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Chronological
table of
events concerning the Church History
33:
First Christian Pentecost; descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
disciples; preaching of St. Peter in Jerusalem; conversion, baptism
and aggregation of some 3,000 persons to the first Christian
community.
St. Peter with other
apostles ordaining Seven Deacons for the first time to serve the
faithful.
St. Stephen,
Archdeacon, was stoned to death at Jerusalem; he is venerated as the
first Christian martyr. And the first
persecution of the faithful started, in consequence of the martyrdom
of St. Stephen
many Christians fled to Antioch, marking the
beginning of the dispersion of Christians beyond the confines of
Palestine (Acts 4:8).
33/4:
St. Paul, formerly Saul the persecutor of Christians, was converted
and baptized in Damascus. After three years of solitude in the
desert, he joined the college of the apostles; he made three major
missionary journeys and became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles;
he was imprisoned twice in Rome and was beheaded there at 67/8.
35:
Cornelius (the Gentile) and his family were baptized by St. Peter; a
significant event signaling the mission of the Church to all
peoples.
36:
Persecution of Christians in Palestine started again; St.
Peter was imprisoned for a short time.
The church in Jerusalem sends
out Barnabas to Antioch. For he was a good man, full of the Holy
Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year
they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And
the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts
11: 22-26).
37:
St. Peter goes and preaches in Antioch and establishes his See, the
Holy See of Antioch, He is the first Bishop of Antioch.
44:
Persecution of Christians in Palestine broke out
during the rule of Herod Agrippa; St. James the Greater, the first
apostle to die, was beheaded in 44. St. Peter put in jail.
45:
The church of
Antioch having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on Barnabas, Simeon
who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought
up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul, and ordained them bishops,
then they sent them away to spred the word of God (Acts
13:1-3).
49: Christians
at Rome, considered members of a Jewish sect, were adversely
affected by a decree of Claudius which forbade Jewish worship there.
51:
The Council of Jerusalem, in which all the apostles participated
under the presidency of St. Peter, decreed that circumcision,
dietary regulations, and various other prescriptions of Mosaic Law
were not obligatory for Gentile converts to the Christian community.
The crucial decree was issued in opposition to Jewish Christians who
contended that observance of the Mosaic Law in its entirety was
necessary for salvation.
61:
St. Mark the Evangelist at Alexandria, Egypt, establishes his Holy
See of Alexandria and spent his last years.
64:
Persecution broke out at Rome under Nero, the emperor said to have
accused Christians of starting the fire which destroyed half of
Rome.
64 or 67:
St. Paul at Rome establishes his see (Holy See of Rome) and spent
his last years.
67/8:
Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome during the Neronian
persecution.
70:
Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.
88-97:
St. Clement I, third successor of St. Paul as bishop of Rome, one of
the Apostolic Fathers. The First Epistle of Clement to the
Corinthians, with which he has been identified, was addressed by the
Church of Rome to the Church at Corinth, the scene of irregularities
and divisions in the Christian community.
95:
Domitian persecuted Christians, principally at Rome.
100:
Death of St. John, apostle and evangelist, marking the end of the
Age of the Apostles and the first generation of the Church.
By the end
of the century, Antioch, Alexandria and Ephesus in the East and Rome
in the West were established centers of Christian population and
influence.
107:
St. Ignatius
third Bishop of Antioch was martyred at Rome. He was the first
writer to use the expression, “the Universal (Catholic) Church.”
112:
Emperor Trajan, in a prescript to Pliny the Younger, governor of
Bithynia, instructed him not to search out Christians but to punish
them if they were publicly denounced and refused to do homage to the
Roman gods. This prescript set a pattern for Roman magistrates in
dealing with Christians.
117-38:
Persecution under Hadrian. Many Acts of Martyrs date from this
period.
125:
Spread of Gnosticism, a combination of elements of Platonic
philosophy and Eastern mystery religions. Its adherents claimed that
its secret-knowledge principle provided a deeper insight into
Christian doctrine than divine revelation and faith. One Gnostic
thesis denied the divinity of Christ; others denied the reality of
his humanity, calling it mere appearance (Docetism, Phantasiasm).
144:
Excommunication of Marcion, bishop and heretic, who claimed that
there was total opposition and no connection at all between the Old
Testament and the New Testament, between the God of the Jews and the
God of the Christians; and that the Canon (list of inspired
writings) of the Bible consisted only of parts of St. Luke’s Gospel
and 10 letters of St. Paul. Marcionism was condemned by a council
held about 260, but the heresy persisted for several centuries in
the East and had some adherents as late as the Middle Ages.
155:
St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and disciple of St. John the
Evangelist, was martyred.
