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63 BCE
Roman Rule of Israel (begins)
Roman general, Pompey established the Roman province of Syria (64 BC) while earlier conquering Jerusalem (63 BC). Later Julius Caeser conquered Pompey and Judaism was recognized as a legal religion. -
4 BCE
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) was a Jewish preacher/religious leader. Jesus is the main figure of Christianity and most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was born into the Roman empire and therefore played an important part in Christianity in the Roman empire. -
10
Paul of Tarsus
Paul was one of a few leaders of the first generation of Christians. St. Paul was known to be the most important person after Jesus in all of the history of Christianity. The letters he wrote had a very large impact on Christian theology (theology of Christian belief and practice). It especially had a large impact on the relationship between God the Father and Jesus and the mystical human relationship with the Divine. -
64
Great Fire of Rome
The Great Fire of Rome was a fire that was started in the well known Circus Maximus stadium. The fire took six days(July 18-July 24) to finally extinguish and after it was put out, 10 of Rome's 14 districts were completely burned. No one knows exactly who or what started the fire but historians believe that it was roman emperor, Nero. However Nero blamed the creation of the fire on the Christians. Though this theory is a possibility, it could have also been the poorly constructed wood apartments -
182
Perpetua
Perpetua was a young Christian woman. Perpetua along with Felicity were Christian Martyrs(someone who is killed because of their testimony of Jesus and God). Martyrs were held at a high honor in Christianity and they helped Christian churches strengthen and grow. Carthage later forbade conversion to Christianity which caused Perpetua and four others to be arrested. The five Christians refused to renounce their faith and were sentenced to death in the arena. -
303
Great Persecution of 303 CE
The Great Persecution was the harshest persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Though this persecution was the cruelest of them all, it was the last within the roman empire. Christians were persecuted because of their disrespect and refusal to worship the emperor. Christians also refused to take part in sacrifice which caused for a general disliking of them. -
306
Constantine the Great
Roman emperor, Constantine the Great, was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Constantine played a very important role in the creation of the Edict of Milan. The Edict of Milan permanently established toleration of Christianity within the Roman Empire. As well as that Constantine built a new empire, Byzantium, which he later renamed Constantinople after himself. Constantine the Great ruled from 306 to 337. -
312
Battle of Milvian Bridge
The Battle of Milvian Bridge was a war fought between the two Roman emperors Constantine and Maxentius. This battle, as the name shows, was fought on Milvio Bridge in Rome. Constantine won the battle which led him to accomplish his legalizing of Christianity. After this battle he was named the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. -
313
Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan was a proclamation signed by Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. Within this document it stated that all persecution of Christians was to be stopped. It also tolerated religions including Christianity and made it legal within the Roman Empire. This was the first document that showed tolerance and respect for Christians. -
379
Emperor Theodosius
Emperor Theodosius also known as Theodosius the Great was the last emperor to rule over both the Eastern and Western halves of Rome. Theodosius ruled from 379 to 395. He was very important to Christianity because he made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. Not only did he make it the official religion of Rome but he ended any and all persecution of Christians that still existed.
