Timeline of Christianity

Timeline of Christianity (1 AD/CE-Present)

The purpose of this chronology is to give a detailed account of Christianity from 1 AD/CE to the present. (Question marks on dates and information indicate approximate dates)

Era of Jesus

1 AD/CE First year in Christian calendar
6 Herod Archelaus deposed by Augustus; Samaria, Judea and Idumea annexed as Iudaea Province under direct Roman administration, capital at Caesarea, Quirinius becomes Legate (Governor) of Syria, conducts 1st Roman tax census of Iudaea, opposed by Zealots
7-26 Brief period of peace, relatively free of revolt and bloodshed in Iudaea & Galilee
9 Pharisee leader Hillel the Elder dies, rise of Shammai
14-37 Tiberius, Roman Emperor
18-36 Caiaphas, appointed High Priest of Herod's Temple by Prefect Valerius Gratus, deposed by Syrian Legate Vitellius
19 Jews, Jewish Proselytes, Astrologers, expelled from Rome (Suetonius,Lives of the Twelve Caesars,Tiberius 36,Loeb Classics)
26-36 Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Iudaea
28-29 John the Baptist, relative of Jesus (Luke1:36NRSV), began ministry in "15th year of Tiberius" (Luke3:1-2), baptized Jesus (Mark1:4-11), arrested and beheaded by Herod Antipas (Luke3:19-20,JA18.5.2)
28-36? Jesus' ministry, Sermon on the Mount, appointed Twelve Apostles, disturbance at Herod's Temple (Mark11:15-19,John2:13-17), crucified on Friday, Nisan 14th, (Gospel of Peter,John,Mark14:2) or Nisan 15th (Synoptic Gospels) (7Apr30, 3Apr33, 30Mar36, possible Fri-14-Nisan dates, -Meier), resurrected by God, appeared to Paul of Tarsus, Simon Peter, Mary of Magdala, and others, Great Commission, see also Chronology of Jesus

Era of the Apostles

36? Ascension, Jerusalem church founded, first Christian church--about 120 Jews and Jewish Proselytes, (Acts 1:15), Pentacost, Pharisee Gamaliel spoke in defense of the Apostles (Acts 5:34), Saint Stephen stoned (Persecution of Christians) and the church dispersed (Acts 7:54-8:8), Simon Magus encountered in Samaria (Acts 8:9-24), Philip the Evangelist baptized an Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)
37? Paul's Road to Damascus conversion (Acts 9:3-19a, 22:6-21, 26:12-23)
40? Simon Peter baptized Roman centurion Cornelius, considered first Gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10), Antioch church founded, it was there that the term Christian was first used (Acts 11:26)
44 Saint James the Great, brother of John, executed by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1-3)
47-48? Paul and Barnabas on Cyprus (Acts 13:4-12), then Lystra, there they were called gods in human form (Acts 14:11-13)
48-99 Pauline epistles written
49 Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome: "Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus ^[1], he expelled them from Rome." (Suetonius,de Vita Caesarum,Claudius XXV.4,Loeb Classics) (cited in Acts 18:2)
50 Passover riot in Jerusalem, 20-30,000 killed (JA20.5.3,JW2.12.1)
50? Council of Jerusalem, "Apostolic Decree" (Acts 15)
50? Paul in Corinth (Acts 18)
55? "Egyptian Prophet" and 30,000 unarmed Jews doing The Exodus reenactment massacred by Procurator Antonius Felix (Acts 21:38, JW2.261, JA20.169)
57? Paul's last visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21), James the Just, brother of Jesus, challenged Paul about rumor of teaching antinomianism (Acts 21:21), Paul addressed a crowd in their language (most likely Aramaic) (Acts 22)
58? Paul arrested, accused of being a revolutionary, "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes", teaching resurrection of the dead, imprisoned in Caesarea (Acts 23-26)
59? Paul shipwrecked on Malta, there he was called a god (Acts 28:6)
60? Paul in Rome: greeted by many "believers", three days later called together the Jewish leaders, who hadn't received any word from Judea about him, but were curious about "this sect", which everywhere is spoken against; he tried to convince them from the "Law and Prophets", with partial success, said the Gentiles would listen and spent two years proclaiming the "Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 28:15-31)
62 High Priest Ananus ben Artanus has James the Just stoned to death for law transgression, popular opinion against act results in Ananus being deposed by new procurator Clodius Albinus (JA20.9.1)
64, July 18 Great Fire of Rome, Nero blamed and persecuted the Christians, earliest mention of Christians, by that name, in Rome, see also Tacitus on Jesus, Paul beheaded? (Col1:24, Eph3:13, 2Tm4:6-8, 1Clem5:5-7), Peter crucified upside down? (Jn21:18,1Pt5:13,Origen)

Era of written Gospels

65? Q document, a hypothetical Greek text thought by many critical scholars to have been used in writing of Matthew and Luke
65-150? Didache: Instructions of the Apostles, part of Apostolic Fathers collection
65-150? Other Gospels: Unknown Berlin Gospel, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Oxyrhynchus Gospels, Egerton Gospel, Fayyum Fragment, Dialogue of the Saviour
65-350? Jewish Christian Gospels: Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of the Nazarenes
66-73 Great Jewish Revolt: destruction of Herod's Temple, Qumran community destroyed, site of Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1949
68-107? Ignatius, third Bishop of Antioch, fed to the lions in Rome, advocated the Bishop, rejected Sabbath?, his letters were subjected to heavy Christian forgery especially 4th century (Apostolic Fathers)
70? Gospel of Mark written in Rome, by Peter's interpreter? (1 Peter 5:13), original ending apparently lost, endings added c.400, see Mark 16
70? Signs Gospel written, hypothetical Greek text used in Gospel of John to prove Jesus is the Messiah
70-640 Sanhedrin (High Court) period of Judaism, rise of house of Hillel
75-90? Gospel of Luke written, based on Mark and Q, Acts of the Apostles written, same author as Luke
80-85? Gospel of Matthew written, based on Mark and Q, most popular in early Church
81-96? Revelation written, by John (son of Zebedee) and/or a disciple of his
88-101? Pope Clement I, wrote Letter of the Romans to the Corinthians (Apostolic Fathers)
90? Council of Jamnia (disputed)
90-100? Gospel of John, Epistles of John written (although some would date the 4th gospel somewhat earlier ^[2])
94 Jewish Antiquities, by Josephus in Aramaic, translated to Koine Greek, Testimonium Flavianum
100? Epistle of Barnabas (Apostolic Fathers)
100? Jude written, probably by doubting relative of Jesus (Mark 6,3), rejected by some early Christians due to its reference to apocryphal Book of Enoch (v14), "catholic" epistle
100-125? 2 Peter written, not accepted into canon until early 400s, drew upon Epistle of Jude, "catholic" epistle
100-150? Apocryphon of James, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Gospel of James, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Secret Gospel of Mark (Complete Gospels, published by Jesus Seminar)

