1000 BCE Jewish writings assembled, the Torah, the earliest part of the text that was subsequently known to Christians as the Old Testament
990 BCE David, already king of Judah, anointed king of Israel, brings into one realm the twelve tribes of the Israelites, makes Jerusalem his capital
960 BCE Solomon, king of Israel, builds the first Temple in Jerusalem
722 BCE The Assyrians overwhelm the north of Israel and the ten northern tribes probably dispersed or sold into slavery, Judah and Benjamin, together forming the kingdom of Judah, are the only two surviving tribes of Israel
586 BCE Jerusalem is taken by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and the city, including Solomon’s Temple, is destroyed; Jews taken into captivity to Babylon . Over time, the concept of a Messiah returning to liberate the Jews is evolved during Babylonian captivity.
580 BCE During Babylonian captivity, the synagogue replaces the temple as a place of Jewish worship.
539 BCE Babylon falls to the Persians. Later Persian ruler Cyrus allowed the Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. Judah was re-established as a theological state under Persian authority. Under the direction of Zerubabbel and later Ezra, the temple at Jerusalem is rebuilt and the walls of the city rebuilt by Nehemiah. During the Persian period and later, Judah was the state where Yahweh and only Yahweh was worshipped. Both the Persians and the Greeks respected this exclusivity.
334 BCE The Roman Alexander the Great conquers Persia, founds Alexandria in Egypt, the best known of the many towns he establishes to spread Greek culture, a Jewish community strengthens in Alexandria.
312 BCE The Selucid Empire, carved out of the remains of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian empire after his death, by Seleucus I Nicator; at its greatest extent the empire stretched from Thrace in Europe to the border of India. Jerusalem remains under a Jewish theocracy under Syrian-based Seleucid rulers.
280 BCE The Jewish community of Alexandria commission the Greek translation of the Septuagint, later called the Old Testament.
230-146 B.C.E. Coming of Rome to the east Mediterranean.
166 BCE When the Jews were prohibited from practicing Judaism and their Temple was desecrated as part of an effort to impose Greek-oriented culture and customs on the entire population, the Jews rose in revolt
164 BCE First led by Mattathias of the priestly Hasmonean family and then by his son Judah the Maccabee, the Jews entered Jerusalem and purified the Temple (events commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah). Under the Hasmonean dynasty, which lasted about 80 years, the kingdom regained boundaries not far short of Solomon’s realm, political consolidation under Jewish rule was attained and Jewish life flourished.
161 BCE Near the beginning of the Hasmonean Period, Judah the Maccabee had made a treaty with Rome.
147 BCE (147 BCE), the Seleucids restored autonomy to Judea, as the Land of Israel was now called
129 BCE With the collapse of the Seleucid kingdom, Jewish independence was again achieved
67 BCE The Hasmonean Aristoboulos declared himself High Priest-King thirty minutes before the death of his mother the queen. His brother, John Hyrcanus, revolted against him. By 67 BCE there was civil war in Judea. John Hyrcanus allied himself with Rome under General Pompey
63 BCE John Hyrcanus and Pompey entered Jerusalem unopposed, but the Temple Mount, with its own fortifications resisted, it took three months to take the Temple. Rome gained control of Judea.
59 BCE Pompey sealed his alliance with Julius Caesar by marrying Caesar’s only child, Julia.
49 BCE Julius Caesar defeats Pompey. Julius Caesar appointed a governor to keep watch over the country of Judea, the son of an Idumean who had been forced to covert to Judaism, a man named Herod.
44 BCE Julius Caesar deified by the Roman Senate; his assassination occurred in 44 BCE in the Senate House at Rome on March 15 (the Ides of March). After Caesar’s death, Cassius, Mark Antony, and Octavian all struggled for control of the Roman Empire. They all kept Herod in power.
49 BCE Herod is king of Judea. Herod had complete authority, and he used it ruthlessly. He established an enormous secret police force, brutally killed anyone suspected of plotting
34 BCE Antigonus II the Hasmonean was the last Hasmonean king of Judea led the Jews’ fierce struggle for independence against the Romans.
37 B.C.E. Herod captures Jerusalem, has Antigonus II executed, and marries the Hasmonean princess and created Roman peace by slaughtering all dissidents. Herod was ruler of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and surrounding territories.
27 BCE -14 CE Reign of Emperor Augustus
20 BCE Herod enlarges Temple Mount and begins to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Project continues until 72 C.E..
