Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

1 BCE

Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ was the first preacher and religious leader. He was the center of Christianity. People think that he is the incarnation of God. At the time of Jesus's birth, Bethlehem was under the control of the Romans.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The great fire of Rome started in the Circus Maximus and continued to burn for six days. The fire burned 14 of Romes districts. Some Romans blamed the emperor at the time, Nero. They say he played his fiddle while the city burned. Other people think that he started the fire so that he could rebuild it in the way that he wanted. He blamed it on the Christians.

Paul of Tarsus

64

Paul was born in Tarsus, which is modern-day Turkey. He was a leader of Christianity at the time, he was a major figure in a Christian movement at the time. His vision was to prove to people that Jesus was in heaven, and was God's son.

Roman rule of Israel

70

The Romans came into Jerusalem and they took over the Jewish. The Jewish did not like the Roman rule and revolted in 66 ce. The Romans beat the Jewish in 70 ce and destroyed their last outpost in 73 ce. The Jewish fled to other areas and some were made into slaves. Judaism survived the Roman rule and a small community gradually grew back to power.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua was a Christian martyr that wrote about her trial and imprisonment. It is one of the oldest surviving documents written by a woman in the ancient world. She wrote about her father's imprisonment and her brother's death. Her diary was read annually in Carthage churches.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine died on May 22 337 in Turkey. As a child, he got very good education and learned lots about philosophy and mythology. Constantine fought in the Roman army for a few years before becoming emperor. He saw a sign of Christianity in battle and it told him that he would win the war if he followed it. After he did, he won and decided to make it illegal for people to kill Christians.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The great persecution of 303 was the largest persecution of Christians in Roman history. Christians were rounded up and put in the colosseum for entertainment as they were murdered by various animals. The Romans were not accepting of Christianity and some think that it scared many of them with its promises of eternal life. Constantine coming into power marked the ending of the great persecution.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

Emperors from the East and the West parts of Rome went to battle for power. Constantine and Diocletian were the two emperors involved in the battle for power. After Constantine won, he gained power over all of the Roman empire. He says that a cross in the sky caused him to win the war, which later led to him ending the persecution of Christians.

Edict of Milan

313

The edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors, Constantine and Licinius. This letter stated that the Roman empire would be tolerant of religious beliefs. This included stopping the persecution of Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Emperor Theodosius reunited the East and the West parts of the Roman empire. After he died, the two sides split permanently. He was praised by the Catholics for his view on religion. He campaigned against the goths and barbarians who invaded Rome.