Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

63 BCE

Roman rule of Israel began in 63 B.C. When the Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem. Under Julius Caesar's rule, Judaism as a religion was officially allowed, but any Jewish person who fell out of line would be persecuted. In 37 B.C.Herod was appointed king of Judea by the Romans.

Paul of Tarsus

4 BCE

Paul of Tarsus was a saint who was born in 4 BC and died in 62-64 CE. He was one of the leaders of the first generation of Christians. He is considered to be the most important person in Christianity after Jesus. Before he adopted the christian faith, he was a tent-maker. It is said that Paul did not believe that Jesus was God's chosen one until he had a vision of light. In the next 20 years, he set up churches in Asia Minor and Europe.

Jesus of Nazareth

1 CE

Jesus of Nazaret, was also known as Jesus Christ. He was born between 6 and 4 B.C. He died between 30-36 A.D.from crucification. In the Christian religion he is remembered as the son of God. He founded the Christian religion.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome is Historically blamed on Emperor Nero. He attempted to use Christians as a scapegoat for the event. Nero is remembered for killing many Christians, but this event in particular is the most infamous. This fire happened between July 18 and July 23 in 64 A.D. The fire started in the Circus Maximus.

Perpetua

182

Perpetua was born in 182 AD, and died in 203 AD. Perpetua was a Christian Martyr. Perpetua and several others were tried and convicted for their Christianity. They were sentenced to death in the arena. Perpetua is known for her diary of this time. Perpetua voluntarily accepted death by sword.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine the Great was born on February 27, 272 AD. He was born in Naissus, and was the emperor of Rome From 306 AD to 337 AD. He is known as the first Christian emperor, as he heavily promoted the Christian Church. He was actually Pagan most of his life, and only joined the church on his deathbed. During his time as emperor, he seperated civilian and military leaders.

The Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution started in 303 AD. The aim of this event was to eliminate Christianity. The Romans targeted the Christian leaders mostly, but persecuted all Christians. Diocletian started this persecution, but upon his abdication from the thrown,Galerius, his successor, continued.The Great Persecution ended when Galerius became ill and lifted his persecution, dying 5 days later.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

The battle of Milvian Bridge occurred on October 28th. It was a battle between Emperor Constantine and Emperor Maxentius. This battle decided that Constantine would be the sole ruler of Rome. Since this made him ruler, it effectively made Christianity the main religion of the Roman empire. The night before the battle, Constantine is said to have a vision of the sun and a cross. He ordered that his men paint crosses on there shields for the battle.

Edict of Milan

313

It proclaimed that Christianity was to be allowed in Rome.This was an agreement between Emperors Constantine and Licinius. It granted everyone to worship a religion of their own choice. There were already edicts in place, but the Edict of Milan was the only effective one. The Edict's specific words are unknown today. The Edict of Milan offered peace, but afterwords the emperors fought and Licinius was hanged.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Emperor Theodosius was born on January 11, 347 AD in Spain. He was the last emperor to rule over both the East and the West parts of the Roman empire. He was made emperor because of his military expertise. He is sometimes called Theodosius the Great, because he solved the problem of Goths in Rome. When he died, he divided the roman empire between his two sons.