Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

63 BCE

In 66 CE the first Jewish-Roman war began. Romans destroyed much of the Temple in Jerusalem. They also were said to have take things like the Menorah. Jews lived in Rome for a long time. The Jewish population in Rome grew very fast.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

In Christianity, Jesus is believed to be the Son of God and the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Christians believe that through his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, God offered humans salvation and eternal life. The Christians in Rome believed that this was true and the other Romans thought it was wrong. So the Romans were persecuted. Jesus is one of the religious leaders in Christianity.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

St. Paul is often considered to be the most important person after Jesus in the history of Christianity. His letters have a lot of influence on Christian theology. He was a follower of Jesus Christ who famously converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus after persecuting the very followers of the community that he joined. He was died because he was decapitated.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome started on July 19, 64 CE and ended on July 23, 64 CE. The fire began in carrot shops around Circus Maximus. Two thirds of Rome was destroyed. The emperor at the time Nero blamed Christians for the disaster. He said that they hired people to start the fire. This caused major persecution of Christians. Historians now believe that Nero himself started the fire so that he could rebuild Rome how he wanted.

Perpetua

181

A Christian martyr of the 3rd century. She refused to sacrifice because she did not agree with it. Because she was disobeying and refusing to sacrifice to the gods she was sentenced with death. She played an important role in Christianity because she stood up for it when it was bad, knowing the consequences.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine was born February 27, 272 CE and died May 22, 337 CE. He was a Roman emperor who ruled from 306 to 337 CE. He was the first Christian Roman emperor. He changed how Christians in Rome were seen greatly by creating the Edict of Milan.This was because when he went to war he had his soldiers were a sign of Christianity on their armor and they won. Because of this happening he came to the conclusion that Christians were not bad.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in Rome. Legislation destroyed places where Christians worshiped. Also legal rights were removed from people who said they were Christian. Torture was also threatened to them. This went on until the Edict of Toleration was formed.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on October 28 312. Constantine won the battle and became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Constantine had a dream about the cross and decided to go into battle with a Christian symbol on their armor. He won the battle and said that it was because of the Christian god that they won.

The Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that made religious toleration in the Roman Empire a rule. This stopped the persecution of Christians. This happened because Constantine believed that he won a battle because of the Christian God and realized that Christians are not bad.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Emperor Theodosius was born on January 11, 347 CE and died January 17, 395 CE. He was an Emperor from 379 to 395 CE. He was the last Emperor to rule both east and went before they split up. He also campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. Because of this he gained praise of Catholic writers.