the-french-artist/wikipedia_20220301.simple_sentence_split huggingface dataset:
Christianity thought the Jewish scriptures to be sacred and used mostly the Septuagint translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), the Hebrew Prophets and Writings (the rest of the Old Testament books), and added other texts as the New Testament.
Christians professed Jesus to be the God of Israel, having taken human form, and considered Jesus to be the Messiah  (Christ) who had been prophesied about in the Old Testament and so was expected by the people of Israel.
Post-Apostolic Church
The time when most of the apostles had died and their jobs as leaders of the Christian communities in the cities had been taken over by bishops, is called post-apostolic period.
It includes the time of persecutions until Christian worship was legalized under Constantine the Great.
The earliest recorded use of the term Christianity (Greek ) is from this period.
The term was used by Ignatius of Antioch c. 107.
Persecutions
Early Christians were subject to various persecutions.
This meant even death.
Early martyrs included Stephen () and James, son of Zebedee ().
Persecutions in larger scale by the authorities of the Roman Empire began with the year 64, when the Emperor Nero blamed them for the great Fire of Rome as the Roman historian Tacitus reported.
According to Church tradition, it was under Nero's persecution that the saints Peter and Paul became martyrs in Rome.
Several of the New Testament writings mention persecutions and very difficult times.
For 250 years there were times when Christians suffered from persecutions, because they refused to worship the Roman emperor.
That was seen as treason and punished by execution.
But the Christian religion continued to spread throughout the Mediterranean region.
In the late fourth century they became the dominant religious force of the Roman Empire.
Christianity legalized
The first to legalize Christianity was the Armenian king Trdat the Third, who announced it the official religion in Armenia in the year 301.
Galerius issued an edict permitting the practice of the Christian religion in April of 311.
In 313 Constantine I and Licinius announced toleration of Christianity in the Edict of Milan.
Constantine became the first Christian emperor; he had learnt about Christianity from his mother, Helena.
When Christianity was legalized the Church used the same provinces for administration as the imperial government and called them dioceses.
The Bishop of Rome claimed to be the highest amongst all others and chose the title pope.
During this era, there were several Ecumenical Councils.
These were mostly concerned with Christological disputes.
The First Council of Nicaea condemned Arianism and produced the Nicene Creed to define the faith.
The Council of Ephesus condemned Nestorianism and affirmed the Blessed Virgin Mary to be Theotokos ("God-bearer" or "Mother of God").
Perhaps the most important was the Council of Chalcedon that affirmed that Christ had two natures, fully God and fully man, at the same time.
That meant that Monophysitism was condemned.
Church of the Early Middle Ages (476 – 800)
The Church in the Early Middle Ages saw a "transformation of the Roman world" rather than a "fall of the Roman Empire".
With the Muslim invasions of the seventh century, the Western (Latin) and Eastern (Greek) areas of Christianity began to take on distinctive shapes, and the Bishops of Rome were more interested in barbarian kings than in the Byzantine Emperors.
This led to the coronation of Charlemagne as "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Day, 800.
Early Medieval Papacy
The city of Rome was affected very much by warfare in Italy during the Early Middle Ages.
Emperor Justinian I conquered the Italian kingdom of the Ostrogoths.
He made Ravenna, Italy a territory with its own governor, but imperial influence was often limited.
After the invasion of the Lombards, Rome had to take care of itself.
Thus the popes, out of necessity, found themselves feeding the city with grain from papal estates, negotiating treaties, paying protection money to Lombard warlords, and, failing that, hiring soldiers to defend the city.
Eventually, the failure of the Empire to send aid resulted in the popes turning for support from other sources, most especially the Franks.
Church of the High Middle Ages (800 – 1499)
The Investiture Controversy, also known as the lay investiture controversy, was the most important conflict between secular and religious powers in medieval Europe.
It began as a dispute in the 11th century between the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII.
The question was who would control appointments of bishops (investiture).
The end of lay investiture meant an important loss of royal power, and a loss for ambitious noblemen, for the benefit of Church reform as the pope intended.
Bishops collected revenues from estates attached to their bishopric.
Noblemen who held lands (fiefdoms) hereditarily passed those lands on within their family.
However, a king had more control of lands under the domain of his bishops.
Kings would give bishoprics to powerful friends.
If a king left a bishopric vacant, he got the money until a bishop was appointed, when he was supposed to repay the earnings.
This seldom happened.
The Church wanted to end this lay investiture because of the vacant sees simony and other problems.
Thus, the Investiture Contest was part of the Church's attempt to reform the episcopate and get better bishops.
Pope Gregory VII issued the Dictatus Papae, which said only the pope may make, break, or move bishops to other sees.
The Emperor rejected this.
With excommunication and a revolt by his dukes, Henry apologized and was forgiven, though the conflict continued.
A similar controversy happened in England between King Henry I and St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The English dispute was resolved by a deal in 1107, where the king gave up making bishops but did require an oath of fealty.
The later Concordat of Worms (Pactum Calixtinum) resolved the Imperial investiture controversy with a similar compromise.
The Crusades were a military conflicts conducted by Christian knights for the defense of Christians and for the expansion of Christian domains.
Generally, the crusades refer to the campaigns in the Holy Land against Muslim forces sponsored by the Papacy.
There were other crusades against Islamic forces in southern Spain, southern Italy, and Sicily, as well as the campaigns of Teutonic knights against pagan strongholds in Eastern Europe, and (to a much lesser extent) crusades against Catharism or other Christian heresies.