156:
Beginning of Montanism, a form of religious extremism. Its principal
tenets were the imminent second coming of Christ, denial of the
divine nature of the Church and its power to forgive sin, and
excessively rigorous morality. The heresy, preached by Montanus of
Phrygia and others, was condemned by the church.
161-80:
Reign of Marcus Aurelius. His persecution, launched in the wake of
natural disasters, was more violent than those of his predecessors.
163-7:
St. Justin, an important early Christian writer, was martyred at
Rome.
215: Death
of Tutian.
182:
St. Theophilos
7th
patriarch of Antioch is first one in Christianity who said: "We
are called Christians on this account, because we are anointed with
the oil of God." Theophilus of Antioch, to Autolycus,
I:12 (A.D. 182).
196: Easter
Controversy, concerning the day of celebration — a Sunday, according
to practice in the West, or the 14th of the month of Nisan (in the
Hebrew calendar), no matter what day of the week, according to
practice in the East. The controversy was not resolved at this time.
The
Didache, whose extant form dates from the second century, is an
important record of Christian belief, practice and governance in the
first century.
Latin was
introduced as a liturgical language in the West. Other liturgical
languages were Aramaic which was celebrated by St. James of
Jerusalem and the apostles, and Greek.
The
Catechetical School of Alexandria, founded about the middle of the
century, gained increasing influence on doctrinal study and
instruction, and interpretation of the Bible.
202: Persecution
under Septimius Severus, who wanted to establish a simple common
religion in the Empire.
206: Tertullian,
a convert since 197 and the great ecclesiastical writer in Latin,
joined the heretical Montanists; he died in 230.
215: Death
of Clement of Alexandria, teacher of Origen and a founding father of
the School of Alexandria.
222: Death
of Bardaison great philisoph the Syrian.
232-54:
Origen established the School of Caesarea after being deposed in 231
as head of the School of Alexandria; he died in 254. A scholar and
voluminous writer, he was one of the founders of systematic theology
and exerted wide influence for many years.
242:
Manichaeism originated in Persia: a combination of errors based on
the assumption that two supreme principles (good and evil) are
operative in creation and life, and that the supreme objective of
human endeavor is liberation from evil (matter). The heresy denied
the humanity of Christ, the sacramental system, the authority of the
Church (and state), and endorsed a moral code which threatened the
fabric of society. In the 12th and 13th centuries, it took on the
features of Albigensianism and Catharism.
249-51:
Persecution under Decius. Many of those who denied the faith sought
readmission to the Church at the end of the persecution in 251.
250:
The Martyrdom of
St. Babylas 13th patriarch
of Antioch
250-300:
Neo-Platonism of Plotinus and Porphyry gained followers.
257: Persecution
under Valerian, who attempted to destroy the Church as a social
structure.
258: St.
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, was martyred.
260:
St. Lucian founded the School of Antioch, a center of influence on
biblical studies.
St.
Dionysius condemned Sabellianism, a form of modalism (like
Monarchianism and Patripassianism). The heresy contended that the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not distinct divine persons but are
only three different modes of being and self-manifestations of the
one God.
St. Paul of
Thebes became a hermit.
261:
Gallienus issued an edict of toleration which ended general
persecution for nearly 40 years.
279:
Martyrdom of Sts. Sergios and Bachus.
292:
Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West. The division
emphasized political, cultural and other differences between the two
parts of the Empire and influenced different developments in the
Church in the East and West. The prestige of Rome began to decline.
303: Persecution
broke out under Diocletian; it was particularly violent in 304.
Martyrdom of St. George in Gaza, Palestine.
Martyrdom of St. Barbara Dec. 4th.
St. Ephrem the Syrian the
doctor of the universal Church was born at Nisibis 303/6.
305: St.
Anthony of Heracles established a foundation for hermits near the
Red Sea in Egypt.
306:
(The church of Rome) The first local legislation on clerical
celibacy was enacted by a council held at Elvira, Spain; bishops,
priests, deacons and other ministers were forbidden to have wives.
311: An
edict of toleration issued by Galerius at the urging of Constantine
the Great and Licinius officially ended persecution in the West;
some persecution continued in the East.
313: The
Edict of Milan issued by Constantine and Licinius recognized
Christianity as a lawful religion in the Roman Empire.
314: A
council of Arles condemned Donatism, declaring that baptism properly
administered by heretics is valid, in view of the principle that
sacraments have their efficacy from Christ, not from the spiritual
condition of their human ministers. The heresy was condemned again
by a council of Carthage in 411.
318: St.
Pachomius established the first foundation of the cenobitic (common)
life, as compared with the solitary life of hermits in Upper Egypt.