4 BCE Death of Herod the Great, loyal client of the Roman emperor Augustus., Herod Archelaus, his son becomes ruler.
4 BCE Jesus of Nazareth is born.
6 CE Leading Jews and Samaritans asks Augustus to remove Herod Archelaus from the throne. He obliges and Archelaus is deposed and exiled. He was succeeded by his brother, Herod Antipater ,known by the nickname Antipas. His territory, consisting of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, is organized into the Roman district Judaea. First Roman census of Judea was taken.
14 CE Augustus deified by the Roman Senate.
26-30 CE Ministry of John the Baptist
30 CE Death of Jesus
30 CE Jesus’ early followers from Galilee settle in Jerusalem. They are known as “the Twelve.”
33 CE Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit
33 CE Stephen – First Christian martyr
35-36 CE Saul of Tarsus, a Jew, comes to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and subsequently becomes the apostle Paul.
37-100 CE Life of Josephus, the Jewish historian who mentions Jesus
48 CE Council of Jerusalem, the leaders of the new Christian movement discuss the terms of whether Gentile Christians accepted alongside those in the Jewish tradition.
50 CE Paul leaves Antioch and begins Aegean Mission. His letters to these congregations are the earliest documents now contained in the New Testament.
50-52 CE Paul’s first visit to Corinth; he writes his first letter to the Thessalonians.
52 CE Paul arrives in Ephesus; he writes a letter to the Galatians and his letter to the Corinthians.
54-55 CE Paul’s imprisonment in Ephesus. He writes letters to the Philippians and to Philemon; he completes a second letter to the Corinthians.
55-56 CE Paul writes a letter to the Christians in Rome in preparation for his future visit there.
51-52 CE Paul’s First and Second Thessalonians written
52 CE Paul arrives in Ephesus; he writes a letter to the Galatians and his letter to the Corinthians.
54-55 CE Paul’s imprisonment in Ephesus. He writes letters to the Philippians and to Philemon; he completes a second letter to the Corinthians.
55-56 CE Paul writes a letter to the Christians in Rome in preparation for his future visit there.
53-57 CE Paul’s third missionary journey
57 CE Paul’s Letter to the Romans written
59-62 CE Paul imprisoned in Rome
60 CR Andrew martyred by crucifixion in Achaia (Greece).
60 CE First Gospel circulated, thought to be written by Mark
62 CE Martyrdom of James
66-67 CE Paul’s Second Timothy written
68 CE Death of Paul during reign of Emperor Nero
60-68 CE Death of Peter
64 CE Great Fire in Rome; Nero blames and executes Christians
66-70 CE First Jewish Revolt against Rome. A feud between Jewish and Greek factions in the city of Caesarea leads to fighting that quickly spreads throughout the region.
68 CE The emperor Nero’s assassination launches a year of civil war in Rome.
70 CE Fall of Jerusalem under military leadership of Vespasian’s son, Titus. From 70 Centre of Christianity moves to Antioch, Alexandria and Rome.
77 CE Josephus publishes The War of the Jews
79-81 CE Reign of the emperor Domitian (Vespasian’s elder son and the general who burned the Temple and quelled the Jewish Revolt).
81-96 CE Reign of the emperor Domitian (Vespasian’s younger son and the object of the anti-Roman attack in the Book of Revelation).
85 CE “Curse against Heretics” (Birkath ha-minim) added to Jewish synagogue benedictions, with the intent of excluding Christians.
90-95 John exiled on island of Patmos, writes Book of Revelation and Gospel of John
90-150 CE Gospel of Thomas and other gnostic manuscripts written
94 CE Josephus publishes The Antiquities of the Jews
95 CE Book of Revelation written
96 CE Clement of Rome’s Letter to the Corinthians written
100-165 CE Life of Justin Martyr, early Christian apologist. Justin defends Christianity as a “philosophy” worthy of the respect of the educated and as the only legitimate heir to the Israelite scriptures.
107-117 CE Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, is martyred
112-113 CE Pliny, the Roman governor of Pontus-Bithynia writes to the emperor Trajan seeking advice regarding the punishment of Christians. The emperor tells Pliny that persecuting people on unproven charges is “contrary to the spirit of our times.”
117-138 CE Reign of emperor Hadrian
- 120 Didache written
132-135 CE Second Jewish Revolt against Rome; By this time Christians have separated from Judaism.
150-215 CE Life of Clement of Alexandria, early Christian teacher and theologian. Clement’s theology is known for its skillful blend of Christian proclamation with Greek philosophical precepts.
150-222 CE Life of Tertullian, early Christian apologist
155 CE Martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna
161-80 CE Widespread persecution of Christians under Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.
178 CE Celsus writes True Reason, argument against Christianity
180 CE Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, asserts that the proper number of gospels is four.
185-254 CE Life of Origen. One of the great early Christian scholars and teachers, his writings had a profound effect on the development of Christian theology, particularly in the provinces of the Greek East.
