Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

4

Jesus of Nazareth or "Christ" was a Jewish religious leader who became the central leader in Christianity. Christ is not a name but instead, a title derived from the Greek word Christos. In Hebrew, this is better known as the messiah meaning "the anointed one". In Christian literature, they combined both names. That being Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. The Romans changed from their date system from AUC to BC or Before Christ. Jesus was the only god, meaning that Christianity was monotheistic.

Roman Rule of Isreal(Begins)

63

Julius Caesar made Judaism a legal religion back in 64 BCE. Everyone lived in general harmony practicing basic religion and Judaism. However, rebellion in Judea led to major changes. Romans had to intervene multiple times and even destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem and ransacked its treasure for their own

Paul of Tarsus

64

Paul of Tarsus is one of the leaders in the first generation of Christians and is considered one of the most important people after Jesus. His surviving letters helped the upbringing of Christianity and influenced it immensely. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 13 and about half of "Acts of Apostles" were about Paul and his life and work. Paul was a Greek-speaking Jew from Asia Minor. Two of the main cities of Syria, Damascus, and Antioch, played a prominent part in his life and letters.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome happened under Emporer Nero, an Emporer known for his awful reign. The fire occurred among the shops lining the Circus Maximus. It went on for 6 days and got under control. It then reignited and burned for another 3. All the while, Nero was miles away in his resort at Antium. People blamed him for this fire seeing as he wanted to rebuild Rome. He then turned and blamed Christians for this event. After this Christians were persecuted brutally and quickly

Perpetua

203

Perpetua was a Christian Martyr who wrote "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity" This was about her trial and imprisonment. Carthage had a Christian community that included the Church Father Tertullian. Among those drawn to the growing church was a young mother, Perpetua. Sometime after 201, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus forbade conversion to Christianity. When this was enforced, Perpetua and 4 others were condemned to death. Her diary was so influential that it was read annually.

Constantine the Great

280

By the time Constantine was 31, he was in line to become emperor of the western empire. Constantine saw a vision in the afternoon sky: a bright cross with the words By this sign conquer. As the story goes, Christ himself told Constantine in a dream to take the cross into battle. Constantine in 323 moved the capital of the empire to East to the city of Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople after himself. He made Christianity a legal religion and had it be the most practiced religion

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

The Great Persecution was when emporers like Diocletian persecuted massive amounts of Christians. Persecutions were actually generally rare but now this time. Churches and other buildings were completely destroyed by Diocletian. Most Christians were turned away, tortured, or killed. This is a great time of hardship for the Christians but they still found a way to survive and stabilize.

Battle of Milvian

312

The battle fought at Milvian Bridge outside Rome was a crucial moment in a civil war that ended with Constantine I as sole ruler of the Roman Empire and Christianity established as the empire’s official religion. Constantine’s conversion to the Cross may have been prompted by a dream of victory. Before the battle, Constantine apparently received a message in the sky from Christ himself. With this, he took the cross and fought for Christ.

Edict of Milan

313

Constantine issued this edict for Christians and the religion of Christianity. It practically detailed that Christians would no longer be persecuted for practicing Christianity and brought it into the light. It became the main religion that Romans practiced

Emporer Theodosius

379

He used his power to officially enforce orthodox Christianity but ended up placing his power under that of the church, setting a standard for more than a millennium. Early in his reign, during a serious illness, Theodosius had accepted Christian baptism. In 380 he proclaimed himself a Christian of the Nicene Creed Theodosius. He ended his reign by defeating political enemies in the West so that by late 394, he stood alone as emperor of a once-more united empire.