325: Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea (I). Presided by
St. Eustatheos
Patriarch of
Antioch (324-337). Its principal action was the condemnation of
Arianism, the most devastating of the early heresies, which denied
the divinity of Christ. The heresy was authored by Arius of
Alexandria, a priest. Arians and several kinds of Semi-Arians
propagandized their tenets widely, established their own hierarchies
and churches, and raised havoc in the Church for several centuries.
The council contributed to formulation of the Nicene Creed (Creed of
Nicaea-Constantinople); fixed the date for the observance of Easter;
passed regulations concerning clerical discipline; adopted the civil
divisions of the Empire as the model for the jurisdictional
organization of the Church. The council
approved that the priest of the parish must be married before his
ordination. 318 Bishops were attended.
326: With
the support of St. Helena the Syrian and mother of Constantine the
emperor, the True Cross on which Christ was crucified on was
discovered.
337:Baptism
and death of Constantine.
338:Death
of St. James of Nisibis, teacher of St. Ephrem.
341:Martyrdom
of St. Semion Bar Sabo'é bishop of the
East, in Persia.
342:
Beginning of a 40-year persecution in Persia.
346: Death
of Aphrahat, Syrian bishop, the sage of Persian.
348-350:
Constantius fortifies, in successive years, Amida, Tella and
Turabdin.
361-63:
Emperor Julian the Apostate waged an unsuccessful campaign against
the Church in an attempt to restore paganism as the religion of the
Empire.
363:
Juvian cedes Nisibis and the Transtigritane Provinces to the
Persians after the death of Julian in Mesopotamia.
365:
Persecution of orthodox Christians under Emperor Valens in the East.
373:
Death of St. Ephrem the Syrian and the universal doctor of the
Church.
376:
Beginning of the barbarian invasion in the West.
379: Death
of St. Basil, the Father of Monasticism in the East. His writings
contributed greatly to the development of rules for the life of
Religious.
381: Ecumenical
Council of Constantinople was held. Presided by St.
Meletius
the patriarch of Antioch. It condemned various brands of Arianism as
well as Macedonianism, which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit;
contributed to formulation of the Nicene Creed.
382-c. 406:
St. Jerome translated the Old and New Testaments into Latin; his
work is called the Vulgate version of the Bible.
396: St.
Augustine became bishop of Hippo in North Africa.
396/7: Traditional
foundation date of Qartmin Abbey by St. Samuel in Turabdin, marking
the benefaction of emperors Arcadius and Honorius.
404:
The first translation of the New Testament into Armenian language
was made from Syriac Peshito by professors Daniel the Syrian and
Mesrop the Armenian.
409: Arcadius'
successor, Theodosius II, reaffirms his predecessor's policy by
making an important benefaction to Qartmin Abbey.
409/410: Death
of St.
Samuel, of Eshtin village, founder of Qartmin Abbey, on 15 May.
410: Visigoths
under Alaric sacked Rome and the last Roman legions departed
Britain. The decline of imperial Rome dates approximately from this
time.
421: Death
of St.
Jacob the Recluse, founder of the monastery near Salah.
430: St.
Augustine, bishop of Hippo for 35 years, died. He was a strong
defender of orthodox doctrine against Manichaeism, Donatism and
Pelagianism. The depth and range of his writings made him a dominant
influence in Christian thought for centuries.
431: Death
of Marutha, Bishop of Miafarqeen.
431: Ecumenical
Council of Ephesus (I). It condemned Nestorianism, which confirmed
the unity of the divine and human natures in the Person of Christ;
defined Theotokos (Bearer of God) as the title of Mary, Mother of
the Son of God made Man; condemned Pelagianism. The heresy of
Pelagianism, proceeding from the assumption that Adam had a natural
right to supernatural life, held that man could attain salvation
through the efforts of his natural powers and free will; it involved
errors concerning the nature of original sin, the meaning of grace
and other matters.
432: St.
Patrick arrived in Ireland. By the time of his death in 461 most of
the country had been converted, monasteries founded and the
hierarchy established.
433: Death
of St.
Simeon (Shamoun) of Qartmin village, disciple of St. Samuel and
second abbot of Qartmin Abbey, on 19 January.
438: The
Theodosian Code, a compilation of decrees for the Empire, was issued
by Theodosius II; it had great influence on subsequent civil and
ecclesiastical law.
439: Death
of St.
Daniel, founder the monastery on Mt. Aghlosh, who is succeeded by
his son and disciple, Lazarus.
443/4: Burial
vault of Qartmin Abbey emptied; 483 skulls, including that of the
founder, are placed in the charnel-house.
451: Council
of Chalcedon. Which cause schism in the Christianity by accusing
St. Dyoscorse as follower of Mono-physitism (also called
Eutychianism), which denied the humanity of Christ by holding that
he had only one, the divine, nature. This Dogma of Mono-physitism or
Eutychianism) was condemned by Antioch and Alexandrian Churches
before Council of Chalcedon.