202 Christians persecuted under Septimus Severus
203 CE Martyrdom of Perpetua in Carthage
211 Christians tolerated under Emperor Antoninus Caracalla
222 Christians favored Emperor Alexander Severus
230 Origen’s On First Principles
235 Christians persecuted under Emperor Maximin the Thracian
238 Christians tolerated under Emperor Gordian III
244 Christians favored under Emperor Philip the Arabian
249-251 CE First major persecution of Christians under emperor Decius
250 CE Origen publishes Contra Celsum, in response to Celsus’ True Reason.
251 Cyprian’s Unity of the Catholic Church
254 Death of Origen
257-260 CE Persecution resumes under emperor Valerian
260 CE Persecution ends when Gallienus becomes emperor
260-340 CE Life of Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, chronicler of early church and court historian to Constantine
301 Armenia becomes the world’s first country to officially adopt Christianity as the state religion.
303 Persecution begins under Diocletian; Diocletian orders burning of Christian books and churches
312 CE Roman emperor Constantine receives a vision of a flaming cross with the words ‘In hoc signo vinces’ : ‘By this sign conquer’. Battle of Milvian Bridge; Constantine adopts Christ as his patron and defeats his rival Maxentius to become sole ruler of Italy, Africa, and the entire western half of the empire.
313 CE Edict of Milan. Edict of Milan establishes official toleration of Christianity, including full restitution of all confiscated Christian property and full rights for Christian worship in both halves of the Roman empire.
324 CE Constantine becomes ruler of the entire Roman empire. He moves the eastern capital from Nicomedia to Byzantine, henceforth known as Constantinople.
325 CE Constantine calls the first ecumenical council at Nicaea., which attempts to resolve theological differences among church factions. It is agreed that Christ was both fully human and fully divine, thus denouncing what would be called the “Arian heresy” that Jesus was fully human.
336 Death of Constantine
354 Birth of Augustine
367 A document is distributed by the bishop of Alexandria, formally establishing the contents of the New Testament
367 Athanasius is the first to list all 27 New Testament books in his festal letter.
379 Basil the Great dies
380 Christianity made official religion of Roman Empire
381 Council of Constantinople revises the Nicene creed to its current form
382 Saint Jerome begins a translation of the Bible into Latin
386 Augustine converts to Christianity
389 Gregory of Nazianzus dies
395 Gregory of Nyssa dies
397 Synod at Carthage ratifies the 27 books of the New Testament as sacred scripture
407 John Chrysostom dies
411 Council of Carthage condemns Donatists
417 Pope Innocent I condemns Pelagianism
420 Death of Jerome
430 Death of Augustine
431 Council of Ephesus refutes Nestorianism, re nature of Jesus; Mary is declared Theotokos ‘Mother of God’.
449 At Ephesus, Pope Leo I delivers his ‘Tome’, defending orthodox Christian belief. Leo also asserts Papal supremacy.
451 Council of Chalcedon affirms Christ as having two distinct natures united in one person (known as the ‘Hypostatic Union’).
563 Columba establishes a monastery at Iona (Scotland)
589 Insertion of the filioque (Latin: ‘and the son’) into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed at a council in Toledo.
597 Pope Gregory I, makes Augustine the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
664 Synod of Whitby ratifies the authority of the Pope in England.
680-81 Ecumenical council at Constantinople rejects Monothelite heresy of one will in Christ.
731 Bede writes his Ecclesiastical History.
787 Second Council of Nicaea ends the controversy over the use of icons in worship.
800 Charlemagne is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III.
950 Olga of Russia converts to Christianity
988 Conversion of Prince Vladimir in Kiev. Growth of Christianity in Russia.
1054 Great Schism between East and West; Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches separate
1093 Anselm becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
1095 Council of Clermont: Pope Urban II proclaims First Crusade to recover the Holy Land from Moslems.
1098 Crusaders take Antioch from Turks
1099 Crusaders recapture Jerusalem from Turks
1122 Concordat of Worms
1141 Peter Abelard condemned
1144 Fall of Edessa (crusader state)
1182 Massacre of Latin inhabitants of Constantinople.
1187 Jerusalem recaptured by a Moslem army led by Saladin.
1189 Third Crusade led by Richard the Lionheart of England.
1204 Sack of Constantinople during the fourth crusade.
1215 Fourth Lateran Council
1216/23 Papal approval of the Dominican and Franciscan mendicant (‘begging’) orders.
1266-73 Thomas Aquinas writes systematic Theology: Summa Theologiae.
