Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Roman Rule of Israel

63 BCE

Rome ruled over Israel from 63 BCE- 313 CE. In 37 BCE, Herod, was made the King of Judea by Romans. When he died, Judea was under direct Roman rule. Under Roman rule, Jewish people were oppressed. There was a revolt in 66 CE. The Romans won. Many Jewish people died. An important religious building called the Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was burned down.

Jesus of Nazareth

1 BCE

He is the central figure for Christianity. He was born in 4 BC in Rome. People believed him to be the son of a god. Jesus founded a Christian church. He was a Jewish preacher and religious leader. There are beliefs that Jesus was conceived by a spirit and performed miracles. Christians believe that he lets people be connected to their god. He was killed by crucifixion in 30 AD.

Paul of Tarsus

4

He is also called Paul the Apostle. He converted to Christianity when he used to persecute Christians. He is considered a founder of Christianity and helped with the spread Christianity. He traveled around spreading his religion. He was born in Tarsus, which is present day Turkey. Not much is known about when he was born and died, but it is believed that he was born around 4 CE and died around 67 CE.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome happened under the rule of Nero. He wanted to tear down 1/3 of Rome and build palaces. The Senate objected. On July 19, 64 A.D., there was a fire around the shops near the Circus Maximus. The fire burned for 6 days, became under control, then reignited and burned for another 3 days. Then, 10 of 14 of Rome's districts and 2/3 of Rome was destroyed. The reason for the fire was unknown. It could have been Nero, but he blamed it on Christians who were persecuted.

Perpetua

181

Perpetua was a young woman who had a prison diary. She was Christian and was born around 181 AD. Her dad told her to say she wasn't a Christian so she wouldn't get arrested, but she didn't. That showed how she was devoted to her religion. She had dreams that sent messages and had meaning to her. Because she was Christian, her and her slave Felicitas were martyred in Carthage in 202 or 203 CE.

Constantine the Great

272

Constantine was a Roman emperor who ruled from 306-337 AD. He won civil wars and united the split Roman empire. He built a city called Constantinople. Constantine, or Gaius Flavis Valerius Constantinus, was born in Naissus. He lived from 272 CE-337 AD. He made reforms to strengthen the empire. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and made the Edict of Milan, which made there be religious tolerance for Christianity. Constantine helped the growth of Christianity.

The Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

In 303 CE, 4 Roman emperors made some edicts that oppressed Christians. They had less rights and were persecuted. Christians were blamed for many problems that happened in Rome, such as the Great Fire of Rome, which worsened the persecution. Places where Christians practiced their religion were burned and destroyed and many Christians were arrested. Through all the persecution, many Christians stayed in the religion. It was another example of how devoted Christians were to their religion.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

312

It was on October 28, 312 A.D. It was a civil war between Constantine and Maxentius in Ponte Milvio, Rome. It was the battle where Constantine had a dream about Christianity and then put a Christian symbol or mark on the soldier's shields and won the battle. This made Constantine believed in Christianity and supported it. He contributed to the spread of Christianity.

The Edict of Milan

313

Constantine made the Edict of Milan after the battle of Milvian Bridge in 313 AD. It established religious tolerance for all religions and legalized Christianity. It was a political agreement made by Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius who met in Mediolanurn (Milan). It was made after Constantine won a battle after having a dream and seeing a message about Christianity. It was made after another Roman emperor made the Edict of Tolerance.

Emperor Theodosius

347

He was born on January 11, 347 AD in Spain and died on January 17, 395 AD. He ruled from 379 to 395. He was the last emperor to rule over both the east and west Roman empires. He was known for making Christianity the official state religion in Rome. Theodosius got rid of the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome, which are like Priests, and he banned the pagan rituals for the Olympics in Ancient Greece. He discouraged monotheistic religion.