Rise of Christianity in The Rome Empire

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

64 BCE

Pompey, a Roman General, established the Roman province of Syria in 64 BC and conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. Julius Caesar then took over in 45 BC. Israel's religion started to influence Rome which led to the gradual spread of Christinity through the large empire.

Jesus of Nazareth

6 BCE

Historians believe Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ was born around 6 BC and BC. He is believed to be the incarnation of God the son and is looked at as the central figure of Christianity. He began a new kind of ministry and started spreading the message of the kingdom of God approaching and stressing the importance of repentance by the people of Israel. Jesus slowly gained popularity and a following, spreading Christianity throughout the area.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

Paul of Tarsus was another important figure in Christianity. Although he started out invading Christian-Jewish areas and persecuting the people that practiced these religions, he had a vision that converted him to a new religion. Paul traveled to many countries to teach others about Jesus and his religion and he became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. He was even arrested for spreading these ideas but he continued to urge the new Christians to stay strong in their faith.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

65% of the Roman Empire was burned to the ground over the course of 6 days. Many believed the emperor Nero was responsible for this because the senate had disagreed with him. As a scape-goat, he blamed the Christians for this large fire since their area seemed to be untouched.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua was a Christian noblewoman who lived in North Africa, a center of Christian community. When the emperor wanted to end this, he captured Perpetua and five others. Her father was devasted but Perpetua stayed faithful to her religion. She had the chance to sacrifice in order to spare her life but instead, she stood by Christianity and was mauled to death by a leopard. She represents the conviction and faith of Christianity.

The Great Persecution

303

After Rome had faced economic decline and was entering a period of crisis, the emperor Diocletian thought persecuting mass amounts of Christians would reunite Rome from its previous catastrophes. Several thousand Christians and their leaders were killed by methods such as burning them alive, throwing them into a pit with wild animals and creatures, and making them participate in chariot battles with no prior experience.

Constantine the Great

306

Constantine the Great, a military leader and emperor of Rome, supported Christianity which gave it the imperial support need to grow as rapidly as it did. He made Rome a place where Christians were being massed persecuted into a place where Christianity was the most practiced religion. He also made the Edict of Milan that made Christianity legal. Constantine is known as the first Roman Emperor that was Christian.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

Constantine had a vision before this battle and he saw the words "In Hoc Signos Vinces" which translates to "In this sign, you will conquer." That night, he had a dream where he was told to put Christian symbols and crosses on the shields of his soldiers so that God could look over him and his troops. He did so and recieved an overwhelming victory, leading to his extreme support and practice of the religion.

Edict of Milan

313

Constantine met with Licinius, the eastern emperor, in Milan and they created the Edict of Milan. This set of written laws made Christianity and the practice of the religion legal and even encouraged. This removed all the restrictions on Christian worship and returned all of the confiscated property during the persecutions back to the Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

379

Out of political as well as religious motives, he energetically undertook to bring about the unity of faith within the empire. He established Christianity as the state religion and successfully defended it against paganism and Arianism. He put the power into the churches.