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Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

By sophiewang05
  • 63 BCE

    Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

    Roman Rule of Israel (begins)
    • 63 BC to 313 AD
    • Roman general Pompey established the Roman province of Syria 64 BC and sieged Jerusalem in 63 BC
    • Ruling Israel allowed Rome to move freely between Europe, Asia, and Africa
    • Rome allowed Israel to practice their monotheistic religion as long as they obeyed the Romans, paid taxes, and kept peace
    • Julius Caesar defeated Pompey in 45 BC and recognized Judaism as a legal religion
    • Herod was made King of the Jews by Roman Senate in 40 BC
    • Tension led to Jewish-Roman Wars
  • 4 BCE

    Jesus of Nazareth

    Jesus of Nazareth
    • Lived from 4 BC to 30/33 AD
    • Born in Bethlehem by Mary, the heavenly mother
    • Conceived by the Holy Spirit
    • Descended from Heaven to help humans
    • Jewish preacher and religious leader
    • Central figure of Christianity: believed to be incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament
    • Founded the Christian church
    • Died by crucifixion as a sacrifice on the Cross and rose from the dead to ascend heaven
  • 5

    Paul of Tarsus

    Paul of Tarsus
    • Lived 5 AD to 64/67 AD
    • Paul the Apostle: Known as Saint Paul or Saul of Tarsus (Jewish name)
    • One of the Twelve Apostles who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world
    • Founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe
    • Took advantage of status as Jew and Roman citizen to appeal to both Jewish and Roman audiences
    • Wrote epistles to local churches to address Christian doctrine, application, and logistics; his epistles continue today to be influential
  • 64

    Great Fire of Rome

    Great Fire of Rome
    • 19 July 64 AD
    • Fire that began in merchant shops around Circus Maximum due to the storage of flammable goods
    • Brought under control after six days, burned for another three days after it reignited
    • Windy night allowed the flames to rapidly spread
    • 2/3 of Rome had been destroyed (10 of Rome's 14 districts)
    • The fire was implied to be started by Nero who wanted to bypass the Senate and rebuild Rome
    • Nero blamed the fire on the Christians
    • Began the first persecutions against Christians
  • 182

    Perpetua

    Perpetua
    • Lived 182 AD to 7 March 203 AD
    • Christian martyr who wrote "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity" which was a journal with an account of her trial and imprisonment
    • Her martyrdom and account was respected by Christians
    • Her text is one of the rare surviving documents written by a woman in the ancient world
    • Perpetua's diary was read annually in Carthage's churches for centuries: very influential
    • On the day of her execution, she left the prison happily to be sent off to heaven
  • 272

    Constantine the Great

    Constantine the Great
    • Lived 27 February 272 AD to 22 May 337 AD
    • Reigned 25 July 306 AD to 29 October 312 AD
    • First Roman emperor to profess Christianity
    • Helped create the Edict of Milan in 313 which made the practice of Christianity legal in the Roman Empire
    • Called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD which produced the Nicene Creed
    • Build Constantinople which became the capital of the empire for over a thousand years (now Istanbul)
    • Replaced the idea of tetrarchy with dynastic succession
  • 303

    Great Persecution of 303 AD

    Great Persecution of 303 AD
    • Lasted 8 years: 303 AD to 311 AD
    • Last and more severe persecution of Christians in Roman empire
    • Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius (Constantine's father) issued a series of edicts that revoked the practice of Christianity.
    • As many as 3,000 to 3,500 Christians were executed
    • Persecutions weakest in Gaul and Britain
    • Persecutions strongest in Eastern provinces
    • Edict of Milan (313 AD) marked end of persecution
  • 312

    Battle of Milivian Bridge

    Battle of Milivian Bridge
    • 28 October 312
    • Took place between Roman emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on the Tiber river
    • Constantine's victory led him to end the tetrarchy and become the only ruler of the Roman Empire
    • Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during battle and decapitated: head paraded through Rome next day
    • Arch of Constantine to celebrate victory
    • Constantine had a vision from the Christian God "in hoc signo vinces" and he marked Chi-Rho on soldier's shields
    • Battle gave Constantine control of west
  • 313

    Edict of Milan

    Edict of Milan
    • Issued in February 313 AD
    • Agreement to legalize Christianity throughout the Roman Empire
    • Meeting in Milan between Constantine ruling the West and Licinius ruling the East
    • Ceased the Christian persecutions
    • Allowed people religious liberty
    • Exact words of the edict are no longer known
  • 347

    Emperor Theodosius

    Emperor Theodosius
    • Lived 11 January 347 AD to 17 January 395 AD
    • Reigned 19 January 379 AD to 15 May 392 AD (emperor in the East) and 15 May 392 AD to 17 January 395 (whole empire)
    • Last emperor to rule over both Eastern + Western halves of Roman Empire
    • Issued Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD which made Christianity the official religion of Rome
    • Issued Thesodosian decrees in 389-391 AD which banned paganism
    • Forced to negotiate with Goths to end the Gothic War which led to the fall of Rome in 410 AD