Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

• Jesus of Nazareth was born in the town of Bethlehem, also known as "The Nativity,”
• He was conceived in the womb of Mary, who is a virgin, by the Holy Spirit
• He taught about love, trust, worry, lust, and caring for the needy, but the most important message is about your acceptance of Him, along with forgiveness
• He came into this world to offer Christians salvation
• He taught large crowds that gathered and followed Him

Great Fire of Rome - July 19, 64 CE

64

• A large fire started in the Circus Maximus stadium in Rome, when the fire finally was extinguished six days later, 10 out of 14 of Romes districts were burned.
• Nero, The emperor blamed the Christians.
• Nero used the fire to further his political agenda.
• Many people blamed Nero because he used the fire + changed the aesthetic of the city and building codes.
• After 6 days the fire ignited again and burned for another 3 days.

Roman Rule of Israel (Begins)

66

• The ruler at the time had an intent to reorganize the empire and destabilize the nation and make popular resistance impossible
• The first Jewish- Roman war began
• Their cultures used to overlap one another and it caused many problems between them.
• The Jewish community in Rome grew very rapidly but some Jews were taken to Rome as prisoners -The Jews were known for their worship strategies, their temple practices, and their history as followers of one God.

Paul of Tarsus

67

• He originally wanted to kill Christians, but later became a very important saint.
• He and his family were all Jewish Traveled to many city's to teach others about Jesus, he urged the Christians to stay strong in faith
• He was an ambassador for Christ also known as the lord's representative
• He became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
• His change is known as a conversion, many people have converted to Christianity

Perpetua

203

• Perpetua was a Christian noblewoman
• Because she was a Christian she was sent to jail, her father went to visit her and the way for her to get out is if she denied being a christian
• When asked if she was a Christian she said yes and was sentenced to die in the arena
• In the arena Perpetua faced wild beasts but they didn't harm her. The crowd grew impatient so she was lined up and killed by a sword.
• "Yes I am, a Christian" Perpetua replied.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

• Christians were forced out of certain intuitions
• The persecution was viewed as an attempt to purge them from society
• After eight years of persecution, Christians again were permitted to build their churches, if only they would pray for the recovery of the dying emperor.
• proclaimed an acceptance of Christians and their faith, and marked an end to the persecutions.
• from 324 onward, Constantine would do much to expand and entrench the role of Christianity in the Empire.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

• A battle between Constantine and Maxentius took place by the Milvian bridge
• Winning the Battle not only put Constantine as the sole ruler of the Empire but also secured Christianity’s place as an official religion.
• Maxentius died during his own retreat, he drowned in the Tiber.
• The troops of Maxentius the bridge collapsed under their feet.
• Christians could exercise their religion freely within the empire without fear of prosecution this was called the edict of Milan

Edict of Milan

313

• A letter signed by the Roman emperors that proclaimed religious toleration
• The letter stopped the persecution of the Christians
• Is presented as Constantine’s first great act as a Christian emperor, but disputed whether the Edict of Milan was an act of genuine faith.
• It granted all persons freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased,
• The edict effectively established religious toleration. Even for the Christans

Constantine the Great

337

• Constantine was a Roman emperor from 306-337 CE
• Often credited with making Christianity the official religion of the empire
• Because his mom was a christian, he sent her to the holy land, there is where she built the church of Nativity of Bethlehem
• Claimed to be a christian since 312 CE
• In 337 he fell ill + died, he ruled 31 years

Emperor Theodosius

379

• He was the last Roman emperor to rule both the eastern and western part of the empire
• He is considered a saint by the Apostolic and orthodox church
• His death is considered the start of the middle ages
• He established the creed of the Council of Nicaea
• He was accused of having contributed to the downfall of Rome.