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63 BCE
Roman Rule of Israel (begins)
When Rome took control of Israel while trying to spread out their empire, they let the people in Israel keep their religion and way of life as long as they were peaceful. The Romans did take over the rule of Israel, they replaced the local government to become the greatest power in the region but they never banned Christianity in the area, which helped to spread religion. -
Period: 4 BCE to 63
Paul of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus was one of the first Christian leaders and considered the most important person in the history of Christianity after Jesus. Many of the books of the New Testament were written by Paul of Tarsus. It is believed that he was born at about the same time as Jesus, but no one is sure of the exact date. He was an enormous influence as a Christian and was persecuted in 63 AD for that reason. -
1 CE
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, was a Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is also the main figure in Christianity, and in some branches, he is considered God himself. Christianity has the word 'Christ' in it because of him, it refers to Christians' belief in who he was (the son of God) and what he stood for. He was arrested and crucified by the Roman government, but his followers that believed he would come back from the dead eventually became early Christians. -
64
The Great Fire of Rome
The Great Fire of Rome consumed most of the city of Rome on July 18, 64 AD; the fire burned for 6 days and 7 nights, finally stooping on the night of July 23, 64 AD. While the people blamed the current emperor, Nero, for starting the fire for his own amusement; Nero himself blamed the whole thing on Christians. Nero arrested some Christians, whom after tortured said that other Christians did it, and then ended up implicating the entire religion. -
Period: 181 to 203
Perpetua
Perpetua was a Christian martyr born in 181. She was also a noblewoman living with a son when she was persecuted for believing in the Christian religion. She was arrested by the Roman government, and initially was going to be fed to the beasts, which she somehow survived. Romans then decided to have her executed, and it is said that she helped the executioners trembling hand to her throat because she was not afraid of death. That gesture is what might have compelled many to explore Christianity. -
Period: 272 to 337
Constantine the Great
Constantine the Great was the reason Christianity was legalized and became the most dominant religion in the Roman Empire. He was the one who issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. At first, Constantine was not even Christian, the way he interpreted the religion changed over time. He even built a new capital in honor of the Christian God, it is called Constantinople. -
303
The Great Persecution of 303 AD
The Great Persecution of 303 happened under the rule of four Emperors; Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius. They issued edicts demanding that Christians participate in Roman traditional religious practices. Some of them included making sacrifices to the gods. People went into Christian churches and took their sacred books to burn them, and sometimes when not satisfied entire churches were burned to the ground. All Christians were imprisoned and burned along with their families. -
312
Battle of Milvian Bridge
The battle took its name after Milvian Bridge, which is a bridge on the Tiber River. Constantine won the battle, which brought him closer to becoming the sole emperor of Rome. Constantine claimed to have had visions from the Christian God, giving him blessings to win the battle. This battle just brought the Roman Empire closer to legalizing Christianity. -
313
Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan was an agreement signed by Constantine, ruler of the West and Licinius, ruler of the East in February of 313. The agreement legalized Christianity and allowed everyone to practice whatever belief they wanted without fear of persecution. After the Great Persecution failed and Christian churches began to regain stability, Constantine and Licinius decided that allowing Christianity was the best for the welfare of the empire. -
Period: 347 to 395
Emperor Theodosius
Theodosius I, also known as Theodosius the Great, was the last emperor to rule both Eastern and Western Rome. During his rule, he fought against early German barbarians. His rule started in 379 and ended in 395, along with his life. He was also a great advocate for orthodoxy, which lead to many Catholic writers praising him. After his death, he was even considered a saint.
