Power Of Genie

                 

 

                 As regards early Christianity, there is not much recorded history except that we know   with reasonable certainty that Jesus Christ was born during 5 BC and died in 30 AD. Each of the Apostles was martyred except for John, who died after living for over one hundred years. The last apostles to die were Peter and Paul who were murdered under orders of the then insane Emperor Nero in 67 AD. Beyond this and a few other facts, most other information that we get are in the realm of speculation. Of course the historical data of the Romans who kept records meticulously and which have come down to us appear authentic. Bulk of the events recorded in the Gospels and the Acts is to provide us the background of the Jewish milieu of the 1st century. After the death of the Apostle John, who was the last of Christ’s disciples, there came the Apostolic Fathers who personally knew the apostles and were taught by the Apostles themselves. The writings of these Apostolic Fathers have been preserved in their epistles wherein they addressed problems and situations in the various churches.  Their letters were exhortations to propagate Christian virtues like love, sacrifice, repentance, humility and implicit obedience to the church leaders. It was perhaps during these early years that the seeds of a church hierarchy were sown which later blossomed into polity of Roman and Greek Catholic Churches. From this period presumably came the dichotomy of the clergy and the laity. The clergy became pastors and church leaders and the laity remained followers and not churchmen. Even through history tells us there was great persecution of Christians and dissensions and even heresies in the early church, the Gospel emerged stronger and people were saved in large numbers. The church grew rapidly one could hardly go to any part of the world and not hear of Jesus and Christianity.

04 BC – Jesus Christ is born to Joseph and Mary. 

07-08 AD – Jesus visited Jerusalem as a child. Jesus was found inside a temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them as well as asking questions. The assembled learned men were astonished at the child’s precocity. 

26 AD – Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan and was baptized by John. 

27 AD - Jesus began his first preaching trip through Galilee. He taught in the synagogues, and preached the gospel of the kingdom.  He magically healed all manner of diseased people and his fame spread throughout all Syria. 

28 AD – Jesus chose and ordained the 12 disciples and instructed that they should be with him and go forth to preach. 

29 AD – Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God. 
 
 
 

30 AD – Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and Jesus cleaned the temple. During this time, the authority of Jesus was questioned and Judas plotted to betray Jesus. Jesus was arrested in Bethany. Jesus was finally crucified followed by the resurrection of Lord Jesus.   

33 AD – Stephen was stoned to death. 

36 AD – Pilate massacres a group of Samaritans and is relieved of his position as Procurator for this horrendous act. He commits suicide in Italy a year later.   

37 AD – Historic meeting between Paul and key apostles took place in Jerusalem. 

44 AD – Paul along with Barnabas preached the Gospel in Antioch and the term “Christian” for the believers came into vogue for the first time. 

46-48 AD – Paul and Barnabas proceeded to Cyprus on their first missionary trip.  

49 AD – Council of Jerusalem debated the subject of Gentiles in the church. James issued the decree relieving the Gentiles from following the Torah and circumcision. 

51 AD – The first book of Thessalonians, believed to be the very first letter written by Paul, appeared. The second book of Thessalonians was released shortly after the first book. There was also a third letter to the Thessalonians that Paul has alluded to, but lost to history. 

52 AD – Paul and Barnabas separated. Paul undertook second missionary journey with Silas and spent 18 months in Corinth. 

56 AD – Paul wrote the book of Corinthians to the church at Corinth. The city of Corinth, a wealthy port city, was located on the isthmus between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. 

57 AD – The Book of Romans was written by Paul from Corinth as his sixth letter and seventh New Testament book was written. 

58 AD – Paul was tried before Festus, appeals to Caesar and was sent to Rome for two years.  Nero however found him innocent of any wrongdoing. 

61 AD – The Book of Ephesians was written. Paul wrote this epistle for the Christians living in the city of Ephesus, a major commercial center of Asia Minor. 

62 AD – Book of Acts was completed. This book tied the Gospels of the New Testament to all the other books. Luke was considered the author of the book of Acts.  James, head of the Jerusalem church was stoned and clubbed to death. Simeon, son of Cleopas, succeeded him. Mark, who headed the church in Alexandria, gave up the position to Anianias. 

63 AD – The Gospel of Luke was written stating the Jews were forming a rebellion against Roman rule. Paul was imprisoned for the first time. 

