Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

63 BCE

Rome gained control of Israel in 64 BC, since Rome wrestled the reign from Syria. Rome became more and more popular, to the point where the border started expanding. This made it easy for them to take over Israel. They controlled the Jews, and it was prohibited for them to practice Judaism. Jews tried to revolt, but nothing would change, until later when time had passed.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

Paul of Tarsus was born in Tarsus, now known as Turkey. He was once hated by all Christians, and later turned into the person who all Christians looked up to. He once persecuted Christians, and demanded that they give up their faith. Soon, he was outnumbered by the Christians. Paul was traveling to Damascus when his belief of Jesus began to grow. Paul listened to Jesus, as he asked him if he could be baptized. He said yes, and the holy spirit filled himself at once.

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Jesus was born into a family who lived in the village Nazareth. Its population split into groups, called hostile groups. He joined one of them, and when he was thirty, he was baptized in the Jordan River. He then began a ministry of his own. He traveled around and brought his message with him to spread. It said that there was a better place than Rome, and God would provide for even the poorest of people. This gave the Christians hope moving forward. From then, Christianity started to spread.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

On July 19, 64CE, a fire burned in the Circus Maximus of ancient Rome. This fire burned for six days before it was under control. Many ancient historians blamed the emperor, Nero for the cause of the fire. Some say that he wanted to raze Rome, so he could build a new palace. Others say he was playing the fiddle, watching it all happen. Nero took the blame off of himself and blamed the Christians. More than two thirds of Rome was burned down. Nobody knows exactly what caused this fire to spark.

Perpetua

182

Perpetua was a Christian martyr who wrote The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, a journal of her trial and imprisonment. She was a Christian woman, who was arrested for what she believed. A diary was kept to document her experiences, and the night before her scheduled death, it was handed over to another Christian to continue the writings. She, among others were attacked by wild beasts in the arena. Her journal is one of the oldest, rare documents written by a woman of the ancient world.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine the Great was the first Roman empire. He ruled from 306 to 337 CE. He adopted Christianity, as the main religion of the Roman empire, and even created a new city, Constantinople. The city had Christian churches and was inspired by a Christian god. A major accomplishment of his time was how he issued the Edict of Milan which allowed the right to practice all religions. He was credited for being the person who heard the other side, allowing Christianity to spread. He died in 337 AD.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution of 303 CE took place between 303 CE to 311 CE. It was a time of transition and change in ancient Christianity. Christians were hated, and were persecuted because of it. For the first, Nero cracked down on the Christians by throwing them to beasts and burned them alive. Diocletian persecuted the Christians to unify the empire, but the Christians miraculously survived and triumphed.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge was in 312 CE. The crucial civil war battle was what it took for Constantine to be the sole ruler for the Roman Empire. The night before the battle, Constantine had a dream: he saw a sun overlain by the figure of a cross. He had all of his men paint crosses on their shields. Constantine met the rival forces beside the River Tiber. He took advantage of the fact that Maxentius' troops were placed against the river, so he cornered them. Maxentius ended up drowning.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was the crucial piece to tolerate all religions. It was the outcome of a political agreement made in 313 CE. This benefited the Christians especially, since they were at a weak point. The Christians could now worship the way they wanted to, and organize churches. It also brought the return of confiscated property to Christians. The Edict of Milan brought a final abandonment to the persecutions of the Christians. The transition to the "Christian Empire" had officially begun.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Theodosius was emperor from 379 to 395 CE. He ruled the East, and then later both the East and West as sole emperor. During his time, he established the creed of the Council of Nicaea, sought to rebuild the army, and brought unity to empire through faith. He unified the East and West during his time as emperor, which permanently split once he died. The Christians believed that Theodosius was emperor by the grace of God. His legacy is controversial to this day. He died in 395 CE.