CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE SHOWING THE STATE OR PERIOD OF THE MOST PROMINENT PERSONS AND EVENTS

In this Table, the dates are given according to the vulgar era, or four years later than the true time.

A.D.

              1.              AUGUSTUS (Oct. Cæs.) being emperor of Rome, Christ was born.

              14.              Tiberius succeeds him.

              33.              Christ crucified.—Tiberius dies in the 23d year of his reign, and is succeeded by Caius Cæsar Caligula.

              37.              James, surnamed the Just, bishop of Jerusalem, the first b. of the first Christian church.—The mission of Thaddeus to Edessa.—The name Christian grows into use at Antioch.

              40.              Herod Agrippa afflicts the church, and puts James the Great, brother of John, to death.

              41.              Caligula dies, and is succeeded by Claudius.—The famine mentioned in the Acts.—Herod dies. Theudas the impostor.—Helen, queen of the Osrhoenians.—Simon Magus. Peter at Rome.—Philo’s communication with Peter.—Sedition of the Jews at Jerusalem, and destruction.—Agrippa, Herod’s son, appointed king of the Jews.

              54.              Claudius dies, and is succeeded by Tiberius Claudius Nero.

              61.              Annianus, b. of Alexandria, and successor of St. Mark.—The FIRST general Persecution of the Christian church.—Peter and Paul suffer martyrdom.—Linus the first b. of Rome.

              68.              Nero dies, and is succeeded by Galba and Otho.

              69.              Vitellius acknowledged emperor, soon after killed, and Vespasian declared emperor.—The Jews oppressed by grievous famine.

              70.              Capture and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the son of Vespasian.—Gnostics, Dositheus, Simon Magus, Ebion, Cerinthus.—Simeon, son of Cleopas, the second b. of Jerusalem. These two first b. of this church were relatives of our Lord.—The family of David investigated by Vespasian.

              79.              Vespasian dies, and is succeeded by his son Titus.—Anencletus, b. of Rome.

              81.              Titus dies, and is succeeded by Domitian, a second Nero.—SECOND general Persecution.—Clement, b. of Rome.—Avilius, b. of Alexandria.—John the apostle exiled to Patmos.

              94.              Fl. Clement and Domitilla, martyrs.—The grandchildren of Judas, relatives of our Lord, yet living.

              96.              Death of Domitian, who is succeeded by Nerva. Nerva is succeeded by Trajan.

              98.              Cerdon, b. of Alexandria.—Clement of Rome; Ignatius of Antioch, successor of Evodius, the first b.—Simeon of Jerusalem suffers martyrdom, and is succeeded by Justus in the episcopate.—The first fifteen b. of Jerusalem were all Hebrews.—After these followed the Gentile succession. See the tabular view of the bishops, page xvi.

              99.              The apostle John dies at Ephesus.—Euarestus, b. of Rome.—Primus, b. of Alexandria.—Alexander succeeds Euarestus in the see of Rome.

              107.              Ignatius suffers martyrdom.

              117.              Trajan dies, and is succeeded by Adrian.—Quadratus and Aristides write a defence of Christianity, addressed to Adrian.—Xystus, or Sixtus, b. of Rome. Justus of Alexandria; Telesphorus succeeds Xystus at Rome, and Eumenes succeeds Justus at Alexandria.—Barchochebas the impostor.—The last siege of the Jews, when the name of Jerusalem was changed and called Ælia, in honour of the emperor, Ælius Adrian—Now appeared the heresies of Menander, Saturninus, and Basilides, the offspring of the heresy of Simon Magus.—Adrian forbids the Christians to be punished without trial.—Hegesippus and Justin, contemporary writers.

              138.              Adrian dies, and is succeeded by Antoninus Pius.—Hyginus, successor of Telesphorus at Rome.—Valentine and Cerdon, Gnostics, notorious at Rome.—Justin addresses his apology to Antonine, by which the emperor is induced to send his edict to the cities of Asia.—Pius, b. of Rome, is succeeded by Anicetus.

              161.              Marcus Aurelius Antoninus succeeds Antoninus Pius, and is associated with Lucius Antoninus Verus, his brother.

