Roman (63 B.C. — 324 A.D.)
c.30-33 Death and resurrection of Jesus
66 Jewish rebellion ignites war with Rome; Christians flee city
70 Roman army led by Titus destroys Jerusalem and Jewish Temple
132—135 Bar Kokhba leads second Jewish revolt
135Emperor Hadrian conquers Jerusalem and renames it “Aelia Capitolina”; Jews are expelled from city; pagan temple built over site of Jesus ‘ tomb
313Edict of Milan ends persecution of Christians
The Byzantine Period (324-638)
324 Constantine becomes sole ruler of Roman Empire and decides to shift capital from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople)
325 Eusebius publishes Church History; Macanus, bishop of Jerusalem, attends Council of Nicaea
326 Constantine orders construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; excavation uncovers tomb of Christ and supposedly pieces of the Cross
c. 326-328 Queen Helena visits Palestine and builds churches 333 “Bordeaux Pilgrim” visits Palestine and keeps a travel diary
335Church of the Holy Sepulcher is dedicated for worship
337 Constantine dies; Eusebius publishes Life of Constantine
339 Dedication of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
c.348 —387 Cyril is bishop of Jerusalem
362—365 Emperor Julian “the Apostate” tries to reestablish pagan worship and promises to rebuild Jewish Temple
373 Melania the Elder and Rufinus found monastic communities on the Mount of Olives
384—386 Jerome and Paula establish monastery in Bethlehem
384—387 Egeria travels in the East and keeps a detailed account of her trip
391 Emperor Theodosius the Great outlaws paganism, making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire
c. 400 Rabbis in Tiberias compile Jerusalem Talmud
405 Euthymius, a monk from Armenia, settles in the Judean desert
410 Visigoths sack Rome
443 Empress Eudocia is banished and settles in Jerusalem, improving the city and its walls
451 Council of Chalcedon defines two natures of Christ; Jerusalem becomes the fifth patriarchate (with Constantinople, Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch)
516 Sabas and monks of Palestine gather to support Chalcedon
527—565 Byzantine Palestine reaches its height during the reign of Emperor Justinian
555—558 Cyril of Scythopolis writes biographies of the monks of Palestine
614 Persians sack Jerusalem
630 Emperor Heraclius invades Persia & recovers the True Cross, returning it to Jerusalem
Early Arab (638-1099)
639 Jerusalem surrenders to Muslim Caliph Umar
691 Caliph Abd al-Malik builds Dome of the Rock
716 John of Damascus becomes a monk at the monastery of St. Sabas, where he writes defenses of icons and one of the first Christian critiques of Islam
1009 Muslim Caliph alHakim persecutes Christians and destroys churches, including Holy Sepulchre
1071 Seljuk Turks capture Jerusalem
1095 Pope Urban II calls for First Crusade
Crusader (1099-1291)
1099 Crusaders conquer Jerusalem
1187 Muslim Caliph Saladin conquers Jerusalem
1291 Crusaders are expelled from the Holy Land
Mamluk (1260-1517)
1260 Mamluks of Cairo conquer Palestine and capture Crusader strongholds
1335 Franciscans return to Jerusalem to serve needs of Christian pilgrims
Ottoman (1517-1917)
1517 Ottoman Turks conquer Jerusalem
1537-42Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem and undertakes many other architectural projects
1852 Muslim edict defines the “status quo” of property in the Holy Sepulchre
1880s Jewish refugees from Russia and other parts of Europe begin to settle in Palestine
1897 First Zionist conference is held in Basel
British (1917-1948)
1917 Balfour Declaration supports Jewish home in Palestine; British capture Jerusalem during World War I
1923 British Mandate for Palestine begins
Modern State of Israel (1948- )
1948 British withdraw; David Ben Gurion declares Jewish State of Israel; first Arab-Israeli war begins
1967 Six-Day War; Jerusalem is reunited
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