The Holy Land had been part of the Roman Empire, and thus Byzantine Empire, until the Islamic conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries.
Thereafter, Christians had generally been permitted to visit the sacred places in the Holy Land until 1071, when the Seljuk Turks closed Christian pilgrimages and assailed the Byzantines, defeating them at the Battle of Manzikert.
Emperor Alexius I asked for aid from Pope Urban II (1088-1099) for help against Islamic aggression.
Instead of sending money, Urban II called upon the knights of Christendom in a speech made at the Council of Clermont on 27 November 1095, combining the idea of pilgrimage to the Holy Land with that of waging a holy war against infidels.
The East-West Schism, or Great Schism, separated the Church into Western (Latin) and Eastern (Greek) branches, i.e. Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
It was the first major division since certain groups in the East rejected the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon (see Oriental Orthodoxy), and was far more significant.
Though normally dated to 1054, the East-West Schism was the result of an long time of disagreement between Latin and Greek Christendom over papal primacy and certain doctrinal matters like the filioque.
Bad feelings were intensified by cultural and linguistic differences.
The schism became "official" in 1054 when the Pope's legates notified Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople that he had been excommunicated.
A few days later, he excommunicated the legates.
Attempts at reconciliation were made in 1274 in Lyon and in 1439 in Basel, but in each case the eastern hierarchs who agreed to the unions were repudiated by the Orthodox as a whole.
However, reconciliation was achieved between the West and what are now called the "Eastern Rite Catholic Churches".
More recently, in 1965 the mutual excommunications were rescinded by the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople, though schism remains.
Both groups are descended from the Early Church, both acknowledge the apostolic succession of each other's bishops, and the validity of each other's sacraments.
Though both acknowledge the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, Eastern Orthodoxy understands this as a primacy of honor with limited or no ecclesiastical authority in other dioceses.
The Western Schism, or Papal Schism, was a prolonged period of crisis in Latin Christendom from 1378 to 1416, when there were two or more claimants to the See of Rome and thus it was difficult to discern who the true Pope was.
The conflict was political, rather than doctrinal, in nature.
Church and the Italian Renaissance (1399 – 1599)
The Renaissance was a period of great cultural change and achievement, marked in Italy by a classical orientation and an increase of wealth through mercantile trade.
The City of Rome, the Papacy, and the Papal States were all affected by the Renaissance.
On the one hand, it was a time of great artistic patronage and architectural magnificence, where the Church patroned such artists as Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Bramante, Raphael, Fra Angelico, Donatello, and da Vinci.
On the other hand, wealthy Italian families often secured episcopal offices, including the papacy, for their own members, some of whom were known for immorality, such as Alexander VI and Sixtus IV.
Protestant Reformation (1521 – 1579)
In the early 16th century, movements were begun by two theologians, Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, that aimed to reform the Church.
Unlike earlier reformers  they considered the root of corruptions to be doctrinal (rather than simply a matter of moral weakness or lack of ecclesiastical discipline) and thus they aimed to change contemporary doctrines to fit their idea of the "true gospel".
The Protestant Reformation is so called because the movement's leaders "protested" against the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the pope, essentially electing to institute their reforms separately from it.
The term "Protestant", however, was not originally used by these leaders; instead, they called themselves "evangelical", emphasizing the "return to the true gospel (Greek: euangelion)".
The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is generally identified with Martin Luther and the posting of the 95 Theses in 1517 in Wittenburg, Germany.
Early protest was against corruptions such as simony, episcopal vacancies, and the sale of indulgences.
The Protestant position, however, would come to incorporate doctrinal changes such as sola scriptura and sola fide.
The three most important traditions to emerge directly from the Protestant Reformation were the Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist, Presbyterian, etc.),
and Anglican traditions, though the latter group identifies as both "Reformed" and "Catholic", and some subgroups reject the classification as "Protestant".
The Protestant Reformation may be divided into two distinct but basically simultaneous movements, the Magisterial Reformation and the Radical Reformation.
The Magisterial Reformation involved the alliance of certain theological teachers (Latin: magistri) such as Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, Cranmer, etc.
with secular magistrates who cooperated in the reformation of Christendom.
Radical Reformers, besides forming communities outside state sanction, often employed more extreme doctrinal change, such as the rejection of tenants of the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon.
Often the division between magisterial and radical reformers was as or more violent than the general Catholic and Protestant hostilities.
The Protestant Reformation spread almost entirely within the confines of Northern Europe, but did not take hold in certain northern areas such as Ireland and parts of Germany.
By far the magisterial reformers were more successful and their changes more widespread than the radical reformers.
The Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation is known as the Counter Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, which resulted in a reassertion of traditional doctrines and the emergence of new religious orders aimed at both moral reform and new missionary activity.
The Counter Reformation reconverted approximately 33% of Northern Europe to Catholicism and initiated missions in South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and even China and Japan.
Protestant expansion outside of Europe occurred on a smaller scale through colonization of North America and areas of Africa.
Martin Luther was an Augustinian friar and professor at the University of Wittenberg.
In 1517, he published a list of 95 Theses, or points to be debated, concerning the illicitness of selling indulgences.
Luther had a particular disdain for Aristotelian philosophy, and as he began developing his own theology, he increasingly came into conflict with other scholars.
Soon, Luther began to develop his theology of justification, or process by which one is "made right" (righteous) in the eyes of God.
In Catholic theology, one is made righteous by a progressive infusion of grace accepted through faith and cooperated with through good works.