              163.              Justin addresses a second apology to the emperors; about the same time also Athenagoras and Tatian wrote their apologies.

              166.              Martyrdom of Justin and Polycarp.—FOURTH Persecution; Anicetus succeeded by Soter in the see of Home, and Celadion succeeded by Agrippinus at Alexandria.—Heron, Eros, Theophilus, b. of Antioch.—Dionysius of Corinth, Pinytus of Crete, Philip Apollinaris, and Melito, Musanus, Modestus, and Irenæus, contemporary writers.

              169.              L. Verus dies.—The Christian legion pray for rain and victory, whence the legion is called Fulminea.—Eleutherus of Rome.—Bardesanes of Syria.

              177.              Martyrs of Lyons and Vienna in Gaul.—Syriac and Italian translations of the New Testament, as also those of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion.

              180.              Antonine dies, and is succeeded by Commodus.—Agrippinus is succeeded by Julian in the see of Alexandria.—Pantænus, the philosopher, at the head of the Alexandrian school.—Clement of Alexandria, the pupil of Pantænus.—Narcissus b. of Jerusalem, being the fifteenth of the Gentile succession, which commenced after the invasion of Judea under Adrian.—Rhodon opposes the errors of Marcion.—Phrygian errors, Montanus, Priscilla, Maximilla.—Blastus, schismatic at Rome.—Miltiades and Apollonius, ecclesiastical writers; the latter dies a martyr.—Eleutherus is succeeded by Victor in the see of Rome; and Julian of Alexandria by Demetrius.—Serapion, b. of Antioch.—Narcissus of Jerusalem, Bachylus of Corinth, and Polycrates at Ephesus.—The dispute respecting the Passover.—Artemon’s errors revived by Paul of Samosata.—Natalius, Asclepiodotus.

              192.              Pertinax.

              193.              Didius Julius.—Septimius Severus, emperor.—Tertullian writes his apology.—FIFTH Persecution.—Martyrdom of Philip, governor in Egypt, Leonidas and others.

              205.              Irenæus, and the martyrs at Lyons. Origen.—Clement succeeds Pantænus in the Alexandrian school.—About the same time flourished Judas the historian, Alexander of Jerusalem, Demetrius of Alexandria, and Porphyry, the opponent of Christianity.

              211.              A. Caracalla and Geta, emperors.

              217.              Macrinus with his son.—Zephyrinus of Rome, successor of Victor, is succeeded by Callisthus, who again left the church to Urbanus.

              218.              Heliogabalus (alias Antoninus) succeeds Macrinus.

              222.              Alexander Severus, emperor.—Philetas succeeds Asclepiades in the see of Antioch.—Mamæa, Alexander’s mother, favourable to Christianity.—Hippolytus, an ecclesiastical writer.—Heraclas succeeds Demetrius in the see of Alexandria.—Firmilianus b. of Cæsarea in Cappadocia.—Theoetistus b. of Cæsarea in Palestine.

              235.              Alexander assassinated by Maximinus Thrax, who is proclaimed emperor, and commences the SIXTH Persecution.

              238.              Maximinus Thrax is succeeded by Gordian.—Pontianus is succeeded by Anteros in the see of Rome, who was succeeded by Fabianus.—Heraclas b. of Alexandria.—Zebinus of Antioch is succeeded by Babylas.—Africanus, author of “Cesti.”—Beryllus of Arabia.

              244.              Gordian is succeeded by Philip the Arabian. Origen’s works on the Scriptures.—Heraclas is succeeded by Dionysius in the see of Alexandria.—Dissensions of the Arabians.—Heresy of the Helcesaites.

              249.              Decius succeeds Philip.—SEVENTH Persecution.—Alexander, b. of Jerusalem, dies a martyr, and is succeeded by Mazabanes.—Babylas of Antioch dies in prison, and is succeeded by Fabius.—Origen’s great sufferings and tortures.—The. sufferings of Dionysius.—The martyrs at Alexandria.—Novatus creates a schism at Rome.—Fabianus suffers martyrdom.—Cornelius b. of Home. Cyprian of Carthage, and Fabinus of Antioch.—Dionysius writes to Novatus.—The dispute between Cyprian of Carthage and Stephen of Rome.