Pre-Nicene Christianity

110-130? Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, wrote: "Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord", lost, widely quoted (Apostolic Fathers)
110-160? Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians, (Apostolic Fathers)
125? Papyrus 52: oldest extant NT fragment, p.1935, parts of Jn18:31-33,37-38
125? Shepherd of Hermas, written in Rome (Apostolic Fathers)
130-250? "Christian Apologists" writings against Roman religion: Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Apology of Aristides, Theophilus of Antioch, Tatian, Quadratus, Melito of Sardis, Apollinaris Claudius, Felix Marcus Minucius, Arnobius, Epistle to Diognetus
132-135 Bar Kokhba's revolt: final Jewish revolt, Judea and Jerusalem erased from maps, all of southern Syria renamed Palestine (coined by Herodotus)
142-144? Marcion of Sinope, bishop according to Catholic Encyclopedia, went to Rome, possibly to buy the bishropic of Rome, upon rejection formed his own church in Rome, later called Marcionism, rejected Old Testament, decreed canon of one Gospel, one Apostolicon (10 Letters of Paul) and one Antithesis[3] which contrasted the Old Testament with the New Testament, cited Western text-type
150? "Western Revisor" adds/subtracts from original Acts to produce Western version which is 10% larger and found in Papyrus P29,38,48 and Codex Bezae (D)
150? Valentinius, most famous Christian Gnostic, according to Tertullian narrowly lost election for Bishop of Rome
155? Montanus, claimed to be Paraclete of John 14:16
160? Martyrdom of Polycarp (Apostolic Fathers)
166-174 Pope Soter, moved Easter from Nisan 14 to following Sunday in Rome
170? Dionysius[4], bishop of Corinth, claimed Christians were changing and faking his own letters just as [he knew] they had changed the Gospels (EH4.23.12;Ante-Nicene Fathers,v.8)
170? Tatian produces "Diatessaron" (Harmony) by blending 4 "Western" text-type Gospels into 1
170? Symmachus the Ebionite, new Greek translation of Hebrew Bible
180? Hegesippus
180-202? Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, combated heresies, cited "Western" Gospel text-type (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
185-350? Muratorian fragment, 1st extant canon for New Testament after Marcion?, written in Rome by Hippolytus?, excludes Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 3 John; includes Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse of Peter
186? Saint Apollonius, used the term catholic in reference to 1 John
188-231 Saint Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, condemned Origen
189-198 Pope Victor I, 1st Latin Pope, excommunicated Eastern churches that continued to observe Easter on Nisan 14 Quartodeciman
196? Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
199-217? Caius[5], presbyter of Rome, wrote "Dialogue against Proclus" in Ante-Nicene Fathers, rejected Revelation, said to be by Gnostic Cerinthus
200? Papyrus 66: 2nd Bodmer, John, 1956, "Alexandrian/Western" text-types
200? Papyrus 75: Bodmer 14-15, Luke & John, earliest extant Luke, ~Vaticanus
200? Papyrus 46: 2nd Chester Beatty, Alexandrian text-type
200? Papyrus 32: J. Rylands Library: Titus 1:11-15;2:3-8; Papyrus 64 (+67): Mt3:9,15; 5:20-22,25-28; 26:7-8,10,14-15,22-23,31-33
200? Sextus Julius Africanus
200? Antipope Natalius[6], rival bishop of Rome, according to Eusebius's EH5.28.8-12, quoting the Little Labyrinth of Hippolytus, after being "scourged all night by the holy angels", covered in ash, dressed in sackcloth, and "after some difficulty", tearfully submitted to Pope Zephyrinus
217-236 Antipope Hippolytus, Logos sect?
218-258 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, cited "Western" NT text-type, claimed Christians were freely forging his letters to discredit him (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
220? Clement of Alexandria, cited "Alexandrian" NT text-type & Secret Gospel of Mark & Gospel of the Egyptians; wrote: "Exhortations to the Greeks"; "Rich Man's Salutation"; "To the Newly Baptized"; (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
223? Tertullian, sometimes called "father of the Latin Church" because he coined trinitas, tres Personae, una Substantia, Vetus Testamentum, Novum Testamentum, convert to Montanism, cited "Western" Gospel text-type (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
225? Papyrus 45: 1st Chester Beatty, Gospels (Caesarean text-type), Acts (Alexandrian test-type)
235-238 Maximinus Thrax, emperor of Rome, ends Christian schism in Rome by deporting Pope Pontian and Antipope Hippolytus to Sardinia where they soon die
248-264 Dionysius, Patriarch of Alexandria see also List of Patriarchs of Alexandria
250? Apostolic Constitutions, Liturgy of St James, Apostles' Creed, Clementine literature
250? Letters of Methodius, Pistis Sophia, Porphyry Tyrius, Commodian[7] (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
250? Papyrus 72: Bodmer 5-11+, pub. 1959, "Alexandrian" text-type: Nativity of Mary; 3Cor; Odes of Solomon 11; Jude 1-25; Melito's Homily on Passover; Hymn fragment; Apology of Phileas; Ps33,34; 1Pt1:1-5:14; 2Pt1:1-3:18
250? Origen, Jesus and God one substance, adopted at First Council of Nicaea in 325, compiled Hexapla; cites Alexandrian, Caesarean text-type; Eusebius claimed Origen castrated himself for Christ due to Mt19:12 (EH6.8.1-3)
251-424? Synods of Carthage
251-258 Antipope Novatian, decreed no forgiveness for sins after baptism
254-257 Pope Stephen I; major schism over rebaptizing heretics and apostates
258 "Valerian's Massacre", Roman emperor executes all Christian Bishops, Elders, and Deacons
264-269 Synods of Antioch, condemned Paul of Samosata, Bishop of Antioch, founder of Adoptionism (Jesus was human until Holy Spirit descended at his baptism), also condemned term homoousios adopted at Nicaea
265 Gregory Thaumaturgus (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
270? Anthony begins monastic movement
275? Papyrus 47: 3rd Chester Beatty, ~Sinaiticus, Rev9:10-11:3,5-16:15,17-17:2
276 Mani, crucified, founder of Manichaean Christian sect in Persia
282-300? Theonas, bishop of Alexandria (Ante-Nicene Fathers)
290-345? St Pachomius, founder of Christian monasticism
296-304 Pope Marcellinus, offered pagan sacrifices for Diocletian
301 Armenia, first to adopt Christianity as state religion
303-312 "Diocletian's Massacre" of Christians
303 Saint George, patron saint of England, and other states
304? Victorinus, bishop of Pettau
306 Synod of Elvira, prohibited relations between Christians and Jews
310 Maxentius deports Pope Eusebius and Antipope Heraclius[8] to Sicily
312 Lucian of Antioch, founded School of Antioch, martyred
312 Vision of Constantine, while gazing into the sun he saw a cross with the words by this sign conquer, see also Labarum, Constantine was later called the 13th Apostle
313 Edict of Milan, Constantine and Licinius end persecution, establish toleration of Christianity
313? Pope Miltiades, given Lateran Palace as residence by Constantine, excommunicated Donatus for requiring rebaptism of apostates
314 Council of Arles, called by Constantine against Donatist schism
314-340? Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, church historian, cited Caesarean text-type, wrote Ecclesiastical History in 325
317 Mirian III of Georgia adopts Christianity as state religion
317? Lactantius
321 Constantine decreed Sunday as state "day of rest" (CJ3.12.2), see also Sol Invictus

