-
Period: 85 to 160
Marcion
Declared a heretic and excommunicated from the church in Rome. And also rejected Hebrew scriptures. -
100
The Didache
Oldest christian writing. Visited by meaning teachers and writers. -
Period: 140 to 155
Shepard of Hermes
A freed slave who taught teachings. -
170
Montansim
Montanists were famous for their strict asceticism and their claim that they received direct revelations from God. -
Period: 180 to 200
The Muratorian Canon
Named after the man who discovered the manuscript in 1740. Also oldest known list of books in the New testament. -
Period: 197 to 197
Church fathers
Second-century writers in the churches. -
Period: 200 to 250
Denis
He was the first bishop of Paris and the patrant saint of France. -
Period: 216 to 276
Manichaeism
The most persistent of the heretical Gnostic movements. -
Period: 226 to 269
Valentine
A priest that was connected to the romantic celebrations that we celebrate today. -
251
On Catholic Unity
a series of pastoral treatises and letters, provides a
highly important resource for historians interested in early church life and structure. -
251
The Decian Persecution
Origen died by being tortured as one of the final victims. Many Christians were persecuted. -
252
Plague in Carthage
A severe plague hit Carthage It evoked anti-Christian feelings. -
Period: 255 to 330
Helena
The mother of Constantine. A prominent position of authority in the Roman Empire. -
Period: 260 to 278
Dionysus
Became pope in 260. He was one of the most important bishops of the era. He helped restore the church after the Valerian persecution. -
Period: 285 to 305
Catherine of Alexandria
A scholar and virgin martyred in Alexandria -
Period: 297 to 373
Athanasius
The most prominent champion of orthodoxy against Arianism. Became bishop of Alexandria in 328. -
Period: 303 to 304
Era of Martyrs
Diocletian ordered that all churches be torn down. -
325
Easter
A big problem that the church faced about how to celebrate it. -
433
Nestoranism
The Nestorian Church formed from the Eastern bishops who refused to accept the Council Of Ephesus. -
Period: 480 to 524
Boethius
He served the Ostrogothic court at Ravenna. -
Period: 492 to 496
Pope Gelasius
first to assume the title "Vicar of Christ." One of the great architects of papal primacy. -
Period: 500 to 547
Theodora
Crowned co-empress in 527. Wife to Justinian. -
529
Emperor Justinian
In 529 he closed the paganm philosophical schools in Athens and waged a campaign against the
Montanists, the heretical group still lingering from the second century. -
Period: 540 to 604
Gregory the Great
Gregory became pope in 590. His objections to
John the Faster stemmed from the conviction that Rome was the
original see of Peter, and as such it was to Rome that the care of the universal church had been entrusted. -
Period: 570 to 649
John Climacus
A hermit and abbot of the monastery at Mount Sinai, John “the
Climber” wrote the mystical Ladder of Paradise, widely read by
Orthodox Christian monks. -
Period: 580 to 662
Maximus
Maximus was a Greek theologian who opposed Monothelitism
and was eventually banished in 653 when he would not agree to the settlement. -
Period: 614 to 680
Hilda
Hilda was a Northumbrian princess who was baptised by
Paulinus in 627. In 659 she founded a double monastery for men andwomen, located on the cliffs of Streanshalch. -
640
The invention of the Human Being
The historical arguments over nuances of creedal definition
often seem bewildering and irrelevant to modern readers. -
Period: 690 to 741
Charles Martel
The Franks were the most powerful of the Christianised
Germanic people. Charles Martel was a Frankish ruler
from 714 who enjoyed support from bishops and other influential
Christian leaders. -
697
The end of Byzantium
In 697 and 698 Carthage was under Muslim Arab control. The
mass exodus of Greek and Roman populations from the city marked the end of Byzantium’s rule in North Africa. -
723
The oak of Thor
Boniface cut down the sacred tree at Geismar (modern-day
Fritzlar, Germany) in 723 in front of a hostile crowd. When they saw
that Boniface was not struck by lightning, the crowd converted to
Christianity and a chapel was built on the spot. -
746
Boniface
Boniface was made the first archbishop of Mainz. -
Period: 750 to 780
Chinese Christianity
A monument to Assyrian missionary activity in China, the
Sian-Fu Stone records that the church in the T’ang dynasty was at its height from 750 to 780. -
789
Vikings
Constant attacks from Norse Vikings brought chaos
to the coastal regions of England and Scotland. Monasteries and
churches were sacked for their wealth, and many people were displaced as a result of the raids. -
790
Donation of Constantine
Written towards the end of the eighth century, the Donation
purports to record the gift of land and authority from Emperor
Constantine I to the pope and his successors. -
Period: 800 to 803
Croats
Prince Viseslav reigned in the Croatian port city of Nin c. 800.
