Slide 1:Early Church Timeline 50 BC 40 BC 30 BC 20 BC 10BC 1BC 1AD 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 Augustus dies; Tiberius succeeds him as emperor. 14 AD 30 40 50 60 Crucifixion of Christ, Pentecost--30 AD (under reign of Tiberius)


Slide 2:Tiberius was the Roman Emperor at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. In an account of the great fire at Rome in A.D. 64, the great Roman historian Tacitus (circa 56-120 AD) wrote as follows about the rumor that Nero was responsible for its instigation:


Slide 3:Therefore, to scotch the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, from whom they got their name, had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate when Tiberius was emperor; and the pernicious superstition was checked for a short time, only to break out afresh, not only in Judaea, the home of the plague, but in Rome itself, where all the horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home.


Slide 4:Tiberius was always indecisive Left Rome to stay at the Isle of Capri and left Sejanus in charge of Rome under his authority Sejanus tried to usurp the throne by slowly getting rid of possible heirs Sejanus was later arrested—the account is as following from a reliable source on Roman history:


Slide 5:Sejanus' power reached its high-point when he held consular office in the same year as Tiberius (AD 31). But then he brought about his own downfall by plotting the elimination of nineteen year-old Gaius.The key moment was the arrival of a letter sent to the emperor by his sister-in-law Antonia warning him of Sejanus. Sejanus Caligula


Slide 6:Tiberius might have retired to his island for his dislike of politics and intrigues. But when he saw the necessity he could still ruthlessly exercise power. Command of the praetorian guard was secretly transferred to one of Tiberius' friends, Naevius Cordus Sertorius Macro, who on 18 October AD 31 had Sejanus arrested during a meeting of the senate. A letter by the emperor to the senate was then read out expressing Tiberius' suspicions. Sejanus was duly executed, his corpse dragged through the streets and thrown into the Tiber. His family and many of his supporters suffered similar fates.


Slide 7:35 40 45 50 55 60 65 Early Church Timeline Stoning of Stephen-33 AD, Conversion of Paul-34 AD Tiberius dies; Caligula succeeds him as emperor- 37 AD 41 Caligula is assassinated by his Praetorian guard and is succeeded by Claudius


Slide 8:Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus: Gaius from “little sandal” or “little boot” Reign was well received in the early years Possibly contracted a virus or had a form of epilepsy that caused him to lose some of his sanity


Slide 9:Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus: Once made a horse a senator Deified himself before he was dead and tries to install his image in all Temples in the Empire


Slide 10:Claudius Nero Germanicus had many physical ailments in childhood including stuttering became emperor by “mistake” executed wife for disloyalty and married Agrippina annexed Britain as a territory adopted Nero


Slide 11:~45 Paul writes letter to the Galatians and the New Testament is officially being written Early Church Timeline 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 44 Claudius annexes Britain 54 Claudius poisoned by Agrippina after he names Nero his successor instead of his natural born son Britannicus


Slide 12:Nero Claudius Caesar (originally Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus): Mother murdered his step father so he could be emperor more than likely the arson of Roman fire in 64 Murdered mother first non Jewish persecutor of Christians


Slide 13:Nero Claudius Caesar (originally Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus): Created games to torture Christians and used them as lighting for his parties. He would use them as pawns in recreating battle scenes and stories as wild beasts or gladiators brutally killed them.


Slide 14:Nero Claudius Caesar (originally Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus): Nero committed suicide with the assistance of a secretary (AD 68) upon hearing that most of the generals removed their allegiance from him and the Senate was demanding he be publicly flogged.


Slide 15:70 AD, the Roman Army, under Titus, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple Early Church Timeline 50 BC 40 BC 30 BC 20 BC 10BC 1BC 1AD 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 time of John’s writings (possibility of early times)


Slide 16:Early Church Timeline 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 Most of the books of the New Testament written during this time period (except for John’s writings*) Let’s review!!


Slide 18:Damascus