1 of 3

65—Peter and Paul are executed; martyrdom of the church’s two greatest apostles forces church leadership into a new era. 150—Justin Martyr’s First Apology, the work of the first major scholar-apologist, makes Christianity reasonable to thinking pagans. 180—Irenaeus’s Against Heresies leads the fight against the powerful Gnostic heresy. 196—Tertullian begins writing, with his legal-trained mind, major writings that promote purity of life and doctrine. 215—Origen begins writing brilliant works that “provided a foundation for the great ecumenical councils to come.”

230—the earliest known public churches are built, signaling a shift in Christians’ life and practice. 250—Empire-wide persecution under Emperor Decius causes thousands to fall away and produces a major schism in the church. 270—Anthony takes up solitude, attracting many to asceticism and prayer and paving the way for monasticism. 312—The Donatist Schism, over treatment of apostates from the Great Persecution, challenges thinking about the church.

358—Basil the Great founds a monastery, laying foundations for religious communities ever after. 381—First Council of Constantinople ratifies the Nicean Creed and condemns Apollinarianism, safeguarding a high view of Christ. 390—Ambrose defies Emperor Theodosius, refusing him Communion after his brutal killing of thousands in Thessalonica; the act influences church-state relations for generations. 432—Patrick’s mission to Ireland breaks heathenism and fosters Christianity, leading to a flourishing Celtic church. 529—Justinian’s Code is published; it becomes the basis for later canon law in the West, thus shaping medieval society.

590—Gregory the Great becomes pope: The “first of the medieval popes” takes on civil power and lays the foundations for the papal state. He also commissions, in 597, Augustine’s mission to England, which converts the pagan Angles. 663—Synod of Whitby decisively aligns the English church with Rome for the next nine centuries. 716—Boniface’s mission to the Germans spreads Christianity to pagan northern Europe, preparing the way for the later Holy Roman Empire. 732—Battle of Tours: Frankish general Charles Martel halts the seemingly unstoppable Muslim invasion, keeping Europe under Christian control. 800—Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor: With the help of his adviser, Alcuin, the seven-foot-tall king brings Europe political unity, a stronger church, and a renaissance of learning.

910—the monastery at Cluny is founded, the genesis of a reform movement that spreads to over 1,000 communities and revitalizes monastic life for hundreds of years. 1093—Anselm named archbishop of Canterbury, a post from which he writes lasting works on the Atonement and proofs for God’s existence. 1115—Bernard founds monastery at Clairvaux: The “father of Western mysticism” strengthens the monastic tradition.

In approximately 1150, the Universities of Paris and Oxford are founded, fostering higher education and, eventually, a modern world view. 1208—Francis of Assisi renounces wealth in order to preach a simple, passionate gospel, and later founds the Franciscan Order. 1215—Innocent III calls the Fourth Lateran Council, which climaxes the rule of the medieval church’s most influential pope and defines transubstantiation. 1220—Dominic establishes Order of Preachers, who travel barefoot, teach, and convert heretics.

1321—Dante’s Divine Comedy gives masterful poetic expression to medieval concepts of heaven, hell, and purgatory, and shapes later thought. 1370—Catherine of Siena’s Letters, a treasure of Western mysticism, are begun. 1380—John Wyclif supervises Bible translation, leaving the first complete English Bible. 1453—Constantinople falls to the Turks, ending a millennium of Christianity in the Eastern Roman (“Byzantine”) Empire. 1479—The Spanish Inquisition, under Ferdinand and Isabella, begins against baptized Jews and Moors.

next page... |  1 of 3

share this page

RSS Feed   RSS Help