Luther's doctrine of justification was different.
He said justification meant "the declaring of one to be righteous", where God imputes the merits of Christ upon one who remains without inherent merit.
In this process, good works are more of an unessential byproduct that contribute nothing to one's own state of righteousness.
Conflict between Luther and leading theologians lead to his gradual rejection of authority of the Church hierarchy.
In 1520, he was condemned for heresy by the papal bull Exsurge Domine, which he burned at Wittenburg along with books of canon law.
John Calvin was a French cleric and doctor of law turned Protestant reformer in the second generation of the Reformation.
He was well known for publishing the Institutes of the Christian Religion, in 1536 (later revised), and became a leader of the Reformed church in Geneva, which became an "unofficial capital" of Reformed Christianity in the second half of the sixteenth century.
He had great authority in the city and over the city council, such that he has (rather ignominiously) been called a "Protestant pope".
Calvin established an eldership together with a "consistory", where pastors and the elders established matters of religious discipline for the Genevan population.
Calvin's theology is best known for his doctrine of (double) predestination, which held that God had, from all eternity, providentially foreordained who would be saved (the elect) and likewise who would be damned (the reprobate).
Predestination was not the dominant idea in Calvin's works, but it would seemingly become so for many of his Reformed successors.
Unlike other reform movements, the English Reformation began by royal influence.
Henry VIII considered himself a thoroughly Catholic King, and in 1521 he defended the papacy against Luther in a book he commissioned entitled, The Defense of the Seven Sacraments, for which Pope Leo X awarded him the title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith).
However, the king came into conflict with the papacy when he wished to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, for which he needed papal sanction.
Catherine, among many other noble relations, was the aunt of Emperor Charles V, the papacy's most significant secular supporter.
The ensuing dispute eventually lead to a break from Rome and the declaration of the King of England as head of the English (Anglican) Church.
England then experienced a period of frenetic and eclectic reforms, some more radical and others more traditional, under monarchs such as Edward VI and Elizabeth I, and Archbishops of Canterbury such as Thomas Cranmer and William Laud.
What emerged was a state church that considered itself both "Reformed" and "Catholic" but not "Roman" (and hesitated from the title "Protestant"), and other "unofficial" more radical movements such as the Puritans.
The Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, was the response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation.
The essence of the Counter-Reformation was a renewed conviction in traditional practices and the upholding of Catholic doctrine as the source of ecclesiastic and moral reform, and the answer to halting the spread of Protestantism.
Thus it experienced the founding of new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, the establishment of seminaries for the proper training of priests, renewed worldwide missionary activity, and the development of new yet orthodox forms of spirituality, such as that of the Spanish mystics and the French school of spirituality.
The entire process was spearheaded by the Council of Trent, which clarified and reasserted doctrine, issued dogmatic definitions, and produced the Roman Catechism.
Though Ireland, Spain, France, and elsewhere featured significantly in the Counter-Reformation, its heart was Italy and the various popes of the time, who established the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (the list of prohibited books) and the Roman Inquisition, a system of juridical tribunals that prosecuted heresy and related offences.
The Papacy of St. Pius V (1566-1572) was known not only for its focus on halting heresy and worldly abuses within the Church, but also for its focus on improving popular piety in a determined effort to stem the appeal of Protestantism.
Pius began his pontificate by giving large alms to the poor, charity, and hospitals, and the pontiff was known for consoling the poor and sick, and supporting missionaries.
The activities of these pontiffs coincided with a rediscovery of the ancient Christian catacombs in Rome.
As Diarmaid MacCulloch stated, "Just as these ancient martyrs were revealed once more, Catholics were beginning to be martyred afresh, both in mission fields overseas and in the struggle to win back Protestant northern Europe: the catacombs proved to be an inspiration for many to action and to heroism."
Great Awakenings
The First Great Awakening was a wave of religious enthusiasm among Protestants in the American colonies c. 1730-1740, emphasizing the traditional Reformed virtues of Godly preaching, rudimentary liturgy, and a deep sense of personal guilt and redemption by Christ Jesus.
Historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom saw it as part of a "great international Protestant upheaval" that also created Pietism in Germany, the Evangelical Revival, and Methodism in England.
It centered on reviving the spirituality of established congregations, and mostly affected Congregational, Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, German Reformed, Baptist, and Methodist churches, while also spreading within the slave population.
The Second Great Awakening (1800–1830s), unlike the first, focused on the unchurched and sought to instill in them a deep sense of personal salvation as experienced in revival meetings.
It also sparked the beginnings of Restorationist groups such as the Mormons and the Holiness movement.
The Third Great Awakening began from 1857 and was most notable for taking the movement throughout the world, especially in English speaking countries.
The final group to emerge from the "great awakenings" in North America was Pentecostalism, which had its roots in the Methodist, Wesleyan, and Holiness movements, and began in 1906 on Azusa Street, in Los Angeles.
Pentecostalism would later lead to the Charismatic movement.
Restorationism refers to various unaffiliated movements that considered contemporary Christianity, in all its forms, to be a deviation from the true, original Christianity, which these groups then attempted to "Reconstruct", often using the Book of Acts as a "guidebook" or sorts.
Restorationism developed out of the Second Great Awakening and is historically connected to the Protestant Reformation, but differs in that Restorationists do not usually describe themselves as "reforming" a Christian church continuously existing from the time of Jesus, but as restoring the Church that they believe was lost at some point.
