Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

64 BCE

In 64BC, Rome took the region which contained Israel, from Syria. Hynascus II took control of the region. When he died his son in law, Herod, took control of Israel. When Herod died in 4AD, the region fell under direct Roman administration. The Jewish people in Israel had a revolt against the Romans in 66AD. The Romans defeated them and destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD. The destruction of Jerusalem was catastrophic for the Jewish in Israel. The Romans lost rule of Israel in 313AD.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

Paul of Tarsus, also known as Saint Paul, is thought to have been born in 4BC in Cilicia. Paul was one of the leaders of the first generation of Christians. He is thought to be the most important person in Christian history after Jesus. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 13 are attributed to Paul. He was converted to Christianity by Jesus in 33AD. He was killed in Rome, as a martyr, in 62AD.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 4BC. His parents were Joseph and Mary. According to the Bible and the apostles Joseph was only is Earthly father, and that Mary was received the baby from the Holy Spirit. After Jesus got baptized by John the Baptist, he started his life as a preacher and healer. While in his 30's he went to Passover in Jerusalem, when he was there he was arrested, and then executed. His disciples went on to spread his new religion, Christianity.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

On July 19, 64AD, the Great Fire of Rome started in the giant Circus Maximus. Many people believe that it was Nero, the Roman Emperor, that started the fire. They claim he wanted to rebuild the city his way. Nero himself blamed the Christians for starting the fire. Many of the apartments in Rome were poorly constructed wooden buildings, so they could burn very quickly. When it was finally put out six days later on July 25, it had destroyed 10 of the 14 districts of Rome.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua, a Christian martyr, was born in 181AD. She kept a diary of her life, which consisted of her imprisonment and trial. Her diary is one of only a few written accounts, by a woman, that have survived this long. In Carthage, where Perpetua was from, there was an Edict put in to law that made Christianity illegal. After it was put into affect, Perpetua was arrested with some family members and was put to death.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine's father was a Roman emperor. When his father died he fought to take over Rome. He became western emperor in 312, and the sole Roman emperor in 324. In 312, Constantine met Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge on the Tiber River. Before the battle, Constantine saw a vision of a cross and then had a dream telling him to write a symbol on his shields. He did exactly that and won under the emblem. He went on to convert to Christianity, and make it legal with the Edict of Milan.

The Great Persecution of 303

303

In 303AD, the Roman emperor Diocletian started the Great Persecution of the Christians. Edicts were made to ban Christians from meeting and bibles were burnt in public. Thousands of Christians were killed, they would feed them to lions, burn them to death, and other terrible things. Many churches were burnt down as well. The Great Persecution ended in 313AD.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

On October 28, 312AD, the battle of Milvian Bridge took place. The battle was between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius. The battle of Milvian Bridge would basically decide who the sole emperor of Rome would be. Constantine I and his troops marched to the Rome and met with Maxentius' troops at the bridge. Constantine I and his troops were "Christian soldiers", because Constantine I had a vision about Christianity. Constantine I and his army won and he went on to be the sole emperor.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was an agreement made in Rome to make Christianity legal. It was signed by Constantine the Great in 313AD. Before the edict, persecution of Christians had been regular 313AD was the end of a period called "The Great Persecution", a period where thousands of Christians were killed. After the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine converted to Chrstianity, and made the edict so that Christians could not get persecuted.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Emperor Theodosius was born on January 11, 347AD. It is believed that his grandparents and parents were Christians and that he grew up with the faith. Theodosius was emperor at a time when Rome was under attack from barbarians. He did a lot of stuff related to the military. In 391AD he sanctioned the destruction of the Serapeum at Alexandria. He also enacted laws against pagan practices, put an end to the Olympic games, and made Christianity the state religion.