Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

63 BCE

-Romans invaded and conquered Jerusalem
-Romans destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem
-stole artifacts from it
-Jews were kicked out from Jerusalem or sold into slavery
-Jews still stayed

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

-Jewish preacher and religious leader.
-referred to as a "rabbi"
-was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities
-crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate
-his followers believed he rose from the dead

Paul of Tarsus

5

-taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world
-known as "Saul of Tarsus" or "Saint Paul"
-considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age
-was both a Jew and Roman citizen
-began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.

Great Fire of Rome

64

-started in the enormous Circus Maximus stadium in Rome
-People blame Nero for it
-fire extinguished 6 days later
-2/3 of Rome was destroyed
-Nero blamed the Christians for the fire

Perpetua

203

-Christian martyr
-wrote a journal about her trial and imprisonment
-killed at 22 years old
-executed by decapitation
-diary helped us understand how Christians were treated back then

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

-last major persecution of Christians
-laws telling them to follow traditional religion
-3000-3500 Christians executed
-Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius started it
-Varied in intensity

Constantine the Great

306

-enacted many reforms to strengthen Rome
-the first emperor to convert to Christianity
-Istanbul used to be named Constantinople
-he had a very good reputation among Rome
-died from a terminal illness in 337

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

-took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius
-marked the beginning of Constantine's conversion to Christianity.
-legend is that Constantine was guided by heaven to win the battle
-Constantine won the battle
-Constantine becomes sole emperor of Roman Empire

Edict of Milan

313

-proclaimed religious toleration
-stopped persecution of Christians
-exact words of it are no longer known
-paved the way for its spread across Rome
-transition to the era of the Christian Empire

Emperor Theodosius

379

-the last emperor to rule over both the Eastern and the Western halves of the Roman Empire.
-issued Decrees that made Nicene Christianity the official church of the Roman Empire
-helped fight during the Gothic War
-got Maximus executed
-eventually, co-conspirators killed themselves or died another way so Theodosius was eventually the sole emperor.