64 AD - Fire erupted in Rome. Fanned by a summer breeze, the flames quickly spread through the wooden structures of the city and 70% of the city ruined. Nero blamed the Christians for the conflagration and severe persecution began. 

64-65 AD – First and Second Peter were written. The first epistle was addressed to believers who are struggling in the midst of persecution. The main theme of the second epistle was a warning against false teachers. 

66 AD – The Book of Jude was written. Jude was the half-brother of Jesus… This book was addressed to all the believers of Christ’s Gospel. 

67 AD – Simeon led the Christian Jews out of Jerusalem as the Jewish rebellion against Rome formally started. Peter and Paul were martyred by Emperor Nero. 

68 AD – The book of Hebrews was written. 

70 AD – The Roman Army, under Titus, destroyed Jerusalem. According to the historian Josephus, about 1.1 million Jews were killed. Others were taken as slaves. 

81 AD – Domitian succeeded Titus as emperor. He began a severe persecution of Christians after an assassination attempt. The persecution launched by Domitian against the Christians was so severe that he executed his own nephew, Flavius Clemens. 

85 AD – Second and Third John books were written. A sect known as the Nicolaitans, which was mentioned in the Book of Revelation arose in Pergamum. Their lasting impact was to elevate the priesthood above the laity, which later gave birth to the Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies. 

96 AD - Domitian was assassinated. The Book of Revelation and Gospel of John were written. Clement of Rome wrote a rebuke to the church at Corinth–that was the beginning of Catholic assertion that the Roman Church had control over all Christian churches. 

100 AD – John, the last of the Apostles, died in Ephesus. 

107 AD – Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem and last known relative of Jesus was martyred at the ripe old age of 120. 

170 AD - The term Old Testament was first used by the bishop of Sardis. 

312 AD – Constantine superficially converted himself to Christianity after a dream led him to a military victory. He remained polytheistic until his death, and struck coins to honor Apollo. 

321 AD – Constantine declared Sunday the official Christian Sabbath day. 

337 AD – Christianity became the official state religion of Rome. Constantine finally received baptism as a Christian and died on Pentecost. 

340 AD – The first complete Bible was written. This manuscript is currently housed in the Vatican library in Rome. It originally contained the whole Bible, but parts have been lost. 

404 AD – A Roman Catholic scholar in Bethlehem by the name of Jerome translated the entire Old and New Testaments into Latin. This Bible became the standard in the Catholic Church for well over 1,000 years. 

500 AD - The word Pope formerly came to be applied to all Church bishops. 

607 AD – Pope Boniface III petitioned Emperor Phocas to decree that the See of Blessed Peter the Apostle should be the head of all the Churches and that the title Universal Bishop should be reserved for the bishop of Rome. 

1096 AD - Pope Urban II preached the first crusade. Upwards of 20,000 individuals obeyed his orders and prepared to march on the Middle East. The goal was to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim rule. 

1270 AD – King Louis IX of France died of plague while on Crusade. His death led quickly to the end of the seventh and final Crusade. 

1384 AD – John Wycliffe was the first to plan a complete English translation of the Bible from Latin. He completed the New Testament prior to his death, and his friends completed the remaining work after his death. 

1455 AD – Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing process that led to mass production of books. The Gutenberg Bible was printed in Germany around 1455. 

1478 AD – The Spanish Inquisition began by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, resulting in the death of tens of thousands, including Jews. 

1508 AD – Martin Luther had the revelation that a man was saved by faith in Christ alone. This revelation was opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church. 

1517 AD – Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The nails pounded into the door changed the course of history. It was the first public act of the Reformation. 

1521 AD – In June of 1520, Luther was sent a Papal Bull of excommunication in which he was ordered to recant his teachings. Luther burnt the Papal Bull along with the book of church law and many other books.  On January 3, 1521 the Pope excommunicates Luther. 

1534 AD - Henry VIII split with Rome and declared himself as the only supreme head of the Church of England. Henry’s wrangle with the Pope was over his act declaring his first marriage void. 

1535 AD - John Calvin wrote his famed work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin’s writings forever influenced the Protestant movement.  Calvin brutally executed more than 50 people he considered heretics. 

1541 AD – In Jerusalem the Moslems sealed up the Golden Gate to prevent the entrance point of the Messiah into the Holy City. 

