A Nestorian cross on a tombstone from Kazakhstan (1300s AD) In 428 AD, when Pulcheria and Eudocia were running the Roman Empire, a bishop named Nestorius became the Patriarch of Constantinople. That's like being the Pope but for people [...]
The Roman emperor Nero In the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero, during the night between the 18th and the 19th of July, 64 AD, there was a great fire in the city of [...]
Historical Jesus: One of the earliest drawings of Jesus - here he is healing a man who was paralyzed. Now he gets up and carries his own bed. (Dura Europos, Syria, [...]
Montanus and Montanism: This is the amphitheater in ancient Carthage where Romans killed Christians during the Decian persecution. What was Montanism? Montanism was a Christian heresy. A man named Montanus [...]
Pieter Brueghel, Carnival (Mardi Gras) on the left and Lent on the right First there was Lent In the later Roman Empire, around 300 AD, people began fasting for Lent, for the forty [...]
History of Lent: February, in the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1400s AD) Why do we call it Lent? Lent was originally a Germanic word for the season of Spring [...]
John the Baptist baptizes Jesus (sarcophagus from Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, 200s AD) Who was John the Baptist? John the Baptist was, according to the Bible, the cousin of Jesus Christ. He [...]
The birth of Jesus - a Nativity scene from a Roman sarcophagus, 300s AD. Arles, France - Life of Jesus How do we know about Jesus? Everything we know about [...]
The Gnostics - Books of Roman Gnostic writings from Nag Hammadi in Egypt (300s AD) When were the Gnostics? About the time of Jesus, about 100 BC-100 AD, people living in the Eastern [...]
The Roman emperor Constantine - the first Christian emperor - had to deal with the Donatists When did the Donatists get started? Almost as soon as Constantine had won the battle [...]
