-
2800 BCE
Abraham
Abraham is born in Ur of Sumer (modern day Kuwait) before moving to the "promised land" of Israel/Palestine and becoming the starter of Judaism -
35
Jesus & Christianity
Jesus is born under Roman rule in Israel/Palestine. His followers branch off of Judaism stating that Jesus is the promised Messiah. -
70
Romans crush Jerusalem
Tired of the rebellion from the Jewish people, the Romans destroy the temple in Jerusalem and kill many inhabitants. The site of the temple is coveted by members of all three big monotheistic religions today. -
325
Constantine
Roman Emperor Constantine gives the Christian god credit for his victory over rivals, and makes Christianity the empire's religion. He hosts the Council of Nicaea to clarify Christian teachings and the Bible. -
600
Muhammed
Mohammed (in Mecca, Saudi Arabia) says he received a message from Allah telling him of Allah's will. He is chased to Medina then returns to Mecca and establishes Islam. -
632
Islam splits
Upon Mohammed's death, his followers disagree about who should next lead, and they split into two branches: Sunni and Shi'ite. -
1054
Christianity Splits: Great Schism
Christianity splits into Eastern & Western halves of the Roman (now Byzantine) Empire. Eastern "Orthodoxy" is centered in Constantinople, and Western "Catholicism" is centered in Rome. -
Period: 1099 to 1291
Crusades
Religious and territorial wars over control of Jerusalem. These continued on and off until the 1500s, but the first four major Crusades took place in this timespan. -
1517
Christianity Splits: Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther famously posts his 95 reforms for the Catholic Church, which launches a split in Christianity between Catholics and Protestants. (Many branches of Protestantism form.) -
Judaism Splits
In the 1700's (due to the influence of the Enlightenment), members of Judaism split apart from each other, creating Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative branches.