Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel Begins

66 BCE

Rome and Israel were always allies but, Rome took over Israel. Israel is the city of many religions, it's the holy land for a lot of religions. Rome took over Israel for power because if they have control of Israel then it's like the headquarters for religion and it can make people want to join your religion. By taking over Israel, all of the religion leaders would be forced and were presented the idea of Christianity which really helped spread the idea of Christianity.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth was Jesus's name when he was on Earth. Jesus Christ is the son of god and the reason that we have Easter is because he sacrificed himself on the cross so that he could have eternal life. Jesus was a Roman citizen who started Christianity in Rome and that's where the beliefs came from.

Paul of Tarsus

5

Paul of Tarsus or Saint Paul is considered to be the most important person after Jesus in the history of Christianity. He traveled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the word or Jesus. He also was the one that created the doctrine that would turn Christianity from a small part of Judaism into a major world faith that is open to all. Paul was a citizen of Rome and wrote some of the most beautiful and important passages in the bible.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome destroyed two-thirds of the city and was believed to be caused by the emperor at the time, Nero. people think that one of the reasons that he caused the fire was because he wanted to rebuild Rome the way he wanted. It is said that he persecuted the Christians as a scapegoat for the fire.

Perpetua

203

When the Christians were being persecuted they would make sure to show that they would not worship the roman gods, they tried to promote Christianity, and they were brave. An example is Perpetua. When she was put in prison, her father came to beg her to renounce her faith, but she didn't. Eventually she was thrown to the beasts to die and in the end, she led executioner to her neck. This showed how deeply she believed in her religion and everyone was watching so it had a very big affect on them.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

Emperor Diocletian wanted to reorganize and strengthen Rome by creating the tetrarchy which was a rule of 4 emperors. Diocletian and one of his tetrarchs, Galerius, agreed to help persecute the Christians once and for all because in his vision of a reorganized and strengthened Rome meant that all of the citizens needed to be behind the same belief about the old gods and not a new Christian god. This persecution would be one of the most trying times for the religion, but it managed to survive.

Constantine the Great

306

When Constantine was battling against other emperors for power, Constantine had a vision. In the vision, he saw a cross in the sky and a message that said "in this sign, you will conquer". He believed that the Christian god was on his side and helped him win this battle. Later, he met with Licinius, the eastern emperor, and they issued the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity. Constantine built a new capital city, Constantinople which was filled with churches and was dedicated to Christ.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

This battle t helped Constantine the Great become Emperor but it also is famous for its link to his conversion to Christianity. According to a story, before the battle, Constantine and his army saw words in the sky that said, in this sky i conquer. He also had a dream about the christian cross. After he won the battle, he thought it was due to the help of Christ. After this, Constantine worshiped Christianity and later made the edict of Milan which would legalize Christianity.

Edict of Milan

313

After Constantine's victory at the battle of Milvian bridge with the help of Christ, Constantine met with Licinius, who was at the time the Eastern Emperor. Together they made the Edict of Milan. The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity, removed all restrictions on Christian worship, and returned all property confiscated from the church during the Great Persecution. Not only did the Edict of Milan legalize Christianity, but it also met the point of freedom of religion and beliefs in general.

Emperor Theodosius

380

Emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica which made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. There were two types of Christians, the Nicene Creed and the Arian Heresy. Theodosius was Christian of the Nicene Creed and so he tried to put an end to the Adrian Heresy. Years before Theodosius's reign, emperors tried to put an end to the church, but people found that Theodosius was the one of the first emperors to submit to the church.