COUNTDOWN TO 2000

0 -320 A.D.

1-20 A.D.
In the reign of Caesar Augustus, an angel came to Nazareth in Galilee, on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. The angel told a woman named Miriam (later rendered as "Mary") that she would bear the Messiah. Her son ("Yessue" in Hebrew) was born in Bethlehem and presented to the Lord in Jerusalem, the city of David. Jesus would return there later as a 12-year-old who could converse with the wisest teachers, and He would end His life in the same city. In the meantime, around the year 14, Rome got a new emperor, Tiberius, whose sovereignty extended throughout the known world, including that same eastern province populated by Jews who lived in towns named Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Elsewhere in time...
Judea becomes a Roman province...Ovid writes his classic work, "Metamorphoses"...first definitive reference to diamonds is recorded...
21-40 A.D.
The short span of Jesus' public life was crammed into this period of world history. During His three-year ministry, Christ was baptized by His relative John and gathered His apostles; He preached along lake shores and atop mountains; He performed His first miracle at Cana and healed the sick; He called forth Lazarus and challenged sinners; He rebuked hypocrites and His own weak followers; He ate with tax-collectors and forgave repentant adulterers; He ate His Last Supper with His apostles and was betrayed by one of them. It was also during this time that the most significant events in world history occurred: The death and resurrection of Jesus, the incarnate son of God.
Elsewhere in time...
Cymbeline, king of Britain and later subject of a Shakespeare play, dies...Emperor Tiberius retires to Capri...one of the earliest Christian churches is built in Corinth...
41-60 A.D.
Can you name one protomartyr? In fact, you can't name more than one because there is only one: St. Stephen. "Protomartyr" means "first martyr," which is what he was. He was also the first deacon in the Church. Stephen, described in the Bible as "full of faith and the Holy Spirit," was a Hellenist, a Greek-speaking Jew. A large number of them had converted to Christianity in the wake of Jesus' death and resurrection. Ordained a deacon by the Apostles, Stephen ministered to the needy, preached and worked wonders. Arrested for blasphemy, Stephen was stoned to death -- as someone very important watched. Stephen's name means "crown," an appropriate appellation for someone crowned by martyrdom. His feast is Dec. 26. Read about him in the Acts of the Apostles, chapters 6-8.
Elsewhere in time...
Caligula reigns as emperor of Rome...Martial, Roman poet, and Plutarch, Greek historian, are born...city of London is founded...
61-80 A.D.
When the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen, was being stoned, his death was witnessed by a man named Saul of Tarsus. In fact, those who did the stoning laid their cloaks at his feet, perhaps as a sign of respect for a man who was firmly committed to the persecution of Christians and the destruction of their faith. But Saul would go on to become one of the most significant figures in the history of the Church. His conversion may have begun the day he saw Stephen's martyrdom, but it was completed when he was struck from his horse by a flash of light and heard the voice of Jesus. With a new name, Paul, the persecutor, became the champion of Christianity, making missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire, winning converts and writing his famous epistles. Like Stephen, Paul died a martyr.
Elsewhere in time...
Rome burns and Nero dies...Gospels begin to be written...Jerusalem is captured by the Romans and destroyed...
81-100 A.D.
St. Peter is regarded as the first pope, but can you name the second? Fans of "Charlie Brown" can. He was St. Linus, who died around 68. Little is known about the third pope, Cletus. The fourth was St. Clement I, whose feast day is Nov. 23. Not much is known about him either. Some think he was a convert from Judaism, as most early Christians were. Others guess he is the man mentioned in Philippians 4:3. Despite that shortage of biographical detail, Clement is an important person in Church history due to his connection with an inspired letter written from the Church of Rome to the Church of Corinth, giving details about the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, and information about the early Church's practices. In all, 13 more popes would take the name of Clement; the most recent served in the 18th century.
Elsewhere in time...
Four emperors reign in Rome: Titus, Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...Under Trajan, Rome reaches its geographical apex as an empire...Juvenal, Roman poet, writes...
101-120 A.D.
