Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

63 BCE

Jerusalem was conquered in 63 BC by the Roman Empire. Under Julius Caesar, Judaism was officially recognized as the legal religion. Herod the Great was made the King of the Jews, by he Roman Senate. There was a lot of Tension between the Jews and the Romans, which led to several wars between them.

Jesus of Nazareth

6 BCE

Jesus was born around 6 BC in Bethlehem. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who called him the Son of God. Jesus traveled to small villages, where many of the people became his disciples. Jesus explained how the prophecies were being fulfilled and that the Kingdom of God was near. During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, which signifies the covenant between God and Humans. Jesus was killed for claiming to be the son of God and the king of the Jews, and was crucified.

Paul of Tarsus

4

Paul of Tarsus was born around 4 BC. He became a missionary and spread the message of Christianity. He was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the 1st-century world. Paul of Tarsus was imprisoned and eventually killed in around 64 or 67 AD, under the Roman emperor Nero.

Great Fire of Rome

64

Over the course of 6 days, 65% of the Roman Empire was burned to the ground. Many believed that the emperor, Nero, had started the fire. Nero, not wanting to have the blame put on him, used the Christians as a scapegoat for the fire. Only a small part of the empire was not burned, including an isolated space of Christians, so it was easy for Nero to blame the fire on Christians. This blame started the rise of Christian persecution and judgement.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a Christian martyr who wrote "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity", a journal that told the story of her trial and imprisonment, due to her faith and beliefs. It was continued by a contemporary who described Perpetua’s death in the arena. Her record of her imprisonment and inhuman death shows the modern world how intense the persecution of Christians was in Rome.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution of 303 CE was the final and most intense persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. There were many issues in Rome such as droughts, famine, civil wars, and other struggles which were all blamed on Christians. Diocletian blamed all of these problems on Christians because they didn't follow the rules of or worship he Roman gods, so he reasoned that the gods were taking out their anger on the Christians.

Battle of the Milvian Bridge

312

On October 27, the night before the battle, Constantine had a dream, where he saw the sun overlain by a cross. Constantine ordered his men to paint crosses onto their shields. Constantine won this battle against Maxentius, and this would lead to Constantine becoming the ruler of the Roman Empire. Because he wanted to honor the Christian God for allowing them victory, his role as emperor lead to the spread and adoption of Christianity.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was the outcome of a political agreement between the Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius in February 313. It permanently established religious tolerance for Christianity, and created religious freedom for all Romans. After the Edict of Milan was put in place, Christianity began to be adopted by Rome and rapidly spread, becoming more and more popular.

Constantine the Great

337

The night before going into battle, he had a vision and a dream that said that he should trust in the Christian God. When they a had a great victory Constantine attributed it to the Christian God. He was originally a pagan monotheist, and did not support Christianity, however, after the battle he wanted to honor the Christian God. He legalized and supported Christianity, and was a huge reason for the spread of Christianity. He also created the Edict of Milan.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Theodosius was Roman Emperor who was against and intensely suppressed paganism and Arianism. He established the creed of the Council of Nicaea as the universal guidelines for the Christian orthodoxy, and he directed the assembly of the second general council at Constantinople to clarify the formula. He earlier accepted Christian baptism and supported Christianity. As an emperor in support of Christianity, he contributed to the adoption of Christianity in Rome greatly.