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Period: 70 to 312
Early Christianity
By the 4th century there were 4 great centers of Christianity: Rome, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey), Antioch in Palestine, and Alexandria in Egypt. Each had different geography, culture, and politics. -
313
Edict of Milan
Roman Emperor Constantine the Great declared Christianity as legal religion, ending time of persecution -
Period: 354 to 430
St. Augustine
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Period: 389 to 461
St. Patrick
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410
Rome falls
Rome fell to invaders and Roman Empire collapsed, positioning the church to bring order and stability to Europe. -
Period: 500 to 1517
Christian Middle Ages
Largely poor and uneducated, the population of western Europe struggled to survive as it faced disease and famine. -
Period: 540 to 604
Pope Gregory the Great
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622
Beginning of Islam
The spread of Islam throughout the Middle East and North Africa, many Christians in Egypt either converted to Islam or were persecuted. Mohammed began writing the Koran in 625. -
732
Battle of Tours
Followers of Islam invaded Europe through Spain. -
800
Charlemagne crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the pope
Charlemagne, king of the Franks, crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the pope. -
1054
The Great Schism
The church split into the Eastern Orthodox Church centered in Constantinople and the Western Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome. -
Period: 1095 to 1249
The Crusades
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Period: 1182 to 1226
St. Francis of Assisi
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Period: 1200 to 1299
1200's - a time of great expansion
During the 1200's universities were established to teach theology, along with hospitals and cathedrals. The church was the center for government, education, and the arts -- resulting in a powerful and wealthy Western church, -
1209
Franciscan Monastic Order formed
Followed St. Francis of Assisi. Practiced holy living and care for the poor. -
1216
Dominican Monastic Order formed
Monastic order also practiced holy living and emphasized preaching and teaching. -
1227
Pope Gregory died
Pope Gregory began the Inquisition -
1380
John Wycliffe
Wycliffe taught that unjust rulers (including popes and bishops) could not claim that it was God's will that people obey them, and the Bible is the authority for Christian faith. -
Period: 1401 to
The Renaissance
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1415
John Hus
Led a movement that denounced indulgences and asserted that Christ is the head of the church. -
1450
Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press
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Period: 1483 to 1546
Martin Luther
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1495
Girolamo Savonarola
Criticizes the pope (Alexander VI) and called for church leaders to return to the simplicity of the gospel. -
Period: 1517 to
Age of Reformation
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Oct 31, 1517
Luther posts his Ninty-Five Theses in Wittenberg
...and the Protestant movement is born! -
1519
Huldrich Zwingli - ministry begins
Disagreed with Luther about the Lord's Supper, leading to the first split in Protestantism. -
1521
Pope Leo X excommunicates Luther
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1541
John Calvin's reformation begins
Emphasized God's sovereignty, the Holy Spirit, and godly preaching and teaching in all churches.
