Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel Begins

64 BCE

This was a long rule starting in 64 BCE and lasting all the way till 312. The entire government was reformed, along with their military. The purpose of this was to reorganize and destabilize the nation and make popular resistance impossible. The first Jewish-Roman war began in 66, and in the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD destroyed lots of the temple in Jerusalem. Also, people in Israel were monotheistic, so to have the Romans let them stay that way, they had to pay taxes and obey Roman rule.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth was born in 4 BC and died in 30. He was a religious leader and is the central figure for Christianity. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God. He got his name because of where he was born. Christians also believe he is the second Person of the Holy Trinity.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

Paul of Tarsus was born in 4 BC and died between 64 and 67. He was an apostle who taught the Gospel of Christ to the first century world. He is said to be the second most important Christian figure after Jesus, because his letters had enormous influence on Christian theology. It is said that Paul was killed by the Roman Emperor Nero. He has also 13 books of the New Testament attributed to him. Only 7 of those letters can actually be authentic of Paul himself.

Great Fire of Rome

64

This Great Fire of Rome occurred in July of 64. This was a devastating fire which destroyed about two thirds of all of Rome's buildings. This was a very bad time. Nearly 60,000 homes were destroyed, but the death toll was extremely low with only 6 known deaths. There are also rumors that the emperor Nero did this so he could blame it on the Christians for why Rome had been in such a rough spot. This fire also lasted six days.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine was born in 272 and died in 337. Constantine is very important because he is the one who issued the Edict of Milan, was made Christianity legal, and stopped the persecutions. He made Christianity legal because he saw a sign in the sky which was the sign of God and put them on the shields, and then he won the battle. He after that also switched to Christianity. Maxentius was the person he defeated to win him that battle which made his beliefs switch.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution was in 303, and it was the persecution of Christians because at that time, Christianity was a looked down upon, weird, and illegal religion in Rome. The Roman emperor Diocletian wanted them to practice normal Roman religion. This was the last and most severe persecution of Christians. AS many as 3000-3500 people died during this persecution. The whole point of this was to just completely get rid of Christianity.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge happened on October 28, 312. It was between Roman Emperors Constantine and Maxentius. Constantine won becoming the ruler of Rome and this battle Constantine saw a sign which made him issue the Edict of Milan. This was an important route of the Tiber river. This battle was an important battle because it was part of a roman civil war. He saw a sign in the sky that looked like the symbol of God, and he put it on the shields and won which made he belive in Christianity.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was signed in February 313 by Constantine and Licinius. It stopped the persecution of Christians and gave people the freedom of religion. Constantine if the one who though of the Edict of Milan. It is a large reason of why Christianity grew so much. Constantine actually switched to Christianity himself afterwards.