The name Restoration is also used to describe the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Jehovah's Witness Movement.
Fascism describes certain related political regimes in 20th century Europe, especially Nazi Germany.
When the Italian government closed Catholic youth organizations, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Non Abbiamo Bisogno,  saying that Fascist governments had hidden "pagan intentions" and expressed the irreconcilability of the Catholic position and Fascism, which placed the nation above God and fundamental human rights and dignity.
He later signed agreements with the new rulers of Italy and Germany.
Many Catholic priests and monastics were persecuted under the Nazi regime, such as the concentration camp victims Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).
Furthermore, many Catholic laypeople and clergy helped in sheltering Jews during the Holocaust, including Pope Pius XII.
Various incidents, such as giving aid to downed Allied airmen, nearly caused Nazi Germany to invade the Vatican before the liberation of Rome in 1944.
The relationship between Nazism and Protestantism, especially the German Lutheran Church, is complex.
Though the majority of Protestant church leaders in Germany made little comment on the Nazis' growing anti-Jewish activities, some, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a Lutheran pastor) were strongly opposed to the Nazis.
Bonhoeffer was later found guilty in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and executed.
Fundamentalist Christianity, is a movement that arose mainly within British and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to modernism and certain liberal Protestant groups that denied doctrines considered fundamental to Christianity yet still called themselves "Christian".
Thus, fundamentalism sought to reestablish tenants that could not be denied without relinquishing a Christian identity, the "fundamentals": the Bible as God`s word, viewed as the sole source of authority, the virgin birth of Christ, the doctrine of atonement through Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the imminent return of Christ.
Ecumenism broadly refers to movements between Christian groups to establish a degree of unity through dialogue.
"Ecumenism" is derived from Greek  (oikoumene), which means "the inhabited world", but more figuratively something like "universal oneness".
The movement can be distinguished into Catholic and Protestant movements, with the latter characterized by a redefined ecclesiology of "denominationalism" (which the Catholic Church, among others, rejects).
Concerning the Greek Orthodox Church, steady movement was made to reconcile the East-West Schism.
On 30 November 1894, Pope Leo XIII publishes the Apostolic Letter Orientalium Dignitas (On the Churches of the East) safeguarding the importance and continuance of the Eastern traditions for the whole Church.
On 7 December 1965, a Joint Catholic-Orthodox Declaration of His Holiness Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I was issued lifting the mutual excommunications of 1054.
Ecumenical movements within Protestantism have focused on determining a list of doctrines and practices essential to being Christian and thus extending to all groups which fulfill these basic criteria a (more or less) equal status, with perhaps one's own group still retaining a "first among equal" standing.
This process involved a redefinition of the idea of "the Church" from traditional theology.
This ecclesiology, known as denominationalism, contends that each group (which fulfills the essential criteria of "being Christian") is a sub-group of a greater "Christian Church", itself a purely abstract concept with no direct representation, i.e. no group, or "denomination", claims to be "the Church".
Obviously, this ecclesiology it at variance with other groups that indeed consider themselves to be "the Church".
But moreover, because the "essential criteria" generally consist of belief in the holy Trinity, it has resulted in strife between these Protestant ecumenical movements and non-Trinitarian groups such as Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses, which are not often not regarded as Christian by these ecumenical groups.
Print resources
Dictionary of the History of Ideas:  Christianity in History
Dictionary of the History of Ideas:  Church as an Institution
Church history at WikiChristian
Church History in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
American Religion Data Archive
Early Stages of the Establishment of Christianity
Theandros, a journal of Orthodox theology and philosophy, containing articles on early Christianity and patristic studies.
Historical Christianity, A time line with references to the descendants of the early church.
This timeline is to show the history of Christianity from the beginning to the present.
Question marks on dates mean that dates are not exact.
Western culture and Christian churches use the Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian calendar has been in use since 1582 when it replaced the less precise Julian Calendar.
The Gregorian calendar began in Europe, in the reign of Pope Gregory XIII.
The Gregorian calendar is now used almost everywhere in the world (except for calculating the holy days of other religions).
The Gregorian calendar dates years from before or after the birth of Jesus.
Years that are before the birth of Jesus have the initials BC (before Christ) and years that are after (traditionally) have the initials AD (anno Domini – "in the year of our Lord").
Nowadays these are often written BCE ("before the Common Era") and CE ("Common Era").
The "year one" is the first year in "anno Domini" (the Common Era).
There is no year zero.
When the Gregorian calendar was calculated, the scholars tried to work out exactly when the birth of Jesus happened.
The exact date is not certain, but most agree that it was between 6 BC and 4 BC.
Era of Jesus
This list tells only about the things that happened in the part of the world where Jesus was born.
This region is now called Israel and Palestine.
In the time of Jesus, it was under the rule of the Romans.
1 This year is sometimes celebrated as beginning near the time of Jesus' birth.
People who study it now say that it was calculated wrongly and it happened in 4 BC.
6 Herod Archelaus was deposed (put off his throne) by Caesar Augustus.
The Roman rulers brought together Samaria, Judea and Idumea as "Iudaea Province" with its capital at Caesarea.
Quirinius became Governor of Syria.
Quininus conducted a census and was opposed by a Jewish group called the Zealots (JA18, (, )
7–26 Brief period of peace, relatively free of revolt and bloodshed in Iudaea and Galilee (John P. Meier's A Marginal Jew, v. 1, ch.
