-
51 BCE
Council of Jerusalem
conference of the Christian Apostles in Jerusalem that Gentile Christians did not have to observe the Mosaic Law of the Jews. -
313
Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine
A decision that officially established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire. -
325
First Council of Nicea
Their statement of compromise, which would come to be known as "The Nicene Creed," formed the basis for Christian ideology. The bishops also used the Council of Nicea to set in stone some church rules that needed clarification, and those canons were the reference point after which all future laws were modeled. -
451
Council of Chalcedon
The Council was the fourth of the Ecumenical Councils that are accepted by Chalcedonian churches which include the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and most Protestant churches. -
1054
East West Division
The beginning of the schism between the Latin and the Greek churches, a division that still separates Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox -
1054
East West division
The beginning of the schism between the Latin and the Greek churches, a division that still separates Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. -
1095
First Crusade
It was the first of a number of crusades that attempted to capture the Holy Land -
1095
First Crusade
The first of a number of crusades that attempted to capture the Holy Land, called for by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. -
1378
Western Schism
A split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. -
1517
Martin Luther begins Protestant Reformation
16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. -
1534
Henry VIII establishes Church of England
The English church renounced papal authority when Henry VIII failed to secure an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in 1534. -
1544
Council of Trent
It was an council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation. -
First Vatican Council
Twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. Convened by Pope Pius IX to refute various contemporary ideas associated with the rise of liberalism and materialism, it is chiefly remembered for its declaration of papal infallibility. -
Second Vatican Council
21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church (1962–65), announced by Pope John XXIII on Jan. 25, 1959, as a means of spiritual renewal for the church and as an occasion for Christians separated from Rome to join in search for reunion.