A Christian, Viseslav was in power when a Frankish bishopric was
established c. 803 and the Croatians officially became a Christian
people. -
Period: 849 to 899
Alfred the Great
For Christianity, the last half of the ninth century in England
was a time of culture and learning set against the backdrop of
devastating Viking incursions. -
Period: 878 to 890
King Guthrum
In 878 the Danish warlord Guthrum overran Wessex in a
surprise attack on Alfred’s forces. -
Period: 907 to 935
Wencelas
The Bohemian prince became king in 922 and was known for
his Christian piety and learning. -
Period: 945 to 1003
Pope Sylvester II
Sylvester became pope in 999, the first Frenchman to hold that
office. -
Period: 955 to 1020
Alferic
The Benedictine abbot Aelfric is chiefly known for his concern
to educate English clergy in their own language and for the high
quality of his writing. -
Period: 956 to 997
ADALBERT OF PRAGUE
Adalbert became bishop of his native Prague in 982. His
attempts at moral reform led to much opposition from local princes,
and he was forced from the city in 996. -
Period: 994 to 1035
King of Tides
The Danish warlord Canute (c. 994–1035) conquered England
in 1016. After his conversion to Christianity, Canute earned a Holy Roman emperor, the German king Henry III convened a council
in the Italian town of Sutri to settle the dispute between Benedict IX. -
Period: 1043 to 1086
Canute the Holy
Canute IV became king of Denmark in 1080. He was a fervent
supporter of Christianity and passed laws for the care of the poor and sick. -
1093
Anslem
Anselm was archbishop of Canterbury in England -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard of Bingen
A German Benedictine abbess, Hildegard was famous for her
mystical theology, writing, and wide learning, which included natural
history, musical compositions, and medicine. -
Period: 1105 to 1107
First Crusade
The crusaders’ ostensible aim had been to defend the
Byzantine Empire against the Muslim threat, yet conflicts between
Western and Eastern Christendom continued in the Middle East. -
Period: 1147 to 1187
Second Crusade
The army ransacked Byzantine territory as it marched
through on its way to Jerusalem, leading to deeper mistrust between East and West. -
Period: 1150 to 1160
Third Crusade
Gregory’s efforts led to European
truces and the organisation of the Third Crusade under his successor led a crusade against the Finns in the 1150s. -
Period: 1170 to 1221
Dominicans
Dominic had been active in preaching against the
Albigensians since 1203. In 1206, with the support of the bishop of
Toulouse, he founded a teaching convent for women. -
1182
Maronite Church
This Syrian Christian church is predominately based in
Lebanon (where they currently constitute the largest single religious
group), with members found throughout the Middle East as well as in North and South America. -
Period: 1182 to 1226
Franciscans
Francis of Assisi renounced worldly possessions
after a pilgrimage to Rome in 1205, after which he founded a society
for preaching, poverty, and penance in 1209. From 1245 onwards,
adherents to the original ideal of poverty clashed with moderates who allowed corporate ownership of property. -
Period: 1207 to 1231
Elizabeth of Hungary
The daughter of King Andrew of Hungary, Elizabeth gained a
reputation from an early age as an extreme ascetic and holy woman. -
Period: 1211 to 1225
Teutonic knights
The German religious and military order was initially founded
as a hospital order confirmed by Pope Clement III in 1199. The
knights were active in Hungary and Prussia (from 1231), becoming powerful rulers in their own right. -
Period: 1308 to 1471
Thomas A Kempis
A German priest and mystic, Thomas spent his life in the
Augustinian monastery at Zwolle where he was a celebrated author
and spiritual adviser. -
Period: 1339 to 1410
Three Popes
The Great Schism lasted for decades, with successions of popes
and anti-popes along both lines claiming their legitimacy over the
other. -
Period: 1342 to 1413
Julian of Norwich
A mystic and anchoress, Julian lived in a cell built into the wall
of her church -
Period: 1347 to 1351
Black death
This name was given to the bubonic plague that swept through
China, India, and Europe between 1347 and 1351. -
Period: 1401 to 1464
Nicholas of Cusa
The German priest and theologian was also a celebrated from France to Rome. -
Period: 1412 to 1431
Joan of Ark
This peasant “Maid of Orléans” was born into the context of
the Hundred Years’ War with England and the ongoing civil strife
between the great houses of France -
Period: 1440 to 1505
Ivan the Great
Ivan III “the Great” ruled in Russia between 1462
and 1505. The 1472 marriage between Ivan and Sophia,niece of the last Byzantine emperor, helped strengthen Russia’s claim to be the natural successor to Byzantine Orthodoxy. -
1453
Fall of Constantinople
The Turks invaded the city of Constantinople by land and sea
in 1453. -
Period: 1483 to 1546
Martin Luther
Luther was a German priest and theologian. Sometime between
1512 and 1515 Luther’s reading of Augustine and the apostle Paul led to his conviction that “faith alone justifies without works -
1521
Anabaptist
“Anabaptist” was the general designation for those reform
movements that refused to allow infant baptism and insisted on the
rebaptism of adult believers. -
Period: 1522 to 1546
John of Ionnina
Also known as John the Tailor, John was a craftsman living in
Constantinople under Ottoman rule. Captured by angry apostates
because he himself would not recant, he was burnt and beheaded in 1546. -
Period: 1522 to
Philothei of Athens
During the Ottoman period in Greece, many women were
forced into Turkish harems. The nun Philothei offered sanctuary to
these women and was killed as a result. -
1526
The New Name
The First Diet of Speyer in 1526 had determined that each
prince should be allowed to order church affairs within his sphere of
influence, thus sanctioning the spread of Lutheranism. -
Period: 1542 to
John of the Cross
A Spanish mystic and doctor of the church, John worked
closely with Teresa of Ávila in reforming the Carmelite order. He
wrote on the self’s transformation in the presence of the Divine. -
Period: 1548 to
Francisco Suarez
The Spanish Jesuit pioneered new methods of philosophy
suited for the contemporary Christian mind. -
Period: to
Slavery
A small band of churchmen stood against the exploitation and
slavery that came with European colonial expansion. -
Period: to
John Bunyan
As a young Puritan, Bunyan fought in the Civil War. Following
the Restoration, Bunyan was imprisoned between 1660 and 1672 for his dissenting preaching. -
Period: to
Dositheus
Patriarch since 1669, Dositheus used his considerable influence
in Orthodoxy to combat Protestant innovations and continue to resist Roman Catholic inroads.