Manichaean painting (Turfan, western China, ca. 900s AD) - Who were the Manichaeans? The prophet Mani in the Sassanian Empire In the 300s and 400s AD many Christians turned to believing in [...]
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 [...]
The Roman emperor Domitian, the last of the Flavian emperors After the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, we don't hear anything definite about the Christians for forty years. There's nothing that's for sure [...]
The Roman emperor Diocletian, who organized the Great Persecution of Christians. (This statue would have been painted and not white.) Diocletian's policies The Roman Emperor Diocletian came to power in 284 AD. Diocletian [...]
Sacrifice certificate on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, dating to the Decian persecution (about 3 inches wide) Rome celebrates 1000 Years About 249 AD, the situation of the Christians took a sharp turn for the worse. The [...]
The Roman emperor Constantine becomes a Christian - the first Christian emperor Constantine becomes an Emperor In 312 AD, the Great Persecution was still going on in the Eastern part of the [...]