1305 Papacy moved to Avignon following a dispute with Philip IV of France.
1309 “Babylonian Captivity” (until 1377)
1337 Hundred Years’ War (until 1453)
1376 John Wycliffe writes ‘Civil Dominion’, arguing for reform of the church.
1378 Great Western Schism Following the return of the Papacy to Rome, rival claimants to papacy emerge. Dispute ends in 1417 with election of Martin V.
1380 John Wycliffe translates the Bible into Middle English.
1409 Council of Pisa
1413-14 Lollard rebellion
1415 Council of Constance. Martyrdom of Jan Hus.
1420 Crusade against Hussites
1431 Joan of Arc martyred
1431-49 Council of Basel
1438-45 Council of Ferrara-Florence
1453 Fall of Constantinople to Turks
1478 Spanish Inquisition founded by Ferdinand and Isabella
1483 Birth of Martin Luther
1492 Expulsion of Jews from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella
1505 Luther becomes a monk
1517 Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses in Wittenburg, Germany; beginning the Protestant reformation.
1521 Diet of Worms, Luther excommunicated
1525 William Tyndale completes his translation of the Bible into English.
1530 Augsburg Confession
1534 Ignatius of Loyola founds the Jesuits.
1534 Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy makes him supreme head of the English church.
1536 Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion
1541 Colloquy of Regensburg
1549 Thomas Cranmer publishes the Book of Common Prayer in England (later revised in 1662).
1555 Peace of Augsburg ends religious wars in Germany.
1611 Publication of the King James Version of the Bible.
1559 Elizabeth I’s Act of Uniformity
1590 Michelangelo completes the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
1609 Baptist Church founded by John Smyth
1611 King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible produced
1618-48 Protestant/Catholic conflict in Germany (Thirty Years War).
1729 Beginnings of Methodism, led by John Wesley
1730-60 The ‘Great Awakening’ – A revival movement among Protestants in the USA.
1775 American Wars of Independence begin
1783 America wins independence from Britain
1793 Louis XVI executed
1797 Second Awakening begins
1798 Pope Pius VI is prisoner of France
1799 Schleiermacher writes Speeches
1801 Cane Ridge Revival
1804 Napoleon becomes emperor
1807 Hegel writes Phenomenology of the Spirit
1808 French occupy Rome
1810 Mexico wins independence
1812-14 British-American War
1814 Reorganization of the Jesuits
1816 American Bible Society established
1822 Schleiermacher writes Christian Faith
1826 American Society for the Promotion of Temperance founded
1830 Joseph Smith produces Book of Mormon
1834 Spanish Inquisition officially abolished
1838 Abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean
1841 David Livingstone to Africa
1845 Methodists and Baptists split over the issue of slavery
1846 Pope Pius IX (until 1878)
1854 Dogma of Immaculate Conception of Mary proclaimed by Roman Catholic Church
1859 Darwin publishes Origin of the Species
1861-65 American Civil War
1861 Presbyterians divide over the issue of slavery
1869 First Vatican Council
1870 Dogma of Papal Infallibility proclaimed at First Vatican Council
1872 Moody begins preaching
1875 Mary Baker Eddy writes Science and Health
1882 Nietzsche declares “God is dead”
1895 Five Fundamentals
1900 Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams
1906 Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, begins Pentecostal movement
1910 World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh
1914 Assemblies of God founded
1914-18 World War I
1917 Russian Revolution
1919 Prohibition passed into law
1925 Scopes “Monkey” trial
1932 Barth’s Church Dogmatics
1939 Hitler invades Poland and sparks WWI
1945 Nag Hammadi Library discovered in Egypt;
1947 India wins independence from U.K.
1948 World Council of Churches founded
1950 Papal encyclical Humani generis, Dogma of the Assumption of Mary proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church.
1956 First issue of Christianity Today
1960 Birth control pill approved by FDA
1961 First human in space; Papal encyclical Mater et Magistra
1962-65 Second Vatican Council, Major reforms in the Roman Catholic church are initiated.
Mutual anathemas of 1054 between Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches lifted.
1963 MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech
1968 Papal encyclical Humanae vitae
1969 First man on the moon
1971 Intel introduces the microprocessor
1973 Roe vs. Wade
1987-88 Televangelist scandals
1989 First woman ordained in an apostolic-succession church (the Protestant Episcopal church). Fall of the Berlin Wall.
1997 Death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta – founder of the ‘Missionaries of Charity’.
1999 Signing of the Joint Declaration on Justification by the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches.
2005 Death of Pope John Paul II, who is succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI.
2006 World Methodist Council adopts the Lutheran/Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification.
2011 Beatification of Pope John Paul II.
2013 Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, who is succeeded by Pope Francis
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