Christian History Home > Issue 28 > Important Events in Church History
Important Events in Church History
A selective chronological listing
posted 10/01/1990 12:00AM
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The following list is based on extensive surveys with scholars belonging to several groups: a professional society of church historians; the Christian History Institute; and the editorial advisory board of Christian History magazine. It should be remembered, however, that such lists are never exhaustive and they reflect the particular interests of those who write them—in this case, church historians from North America and Western Europe. And many dates, especially from the early centuries of the church, are approximate.
We hope the list provides an enlightening overview of the fascinating history of the church and sparks further discussion and study.
—The Editors of Christian History The Age of Jesus and the Apostles
30: Crucifixion of Jesus; Pentecost
35: Stephen martyred; Paul converted
46: Paul begins missionary journeys
48: Council of Jerusalem
57: Paul’s Letter to the Romans
64: Fire of Rome; Nero launches persecutions
65: Peter and Paul executed The Age of Early Christianity
70: Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus
110: Ignatius of Antioch martyred
150: Justin Martyr dedicates his First Apology
155: Polycarp martyred
172: Montanist movement begins
180: Irenaeus writes Against Heresies
196: Tertullian begins writing
215: Origen begins writing
230: Earliest known public churches built
248: Cyprian elected bishop of Carthage
250: Decius orders empire-wide persecution
270: Anthony takes up life of solitude
303: “Great Persecution” begins under Diocletian The Age of the Christian Empire
312: Conversion of Constantine
312: Donatist Schism begins
313: “Edict of Milan”
323: Eusebius completes Ecclesiastical History
325: First Council of Nicea
341: Ulphilas, translator of Gothic Bible, becomes bishop
358: Basil the Great founds monastic community
367: Athanasius’s letter defines New Testament canon
381: Christianity made state religion of Roman Empire
381: First Council of Constantinople
386: Augustine converts to Christianity
390: Ambrose defies emperor
398: Chrysostom consecrated bishop of Constantinople
405: Jerome completes the Vulgate
410: Rome sacked by Visigoths
431: Council of Ephesus
432: Patrick begins mission to Ireland
440: Leo the Great consecrated bishop of Rome
445: Valentinian’s Edict strengthens primacy of Rome
451: Council of Chalcedon
500: Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite writes
524: Boethius completes Consolation of Philosophy
529: Justin publishes his legal Code
540: Benedict writes his monastic Rule
563: Columba establishes mission community on Iona The Christian Middle Ages
590: Gregory the Great elected Pope
597: Ethelbert of Kent converted
622: Muhammad’s hegira: birth of Islam
663: Synod of Whitby
698: Lindisfarne Gospels
716: Boniface begins mission to the Germans
726: Controversy over icons begins in Eastern church
731: Bede’s Ecclesiastical History published
732: Battle of Tours
750: Donation of Constantine written about this time
754: Pepin III’s donation helps found papal states
781: Alcuin becomes royal adviser to Charles
787: 2nd Council of Nicea settles icon controversy
800: Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor
843: Treaty of Verdun divides Carolingian Empire
861: East-West conflict over Photius begins
862: Cyril and Methodius begin mission to Slavs
909: Monastery at Cluny founded
988: Christianization of “Russia”
1054: East-West Split
1077: Emperor submits to Pope over investiture
1093: Anselm becomes archbishop of Canterbury
1095: First Crusade launched by Council of Clermont
1115: Bernard founds monastery at Clairvaux
1122: Concordat of Worms ends investiture controversy
1141: Hildegard of Bingen begins writing
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