9 Pharisee leader Hillel the Elder dies, temporary rise of Shammai
14–37 Tiberius, Roman Emperor
18–36 Caiaphas, appointed High Priest of Herod's Temple by Prefect Valerius Gratus, deposed by Syrian Legate Lucius Vitellius
19 Jews, Jewish proselytes, astrologers, expelled from Rome (Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Tiberius 36, Loeb Classics)
26–36 Pontius Pilate, Prefect (governor) of Iudaea, recalled to Rome by Syrian Legate Vitellius on complaints of excess violence (JA18.4.2)
28 or 29 John the Baptist began his ministry in the "15th year of Tiberius" (), saying: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (), a relative of Jesus (), a Nazirite (), baptized Jesus (), later arrested and beheaded by Herod Antipas (), it is possible that, according to Josephus' chronology, John was not killed until 36 (JA18.5.2)
Jesus began his ministry after his baptism by John and during the rule of Pilate, preaching: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" ().
While the historicity of the gospel accounts is questioned to some extent by most critical scholars and non-Christians, the traditional view states the following chronology for his ministry: Temptation, Sermon on the Mount, Appointment of the Twelve, Miracles, Temple Money Changers, Last Supper, Arrest, Trial, Passion, Crucifixion on Good Friday (, ), Nisan 14th (, , Gospel of Peter) or Nisan 15th (Synoptic Gospels), (7 Apr 30, 3 Apr 33, 30 Mar 36, possible Fri-14-Nisan dates – Meier), entombment by Pharisees Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin, Resurrection by God on Easter Sunday, appearances to Paul of Tarsus (), Simon Peter (), Mary Magdalene (, ), and others, Great Commission, Ascension, Second Coming Prophecy to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and establishment of the Kingdom of God and the Messianic Age.
See also Chronology of Jesus.
Era of the Apostles
Shortly after the Crucifixion of Jesus (Nisan 14 or 15), the Jerusalem church was founded as the first Christian church with about 120 Jews and Jewish proselytes (), followed by Pentecost, the Ananias and Sapphira incident, Pharisee Gamaliel's defense of the Apostles (), the stoning of Saint Stephen (see also Persecution of Christians) and the subsequent dispersal of the church () which led to the baptism of Simon Magus in Samaria (), and also an Ethiopian eunuch ().
Paul's conversion to "Apostle to the Gentiles" is first recorded in (, cf. ).
Peter baptized the Centurion Cornelius, who is traditionally considered the first Gentile convert to Christianity ().
The Antioch church was founded.
It was there that the term Christian was first used ().
Saint James was executed by Agrippa I (ruled 39–44) during a Passover (Nisan 15) ().
44 Death of Agrippa I (JA19.8.2, )
44–46?
Theudas beheaded by Procurator Cuspius Fadus for saying he would part the Jordan river (like Moses and the Red Sea) (JA20.5.1,  places it before the Census of Quirinius)
45–49?
Paul's first mission (), with Barnabas, to Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (there they were called "gods ... in human form"), then return to Syrian Antioch
The Church of the East is created by Saint Thomas
48–100 Herod Agrippa II appointed King of the Jews by Claudius, seventh and last of the Herodians
49 "Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he <Claudius> expelled them from Rome." (
Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Claudius XXV.4, Loeb Classics) (referenced in )
50 Passover riot in Jerusalem, 20–30,000 killed (JA20.5.3, JW2.12.1)
50?
Council of Jerusalem and the "Apostolic Decree", , same as ?,
which is followed by the "Incident at Antioch" at which Paul publicly accused Peter of "Judaizing" ()
50–53?
Paul's second mission (), split with Barnabas, to Phrygia, Galatia, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, "he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken", then return to Antioch; 1 Thessalonians, Galatians written?
Saint Thomas Christians of India
53–57?
Paul's third mission (), to Galatia, Phrygia, Corinth, Ephesus, Macedonia, Greece, and Jerusalem where James the Just challenged him about a rumor of teaching antinomianism ().
He addressed a crowd in their language (most likely Aramaic), Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philippians written?
55? "
Egyptian Prophet" (allusion to Moses) and 30,000 unarmed Jews doing the Exodus reenactment massacred by Procurator Antonius Felix (JW2.13.5, JA20.8.6, )
58?
Paul arrested, accused of being a revolutionary, "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes", teaching resurrection of the dead, imprisoned in Caesarea ()
Paul shipwrecked on Malta.
There he was called a god. ()
Paul in Rome: greeted by many "brothers" (NRSV: "believers"), three days later called together the Jewish leaders, who had not received any word from Judea about him, but were curious about "this sect", which everywhere is spoken against; he tried to convince them from the "Law and Prophets", with partial success, said the Gentiles would listen and spent two years proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching the "Lord Jesus Christ" (); Epistle to Philemon written?
62 James the Just stoned to death for law transgression by High Priest Ananus ben Artanus.
Popular opinion against act results in Ananus being deposed by new procurator Clodius Albinus. (
JA20.9.1)
63–107?
Simeon, second Bishop of Jerusalem, crucified under Trajan
63?
Glastonbury Abbey founded according to tradition, but date disputed
64–68 after July 18 Great Fire of Rome, Nero blamed and persecuted the Christians, earliest mention of Christians, by that name, in Rome, see also Tacitus on Jesus, Paul beheaded? (, , ,
1Clem 5:5–7), Peter crucified upside down? (, ,
Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics chapter XXXVI, Eusebius' Church History Book III chapter I), "...a vast multitude, were convicted, not so much of the crime of incendiarism as of hatred of the human race.
