Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

4

Judea was a land of ancient traditions and had lots of religion. Jesus was born to a family from a village called Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee. When he was growing up, Judea was in complete chaos. Jesus was a good example to the people of his village, and later became "King of the Jews".

Roman Rule of Israel

63

Herod, was appointed King of Judea by the Romans. The Roman general Pompey established the Roman Empire in 64 BC and conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. Julius Caesar conquered Alexandria and defeated Pompey

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome was an important event in Roman history. The Roman leader Nero was accused for burning down Rome since he wanted to rebuild his way. Nero did not take that in a good way so blamed the Roman Christians for burning Rome to the ground. That made the Christians look bad to the other Romans. A common myth about this event was people saying that Nero played the fiddle while watching Rome burn.

Paul of Tarsus

67

Paul was commonly known as "Saint Paul". Paul was known to be one of the most important people after Jesus died. He was a teacher to Roman people, and his letters have had lots of influence on Christians, especially on the relationship between God the Father, and Jesus. He traveled thousands and thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading what he believed to be true about Jesus.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua was a woman who wrote a journal recounting her trial and imprisonment. She was twenty-two, a wife, a mother of a young son and a Christian. She was a good christian that taught many people. She was killed for being a christian.

Constantine the Great (February 27, 272 AD- May 22, 337 AD)

287

Constantine was the first official Roman ruler. He played an important role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313. The proclamation created a foundation for Christianity. He also expanded a portion of the Roman Empire. He stopped the persecution of the Christians in his territory.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution was a very severe event in Roman History. Many Christians were killed for their beliefs and teachings. At this point, the Romans didn't care what the Christians said. They tried teaching the people, but no one accepted the invitation.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The Milvian Bridge was named after an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won a battle and started on the path that led him to end a government and become the ruler of the Roman Empire. The battle was fought between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict was signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that talked about religion and what the Romans could and couldn't do. The letter stopped the persecution of Christians which was an interesting and confusing event for everyone. The agreement was made on February AD 313. Constantine's acceptance of Christianity made its rapid spread throughout the Roman empire and Europe.

Emperor Theodosius (January 11, 347 AD-January 17, 395 AD)

379

He was a Roman Emperor from 379 to 395, and the last emperor of Rome in the Western and Eastern halves of the Roman empire. He was made emperor for his amazing military abilities. Theodosius settled the Gothic problem by allowing the Goths to settle South of the Danube river as the allies of Rome.