The Catholic Church

The Birth of Jesus

4 BCE

The Nativity of Jesus was a significant event as it would be a message to all Christians and Catholics stating that God does exist. This birth became a spark to everyone because it was a prophecy that was fulfilled in the New Testament of the Bible. This also gave the impression God in a different perspective. Rather than a fierce, all-knowing God, the world experienced a man that was humble, generous and loving who showed everyone the true spirit of God. Jesus laid the foundation of the Church.

Council of Jerusalem

50

The Council of Jerusalem was a group that run by Catholics and other denominations and was the first of later councils that would remotely look over the morals and ethics of Christians. Their decrees would include the circumcision of males and the idea of following the Torah and the rules of Judaism.This in fact would be one of the most significant situations as Paul and James would disagree on one another leading to lots of controversy.

the Destruction of Jerusalem

70

This was one of the most important events in Catholic/Christian History. Emperor Titus dispatching his troops on Jerusalem. They began their raid near the end of 69 AD and eventually destroyed the lives of many jews and as a result, burned the Temple of Jerusalem which was called as a Center of Judaism. This mad slaughter derived from the prosecution of Christians led by Emperor Nero. This siege ended in September 70 AD with 97,000 enslaved and 1.1 million left killed in the city

Saint Justin publishes The First Apology

150

The First Apology defends Christians and explains how Christianity isn't a religion filled with immoral believers. Justin addresses that those who do wrong aren't real christians to begin with. He urges the Roman Empire to not persecute Christians because of what they believe in. In addition he would address information on the practices of the Church like the Eucharist and how significant it would be to the world. He provides the argument that Christianity is a way of living not just a belief.

Conversion of Constantine

312

The conversion of Constantine was a huge success to Christianity and their reputation. With the conversion of the Roman Emperor, Christianity slowly became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. It was rumoured though that Constantine was converted with the help of his mother. He was baptised shortly before his death and claimed that he was the Emperor of the Christian people. The Edict of Milan writes that Constantine believed he owed his life and reputation to the God provided to him.

The First Council of Nicaea

325

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was held in order to establish a similar idea of Christianity and held meetings determining different incidents concerning the religion. This was also the same council that helped publish the Nicene Creed and would argue which books would be included in the Bible

The Second Council of Nicea

Dec 24, 787

This Second Council was a big ecumenical council as it would be separated into 8 different sessions that would have each concern for themselves. This council would try to correct the iconoclast heretics that would oppose the Catholic Church. The Council was accepted as the Seventh Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church.

The East/West Schism

Jan 1, 1054

This Great Schism was the confirmation of the separation between Christian Churches led by Michael Cerularius and Pope Leo IX. The separation spawned from the different disputes over jurisidiction and the claims of authority over the 4 Eastern Patriarchs. The separation is still present in this current time and it is unidentifiable if there will be unity between the two churches.

Pope Urban II and The First Crusade

Nov 27, 1095

Pope Urban II influenced all Christians in Europe to fight the Muslims in his mission to reclaim the Holy Land. The Turkish People threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire and overthrow Constantinople which led to an alliance between Emperor Alexius I and Pope Urban II. They both fought back the Turkish People. This started the crusade but unfortunately, Christians were not able to fight the professional armies as the Christian armies were poorly trained peasants. Pope Urban then passed in 1999

The Western Schism of the Catholic Church

Jan 1, 1378

The Western Schism of the Roman Catholic Church was acted upon because of the lack of faith and the majority of those who relied on politics rather than the teachings of God. The Schism ended when the Council of Constance (started in 1414 and ended in 1418) held an election to find out these 3 men who claimed that they were the pope.

Martin Luther: '95 Theses' & The Reformation

Jan 1, 1517

Martin Luther was born in 1483 and was a monk. He journeyed to Rome and was appalled at what he witnessed. People paying indulgences for God's blessing and feeding the church with money in order to save themselves. Luther released a document that would attack highly on the corrupt flaws the Catholic Church had. Protestantism was spawning from Luther's beliefs. Luther was then called a heretic. The Reformation was a transition that changed Europe as it challenged everything Catholics stood for.

The Act of Supremacy

Jan 1, 1534

The Act of Supremacy was an act of Parliament that separated England from the Catholic Church. Henry VIII was then recognised as the "Supreme Head of the Church of England." This act gave Henry the opportunity to leave his first wife Catharine of Aragon and able to marry a new wife Anne Boleyn. The Pope did not recognise this as a real marriage and did not accept it which led to this Act of the Church of England.

The Second Vatican Council

Oct 12, 1962

The Council was the most significant event in the modern era of the Catholic Church. This Council was formed in order to renew the spiritual significance of the church and a way to have all Christians together in hopes of reunion. The Second Vatican Council called over 2,000 bishops to reconcile with one another and wanted to pray for each denomination and encouraged a bond with all. This would also be the start of allowing different languages to be spoken during mass other than Latin.

Ut Unum Sint: Pope John Paul II on Ecumenism

May 25, 1995

This encyclical was one of the 14 encyclicals that was published by Pope John Paul II. This was very influential to all as the document wanted to encourage unity with Catholic and Protestant Churches. He claimed that the there were faults between both sides of the Catholic Church. The separation was not a one-sided flaw. This encyclical wanted everyone to reflect on themselves and how far the Catholic Church has evolved than it was 400 years ago