Was there really a saint named Simeon? Was he really over 100 years old when he was martyred? Was he actually related to Jesus? Legends of extraordinary saints come down to us from the earliest days of the Church, and the story of Simeon might be one of them. According to those legends, Simeon was Jesus' first cousin and about eight years His senior. If so, maybe they played together as kids. After the death and resurrection of Christ, St. James the Lesser became bishop of Jerusalem. In turn, he was succeeded by Simeon. When the Romans sacked the city, he led his followers across the Jordan into safety. At the age of 100-plus, Simeon was crucified, like his cousin -- or so the story goes. And stories like that -- of faith, loyalty and commitment -- are part of Church history, too.
Elsewhere in time...
Hadrian rules Roman Empire and visits Britain (a wall built across the island would later be named in his honor)...Tacitus writes his history...
121-140 A.D.
Bacchus begat Priscus. And Priscus begat Justin. And Justin begat a Christian philosophy that bridged the gap between the Apostles and Iranaeus. A student of various philosophies, Justin grew up in the Holy Land. Searching for religious truth, he examined such Greek philosophies as Stoicism and Platonism. Then he met an old man who converted him to Christianity. He soon began teaching the new faith in centers of civilization like Ephesus and Rome, where he was martyred. In fact, he is now known as St. Justin Martyr. He was a stout defender of the sacraments, and among his contributions to Christian philosophy was an attempt to link the teachings of Plato and the Bible, a seminal idea that would be developed in later centuries by such thinkers as Tertullian and Origen.
Elsewhere in time...
Antoninus Pius rules Rome...Roman satirist Apuleius writes...Marcus Aurelius born...St. Sixtus I and St. Telesphorus serve as popes...
141-160 A.D.
The early Church was almost immediately plagued by disputes, heresies and schisms. One of the first arguments pitted Jews against Gentiles over who could be followers of Christ. One of the first schisms was started by Montanus, a convert from paganism who taught that his followers had a special mission and were the spiritually elite with gifts of the Spirit unavailable to others. Montanists reported charismatic phenomena, such as speaking in tongues. But they also claimed to have visions of Jesus and the Spirit, and fell into trances and convulsions. St. Jerome would later list the errors of the sect, including its claim that some sins could not be forgiven and that its utterances added to the teachings of the Apostles.
Elsewhere in time...
First pope named Pius serves; 11 more would follow...earliest known Sanskrit writings appear in India...
161-180 A.D.
When St. Concordius was asked his name, he refused to answer. That was pretty brave of him considering the person who was inquiring: Emperor Marcus Aurelius of Rome. Asked to worship a statue of Jupiter, a common test for people suspected of being Christians, Concordius refused. He was arrested and brought before the most important ruler in the world. The emperor asked his name, and Concordius replied: "I am a Christian." Marcus Aurelius fumed: "I do not speak to you of your Christ. I asked your name." The courageous Christian answered again: "I have already told you. I am a Christian and confess Jesus Christ." The emperor ordered Concordius beheaded for his obstinacy and his faith.
Elsewhere in time...
Anicetus and Soterus both serve as pope; both would be canonized...Marcus Aurelius reigns as Roman emperor...earliest Mayan monuments constructed...
181-200 A.D.
Please stand and recite the Epitaph of Abercius. No Catholics can, but they should be able to. The Epitaph of Abercius is the oldest monument in the world that mentions the Eucharist. As a result, it is very important in Church history. The inscriptions, discovered in 1883 by an archaeologist digging in the mideast, were written sometime toward the end of the second century. The epitaph contains 22 verses about the life of Abercius, who was bishop of Hieropolis. According to the verses, composed when he was 72, he made a journey to Rome. Describing himself as "a disciple of the chaste shepherd," Jesus, Bishop Abercius says that he met many Christians in Rome who shared with him the Lord's Supper of bread and wine.
Elsewhere in time...
Roman Emperor Commodus, son and successor of Marcus Aurelius, murdered...Huns invade Afghanistan...Pope Eleuterius serves and is martyred, the fate of the first 23 pontiffs...
201-220 A.D.
Throughout history, some names are forever linked -- like Romulus and Remus, and Damon and Pythias. Perpetua and Felicity are another example. The two martyrs, who died around 203, are frequently cited together in recitations of saints' names. A noblewoman of Carthage and mother of an infant son, Perpetua was joined by Felicity, a pregnant slave, in refusing to renounce their faith. In her prison diary, Perpetua recorded how she worried and declined in health when her baby was kept from her. When she finally got permission to see him again, "I at once recovered my health, and the prison became a palace to me." Felicity delivered her child, a girl, a few days before she and Perpetua were beheaded.
