Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman rule of Israel

40 BCE

The Romans took over Israel in 40 BCE. They appointed Herod as the king of Judea in 37 BCE and he ruled until his death in 4 BCE. Herod was granted basically unlimited power by the Romans and became one of the most powerful leaders in the Eastern part of Rome. After his death Judea was handed over directly to the Roman government and it remained that way until about 313 CE.

Jesus of Nazareth is born

1 CE

Jesus was born at the year 0, he died in 33 CE. Jesus was the lead figure at the center of Christianity. His birth marked the start of a time where people began to follow him and his teachings. Jesus sparked the beginning of the current most followed religion on Earth. He influence thousands of people when he was alive and continues to gain followers after his death.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The great fire of Rome was an event that really marked the start of the first persecution of Christians in Rome. The emperor Nero(who was originally accused of starting to the fire for his own agenda) scapegoated the Christians living in Rome. His accusations brought forth a great hatred by the Roman citizens. Nero also said that the Roman gods were going to be angry with them and they were going to bring their god's wrath on them. He used this momentum to begin an organized persecution.

Paul of Tarsus

67

He was a devoted apostle who was a major figure in the church both before and after Jesus' death. He was origianlly known for persecuting Christians before being converted and becoming a leading power in Christian society. Paul is known for writing 13 of the 27 books of the new testament. He was put to death by Nero in 67 CE for his Christian faith. He was known as one of Jesus' most faithful followers and one of the 12 disciples.

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a Christian martyr who was a leading figure in growing the church during times of persecution in Rome. Her complete faith that she would be in a better place drew a lot of people toward the church during her trial and after her death. After she was arrested by the Roman government, her father begged her to do the thing that would grant her freedom, deny being a Christian. When asked to do this she refused and stood fast in her faith. This inability to give in led to her death in 203

Great Persecution of 303

303

It was the most widespread and biggest persecution of Christians in Rome. Diocletian was the emperor to put this horrendous event in place. It killed thousands of Christians living in the Roman empire. This included many leaders in the Christian Church. This persecution, however, also helped add to their message of salvation, grace, and forgiveness. They were often seen as martyrs and helped fuel the cause. Despite this, the newly converted and surviving Christians were forced to live in hiding.

Constantine the great

312

Constantine was one of 4 emperors of Rome when he had his visions and won his victory that led him to begin glorifying the Christian God. He was going to battle with another one of the emperors when he saw a vision in the sky. He then had a dream instructing him to do some things. He did these and won the battle later. He gave the credit of this victory to the Christian God who he believed led him to the win. This led him to make the Edict of Milan which grants religious freedom to the Romans.

Battle of Milivian Bridge

312

The battle of Milvian bridge was the battle in which Constantine used God's guidance lead him to victory. This event led to religious freedom in Rome. It was a battle between Constantine and one of the other emperors of Rome, Maxentius. Constantine saw the vision and the dream that led him to believe that carving XC into all his soldier's shields would aid him in the battle. It did, and he was victorious.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was the document that granted the Roman citizens religious freedom. It was put into action by Constantine following the events of the battle of Milvian Bridge. The Edict is what allowed the Roman Christians to come out of the shadows they had been forced into. It was the first document of this kind in history and truly introduced the idea of religious freedom.

Emperor Theodicus

379

He made Christianity the official imperial religion of Rome. He was the last emperor to rule over both the Eastern and Western parts of the empire. His rule began in 379 and ended in 395. He basically stopped the persecution of Christians in the Roman empire.