The Christian Church

Complete History from Christ to Today

1. Apostolic Age (c. 30–100 AD)

30–33: Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ.
33: Pentecost – descent of the Holy Ghost, 3,000 baptized (Acts 2).
c. 35–36: Conversion of St. Paul.
49: Council of Jerusalem – Gentiles not bound to Mosaic law (Acts 15).
64–67: Martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome.
70: Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem.
95: Pope Clement I writes to Corinth, testifying to papal authority.
c. 100: Death of St. John, last of the Apostles.

2. Early Church & Fathers (100–313)

107: St. Ignatius of Antioch martyred; calls the Church “Catholic.”
144: Marcion’s heresy rejected, Church affirms Old and New Testament unity.
155: Martyrdom of St. Polycarp, disciple of John.
177: Martyrs of Lyon, led by St. Blandina.
180: St. Irenaeus writes Against Heresies – defends apostolic succession.
200: Sub Tuum Praesidium – oldest Marian prayer.
250–305: Severe Roman persecutions (Decius, Valerian, Diocletian).
c. 300: Growing use of 27-book New Testament canon in liturgy.

3. Peace and Councils (313–451)

313: Edict of Milan (Constantine & Licinius legalize Christianity).
325: First Council of Nicaea – condemns Arianism, proclaims Christ “consubstantial.”
330: Constantine dedicates Constantinople as “New Rome.”
367: St. Athanasius’ Easter letter lists all 27 NT books.
Edict of Thessalonica — Nicene Christianity becomes the empire’s official faith (clarifies the step after Milan).
381: First Council of Constantinople – Holy Ghost affirmed as divine.
393–397: Hippo & Carthage — North African councils reaffirm the New Testament canon list used in the liturgy (helps readers asking “who picked the Bible?”).
431: Council of Ephesus – Mary defined as Theotokos, Mother of God.
451: Council of Chalcedon – Christ is one Person, two natures.

4. Christian Empire & Christendom (500–1000)

529: St. Benedict founds Monte Cassino – monastic rule spreads.
596–597: St. Gregory the Great sends Augustine to England.
680: Third Council of Constantinople – affirms Christ’s two wills.
726–787: Iconoclast controversy; 787: Second Council of Nicaea restores icons.
800: Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
988: Conversion of Vladimir of Kiev – Christianity spreads to Slavic lands.

5. Schism and Renewal (1000–1300)

1054: The Great Schism – Rome and Constantinople formally separate.
1095: First Crusade proclaimed by Pope Urban II.
1122: Concordat of Worms – settles Investiture Controversy.
1209: St. Francis of Assisi founds the Franciscan Order.
1214 (Tradition): St. Dominic receives the Rosary from the Blessed Virgin Mary at Prouille, France.
1215: Fourth Lateran Council – defines transubstantiation, requires annual confession.
1274: Second Council of Lyons – attempt at East-West reunion.
1274: Death of St. Thomas Aquinas, great doctor of the Church.

6. Crisis & Reformation (1300–1600)

1309–1377: Avignon Papacy (“Babylonian Captivity”).
1378–1417: Western Schism – multiple rival popes.
1439: Council of Florence – reunion attempt with the East.
1453: Fall of Constantinople to the Turks.
1517: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses – Protestant Reformation begins.
1534: Church of England separates under Henry VIII.
1540: Approval of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) — catalytic for Catholic reform, missions, education.
1545–1563: Council of Trent – reaffirms Catholic doctrine, reforms discipline.
1571: Battle of Lepanto – victory attributed to the Rosary.
1582: Gregorian Calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII.

7. Global Mission and Enlightenment
(1600–1800)

1600s: Jesuit missions in China, India, Americas (e.g., St. Francis Xavier).
1649: Execution of Charles I; persecution of Catholics intensifies in England.
1700s: Enlightenment philosophers challenge faith; rise of rationalism.
1773: Suppression of Jesuits by Pope Clement XIV.
1789: French Revolution; dechristianization, martyrdom of priests and nuns.
1801: Concordat between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII restores some Church rights.

8. 19th Century Renewal & Marian Dogmas

1830: Miraculous Medal apparitions to St. Catherine Labouré.
1846: Our Lady of La Salette.
1854: Dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus).
1858: Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.
1870: First Vatican Council – papal infallibility defined (Pastor Aeternus).
1870: Papal States seized; Pope Pius IX declares himself “prisoner of the Vatican.”
1891: Rerum Novarum – Leo XIII on Catholic social teaching.

9. 20th Century: Persecution and Renewal

1917: Apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima.
1917: First universal Code of Canon Law — shows juridical renewal pre-Vatican II.
1925: Pius XI institutes Feast of Christ the King.
1939–1945: WWII – martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Auschwitz.
1950: Dogma of the Assumption of Mary (Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus).
1962–1965: Second Vatican Council – renews liturgy, emphasizes Scripture, ecumenism.
1962–1965: Vatican II key documents — consider listing the four constitutions by name beneath your Vatican II entry.
1978: Year of Three Popes – John Paul I, John Paul II.
1978–2005: Pontificate of John Paul II – Marian devotion, fall of Communism, Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992).

10. The 21st Century Church

2000: Great Jubilee Year proclaimed by John Paul II.
2005–2013: Pontificate of Benedict XVI – liturgy, teaching, resignation in 2013.
2013–present: Pontificate of Francis – evangelization, care for poor, synods.
Ongoing: Growth of Catholicism in Africa & Asia; secular decline in West.
Marian devotion: global rosary crusades, emphasis on Fátima message.
2020s: Eucharistic revival movements in response to weakening belief.

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