Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire - Caleb Jacobsen

Roman Rule of Israel 37 BC - 73 CE

37 BCE

In 37 BC, Heron was appointed king of Judea by the Romans. Herod became one of the most powerful monarchs in the region. The Jewish people generally didn't like him. Ten years after Heron's death Judea was under direct Roman rule. Continued suppression of the Jewish lifestyle led to a full blown revolt in 66 AD. Roman troops under the leadership of Titus eventually won the battle and destroyed Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Jews died fighting and thousands more were sold into slavery.

Jesus of Nazareth 1 BC

1 BCE

Jesus is the main figure of the Christian Religion. He was seen as the incarnation of God. Jesus' message was that there was a kingdom greater than Rome, but the claim that he was the son of God offended people. His ideas also threatened thousands of years of tradition. When the Jewish were selling animals for ceremony, Jesus was furious and destroyed the stalls and was arrested. Jesus' words infuriated the Romans, and Jesus was crucified in 33 AD. His followers continued to spread Christianity.

Great Fire of Rome 64 AD

64

The Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD saw most of Rome go up in flames. There are theories surrounding the fire and the emperor of the time Nero. Some say that he started the fire to destroy Rome because he wanted to rebuild it in his image. Nero blamed the fire on the Christians

Paul of Tarsus 67 AD

67

St. Paul is often considered the most important person in Christianity after Jesus. Paul's epistles had massive impact on Christian theology, mainly God, The Father, Jesus, and on the human relationship with the divine. Paul persecuted Christians until he saw the resurrected Christ and was blinded for three days. After his encounter, he converted and began to preach Christianity. Around 67 AD, Paul was put to death by current Emperor Nero. His epistles heavily influenced the Christian religion.

Perpetua 182 AD - 203 AD

203

Perpetua was a Christian martyr who wrote The Passion of Saints which was a journal about her trial and imprisonment. Perpetua and Felicity were put to death in Carthage along with others for disobeying the Roman Emperor.

The Great Persecution of 303 AD

303

The Great Persecution saw the murders of thousands of Christians. Christians were burned, tortured, killed, and fed to animals in the Colosseum for entertainment. They were persecuted ruthlessly. Facts about the persecution; The emperors of the time signed edicts that stripped Christians from their rights and demanded that they have to follow traditional religious practices. As many as 3,000 to 3,500 Christians were killed.

Constantine the Great 312 AD

312

Constantine the Great was a military leader and a devotee of Sol Invictus, the god of the sun. In 312 AD, before the Milvian Bridge Battle, Constantine supposedly saw a sign in the sky. In hoc signo vinces, which meant in Greek, in this sign, conquer. That night, Constantine had a dream. Christ told him to use the Christian sign in the battle. After donning the symbol on his armies shields, the battle was won. After the Battle, Constantine met with the Eastern emperor and signed Edict of Milan.

Battle of Milvian Bridge 312 AD

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge was fought under Constantine the Great. It was a fight between Constantine and Maxentius. It was a crucial moment in a civil war between Constantine and Maxentius that left Constantine as Emperor and ultimately left Christianity as the official religion of the Empire. The most well known event from the battle was when Constantine marched into the fight under the sign of Christ after seeing a vision and having a dream that told him to do so. He won the battle.

Edict of Milan 313 AD

313

After the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine the Great met with the Eastern emperor and passed the Edict of Milan. The Edict officially ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. Treat Christians benevolently. The Edict of Milan gave Christians religious freedom and rights. The Edict of Milan is one of the most important reasons for Christianities growth in the Roman Empire.

Emperor Theodosius 379 AD - 395 AD

379

During his role as the sole emperor of Rome in 379 AD - 395 AD, he spent most of his rule suppressing paganism and Arianism and he established the creed of the Council of Nicaea as the universal standard for Christian orthodoxy. He also covered the convening of the second general council at Constantinople. Theodosius also rebuilt the army to consolidate power in the Balkan Peninsula.