Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

64 BCE

The Roman Rule in Israel lasted from 64 BC to 313 BC. It was founded by Romulus, and was a province of Syria. The Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem and made the Jewish kingdom a client state of Rome. The Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus was the religious leader of the Christians in Galilee. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah. He was a Jew who was baptized by John the Baptist and began preaching his message and was often referred to as "rabbi". Jesus was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities, turned over to the Roman government, and was crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. After his death, his followers believed he rose from the dead.

Paul of Tarsus

5

Paul was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first century world. In the mid 30's to the mid 50's AD he founded several churches in Asia and Europe. He was a Jew and a Roman citizen, and used this to minister both groups. In the New Testament, Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. Jesus came to him once during one of his journeys and blinded him, but after 3 days he could see again. After that, he preached about Jesus of Nazareth.

Great Fire of Rome

64

Over 65% of the city burnt down during the six day period. Some people believed Nero planned the fire so he could bypass the senate to build Rome the way he wished. The Christians were living in an area that wasn't touched by the fire, and some people thought they started it trying to make the prophecy come true. The fire ended on the sixth day, July 23, 64 AD.

Perpetua

181

Vibia Perpetua was a saint who was imprisoned with her slave Felicity, who was pregnant. She wrote a journal about her and Felicity's trials during their imprisonment. They were martyred on March 7, in 203.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

In 303 CE, Diocletian tried to blame the Christians for economical and political problems. He destroyed churches and scriptures to try and achieve his goal of everyone believing in the old Gods again, and to unify the Empire. These mass murders ended around the time Constantine legalized his Edict in 312 CE.

Constantine the Great

312

Constantine saw the words in the sky, "In Hoc Signo Vinces" which translates to "In this sign, conquer". That night he also had a dream where God came to him and told him to use the cross against his enemies. The Christians stopped being persecuted massively after this.

Battle Of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine and Maxentius on October 28, 312. The bridge was an important route over the Tiber river. Constantine won, and Maxentius drowned in the river during the battle. His body was later taken from the river and decapitated, and his head was paraded through the streets of Rome on the day following the battle. Constantine's victory led him to end the mass killings of the Christians.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. It stated that the Christian religion was to be tolerated in the Roman Empire. This was issued in February, 313 AD, shortly after the emperor Diocletian had stopped the unfair treatment of Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

379

Flavius Theodosius Augustus (Theodosius the Great), made Christianity the state religion while he was emperor, and defended it from Paganism and Arianism. He was born on January 11, 347 AD, and died on January 17, 395 AD. He remained emperor until 395 AD. He was also the last emperor to rule a united Roman Empire.