Elsewhere in time...
Roman citizenship is granted to any freeborn person in the Empire...Han Dynasty of China ends...Goths invade Asia Minor and Balkans...Baths of Caracalla built.
221-240 A.D.
As the early Church struggled against external persecution by the Roman Empire, it also faced internal turmoil as people vied to define the new Faith. One of the first heresies, promoted by Sabellius, challenged the Trinity. Sabellianism so emphasized the oneness of God that it denied that the Second Person of the Trinity was distinct from the Father. Many of these early heresies had powerful supporters. In fact, proponents of Sabellianism counted current and future popes among their associates. One of that latter was Callistus, who condemned the heresy once he was named pope. Callistus, whose name means "very handsome," was a slave condemned to the mines. Rescued by a noblewoman, he went on to become a pope and martyr. Two other popes have used his name.
Elsewhere in time...
Origen writes his great treatises on Christianity...Both Emperor Severus of Rome and his successor, Maximinus, are murdered.
241-260 A.D.
Pope Sixtus II reigned for only one year, from August 257 to August 258. But Church trivia experts know him as the first pope to take the name of one of his predecessors. Thus, he became the first pope to need a Roman numeral after his name. The first Sixtus was pope about 140 years earlier; in all, there would be five pontiffs with that name. One of them, Sixtus IV in the 15th century, would lend his name to a very famous location: the Sistine Chapel, which he built for papal functions. As for Sixtus II, in his short papacy, he worked to restore unity to the early Church, which had been split by quarrels. While preaching, he was seized by Romans and beheaded, martyred along with four deacons.
Elsewhere in time...
Decius, Gallus and Valerian rule Rome, which marks its millennium...Goths divide into Visigoths and Ostrogoths...Franks invade Spain.
261-280 A.D.
St. Francis of Assisi is beloved by many Christians for his association with animals, including birds. But he wasn't the first saint to get along with feathered friends. St. Paul the Hermit, a third-century native of Egypt, fled to the desert to escape persecution. He intended to live alone only until it was safe to return home. But he loved the solitude so much that he stayed a hermit for 90 years. According to legend, what sustained Paul was food from Christ Himself -- delivered by either a raven or a crow. So faithful was this bird that it brought twice the normal ration on the day Paul received his first guest in nine decades: St. Antony the Abbot. When Paul died, the legend continues, two lions dug his grave.
Elsewhere in time...
Claudius rules the Roman Empire...Goths continue their march across Greece, sacking Athens and Sparta...first compass used in China.
281-300 A.D.
The Lamb of God is Jesus, of course. But St. Agnes might be called "the lamb of the Lamb of God" because her name means "lamb" in Latin. A virgin who refused to marry because of her devotion to Jesus, she was condemned to a brothel by the Roman authorities. When she was protected from rape by divine intervention, she was set on fire by the Romans, only to have the flames extinguished miraculously. Finally, the teenager was beheaded. Agnes was so renowned in the early Church that her name was repeated at every Mass. On her feast day, January 21, at a basilica named for her, lambs were blessed and their wool used to weave pallia sent to newly named archbishops by the Vatican. In art, St. Agnes is often shown with her namesake animal, but there was nothing sheepish about St. Agnes.
Elsewhere in time...
Earliest-known religious plays...Christianity reaches Armenia...German monasteries introduce bowling...Diocletian rules Rome...Buddhism spreads in China.
301-320 A.D.
The arrival of Constantine the Great on the world scene marked a major change in the fortunes of Christianity. He succeeded his father as emperor of Rome in 306, reunited the eastern and western parts of the empire, and established tolerance of Christianity through his Edict of Milan. Constantine's edict flowed from his own conversion to the Faith, the result of his victory at the Milvian Bridge. Prior to the battle, he had a vision of Christ, who told him that he would conquer if he painted crosses on his soldiers' shields. Under his reign, churches were built, bishops were consulted in state matters and heresies were put down. Although he converted earlier, Constantine was not baptized until he was on his deathbed.
Elsewhere in time...
Genesius, an actor, is martyred in Rome; he becomes patron saint of actors...Persecutions come to an end in Roman Empire.