1545 AD – Council of Trent formed to respond to the schism started by Luther, Included were: Faith alone is not sufficient for salvation; Scripture and tradition hold equal value; the seven sacraments are necessary for salvation; transubstantiation formally acknowledged; priests were forbidden to marry; and the Catholic canon of scripture was formally ratified. 

1582 AD – Pope Gregory introduced his famed Gregorian calendar changing the New Year from April 1 to January 1. 

1604 AD – The King James Bible got its start from a meeting assembled to consider the complaints of the Puritans. The Puritan president of Corpus Christi College, John Reynolds moved his Majesty, that there might be a new translation of the Bible, because those which were allowed in the reigns of Henry the eighth, and Edward the sixth, were corrupt.   

1609 AD – John Smith and Thomas Helwys shared the credit for starting the first Baptist churches. They separated from other churches over infant baptism. 

1611 AD – The completed King James Bible was issued with the complete title page reading: THE HOLY BIBLE.   

1624 AD – George Fox was born in Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire, in 1624. Fox developed strong opinions about religion. Fox rose against the state control of the Church of England and in 1643 began giving sermons in which he argued that consecrated buildings and ordained ministers are irrelevant to the individual seeking God. George Fox was arrested many times for his religious views. On one occasion the judge told Fox “to quake in the presence of the Lord” and afterwards members of his movement became known as Quakers. 

1633 AD – Galileo was forced by the Catholic Church to renounce his teachings that the Earth revolved around the sun. 

1727 AD – Jonathan Edward’s most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” vividly evoked the fate of unrepentant sinners in hell. 

1728 AD – John Wesley participated in a religious study group in Oxford organized by his brother Charles and its members were dubbed as Methodists for their emphasis on methodical study and devotion. 

1824 AD – Charles Finney led revivals in New England. He was one of the main leaders of The Second Great Awakening. Jerry Falwell considered him a hero to many evangelicals including Billy Graham. But then there were those like Monte E. Wilson, who felt that Finney was espousing nothing short of heresy. 

1830 AD – Mormon cult was found by Joseph Smith based on the reported visions of the angel Moroni. The angel had led Joseph to a hill that contained a set of golden plates comprising a holy book, called the Book of Mormon.  

1831 AD – London Presbyterian pastor Edward Irving and associates started the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement.  Irving’s belief was the imminent coming of Christ He rejected medical help, and will not have doctors treat him or his children. Three of his children died from serious health problems. 

1891 AD – Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached at Metropolitan Tabernacle, and the church audiences frequently numbered more than 10,000. Charles Spurgeon wrote over 3,560 sermons. 

1906 AD – An African American preacher named William Seymour and his followers experienced a radical outpouring of the Holy Spirit that led to one of the largest religious movements in history. 

1934 AD – Billy Graham became a believer in Christ. Mr. Graham went on to preach the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history — more than 210 million people in more than 185 countries.   

1970 AD – Hal Lindsey wrote the book Late Great Planet Earth. It became the best-selling book of the 1970s. Lindsey has been called the father of modern-day Bible prophecy. 

1995 AD – Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins wrote the end time novel Left Behind. The book turned into a series that sold more than 55 million copies.  

1999 AD – The 20th century had more Christian martyrs than all the other centuries together. The 20th century was also the century when Gospel message was preached to more regions of the world than in any other century. 

2002 AD – Just before the stroke of midnight on December 31, the website “Rapture Ready” an exhaustive chronology on Christianity was posted on the internet. 

Christianity in the 20th century was marked by splits and fragmentation. The century saw the rise of the liberal and conservative groups.  The Roman Catholic Church instituted many reforms in order to modernize. Missionaries also made inroads in the Far East, establishing further followings in China, Taiwan, and Japan. At the same time, persecution in Communist Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union led to an exodus of Eastern Orthodox Christians to Western Europe and the United States.   
At a superficial glance, the history Christianity’s origin looks like nothing more than a fairy tale. Many feel that it is difficult for people living in the 21st century to believe that these events actually took place. But staunch Christians claim that unlike any other religion, Christianity is based on historical events.  If Jesus Christ died and never rose to life, then Christianity is a myth or a fraud. The evidence for resurrection is the key to establishing the historical validity of Christianity.