              251.              Gallus emperor. Lucius b. of Rome.

              254.              Valerianus emperor. Stephen b. of Rome.—The Sabellian heresy—Valerian stimulated by Macrianus to persecute.—Dionysius bishop of Rome.—The sufferings of Dionysius of Alexandria.—The schism of Nepos.

              260.              Gallienus sole emperor on the capture of his father Valerian.—Cyprian and Laurentius suffered martyrdom.—The episcopal see of James at Jerusalem held in great veneration.—Dionysius of Alexandria dies, and is succeeded by Maximus.

              264.              Paul of Samosata creates a schism, and is condemned in a council at Antioch.

              268.              Claudius emperor of Rome.—Felix, successor of Dionysius of Rome, is succeeded by Eutychianus, who was soon after succeeded by Caius.

              270.              Aurelian emperor, to whom an appeal was made against Paul of Samosata.

              272.              The NINTH Persecution commenced by Aurelian.

              275.              Tacitus emperor.

              276.              Florianus emperor.

              277.              Probus emperor.—Origin of the Manichean heresy.

              282.              Carus emperor.—Carinus and Numerianus emperors.

              283.              Caius b. of Rome.

              284.              Diocletian emperor of Rome, under whom the tenth great persecution began, preceded by the demolition of the churches.

              287.              Marcellinus succeeds Caius in the see of Rome, who was overtaken by the persecution in his fifteenth year.

              303.              The TENTH Persecution, the most violent of all. Eusebius styles it emphatically The persecution.—Timæus, Domnus and Cyrillus successively b of Antioch.—Tyrannus succeeds Cyrillus.—Eusebius successor of Socrates in the see of Laodicea.—Marcellus succeeds Marcellinus in the see of Rome, who was followed by Eusebius.—These were succeeded by Miltiades or Melchiades, who is mentioned in connexion with Marcus in the epistle of Constantine.

              305.              Diocletian and Maximian abdicate the government.—Constantius Chlorus and Galerius Maximianus, son-in-law of Diocletian, are created Augusti.—The empire being thus divided between the two emperors, Galerius adopted the two Cæsars, Severus and his nephew Maximinus.

              306.              Licinius appointed emperor and titled Augustus by a common vote of the emperors.—Maximinus assumes the title of Augustus.—Constantius, emperor of the west, dies in Britain, and Constantine his son is proclaimed emperor; an event which defeated the ambitious and tyrannical projects of Galerius Maximianus.—Maxentius son of Maximian assumes the purple at Rome.

              310.              Maximian dies a disgraceful death, after an attempt against the life of Constantine.—Maximinus of the east, and Maxentius at Rome, secretly combine against Constantine and Licinius. The excesses committed by the tyrants.—About this time flourished” Anatolius, distinguished as b. of Laodicea and a writer.—Stephen b. of Antioch.—Theotecnus, b. of Cæsarea in Palestine, was succeeded by Agapius, the contemporary of Pamphilus. Agapius was succeeded by Eusebius, the author of the Ecclesiastical History.—Now flourished as writers, Pierius of Alexandria, Melchius b. of Pontus, and Miletius the honey of Attica.—Hymenæus, Lambdas, and Hermon, successively b. of Jerusalem about this time.—Maximus, the successor of Dionysius, was succeeded by Theonas in the see of Alexandria.—Theonas was succeeded by Peter and Achillas, and he by Alexander. The last of these was indirectly the occasion of the subsequent Arian controversy.—Hermon of Jerusalem, Alexander of Alexandria, Miltiades of Rome, Tyrannus of Antioch, Theodotus of Laodicea, and Agapius of Cæsarea in Palestine, are the last b. mentioned by Eusebius in the most prominent sees.

              314.              Miltiades was succeeded by Sylvester in the see of Rome, in whose times the council of Nice was held.—Constantine establishes the free exercise of the Christian religion, and liberates the Roman world from oppression.—The churches are now restored and dedicated.—Universal peace in the church, large endowments made by the emperor, privileges granted to the clergy, with the restoration of confiscated property.—The splendour which the church now began to wear seems to have laid the foundation for its subsequent corruption.