Nicene Christianity

325 First Council of Nicaea, called by Constantine to unify Christology, called 1st great Christian council by Jerome, 1st ecumenical, Original Nicene Creed, rejected by Nontrinitarianism, Arius, Theonas, Secundus, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Theognis excommunicated, addressed Easter controversies, passed 20 Canon laws
328-373 Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, first cite of modern 27 book New Testament canon
330 Old Saint Peter's Basilica dedicated by Constantine, located over the traditional burial site of Saint Peter the Apostle in Rome on Vatican Hill
331 capital of Roman Empire moved from Rome to Constantinople (New Rome)
335 Council in Jerusalem, reversed Nicaea's condemnation of Arius, consecrated Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulchre
343? Council of Sardica
350? Julius Firmicus Maternus
350? Codex Sinaiticus(S), Codex Vaticanus(B): earliest Christian Bibles, Alexandrian text-type
350? Ulfilas, Arian, apostle to the Goths, translated Greek NT to Gothic
350? Comma Johanneum 1Jn5:7b-8a(KJV)
350? Aëtius, Arian, "Syntagmation": "God is agennetos (unbegotten)", (Anomoean)
350? School of Nisibis founded
351 2nd Council of Sirmium, Anomoean, condemned Council of Nicaea
353-367 Hilary, bishop of Poitiers
355-365 Antipope Felix II, Arian, supported by Constantius II
359 Council of Rimini, Dated Creed (Acacians)
363-364 Council of Laodicea, canon 29 decreed anathema for Christians who rest on the Sabbath, disputed canon 60 named 26 NT books (excluded Revelation)
366-367 Antipope Ursicinus, rival to Pope Damasus I
367-403 Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, wrote Panarion against heresies
370-379 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea
370? Doctrine of Addai at Edessa proclaims 17 book NT canon using Diatessaron (instead of the 4 Gospels) + Acts + 15 Pauline Epistles (inc. 3 Corinthians) Syriac Orthodox Church
372-394 Gregory, Bishop Of Nyssa
373 Ephrem the Syrian, cited "Western" Acts text-type
374-397 Ambrose, bishop & governor of Milan
375-395 Ausonius, Christian governor of Gaul
379-381 Gregory Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople
381 First Council of Constantinople, 2nd ecumenical, Jesus had true human soul, Nicene Creed of 381
382 Council of Rome, held by Pope Damasus I, disputed
383? Frumentius, Apostle of Ethiopia
385 Priscillian, first heretic to be executed?
390 Feb 27, Nicene Christianity declared state religion by Theodosius the Great
390? Apollinaris, bishop of Laodicea, believed Jesus had human body but divine spirit
396-430 Augustine, bishop of Hippo, considered the founder of formalized Christian theology (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
397? Saint Ninian evangelizes Picts in Scotland
398-404 John Chrysostom Patriarch of Constantinople, see also List of Patriarchs of Constantinople, (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
400? Ethiopic Bible: in Ge'ez, 81 books, standard Ethiopian Orthodox Bible
400? Peshitta Bible in Syriac (Aramaic), Syr(p), OT + 22 NT, excludes: 2Pt, 2-3Jn, Jude, Rev; standard Syriac Orthodox Church Bible
406 Armenian Bible, translated by Saint Mesrob, standard Armenian Orthodox Bible
412-444 Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, expelled Jews, killed Hypatia with oyster shells, coined Hypostatic union
418-419 Antipope Eulalius rival to Pope Boniface I
420 St. Jerome, Vulgate translations, Latin scholar, cited expanded ending in Mark after Mark 16:8, Pericope of the Adultress addition to John (John 7:53-8:11) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers)
423-457 Theodoret, bishop of Cyrrhus, noted Tatian's Diatesseron in heavy use
431 Council of Ephesus, 3rd ecumenical, repudiated Nestorianism, decreed Mary the Mother of God, forbid any changes to Nicene Creed of 381, rejected by Assyrian Church of the East
432 St Patrick begins mission in Ireland
440-461 Pope Leo the Great, sometimes considered the first pope, stopped Attila the Hun at Rome, issued Tome in support of Hypostatic Union, approved Council of Chalcedon but rejected canons in 453
447 Council of Toledo added Filioque clause to Nicene Creed of 381
449 Robber Council of Ephesus [9] (Monophysite)
450? Codex Alexandrinus(A): Alexandrian text-type; Codex Bezae(D): Greek/Latin Gospels + Acts; Codex Washingtonianus(W): Greek Gospels; both of Western text-type
450? std. Aramaic Targums, Old Testament in Aramaic
450? Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen, early Church historians
451 Council of Chalcedon, 4th ecumenical, declared Jesus is a Hypostatic Union: both human and divine in one, Chalcedonian Creed, rejected by Oriental Orthodoxy
454 Eutyches of Constantinople[10], Monophysites: Jesus was divine but not human
465? Prosper of Aquitaine
476, September 4th, Fall of Rome

