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133
First Christian Pentecost 33 AD
Descent of the Holy Spirit upon disci[ples; preaching of St. Peter in Jerusalem; conversion, baptism and aggregation of some 3,000 persons to first Christian community. -
133
St. Stephen Stoned 33 AD
St. Stephen, deacon, was stoned to death at Jerusalem; he is venerated as the first Christian martyr. -
134
Saul --> Paul 34 AD
St. Paul, formerly Saul the persecuter of Christians, was converted and batpized. After three years of solitude in the desert, he joined the college of apostles; he made three major missionary journeys and became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles; he was imprisoned twice in Rome and was beheaded there between 64 and 67. -
142
St. James Beheaded 42 AD
Persecution of Christians is Palestine broke out during the rule of Herod Agrippa; St. James the Greater, the first apostle to die, was beheaded in 44; St. Peter was imprisoned for a short time; nmany Christians fled to Antioch, marking the beggining of the dispersion of Christians beyond the confines of Palestine. At Antioch, the followers of Christ were called Christians for the first time, -
151
Mosaic Laws Decreed not Obligatory 51 AD
The Council of the Jerusalem, in which all the apostles participated under the presidency of St. Peter, decreed that circumcision, dietary regulations, and various other prescriptions of Mosaic Law were not obliagtory for Gentile converts to the Christian community. The crucial decree was issued in opposition to Judaizers who contended that observance of the Mosaic Law was entirety was necessary for salvation. -
Cornelius and his family baptized 39 AD
Cornelius (the Gentile) and his family were baptized by St. Peter; a significant event signaling the mission of the church to all peoples. -
Christians Considered Jewish Sect... 49 AD
Christians at Rome, considered members of a Jewish sect, were adversely affected by a decree of Claudius which forbade Jewish orship there,