Wrote The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
-Born in 182, died in 203
-It recounted her trial and imprisonment
-Her family and others were arrested and they refused to tell them their religion and they were condemned to death in the arena

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

-Diocletian restored Rome after anarchy in the 3rd century
-Diocletian ordered all citizens to offer a sacrifice to the emperor
-Diocletian took away legal rights from Christians
-He destroyed Christian churches and scripture
-He wanted Christians to turn back into believing in Roman gods
-He hunted church leaders
-Many Christians were tortured, thrown in dungeons, and put to death

Constantine the Great

306

-Roman emperor from 306-337 CE
-When Diocletian was emperor he believed Rome was to big for one ruler so he split it up into the East and West
-Constantine's father helped rule the West
-Constantine would reunite the empire and build the new capital Constantinople
-His mother was a devoted Christian
-Make Christianity legal in the empire
-First Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity
-Built Christian Churches

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

-Between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius in 312
-Constantine won
-Started Constantine on his path to defeat the Tetrarchy
-Tetrarchy is power divided among 4 people, made my Diocletian
-Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle
-Started Constantine's path to conserve Christianity
-Constantine claims to of had a visions. He believed divine intervention was the cause of his victory

Edict of Milan

313

-Signed my Constantine and Licinius
-Made Christianity "legal"
-Stopped Christian Prosecution
-Constantine helped churches and its members
-Part of it: "...the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception..."
-Constantine ruled the west and Licinius ruled the East

Emperor Theodosius

379

-Emperor from 379 to 395
-Emperor of the Eastern region
-Made an alliance treaty with the barbarians because he knew brute force wouldn't be enough to get rid of them
-He managed to get control of all of Rome but when he died it was split up between his two sons
-Used his power to enforce Christianity
-Game power to the church