Early Middle Ages

484-519 Acacian Schism, over Henoticon divides Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) churches
491 Armenian Orthodox split from East (Greek) and West (Latin) churches
495 May13 Vicar of Christ decreed a title of Bishop of Rome by Pope Gelasius I
496 Clovis I, King of the Franks, baptized
498-499,501-506 Antipope Laurentius, rival of Pope Symmachus
500? Incense introduced in Christian church service, first plans of Vatican
524 Boethius, Roman Christian philosopher, wrote: "Theological Tractates", Consolation of Philosophy; (Loeb Classics) (Latin)
525 Dionysius Exiguus sets Christian calendar (a.d.) & Jesus' birth @ 23 Dec 1AD
527 Fabius Planciades Fulgentius
530 Antipope Dioscorus, possibly a legitimate Pope
530 Rule of St Benedict, St. Benedict founds the Benedictines
535-536 Unusual climate changes recorded
537-555 Pope Vigilius, involved in death of Pope Silverius, conspired with Justinian and Theodora, on April 11, 548 issued Judicatum supporting Justinian's anti-Hypostatic Union, excommunicated by bishops of Carthage in 550
541-542 Plague of Justinian
543 Justinian condemns Origen, disastrous earthquakes hit the world
544 Justinian condemns the Three Chapters of Theodore of Mopsuestia (d.428) and other writings of Hypostatic Union Christology of Council of Chalcedon
550 Byzantine Greek Text, standard Greek Orthodox Bible, much smoothing & conflation
550 St. David converts Wales, crucifix introduced
553 Second Council of Constantinople, 5th ecumenical, called by Justinian
556-561 Pope Pelagius I, selected by Justinian, endorsed Judicatum
563 Columba goes to Scotland to evangelize Picts, establishes monastery at Iona
567 Cassiodorus
570 Prophet Muhammad was born
589 Third Council of Toledo, Reccared and the Visigoths convert from Arianism to Catholicism
590-604 Pope Gregory the Great, whom many consider the greatest pope ever, reforms church structure and administration and establishes Gregorian Chant.
591-628 Theodelinda, Queen of the Lombards, began gradual conversion from Arianism to Catholicism
596 St. Augustine of Canterbury sent by Pope Gregory to evangelise the Jutes
600? Evagrius Scholasticus Church historian
604 St Paul's Cathedral in London
607 Pope Boniface III, first Bishop of Rome to be called "Pope" and "Universal Bishop" by decree of Emperor Phocas
609 Pantheon, Rome renamed Church of Santa Maria Rotonda
612? Bobbio monastery in northern Italy
613 Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland
614 Khosrau II of Persia conquered Damascus, Jerusalem, took Holy Cross of Christ
625 Paulinus of York comes to convert Northumbria
628 Babai the Great, pillar of Assyrian Church of the East, died
628-629 Battle of Mut'ah, Heraclius recovered Cross of Christ and Jerusalem till 638
632 Eorpwald of East Anglia baptized under influence of Edwin of Northumbria
632 Muhammad, Arab prophet and founder of Islam passed away.
634-644 Omar I, 2nd Islamic Caliph, capital at Damascus, conquered Syria in 634, defeated Heraclius at Battle of Yarmuk in 636, conquered Egypt in 639, Persia in 642
635 Cynegils of Wessex baptized by Bishop Birinus
640 Library of Alexandria, "The Center of Western Culture," with 300,000 ancient papyrus scrolls, is completely distroyed.
664 Synod of Whitby unites Celtic Christianity of British Isles with Roman Catholicism
680-681 Third Council of Constantinople, 6th ecumenical, against Monothelites, condemned Pope Honorius I, Patriarch Sergius I of Constantinople, Heraclius' Ecthesis
681-686 Wilfrid converts Sussex
687-691 Dome of the Rock built
690? Old English Bible translations
692 Orthodox Quinisext Council, convoked by Justinian II, approved Canons of the Apostles of Apostolic Constitutions, Clerical celibacy, rejected by Pope Constantine
698 Fall of Carthage
711-718 Islamic conquest of Iberia
718-1492 Reconquista, Iberian Peninsula retaken by Christendom
718 Saint Boniface, an Englishman, given commission by Pope Gregory II to evangelize the Germans
720? Disentis/Mustér Abbey of Switzerland
730-787 First Iconoclasm, Byzantine Emperor Leo III bans Christian icons, Pope Gregory II excommunicates him
731 English Church History written by Bede
750? Tower added to St Peter's Basilica at the front of the atrium
752? Donation of Constantine, granted Western Roman Empire to the Pope, later proved a forgery
756 Donation of Pepin recognizes Papal States
781 Nestorian Stele, Christianity in China
787 Second Council of Nicaea, 7th ecumenical, ends first Iconoclasm
793 Sacking of the monastery of Lindisfarne marks the beginning of Viking raids on Christendom.
800 King Charlemagne of the Franks is crowned first Holy Roman Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III.
849-865 Ansgar, Archbishop of Bremen, "Apostle of the North", began evangelisation of North Germany, Denmark, Sweden
855 Antipope Anastasius, Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor appointed him over Pope Benedict III but popular pressure caused withdrawal
863 Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius sent by the Patriarch of Constantinople to evangelise the Slavic peoples. They translate the Bible into Slavonic.
869-870 Catholic Fourth Council of Constantinople, condemned Patriarch Photius, rejected by Orthodox
879-880 Orthodox Fourth Council of Constantinople, restored Photius, condemned Pope Nicholas I and Filioque, rejected by Catholics
897,January Cadaver Synod, Pope Stephen VII conducts trial against dead Pope Formosus, public uprising against Stephen led to his imprisonment and strangulation
909 Abbey of Cluny, Benedictine monastery in France
948? Einsiedeln Abbey of Switzerland
984 Antipope Boniface VII, murdered Pope John XIV, alleged to have murdered Pope Benedict VI in 974
988 Prince Vladimir the Great introduced Orthodox Christianity to his land that would be Russia and Ukraine
997-998 Antipope John XVI, deposed by Pope Gregory V and his cousin Holy Roman Emperor Otto III
999 Mass fear of the coming millennium, but world didn't end

High Middle Ages

1012 Antipope Gregory VI, removed by Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
1030 Battle of Stiklestad, considered victory of Christianity over Norwegian Paganism
1045 Sigfrid of Sweden, Benedictine evangelist
1046 Council of Sutri, Pope Silvester III exiled, Pope Gregory VI admitted to buying the papacy and resigned, Pope Benedict IX resigned, council appointed Pope Clement II
1054 East-West Schism split between Eastern (Orthodox Christianity) and Western (Roman Catholic) churches formalized
1058-1059 Antipope Benedict X, defeated in war with Pope Nicholas II and Normans
1061-1064 Antipope Honorius II rival of Pope Alexander II
1065 Westminster Abbey consecrated
1073-1085 Pope Gregory VII, Investiture Controversy with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, proponent of Clerical celibacy, opponent of simony, concubinage, Antipope Clement III
1079 Stanislaus of Szczepanów, patron saint of Poland
1082 Engelberg Abbey of Switzerland
1093-1109 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man), a landmark exploration of the Atonement
1095-1291 10 Crusades, first called by Pope Urban II at Council of Clermont against Islamic empire to reconquer the Holy Land for Christendom
1098 Foundation of the reforming monastery of Citeaux, leads to the growth of the Cistercian order.
1101 Antipope Theodoric and Antipope Adalbert deposed by Pope Paschal II
1118 Knights Templar founded, to defend Holy Land
1123 Catholic First Lateran Council
1128 Holyrood Abbey in Scotland
1130 Peter of Bruys, burned at the stake
1131 Tintern Abbey in Wales
1131-1138 Antipope Anacletus II
1139 Catholic Second Lateran Council
1140? Decretum Gratiani, Catholic canon law
1142 Peter Abélard, Letters of Abelard and Heloise
1144 The Saint Denis Basilica of Abbot Suger is the first major building in the style of Gothic architecture.
1154-1159 Pope Adrian IV, first (and to date only) English pope
1155 Theotokos of Vladimir arrives to Bogolyubovo
1155 Carmelites founded
1163 Notre Dame de Paris, construction begun
1173 Waldensians founded
1179 Catholic Third Lateran Council
1191 Teutonic Knights founded
1204-1261 Latin Empire of Constantinople
1205 Saint Francis of Assisi becomes a hermit, founding the Franciscan order of friars, renounces wealth and begins his ministry; the Rosary is reportedly given to St. Dominic (who founded Dominican order) by an apparition of Mary
1215 Catholic Fourth Lateran Council, decreed special dress for Jews and Muslims
1220-1263 St Alexander Nevsky, holy patron of Russia
1231 Charter of the University of Paris granted by Pope Gregory IX.
1245 Catholic First Council of Lyons
1252 May 15, Ad exstirpanda, Pope Innocent IV authorized use of torture in Inquisitions
1260 Date which a 1988 Vatican sponsored scientific study places the origin of the Shroud of Turin
1274 Summa Theologiae, written by Thomas Aquinas, theologian and philosopher, landmark systematic theology which later became official Catholic doctrine
1274 Catholic Second Council of Lyons

Renaissance

1305-1378 Avignon Papacy, Popes reside in Avignon, France
1311 Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri
1311-1312 Catholic Council of Vienne, disbanded Knights Templar
1314 Jacques de Molay, last Grandmaster of Knights Templar, burned at the stake
1326 Metropolitan Peter moves his see from Kiev to Moscow
1341-1351 Orthodox Fifth Council of Constantinople
1342 Marsilius of Padua
1345 Sergii Radonezhskii founds a hermitage in the woods, which would grow into the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
1347-1350 Black Death
1378-1418 Western Schism in Roman Catholicism
1380-1382 Wyclif's Bible, by John Wycliffe, eminent theologian at Oxford, NT in 1380, OT (with help of Nicholas of Hereford) in 1382, translations into Middle English, 1st complete translation to English, included deuterocanonical books, preached against abuses, expressed anti-catholic views of the sacraments (Penance and Eucharist), the use of relics, and Clerical celibacy
1408 Council of Oxford forbids translations of the Scriptures into the vernacular unless and until they were fully approved by Church authority
1409 Council of Pisa, declared Roman Pope Gregory XII and Avignon Pope Benedict XIII deposed, elected Pope Alexander V (called the Pisan Pope)
1414-1418 Catholic Council of Constance, asked Gregory XII, Benedict XIII, Pisan Pope John XXIII to resign their papal claims, then elected Pope Martin V; condemned John Wycliffe and Jan Hus who was burned at the stake
1423-1424 Council of Siena
1430? Andrei Rublev, the greatest of medieval icon-painters
1431 St. Joan of Arc, French national heroine, burned at the stake
1431-1445 Catholic Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence
1439 Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, highest building in the world till 1874
1453 Fall of Constantinople, overrun by Ottoman Empire
1455 Gutenberg Bible, first printed Bible, by Johann Gutenberg
1473-1481 Sistine Chapel built
1478 Spanish Inquisition established by Pope Sixtus IV
1484 December 5, Summis desiderantes against Witchcraft issued by Pope Innocent VIII
1498 Girolamo Savonarola, Dominican priest, Bonfire of the Vanities
1506 Pope Julius II orders the Old St. Peter's Basilica torn down and authorizes Donato Bramante to plan a new structure, demolition completed in 1606, Vatican Swiss Guard founded
1508-1512 Michelangelo frescoes the Sistine Chapel's vaulted ceiling
1512-1517 Catholic Fifth Council of the Lateran, condemned Conciliarism

Reformation

1517 95 Theses of Martin Luther begins German Protestant Reformation
1521 Diet of Worms condemns Luther
1521 Ferdinand Magellan claims the Philippines for Spain, first mass and subsequent conversion to Catholicism, first in Asia
1522 Luther's NT, German NT translation
1525 Anabaptist movement begins
1526 Tyndale's NT, English NT translation from 1516 Greek text of Erasmus, first printed edition, used as a vehicle by Tyndale for bitter attacks on Catholicism, reflects influence of Luther's NT in rejecting priest for elder, church for congregation, banned in 1546 by Henry VIII
1530 Augsburg Confession, Luther founds the Lutheran Church
1531 Huldrych Zwingli, Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, independent of Luther
1531 Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico
1534 Henry VIII established independent Church of England
1534 Jesuit order founded by Ignatius of Loyola, helped reconvert large areas of Poland, Hungary, and S. Germany and sent missionaries to the New World, India, and China
1535-1537 Myles Coverdale's Bible, used Tyndale's NT along with Latin and German versions, included Apocrypha at the end of the OT (like Luther's Bible of 1534) as was done in later English versions, 1537 edition received royal license, but banned in 1546 by Henry VIII
1535 Thomas More refused to accept King Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the Church in England, and was executed.
1536 Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch scholar, Greek NT used in many 16th century translations
1536 Tyndale put to death, left his OT translation in manuscript, English ecclesiaastical authorities ordered his Bible burned because it was thought to be part of Lutheran reform
1536 Institutes of the Christian Religion written by John Calvin (Calvinism)
1536 John of Leiden, fanatic Dutch Anabaptist
1536 Jacob Hutter founder of Hutterites
1536-1540 Dissolution of the Monasteries in England, Wales and Ireland
1537 Christian III of Denmark decreed Lutheranism state religion of Norway and Denmark
1537-1551 Matthew Bible, by John Rogers, based on Tyndale and Coverdale received royal license but not authorized for use in public worship, numerous editions, 1551 edition contained offensive notes (based on Tyndale)
1536-1541 Michelangelo paints the Last Judgement
1539-1569 Great Bible, by Thomas Cromwell, 1st English Bible to be authorized for public use in English churches, defective in many places, based on last Tyndale's NT of 1534-1535, corrected by a Latin version of the Hebrew OT, Latin Bible of Erasmus, and Complutensian Polyglot, last edition 1569, never denounced by England
1541 John Calvin returns to Geneva to establish a theocracy
1542 Roman Inquisition established by Pope Paul III
1543 Parliament of England bans Tyndale's translation as a "crafty, false and untrue transalation", although 80% of the words were in the RV
1545-1563 Catholic Council of Trent, counter-reformation against Protestantism, clearly defined an official theology and biblical canon
1549 original Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England by Thomas Cranmer
1551 The Stoglav Church Council (One Hundred Chapters) Moscow, Russia
1552 Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary, "Apostle of the Indies"
1553 Pontifical Gregorian University founded at Vatican City
1553 Michael Servetus founder of Unitarianism, burned at the stake in Geneva under Calvin
1553-1558 Queen Mary I of England, Bloody Mary, persecuted reformers: John Rogers, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, Thomas Cranmer; of 238 burned at the stake
1559 Military Order of the Golden Spur founded by Pope Paul IV
1560 Geneva Bible, NT a revision of Matthew's version of Tyndale with use of Theodore Beza's NT (1556), OT a thorough revision of Great Bible, appointed to be read in Scotland (but not England), at least 140 editions, first Bible with chapter and verse numbers
1560 Scots Confession, Church of Scotland, Scottish Reformation
1560-1598 French Wars of Religion
1560-1812 Goa Inquisition, persecution of Hindus and Jews in India, see also Christianity in India
1561 Menno Simons founder of Mennonites
1563 Thirty-Nine Articles of Church of England
1569 Metropolitan Philip of Moscow strangled by Malyuta Skuratov
1572 John Knox, founded Scotch Presbyterian Church, due to disagreement with Lutherans over sacraments and church government
1572-1606 Bishops' Bible, a revision of the Great Bible checked against the Hebrew text, 1st to be published in England by episcopal authority
1579 Discovery of the holiest Russian icon, Our Lady of Kazan
1582 St Terese of Avila
1582 Gregorian calendar adopted at different times in different regions of the world
1587 Toyotomi Hideyoshi expelled Jesuits from Kyushu
1589 Metropolitan Jove is elected the first Patriarch of Moscow
1590 Sistine Vulgate, replaced by Pope Clement VIII's Clementine Vulgate in 1592, standard Latin Catholic Bible till 1960's
1590 Michelangelo's dome in St Peter's Basilica completed
1596 Ukrainian Catholic Church forms when Ukrainian subjects of the king of Poland are reunited with Rome, largest Byzantine Catholic Church

17th century

1600 Giordano Bruno, Dominican priest, burned at the stake
1604 Fausto Paolo Sozzini Socinianism
1606 Carlo Maderno redesigns St Peter's Basilica into a Latin cross
1607 Jamestown, Virginia founded
1609 Baptist Church founded by John Smyth, due to objections to infant baptism and demands for church-state separation
1609-1610 Rheims-Douay Bible, 1st Catholic English translation, OT published in two volumes, based on an unofficial Louvain text corrected by Sistine Vulgate, NT is Rheims text of 1582
1611-1800 King James Version (Authorised Version) is released, based primarily on Wycliffe's work & Bishop's Bible of 1572, translators are accused of being "damnable corrupters of God's word", original included Apocrypha
1614 Fama Fraternitatis, Rosicrucian manifesto
1620 Plymouth Colony founded
1621 Robert Bellarmine
1622-1642 Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu
1636-1638 Cornelius Jansen, bishop of Ypres, founder of Jansenism
1638 Anne Hutchinson banished as a heretic from Massachusetts
1644 Long Parliament directed that only Hebrew canon be read in the Church of England (effectively removed the Apocrypha)
1646 Westminster Confession of Calvinism
1648 George Fox founds the Quaker movement
1650 James Ussher, calculates date of creation as October 23, 4004 B.C.
1653-56 Raskol of the Russian Orthodox Church
1660-1685 King Charles II of England, restoration of monarchy, continuing through James II, reversed decision of Long Parliament of 1644, reinstating the Apocrypha, reversal not heeded by non-conformists
1672 Greek Orthodox Synod of Jerusalem, decreed Biblical canon
1675 Philipp Jakob Spener publishes Pia Desideria, which becomes a manifesto for Pietism
1678 John Bunyan publishes Pilgrim's Progress
1682 Avvakum, leader of the Old Believers, burned at the stake in the Far North of Russia
1684 Roger Williams (theologian), advocate of Separation of church and state, founder of Providence, Rhode Island
1685 Edict of Fontainebleau outlaws Protestantism in France
1685 Orthodoxy introduced to Beijing by Russian Orthodox Church
1692 Salem witch trials in Colonial America
1692-1721 Chinese Rites controversy
1693 Jacob Amman founder of Amish

18th century

1701 Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands splits with Roman Catholicism
1721 Peter the Great substituted Moscow Patriarchate with the Holy Synod
1738 Methodist movement, led by John Wesley and his hymn-writing brother Charles, begins
1741 Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, famous Fire and brimstone sermon
1754 An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture, by Isaac Newton, published
1767-1815 Suppression of the Jesuits
1768 New Smyrna, Florida, Greek Orthodox colony founded
1769 Mission San Diego de Alcala, first California mission
1772 Emanuel Swedenborg, founded Swedenborgianism
1774 Ann Lee leader of American Shakers
1776-1788 Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, critical of Christianity
1779 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, "Jesus never coerced anyone to follow him, and the imposition of a religion by government officials is impious"
1780 Robert Raikes begins Sunday schools to reach poor and uneducated children in England
1784 American Methodists form Methodist Episcopal Church at so-called "Christmas Conference", led by bishops Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury
1789-1815 John Carroll, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, first Roman Catholic US bishop
1789-1801 Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
1791 First Amendment to the United States Constitution
1793 Herman of Alaska brings Orthodoxy to Russian Alaska
1795 The Age of Reason written by Thomas Paine, advocated Deism
1796 Treaty with Tripoli (1796), article 11: "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion"

19th century

1800 Friedrich Schleiermacher publishes his first book, beginning Liberal Christianity movement
1811 The Campbells begin Restoration Movement
1815 Peter the Aleut, orthodox Christian tortured and martyred in Catholic San Francisco, California
1816 Bishop Richard Allen, a former slave, founds the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first African-American denomination
1819 Thomas Jefferson produced the Jefferson Bible
1830 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founded by Joseph Smith as a result of reported visions of the Angel Moroni
1830 Charles Finney's revivals lead to Second Great Awakening in America
1830? Plymouth Brethren founded, Dispensationalism
1832 Church of Christ (Disciples) organized, made up of Presbyterians in distress over Protestant factionalism and decline of fervor
1833 John Keble's sermon "National Apostasy" initiates the Oxford Movement in England
1838-1839 Saxon Lutherans objecting to the Prussian Union emigrate from Germany to the United States; settle in Perry County, Missouri. Leads to formation of the LC-MS
1844, October 22 Great Disappointment, false prediction of Second Coming of Christ by Millerites
1845 John Henry Newman, leading figure of the Oxford Movement, converts to Roman Catholicism and is later made a cardinal
1848 Epistle to the Easterns and Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs response
1848 Perfectionist movement in western New York state
1854 Missionary Hudson Taylor arrives in China
1854 Immaculate Conception, defined as Catholic dogma
1855 Søren Kierkegaard, founder of Christian existentialism
1865 Methodist preacher William Booth founds the Salvation Army, vowing to bring the gospel into the streets to the most desperate and needy
1869-1870 Catholic First Vatican Council, affirms doctrine of papal infallibility
1870 Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, splits with Roman Catholicism over doctrine of papal infallibility
1879 Church of Christ, Scientist founded in Boston by Mary Baker Eddy
1881-1894 Revised Version, called for by Church of England, used Greek based on Septuagint (B) and (S), Hebrew Masoretic Text used in OT, follows Greek order of words, greater accuracy than AV, includes Apocrypha, scholarship never disputed
1884 Charles Taze Russell founded Bible Student movement
1885 Baltimore Catechism
1897 Christian flag, conceived in Brooklyn, New York
1899 Gideons International founded

