Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth is Born

1 CE

-Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel who told her that she'd be giving birth to God's son
- All of the inns were full and she had to settle for giving birth in a stable.
-An angel appeared in the sky near Bethlehem and told the nearby shepherds the 3 magi that the savior was being born and they traveled all over to find him.
-Jesus ended up fulfilling his prophecy of dying to forgive all his followers sins.
This even was obviously important because without Jesus, people could never sin.

Paul of Tarsus Converts

36

Paul of Tarsus was a saint who established the first Roman church, the first event in Christianity's rise. Though Paul persecuted Christians at first, he saw a sign from God in the form of a blinding light from the sky and a voice saying, "why are you persecuting me?" After one of the disciples came and baptized him, he regained his sight. After that, he began traveling to many countries and teaching people about Jesus. His death was ordered by Nero after the great fire of Rome in 64.

Great Fire of Rome

64

A great fire ravaged Rome in 64 AD, burning almost 2/3 of the city-except for the portion that happened to be inhabited by many Christians. Nero didn't want people to blame him for the fire, so he chose Christians as a scapegoat because they were a minority and easy to get the public to hate. In reality, many historians say that Nero started the fire himself. He rounded up many Christians to have them publicly tortured and killed. This made Christians a Roman public enemy for hundreds of years.

Roman Rule and Destruction of Israel

70

The Roman rule of Israel marks one of the first prime examples of religious persecution in ancient Rome. After Kind Herod of Judea died, Israel came under direct Roman rule. After they felt their government was keeping them from their way of life, they revolted in 66 CE. However, Roman forces led by Titus won and burned down Jerusalem in 70 CE. Hundreds of thousands of Jews died during the fire and thousands more were sold into slavery. However, Jerusalem was regained in 132 CE.

Perpetua's Imprisonment

203

One of the most famous martyrs of Christianity is Perpetua. While she was jailed for her faith, she kept accounts where she described having dreams of battling the devil and visions of her dead brother. Though her father begged for her to leave her religion to spare her life, she stuck to her beliefs. She was later sent into the arena to be attacked by wild beasts and voluntarily accepted death by stabbing. Her writings were so powerful that they were read in Carthage's churches for centuries.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

Just a few years before Constantine wrote the edict of Milan, thousands of Christians were killed for their beliefs in a harrowing year. After the Roman crisis of the 3rd century, the new emperor Diocletian decided to unite Romans by making sure there was just one religion. He banned Christians from serving in the military and practicing their faith. Then, the Roman government burned down a church in Nicomedia, starting the bloodshed.Thousands of Christians were killed during Diocletian's reign.

Constantine the Great Becomes a Christian

312

If Constantine didn't see a sign from God one night before battle, he wouldn't have had the impact he did on religion. The pagan was about to fight to become the new emperor of Rome. The night before, he saw a cross appear in the sky with the words "In this sign, you will conquer." The sign was followed by a dream in which he was told to put Christ's initials of his soldiers' shields. He took the advice and won the battle. He ended up becoming a Christian and brought religious freedom into Rome.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

After Diocletian was denounced, multiple men vied to be the next emperor. In 306, Constantine was delcared emperor at York, but Maxentius claimed the imperial title. They ended up meeting to battle for the title at Milvian Bridge. However, Maxentius placed his calvary too close to the river and they broke ranks. Constantine ended up winning the title of emperor and used his power to introduce religious tolerance in Rome, which changed religion as we know it.

Edict of Milan

313

In 313, Constantine and eastern emperor Licinius met to pass the edict of Milan, which would make Christianity legal, leading to a massive spike in its popularity. The edict would also return all property stolen from Christians. Licinius decided to take back signing the edict after power conflicts with Constantine. However, Constantine defeated him, reaffirming his belief that God was on his side. He decided to celebrate by building a new city called Constantinople devoted to Jesus Christ.

Theodosius's Declaration

391

Though the emperor Theodosius strongly promoted his religion, it wasn't until 391 when he declared Christianity would be recognized as the only imperial religion. This marked the end of traditional Roman polytheism as the norm and Christianity's becoming the most popular religion in the Roman empire. He also declared that all Christians should worship the father, the son and the holy spirit as equals.