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64 BCE
Roman Rule of Israel (begins)
-ruled by a Roman procurator who managed their political, military and fiscal affairs
-Roman governor divided the country into five administrative districts
-The intent of the reorganization was to destabilize the nation and make it impossible for popular resistance
-Julius Caesar restored territories to Judea and appointed Hyrcanus II as ethnarch (ruler of the nation)
-Herod, son of a guvnor, sought for Roman support, was appointed guvnor and general of Coele-Syria -
33
Jesus of Nazareth
-was a Jewish leader who became the central figure in Christianity
-was considered God himself
-he began a ministry when Judea was in chaos and helped spread is message to the homes of the poor
-Jesus was furious about the sacrifices made, he wrecked the stalls of the moneylenders.(33 AD)
-This outburst enraged religious leaders and threatened to destroy the fragile peace Rome informed.
-although Jesus had died, his words and influence spread to Jewish communities around the Roman empire -
63
Paul of Tarsus
-Paul of Tarsus, also known as Saint Paul, was born in 4 BCE
-taught the gospel of Christ to the first century world
-was a Greek-speaking Jew from Asia Minor
-spent the first half of his life persecuting the rising Christian movement
-Paul was said to have had a vision about the Lord himself and changed his life
-became acquainted with the leading apostles in Jerusalem and later set out on his preaching missions to the West
-established churches such like the one in Corinth -
64
Great Fire of Rome
-64 AD, fire broke out around the shops of the Circus Maximus
-fire wasn't unusual due to the population
-flames raged for 6 day, dwindled down, and reignited for another three
-10 of Rome's 14 districts were ruined, two thirds of Rome had been destroyed
-Nero was blamed for the fire implying he did it so he could bypass the Senate and rebuild Rome how he wanted
-Nero blamed the Christians for the fire who he crucified and tortured -
203
Perpetua
-Perpetua was a young mother and martyr born in 181 AD and died in 203 AD
-was thrown into Jail due to converting to Christianity which wasn't legal
-wrote in her diary about her imprisonment along with descriptions of her trial
-wrote "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
-her diary was read annually in Carthage's churches -
272
Constantine the Great
-was the son of Flavius Valerius Constantius, an army officer
-was a member of the imperial court
-after his fathers death, Constantine threw himself into a series of civil wars
-his adherence to Christianity was mainly associated with his rise to power
-believed that he had a personal and special relationship with God himself
-build the "second Rome" in his final years called Constantinople which expressed his interest in church building -
303
Great Persecution of 303 CE
-Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts minimizing the Christians legal rights
-Christians were forced to sacrifice to the pagan gods
-also demanded they comply with traditional religious practice
-the Christians scripture and places of worship were destroyed
-judicial torture was threatened to anyone claiming they were Christian
-was the last and most severe persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire -
312
Battle of Milvian Bridge
-battle between Constantine and Maximus
-was one of the successions that later helped make Constantine the master of the Roman Empire
-was said that Constantine, due to a vision he had, put the sign of God on his soldiers shields that helped him win the battle at the bridge
-Constantine vigorously promoted Christianity after this event
-this event led to the freedom of worship for Christians and made Christianity legal -
313
Edict of Milan
-a letter signed by the Roman Emperors, Constantine and Licinius that allowed Christians to practice their religion in peace
-made Christianity the official religion of Rome
-this included Christians the right to have their churches
-commonly presented as Constantine's first great act as a Christian emperor
-was his way of becoming closer to God himself that he believed was strongest deity -
379
Emperor Theodosius
-Roman Emperor from 379 AD to 395 AD
-last Emperor to rule over both the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire
-he sought to rebuild the army due to poor leadership
-was biased in the favor of Goths
-had helped protect Christianity from Paganism and Arianism
