Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

6 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, was a first century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He was the main figure of Christianity. Jesus of Nazareth is believed to be the incarceration of God's son and the Messiah from the old testament.

Paul of Tarsus

33

Paul is generally known as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. Paul was committed to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. He took to his advantage of the status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to preach to both Jewish and Romans.

The Great fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome burned for six days. People who believed in Christ were burned on a steak which is said to have help ignite the fire. Once the fire went became under control, it then re-ignited for three more days. The fire burned 10 of Rome's 14 districts.

Roman Rule of Israel

100

Judea is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name "Judah", which originally composed the territory of the Israelite tribe and later became the ancient Kingdom of Judah. Judea was ruled by a Roman counselor who managed its political and military advances. Its governmental structure was reorganized by the Roman governor of Syria who split the country into five districts.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua, a married noblewoman, said to be 22 years old at the time of her death. She was a mother of an infant that she was nursing. Both Perpetua and Felicity were arrested and executed at the military games in honor of the Emperor, Septimius Severus's birthday.

Great Persecution

303

The Great Persecution lasted eight years under Diocletian's rule.Thousands of Christians were killed. Christians were thrown to the beasts to "fight," but in most circumstances, the beasts just killed them right away. Christians were forced to practice in the dark, hiding from Diocletian.

Constantine the Great

312

Constantine the Great was said to have seen a cross in the sky with the words "Conquer by this." Then Constantine dreamed to put the letters "XP" on shields of his soldiers. This lead to Constantine becoming the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He then built a capital in the east, Constantinople, which became filled with churches.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

Constantine won the battle and started on the path that led him to end the ruler and become the main ruler of the Roman Empire. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Maxentius's body was later taken out from the river and decapitated. His head was later paraded through the streets of Rome the day after the battle.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter that was signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that allowed religious permission in the Roman Empire.It allowed peace, honor and freedom of religion. Though shortly after it was published, emperor Diocletian stopped the unfair treatment to the Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

379

Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. He campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the empire. He didn't prevent or punish the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity