Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

4 BCE

Also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament.

Great Fire of Rome

64

On July 19 64 Ad a fire broke out among the shops near the circus maximus, this fire lasted a total of 6 days! Nero was blamed for this because they believed that he wanted Rome to burn down so he could rebuild it to his liking and bypass the Senate. He even had Gangs and Thugs stop the citizens from stopping the fire.

Paul of Tarsus

67

Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Jewish name Saul of Tarsus, was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world.

Perpetua

183

Perpetua a Christian martyr who wrote The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, a journal recounting her trial and imprisonment that was continued by a contemporary who described Perpetua’s death in the arena. Both her martyrdom and its account have been highly revered by ancient and modern Christians. Her text is one of the rare surviving documents written by a woman in the ancient world

Constantine the Great

280

Constantine was the first christian emperor, he did not do things in the traditional ways of Rome. He restructured the government, separating military and civil authorities. He also made a new coin that was used for thousands of years. Then he renamed the city Constantinople based off of himself, it became the capitol of the empire for more than thousand years.

Great Persecution of 303 CE

303

It was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in Rome. The Christians were subject to sacrificing to the Roman Gods or face imprisonment or execution. The legislation targeted senior clerics and church property, they also ordered for scriptures and place or worship to be destroyed. For many years the Christians were persecuted until the fall of Diocletians.

Battle of Milvian Bridge

306

The Battle of Milvian Bridge was a crucial moment in a civil war that ended with Constantine as sole ruler of Rome and Christianity. The night before the battle Constanine had a dream: he saw the sun-the object of his own worship-overlain by the figure of a cross. So the next day (battle day) he had all the military paint crosses on there shields. Constanine was a very loyal and humble ruler when his military was fighting against Maxentius’s men.

Edict of Milan

313

The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire. The letter was issued in February, 313 AD and stopped the persecution of Christians.

Emperor Theodosius

347

Theodosius was the emperor of Eastern Rome, and the last emperor of rule east and western Rome. He established the Council of Nicaea as the universal norm of christian orthodoxy.

Roman Rule of Israel (begins)

667

In 66 AD, the First Jewish–Roman War began. The revolt was put down by the future Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus. In the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed much of the Temple in Jerusalem and, according to some accounts, plundered artifacts from the Temple, such as the Menorah.