Christianity.id
Christian history

Two thousand years, on one page.

From an empty tomb in Jerusalem to 2.4 billion believers on every continent — the turning points that explain why Christianity looks the way it does today.

  1. The Apostolic Age
  2. c. AD 30

    Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus

    Jesus is crucified in Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate. His followers proclaim that he has risen.

  3. c. 33

    Pentecost

    The Holy Spirit comes on the disciples; the church begins in Jerusalem (Acts 2).

  4. c. 49

    Council of Jerusalem

    Apostles agree that Gentile believers need not become Jewish to follow Jesus (Acts 15).

  5. c. 50–65

    Paul's letters

    Paul writes to young churches across the Roman world; the earliest New Testament texts.

  6. 70

    Fall of the Temple

    Rome destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, reshaping both Judaism and Christianity.

  7. The Early Church
  8. c. 100–200

    The Apostolic Fathers

    Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement and others write; the Didache gives early church instructions.

  9. 303–311

    The Great Persecution

    Emperor Diocletian's empire-wide persecution of Christians.

  10. 313

    Edict of Milan

    Constantine and Licinius grant religious toleration across the empire.

  11. 325

    Council of Nicaea

    The first ecumenical council affirms the full divinity of the Son against Arius.

  12. 381

    Council of Constantinople

    Completes the Nicene Creed and affirms the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

  13. 451

    Council of Chalcedon

    Defines Christ as one person in two natures; Oriental Orthodox churches dissent.

  14. The Medieval Church
  15. c. 529

    Benedict's Rule

    Benedict of Nursia writes the Rule that shapes Western monasticism.

  16. 988

    Baptism of Kievan Rus'

    Prince Vladimir is baptised; Orthodoxy spreads among the Eastern Slavs.

  17. 1054

    The Great Schism

    Mutual excommunications between Rome and Constantinople mark the East–West split.

  18. 1095–1291

    The Crusades

    Military campaigns to the Holy Land, leaving a complex and painful legacy.

  19. c. 1200s

    Francis and Dominic

    New mendicant orders preach and serve among the urban poor.

  20. Reformation and Renewal
  21. 1517

    Luther's 95 Theses

    Martin Luther's challenge in Wittenberg launches the Protestant Reformation.

  22. 1534

    Church of England

    Henry VIII breaks with Rome; Anglicanism takes shape under Cranmer and Elizabeth I.

  23. 1545–1563

    Council of Trent

    The Catholic Church's response: reform, and definition of doctrine.

  24. 1611

    King James Bible

    The Authorized Version is published, shaping English language and devotion for centuries.

  25. The Modern Era
  26. 1730s–40s

    Great Awakening

    Revivals under the Wesleys, Whitefield and Edwards birth the evangelical movement.

  27. 1800s

    Modern missions

    William Carey and others spark a global missionary movement; Christianity spreads across Africa and Asia.

  28. 1906

    Azusa Street Revival

    The Pentecostal movement begins its global spread from Los Angeles.

  29. 1948

    World Council of Churches

    Founded in Amsterdam to pursue Christian unity.

  30. 1962–1965

    Second Vatican Council

    The Catholic Church renews its liturgy and opens to ecumenical dialogue.

  31. Today

    A global faith

    About 2.4 billion Christians; the majority now live in the Global South.