istoryworld
Christianity timeline
Saul of Tarsus, later known as St Paul, has a Greek-speaking Jewish father who is a Roman citizen
Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, gathering disciples, preaching and healing
Jesus rides into Jerusalem with a crowd of followers, then attacks the traders in the courtyard of the Temple
Jesus, at the Last Supper, associates the bread and wine with his own body and blood, establishing the sacrament of the Eucharist
Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate who reluctantly sentences him to death for blasphemy
Jesus Christ is crucified, according to the accounts of his followers, outside the city wall of Jerusalem
Peter becomes the leader of the small community of Christians in Jerusalem
Stephen is stoned outside the city wall of Jerusalem - the first Christian martyr
On the road to Damascus, where he intends to persecute the Christians, Saul sees a blinding light
St Paul, taking ship to Cyprus, begins the first of his great missionary journeys
St Paul, on his travels within the Roman empire, begins converting non-Jews (or Gentiles) to the new Christian faith
The Thessalonians receive the first of Paul's epistles - the earliest text in the New Testament, written in Greek
The leaders of the Christian church gather in Jerusalem to decide an urgent question - must Gentile converts undergo circumcision?
St Peter, believed to have come to Rome as leader of the Christian community, is subsequently considered the first pope
St Paul arrives in Rome a prisoner, but then spends two years freely preaching Christianity
Early Christian tradition states that both Peter and Paul meet death in Rome as martyrs, possibly as a result of the fire of AD 64
The Acts of the Apostles are written, probably by Luke – the evangelist and companion of Paul on his final journey to Rome
The earliest of the Christian gospels, that of St Mark, is written down - possibly in Asia Minor or Syria
On the order of Marcus Aurelius, Christians in Lyons are tortured to death - an instance of persecution unusual at this time
A house in Doura-Europus is adapted for Christian worship - the earliest surviving example of its kind
The Christians of Rome use the catacombs as tomb chambers, and decorate the walls with murals on New Testament themes
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, is one of many Christians martyred for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods
St Anthony, one of the early Christian hermits in the Egyptian desert, is tempted by terrifying hallucinations
The emperor Diocletian initiates a sustained persecution of Christians in the Roman empire