20th century

1905 French law on the separation of Church and State
1906 Albert Schweitzer publishes The Quest of the Historical Jesus (English translation 1910)
1906-1909 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, CA begins modern Pentecostal movement
1907-1912 Nikolai of Japan, Archbishop of Japanese Orthodox Church
1909 Scofield Reference Bible
1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference launches modern missions movement and modern ecumenical movement; 5-point statement of the Presbyterian General Assembly, also used by Fundamentalists
1910-1915 The Fundamentals, a 12-volume collection of essays by 64 British and American scholars and preachers, a foundation of Fundamentalism
1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
1914 Iglesia ni Cristo incorporated in the Philippines
1916 Father Divine founded International Peace Mission movement
1917 Restitution of the Moscow Patriarchy with Tikhon as patriarch
1917 True Jesus Church founded in Beijing
1918 Execution of Holy Martyrs of Russia, including the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna
1919 Karl Barth's Commentary on Romans is published, critiquing Liberal Christianity and beginning the neo-orthodox movement
1921 Moral Re-Armament movement founded at Oxford
1923 Aimee Semple McPherson built Angelus Temple
1925 Scopes Trial, caused division among Fundamentalists
1925 United Church of Canada formed
1926 Father Charles Coughlin's first radio broadcast
1927 Pope Pius XI decrees Comma Johanneum open to dispute
1930 Rastafari movement founded on visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaica
1931 Jehovah's Witnesses founded
1933 Catholic Worker Movement founded
1934 Herbert W. Armstrong founded Radio Church of God
1935 Dr. Frank C. Laubach, known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." working in the Philippines, developed a literacy program that continues to teach millions of people to read.
1935 Rahlf's critical edition of the Koine Greek Septuagint
1935 Billy Sunday, early U.S. radio evangelist
1939 Southern and Northern US branches of the Methodist Episcopal Church, along with the Methodist Protestant Church reunite to form The Methodist Church. Slavery had divided the church in the 1800s.
1945 Roman Catholic sex abuse cases begins
1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer is executed by the Nazis
1946-1952 Revised Standard Version, revision of AV "based on consonantal Hebrew text" for OT and best available texts for NT, done in response to changes in English usage
1947 Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by Carl F. H. Henry, a landmark of Evangelicalism versus Fundamentalism in US
1947 Oral Roberts founded Evangelistic Association
1947 Dead Sea scrolls discovered
1948 World Council of Churches is founded
1948 Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, see also Christian Zionism
1949 evangelist Billy Graham preaches his first Los Angeles crusade
1950 Assumption of Mary decreed by Pope Pius XII
1952 Novum Testamentum Graece, critical edition of Greek NT, basis of modern translations
1954 Unification Church founded
1954 U.S. Pledge of Allegiance modified by act of Congress from "one nation, indivisible" to "one nation, under God, indivisible"
1956 In God We Trust designated U.S. national motto
1956 Anchor Bible Series
1957 United Church of Christ founded by ecumenical union of Congregationalists and Evangelical & Reformed, representing Calvinists and Lutherans
1959 Family Radio founded
1962-1965 Catholic Second Vatican Council, announced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, produced 16 documents which became official Roman Catholic teaching after approval by the Pope, purpose to renew "ourselves and the flocks committed to us"
1963 Martin Luther King leads a civil rights march in Washington, D.C.
1963 C. S. Lewis dies November 22.
1963 campaign by Madalyn Murray O'Hair results in U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibiting reading of Bible in public schools
1965 Rousas John Rushdoony founds Chalcedon Foundation
1968 United Methodist Church formed with union of Methodist Church & Evangelical United Brethren Church, becoming the largest Methodist/Wesleyan church in the world
1970 Novus Ordo Missae replaces Tridentine Mass
1970 The Late, Great Planet Earth
1970? Chick Publications
1974 Jim Bakker founds PTL television ministry
1975 Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament
1976 Anneliese Michel, Bavarian woman, underwent exorcism against demon possession
1977 New Perspective on Paul
1978 New International Version of the Bible is first published (revised in 1984), using a variety of Greek texts, Masoretic Hebrew texts, and current English style
1978-2005 Pope John Paul II, reaffirmed conservative moral traditions (The Splendor of Truth) and the forbidding of women in the priesthood
1979 Moral Majority founded by Jerry Falwell
1979-1982? New King James Version, complete revision of 1611 AV, updates archaisms while retaining style
1985 Jesus Seminar founded
1985 Jesus and Judaism published by E. P. Sanders, won Grawemeyer Prize for best religious book of the 80's
1988 Christian Coalition
1989 New Revised Standard Version
1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church
1993 David Koresh, incident in Waco, Texas
1994 Declaration of cooperation between Evangelicals and Catholics
1994 Porvoo Communion
1997 Mother Teresa died
1998 Raymond E. Brown, Catholic scholar, died

21st century

2004 Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ is released
2005- Pope Benedict XVI

Sources

World Almanac and Book of Facts
Academic American Encyclopedia (on Compuserve)
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
English Versions of the Bible by John Berchmans Dockery O.F.M.
(CWO)
Catholic Encyclopedia: Biblical Chronology

Footnotes

^ A. J. MAAS (2003). Origin of the Name of Jesus Christ. Retrieved January 23, 2006.
^2 2 John Arthur Thomas Robinson (1977). Redating the New Testament. SCM. ISBN 0334023009.