The history of the Christian Church is a long and complex one, spanning over two millennia. Here is a brief timeline of some of the most significant events in the history of Christianity:
– 73 BCE – 4 BCE: Life of Herod the Great, king of Judea.
– 6 BCE – 30 CE: Life of Jesus Christ.
– 26 CE – 36 CE: Jesus of Nazareth is crucified during the reign of Pontius Pilate in Judea.
– 36 CE – 40 CE: Call of Paul, the apostle.
– 42 CE – 62 CE: Paul the Apostle goes on missionary journeys across Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome.
– 49 CE: Paul the Apostle visits Philippi in Macedon.
– 50 CE – 70 CE: The early Christian document the Didache is composed.
– 50 CE – 60 CE: Establishment of various Christian communities in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece, Egypt, and at least the city of Rome.
– 50 CE – 60 CE: Letters of Paul.
– 60 CE: An early Christian community is established at Gortyn, Crete.
– 64 CE: Unofficial persecution of Christians in Rome.
– 64 CE: The great fire in Rome.
– 65 CE – 100 CE: The tales of the life and work of Jesus (gospels) composed.
– 66 CE – 73 CE: The Jewish Revolt against Rome.
– 69 CE – 70 CE: The Gospel of Mark.
– 70 CE: The city of Jerusalem is besieged and captured by Rome; the Second Temple destroyed.
– 85 CE: The Gospel of Matthew.
– 95 CE: The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles.
– 202 CE: The earliest record of a Christian church at Edessa.
– 239 CE – 330 CE: Life of Saint Gregory the Illuminator who is credited with bringing Christianity to Armenia (dates disputed).
– 249 CE: 10 Christians are famously martyred at Gortyn in a wild animal hunt.
– 300 CE – 350 CE: Christian Basilica built at Neme