Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

30

Also known as Jesus Christ, he is the God of Christianity. Christians see him as the prophet and official God to their monotheistic religion.

Great Fire of Rome

64

A massive fire was embarked at the Circus Maximus in Rome. For six whole days, it stayed burning until it was extinguished. It is stated that during this time, the emperor, Nero, was the cause of this fire in order to build new palaces, but it wasn't proven. Another possibility was that the fire could've easily been started by an accident, as the structures during that time were poorly made with wood.

Roman Rule of Israel

64

As the expansion of Rome continued, one of the territories they happened to go to war for was Israel and thus began the Jewish-Roman wars. During Israel's control, Rome's army lead by general Pompey plundered many religious temples and executions which started a massive rebellion.

Paul of Tarsus

67

Paul of Tarsus or more commonly known Saint Paul is one of the oldest known saints in Christianity and holds a high importance to the religion. His importance comes from him leading some of the first generation Christians and preaching the religion during his time.

Saint Perpetua

203

Perpetua during her time was a saint for Christianity. Another term for her is that she's a Christian martyr, killed for her belief in god. During her time of imprisonment, she wrote in her diary her experiences and later became orthodox.

The Great Persecution

303

In 303 CE, the worst persecution of Christians took place, all of those who were rumored to be Christian would be publicly executed. Mostly due to the Romans believing that Christianity was a direct attack against their polytheistic ways and was as a result made the practices illegal. Around 2,500 to 3,500 were killed/executed during this time frame.

Constantine the Great

306

When Rome was split up into parts, Constantine ruled the West. Constantine was one to fight for power to rule, and enabled the growth and legalization of Christianity through the Edict of Milan. Why did Constantine become fond of Christianity? He had a vision, in this vision he had, he saw the cross surrounded by light, a note that says "In hoc signo vinces. In this sign, conquer". He later took part in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, which he then won.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place on October 28th, 312 between both emperors Constantine the Great and Maxentius near the Tiber river. This battle was a huge deal because Constantine's victory landed him as the ruler of the Empire as a whole and helped the expansion of Christianity

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was issued in 313 CE in efforts to stop the persecution of the Christians. The Edict was issued by both Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius

Emperor Theodosius

379

Emperor Theodosius was the saint who made Christianity Rome's official religion through the Edict of Thessalonica and the last ever emperor to rule both the Western and Eastern parts of Rome.