page_title: Timeline of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece (33–717)
section_title: Ante-Nicene era (100–325)
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece (33–717) / The early church of Greece (33-325) / Ante-Nicene era (100–325)
caption_attribution_description: Constantine I 307-337 AD. Æ en:Follis (2.97 gm). Struck 337 AD. Constantinople mint. CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, laureate head right SPES PVBLICA across field, labarum, with three medallions on drapery and crowned by a christogram, spearing serpent. CONS in exergue. RIC VII 19. According to RIC, this famous reverse type represents the defeat of tyranny by the death of Licinius. Yet, the scene also has powerful Christian imagery in that it allegorically portrays the power of Christianity over evil. Coin from CNG coins, through Wildwinds. Used with permission. Follis 337 Constantine
context_page_description: This is a timeline of the presence of Orthodoxy in Greece. The history of Greece traditionally encompasses the study of the Greek people, the areas they ruled historically, as well as the territory now composing the modern state of Greece.
  Christianity was first brought to the geographical area corresponding to modern Greece by the Apostle Paul, although the church's apostolicity also rests upon St. Andrew who preached the gospel in Greece and suffered martyrdom in Patras, Titus, Paul's companion who preached the gospel in Crete where he became bishop, Philip who, according to the tradition, visited and preached in Athens, Luke the Evangelist who was martyred in Thebes, Lazarus of Bethany, Bishop of Kition in Cyprus, and John the Theologian who was exiled on the island of Patmos where he received the Revelation recorded in the last book of the New Testament. In addition, the Theotokos is regarded as having visited the Holy Mountain in 49 AD according to tradition. Thus Greece became the first European area to accept the gospel of Christ. Towards the end of the 2nd century the early apostolic bishoprics had developed into metropolitan sees in the most important cities.
context_section_description: c. 100–293 During the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Greece was divided into provinces including Achaea, Macedonia, and Moesia.
  c. 120 Martyrdom of Eleutherios and his mother Anthia.
  124 Apostles Quadratus and Aristides present Christian apologies to Emperor Hadrian at Athens.
  c. 130-140 Aquila completes a literal Greek translation of the Old Testament; death of Apostle Quadratus, of the Seventy.
  156 Martyrdom of Polycarp of Smyrna.
  c. 170-180 Emergence of the Muratorian Canon in Greek, the first clear witness to a catalog of authoritative New Testament writings.
  180–192 Theodotion's Greek translation of the Old Testament.
  180 Death of Pinytus, Bishop of Knossos in Crete, described by Eusebius as one of the foremost ecclesiastical writers of his time.
  190 Death of Athenagoras of Athens, a Christian apologist who wrote in defense of the resurrection of the dead.
  193–211 Symmachus' Greek translation of the Old Testament.
  202 Death of Great Martyr Charalambos, Bishop of Magnesia.
  210 Hippolytus of Rome, bishop and martyr and last of Greek-speaking fathers in Rome, writes Refutation of All Heresies (Philosophumena), and Apostolic Tradition.
  c. 215 Death of Clement of Alexandria, who led the Catechetical School of Alexandria and was notable for uniting Greek philosophy and exegesis with Christian doctrine.
  c. 250 Matrydom of Christopher of Lycia; martyrdom of Cyprian and Justina at Nicomedia; death of Hieromartyr Leonidas, Bp. of Athens; the earliest known prayer to the Theotokos is recorded on 'Greek Papyrus 470', dated to c. 250 AD.
  c. 251 Martyric death of Isidore of Chios under the persecutions of Decius.
  262 Great incursion of the Goths into Ionia, Troas, Lydia and Phrygia in Asia Minor.
  267 Hordes of Heruli penetrated deep into the Peloponnesus, took Athens, and ravaged Corinth, Sparta and Argos.
  270 Death of Gregory the Wonderworker (Thaumaturgus), founder of the Church in Cappadocia.
  286 Death of Marina the Great-Martyr; Martyrs Timothy and Mavra.
  293 Emperor Diocletian institutes the Tetrarchy.
  302 20,000 Martyrs burned at Nicomedia.
  303 Death of Great-Martyr Panteleimon and martyrdom of George the Trophy-bearer at Nicomedia.
  304 Death of Virgin-Martyr Anysia of Thessaloniki.
  306 Martyric death of Demetrios of Thessaloniki;
  c. 306 Death of Great-Martyr Barbara of Nicomedia; the Church of the Rotonda in Thessaloniki is built as the "Tomb of Galerius", later converted into a Christian church on the orders of Emperor Constantine I (the Church of Agios Georgios).
  306-37 Reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.
  311 Edict of Toleration by Galerius officially ending the Diocletian persecution of Christianity; Martyrdom of Bp. Methodius of Olympus.
  313 Edict of Milan issued by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Licinius, officially declaring religious freedom in the Roman Empire.
  314 Council of Ancyra held.
  316 Death of Blaise of Sebaste.
  319 Matyrdom of Theodore Stratelates ("the General"), under Licinius.
  321 Constantine the Great introduced the first civil legislation declaring Sunday a holiday in honor of the Resurrection.
  c. 324 The Labarum with the "Chi-Rho" Christogram became the official standard of the Roman Empire, after the final encounter between Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis.
caption: A coin of Constantine (c.337) showing a depiction of his Labarum standard spearing a serpent.
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