And in their deaths they were made the subjects of sport; for they were wrapped in the hides of wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set on fire, and when day declined, were burned to serve for nocturnal lights." (
Annals (Tacitus) XV.44)
Q document, a hypothetical Greek text thought by many critical scholars to have been used in writing of Matthew and Luke
66–73 Great Jewish Revolt: destruction of Herod's Temple, Qumran community destroyed, site of Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1947
68–107?
Ignatius, third Bishop of Antioch, fed to the lions in the Roman Colosseum, advocated the Bishop (Eph 6:1, Mag 2:1,6:1,7:1,13:2, Tr 3:1, Smy 8:1,9:1), rejected Jewish Sabbath on Saturday in favor of The Lord's Day (Sunday).
(Mag 9.1), rejected Judaizing (Mag 10.3), first use of term Christianity (Mag 10).
70(±10)?
Gospel of Mark, written in Rome, by Peter's interpreter (1 Peter 5:13), original ending apparently lost, endings added c. 400, see Mark 16
Signs Gospel written, hypothetical Greek text used in Gospel of John to prove Jesus is the Messiah
70–100?
additional Pauline Epistles
70–200?
Didache; Other Gospels: Unknown Berlin Gospel, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Oxyrhynchus Gospels, Egerton Gospel, Fayyum Fragment, Dialogue of the Saviour; Jewish Christian Gospels: Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Nazarenes
80(±20)?
Gospel of Matthew, based on Mark and Q, most popular in Early Christianity
Gospel of Luke, based on Mark and Q, also Acts of the Apostles by same author
88–101?
Clement, fourth Bishop of Rome, wrote Letter of the Romans to the Corinthians (Apostolic Fathers)
Council of Jamnia of Judaism (disputed)
90(±10)?
94 Testimonium Flavianum, disputed section of Jewish Antiquities by Josephus in Aramaic, translated to Koine Greek
95(±30)?
Gospel of John and Epistles of John
95(±10)?
Book of Revelation written, by John (son of Zebedee) and/or a disciple of his
100(±30)?
Epistle of Barnabas (Apostolic Fathers)
100(±25)?
100(±10)?
Epistle of Jude written, probably by doubting relative of Jesus (Mark 6:3), rejected by some early Christians due to its reference to apocryphal Book of Enoch (v14).
Epistle to the Hebrews written.
100–150?
Apocryphon of James, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Gospel of James, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Secret Gospel of Mark (Complete Gospels, published by Jesus Seminar)
110–130?
Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, wrote: "Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord", lost, widely quoted (Apostolic Fathers)
110–160?
Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians, (Apostolic Fathers)
125(±5)?
2 Peter written, not accepted into canon until early 400s, drew upon Epistle of Jude, "catholic" epistle, Pastoral Epistles written
125?
Rylands Library Papyrus P52, oldest extant NT fragment, p. 1935, parts of Jn18:31–33,37–38
130–250? "
Christian Apologists" writings against Roman religion: Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Apology of Aristides, Theophilus of Antioch, Tatian, Quadratus, Melito of Sardis, Apollinaris Claudius, Felix Marcus Minucius, Arnobius, Epistle to Diognetus
132–135 Bar Kokhba's revolt: final Jewish revolt, Judea and Jerusalem erased from maps, region renamed Syria Palæstina (the term Palestine was originally coined by Herodotus), Jerusalem renamed Aelia Capitolina
142–144?
Marcion of Sinope, bishop according to Catholic Encyclopedia, went to Rome, possibly to buy the bishopric of Rome, upon rejection formed his own church in Rome, later called Marcionism, rejected Old Testament, decreed canon of one Gospel, one Apostolicon (10 Letters of Paul) and one Antithesis which contrasted the Old Testament with the New Testament, cited Western text-type, see also Expounding of the Law#Antithesis of the Law
150? "
Western Revisor" adds/subtracts from original Acts to produce Western version which is 10% larger and found in Papyrus P29,38,48 and Codex Bezae (D)
Valentinius, most famous Christian Gnostic, according to Tertullian narrowly lost election for Bishop of Rome
150(±10)?
Shepherd of Hermas, written in Rome (Apostolic Fathers)
155?
Montanus, claimed to be the Paraclete ("Counselor") of
160?
Martyrdom of Polycarp (Apostolic Fathers)
Dionysius , bishop of Corinth, claimed Christians were changing and faking his own letters just as [he knew] they had changed the Gospels (Eusebius' EH 4 c.23 v.12;Ante-Nicene Fathers, v.8)
Tatian produces "Diatessaron" (Harmony) by blending four "Western" text-type Gospels into one
Symmachus the Ebionite, new Greek translation of Hebrew Bible
180?
180–202?
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, combated heresies, cited "Western" Gospel text-type (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
185–350?
Muratorian fragment, 1st extant canon for New Testament after Marcion?,
written in Rome by Hippolytus?,
excludes Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, 3 John; includes Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse of Peter
186?
Saint Apollonius, used the term catholic in reference to 1 John
188–231 Saint Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, condemned Origen
189–198 Pope Victor I, 1st Latin Pope, excommunicated Eastern churches that continued to observe Easter on Nisan 14 Quartodeciman
Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
199–217?
Caius  , presbyter of Rome, wrote "Dialogue against Proclus" in Ante-Nicene Fathers, rejected Revelation, said to be by Gnostic Cerinthus
200?
