His mother, Helena - after Constantine executed his own son (Crispus) and wife (Fausta) in a very un-Christian manner - embarked on a pilgrimage to the eastern provinces. There she played a part in establishing the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, and the Church of the Eleona on Je...
He also gathered the First Council of Nicaea (the first ecumenical council of the Christian church) and ensured that Christianity had an official structure. Thus Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria became episcopal centers. The New Capital: Constantinople Constantine permanently moved ...
Jerusalem - Roman Rule, History, Holy City: For some time Rome had been expanding its authority in Asia, and in 63 bce the Roman triumvir Pompey the Great captured Jerusalem. A clash with Jewish nationalism was averted for a while by the political skill
46). 1 Maccabees noted that Antiochus, himself, “authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles … So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom” (1:14). A gymnasium was a center, not only for sports, but also for education, an ephebium (2 Macc 4:9...
an unsuccessful revolt by the Jews in A.D. 66 to 74 resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the most holy site for Jews, by Roman forces; the abandonment of Qumran, the site where theDead Sea Scrollswere stored in nearby caves; and the destruction of a rebel for...
Helena was the wife of the Roman Emperor Constantius during the Late Imperial era. In 326 AD, she would convert to Christianity and travel to the Holy Land in modern day Israel, which was under Roman control at the time. She had churches built in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and brought many ...
The Council of Nice recognized the higher authority of the metropolitan bishops of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. This higher authority was subsequently expressed in the title "patriarch." Later, the bishops of Constantinople and Jerusalem were added to the number of patriarchs, and the growing ...
Another group in Greece are the Romaniotes, an obscure branch of Judaism who arrived in Greece after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. They were slaves on their way to Rome when their ship was forced ashore by bad weather. They were easily integrated, as they already spoke...
It grew in size and influence over a few centuries, and by the end of the 4th century had become the official state church of the Roman Empire, replacing other forms of religion practiced under Roman rule. When did Christianity become the national religion of the Roman Empire? To be ...
Catholicism is the oldest of the man-made seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men denominations and is also the largest. In fact, some people who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods." have never been exposed to true Christianity; they have He reminded ...