Papyrus 46: 2nd Chester Beatty, Alexandrian text-type; Papyrus 66: 2nd Bodmer, John, 1956, "Alexandrian/Western" text-types; Papyrus 75: Bodmer 14–15, Luke and John, earliest extant Luke, ~Vaticanus; 200?
Papyrus 32: J. Rylands Library: Titus 1:11–15;2:3–8; Papyrus 64 (+67): Mt3:9,15; 5:20–22,25–28; 26:7–8,10,14–15,22–23,31–33
Sextus Julius Africanus
Antipope Natalius , rival bishop of Rome, according to Eusebius's EH5.28.8–12, quoting the Little Labyrinth of Hippolytus, after being "scourged all night by the holy angels", covered in ash, dressed in sackcloth, and "after some difficulty", tearfully submitted to Pope Zephyrinus
217–236 Antipope Hippolytus, Logos sect?
218–258 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, cited "Western" NT text-type, claimed Christians were freely forging his letters to discredit him (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
220?
Clement of Alexandria, cited "Alexandrian" NT text-type and Secret Gospel of Mark and Gospel of the Egyptians; wrote: "Exhortations to the Greeks"; "Rich Man's Salutation"; "To the Newly Baptized"; (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
220?–340?
Codex Tchacos, manuscript containing a copy of the Gospel of Judas, has been written.
223?
Tertullian, sometimes called "father of the Latin Church" because he coined trinitas, tres Personae, una Substantia, Vetus Testamentum, Novum Testamentum, convert to Montanism, cited "Western" Gospel text-type (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
225?
Papyrus 45: 1st Chester Beatty, Gospels (Caesarean text-type), Acts (Alexandrian text-type)
235–238 Maximinus Thrax, emperor of Rome, ends Christian schism in Rome by deporting Pope Pontian and Antipope Hippolytus to Sardinia where they soon die
248–264 Dionysius, Patriarch of Alexandria see also List of Patriarchs of Alexandria
Apostolic Constitutions, Liturgy of St James, Old Roman Symbol, Clementine literature
Letters of Methodius, Pistis Sophia, Porphyry Tyrius, Commodianus (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
Papyrus 72: Bodmer 5–11+, pub.
1959, "Alexandrian" text-type: Nativity of Mary; 3Cor; Odes of Solomon 11; Jude 1–25; Melito's Homily on Passover; Hymn fragment; Apology of Phileas; Ps33,34; 1Pt1:1–5:14; 2Pt1:1–3:18
Origen, Jesus and God one substance, adopted at First Council of Nicaea in 325, compiled Hexapla; cites Alexandrian, Caesarean text-type; Eusebius claimed Origen castrated himself for Christ due to Mt19:12 (EH6.8.1–3)
251–424?
Synods of Carthage
251–258 Antipope Novatian, decreed no forgiveness for sins after baptism
254–257 Pope Stephen I; major schism over rebaptizing heretics and apostates
258 "Valerian's Massacre": Roman emperor issued edict to execute immediately all Christian bishops, presbyters, and deacons, including Pope Sixtus II, Antipope Novatian, Cyprian of Carthage (CE: Valerian, Schaff's History Vol 2 Chap 2 § 22)
264–269 Synods of Antioch, condemned Paul of Samosata, Bishop of Antioch, founder of adoptionism (Jesus was human until Holy Spirit descended at his baptism), also condemned term homoousios adopted at Nicaea
265 Gregory Thaumaturgus (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
270?
Anthony begins monastic movement
275?
Papyrus 47: 3rd Chester Beatty, ~Sinaiticus, Rev9:10–11:3,5–16:15,17–17:2
276 Mani (prophet), crucified, founder of the dualistic Manichaean sect in Persia
282–300?
Theonas, bishop of Alexandria (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
290–345?
St Pachomius, founder of Christian monasticism
296–304 Pope Marcellinus, offered pagan sacrifices for Diocletian
301 Armenia, first to adopt Christianity as state religion
303–312 Diocletian's Massacre of Christians
303 Saint George, patron saint of England, and other states
Victorinus, bishop of Pettau
306 Synod of Elvira, prohibited relations between Christians and Jews
310 Maxentius deports Pope Eusebius and Heraclius   to Sicily (relapse controversy)
312 Lucian of Antioch, founded School of Antioch, martyred
312 Vision of Constantine: while gazing into the sun he saw a cross with the words by this sign conquer.
See also Labarum.
He was later called the 13th Apostle and Equal-to-apostles.
313 Edict of Milan, Constantine and Licinius end persecution, establish toleration of Christianity
313?
Lateran Palace given to Pope Miltiades for residence by Constantine
314 Council of Arles , called by Constantine against Donatist schism
314–340?
Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, church historian, cited Caesarean text-type, wrote Ecclesiastical History in 325
317?
Lactantius
321 Constantine decreed Sunday as state "day of rest" (CJ3.12.2), see also Sol Invictus
Era of the Seven Ecumenical Councils
325 The Kingdom of Aksum  (Modern Ethiopia) declares Christianity as the official state Religion becoming the second country to do so
325 Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, ordered by Constantine
326, November 18 Pope Sylvester consecrates the Basilica of St. Peter built by Constantine the Great over the tomb of the Apostle.
328–373 Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, first cite of modern 27 book New Testament canon
330 Old Church of the Holy Apostles, dedicated by Constantine
330, May 11 Constantinople solemnly inaugurated.
Constantine moves the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, renaming it New Rome.
335 Council in Jerusalem, reversed Nicaea's condemnation of Arius, consecrated Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulchre
337 Mirian III of Georgia, second to adopt Christianity as state religion
May 22, 337: Constantine the Great dies.
Baptized shortly before his death.
343?
Council of Sardica
350?
Julius Firmicus Maternus
Codex Sinaiticus(א), Codex Vaticanus(B): earliest Christian Bibles, Alexandrian text-type
Ulfilas, Arian, apostle to the Goths, translated Greek NT to Gothic
Comma Johanneum 1Jn5:7b–8a(KJV)
Aëtius, Arian, "Syntagmation": "God is agennetos (unbegotten)", (Anomoean)
School of Nisibis founded
351 2nd Council of Sirmium, Anomoean, condemned Council of Nicaea
353–367 Hilary, bishop of Poitiers
355–365 Antipope Felix II, Arian, supported by Constantius II, consecrated by Acacius of Caesarea
359 Council of Rimini, Dated Creed (Acacians)
360: Julian the Apostate becomes the last non-Christian Roman Emperor.
363–364 Council of Laodicea, canon 29 decreed anathema for Christians who rest on the Sabbath, disputed canon 60 named 26 NT books (excluded Revelation)
366–367 Antipope Ursicinus, rival to Pope Damasus I
367–403 Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, wrote Panarion against heresies
370–379 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea
370?
Doctrine of Addai at Edessa proclaims 17 book NT canon using Diatessaron (instead of the 4 Gospels) + Acts + 15 Pauline Epistles (inc.
3 Corinthians) Syriac Orthodox Church
372–394 Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa
373 Ephrem the Syrian, cited Western Acts
374–397 Ambrose, bishop and governor of Milan
375–395 Ausonius, Christian governor of Gaul
379–381 Gregory Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople
380, February 27 Emperor Theodosius issues the edict De Fide Catolica declaring Catholic Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire
November 24, 380: Emperor Theodosius I is baptised.
381 First Council of Constantinople, second ecumenical, Jesus had true human soul, Nicene Creed of 381
382 Council of Rome under Pope Damasus I sets the Biblical Canon, listing the inspired books of the Old Testament and the New Testament (disputed)
383?
Frumentius, Apostle of Ethiopia
385 Priscillian, first heretic to be executed?
390?
Apollinaris, bishop of Laodicea, believed Jesus had human body but divine spirit
391: The Theodosian decrees outlaw most pagan rituals still practiced in Rome.
396–430 Augustine, bishop of Hippo, considered the founder of formalized Christian theology (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
397?
Saint Ninian evangelizes Picts in Scotland
398–404 John Chrysostom Patriarch of Constantinople, see also List of Patriarchs of Constantinople, (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
400: Jerome's Vulgate Latin edition and translation of the Bible is published.
Ethiopic Bible: in Ge'ez, 81 books, standard Ethiopian Orthodox Bible
Peshitta Bible in Syriac (Aramaic), Syr(p), OT + 22 NT, excludes: 2Pt, 2–3Jn, Jude, Rev; standard Syriac Orthodox Church Bible
406 Armenian Bible, translated by Saint Mesrob, standard Armenian Orthodox Bible
24 August 410: Sack of Rome by Alaric and the Visigoths.
412–444 Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, expelled Jews, killed Hypatia with oyster shells, coined Hypostatic union
418–419 Antipope Eulalius rival to Pope Boniface I
420 St. Jerome, Vulgate translations, Latin scholar, cited expanded ending in Mark after Mark 16:8, Pericope of the Adultress addition to John (John 7:53–8:11) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
423–457 Theodoret, bishop of Cyrrhus, noted Tatian's Diatesseron in heavy use, wrote a Church History
431 Council of Ephesus, third ecumenical, repudiated Nestorianism, decreed Mary the Mother of God, forbid any changes to Nicene Creed of 381, rejected by Assyrian Church of the East
432 St Patrick begins mission in Ireland.
Almost the entire nation is Christian by the time of his death in a conversion that is both incredibly successful and largely bloodless.
440–461 Pope Leo the Great, sometimes considered the first pope, stopped Attila the Hun at Rome, issued Tome in support of Hypostatic Union, approved Council of Chalcedon but rejected canons in 453
447 Council of Toledo added Filioque clause to Nicene Creed of 381
449 Second Council of Ephesus, Monophysite: Jesus was divine but not human
450?
Codex Alexandrinus(A): Alexandrian text-type; Codex Bezae(D): Greek/Latin Gospels + Acts; Codex Washingtonianus(W): Greek Gospels; both of Western text-type
std.
Aramaic Targums, Old Testament in Aramaic
Socrates Scholasticus Church History of 305–438; Sozomen Church History of 323–425
451 Council of Chalcedon, fourth ecumenical, declared Jesus is a Hypostatic Union: both human and divine in one, Chalcedonian Creed, rejected by Oriental Orthodoxy
455: Sack of Rome by the Vandals.
The spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem previously taken by Titus are allegedly among the treasures taken to Carthage.
456?
Eutyches of Constantinople, Monophysite
452: Pope Leo I (the Great) dissuades Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God, from sacking Rome.
Prosper of Aquitaine
476, September 4 Emperor Romulus Augustus is deposed in Rome, marked by many as the fall of the Western Roman Empire
484–519 Acacian Schism, over Henoticon divides Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) churches
491 Armenian Orthodox split from East (Greek) and West (Latin) churches
495 May13 Vicar of Christ decreed a title of Bishop of Rome by Pope Gelasius I
496 Clovis I, King of the Franks, baptized