451: Beginning
of the persecution against See of Antioch and See of Alexandrian
Churches by Chalcedonian Churches.
455: Vandals
under Geiseric sacked Rome.
480: Persians and Nestorians persecute the Orthodox Church
in the East and burn St. Matthew monastery near Mosul, Iraq.
484: Patriarch
Acacius of Constantinople signed the Henoticon.
494: John
Sa'oro of Qartmin Abbey is made bishop of Amida; he builds a church
and a bridge over the Tigris with imperial funds.
502/3: Death of John Sa'oro
shortly before the fatal Persian siege of Amida.
505/7: Expansion and
fortification of the village of Dara, which is named Anastasioupolis.
512:
Completion of a
church and a baptistery at Qartmin Abbey with imperial funds,
the architects being Theodore and Theodosius from the Syrian Church.
521:
Death of St. Jacob bishop of Sarug.
523: Death
of St. Philoxinos bishop of Mabug.
527/65: Refortification
of Tur'abdin and the rest of Mt. Masius under Justinian I (Procopius,
Buildings)
529:
St. Benedict founded the Monte Cassino Abbey. Some years before his
death in 543 he wrote a monastic rule which exercised tremendous
influence on the form and style of religious life. He is called the
Father of Monasticism in the West.
530: John Bar Aftunia
founding his monastery which called after his name, then was known
as Qén-néshreen
monastery.
533: John
II became the first pope to change his name. The practice did not
become general until the time of Sergius IV (1009).
533-34:
Emperor Justinian promulgated the Corpus Iuris Civilis for
the Roman world; like the
Theodosian Code, it influenced subsequent
civil and ecclesiastical law.
538: Death
of Severus the great Patriarch of Antioch.
545:
Death of Dionysius Exiguus who was the first to date history from
the birth of Christ, a practice which resulted in use of the B.C.
and A.D. abbreviations. His calculations were at least four years
late.
548:
Death of
Theodora, the Syriac Empress of Byzantine. Born about 497-500.
Married Justinian the Emperor, 523 or 525.
Empress from April 4, 527.
Died June 28, 548.
560:
Several years of heavy hail destroy the agricultural livelihood of
the people of Tur'abdin; temporary emigration to plain.
567:
John, abbot of Qartmin,
successfully opposes reconciliation with Justin II over the issue of
Chalcedon; shortly
afterwards, he
becomes Syrian Orthodox bishop of Dara
573:
Fall of Dara to the Persians.
575:Mor
Aho-démé
ecumenical bishop of the East was martyred in Takrit.
578:
July, death of Mor Jacob Baradaeus,
bishop of Edessa, with Bishop John of Dara, formerly abbot of
Qartmin.
581:
Raid by the Persians in Tur'abdin;
Qartmin Abbey is sacked and burned.
587: Death
of John of Ephesus, the great historian, Syrian bishop.
589: The
most important of several councils of Toledo was held. The Visigoths
renounced Arianism, and St. Leander began the organization of the
Church in Spain. (Roman Catholic)
590-604:
Pontificate of Pope St. Gregory I the Great. He set the form and
style of the papacy which prevailed throughout the Middle Ages;
exerted great influence on doctrine and liturgy; was strong in
support of monastic discipline and clerical celibacy; authored
writings on many subjects. Gregorian Chant is named in his honor.
604/5: The
Castle of Tur'abdin (to Rhabdios) is taken by the Persians.
614/15: Daniel
'Uzoyo, abbot of Qartmin, becomes, by the intervention of the
metropolitan of Mosul, bishop of the metropolitan diocese of
Dara, which is extended to include Tella; he resides at Qartmin
Abbey
622: The
Hegira (flight) of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina signalled
the beginning of Islam which, by the end of the century, claimed
almost all of the southern Mediterranean area.
628: Heraclius,
Eastern Emperor, recovered the True Cross from the Persians.
634: May,
Gabriel of Beth
Qustan succeeds Daniel as bishop of Dara and abbot of Qartmin, where
he had previously been rish ahé.
639: The
Arabs conquer Tur'abdin, establishing a Melkite as
governor.
643:
The first translation of the New Testament into Arabic was made from
Syriac Peshito by the Syriac historians from the tribes of Tay,
Tanoukh, and 'aqula.
648: Death
of John of Sédré,
Patriarch of Antioch.
And
death of Mor Gabriel of
Beth Qustan, as bishop of Tur'abdin; Bishop Sisinnius of Dara was
among those attending his funeral
649: Death
of Marutha of Takrit.
667: Death
of Severus Sabukht, Philosopher, and scientist, Syrian bishop.
667/80: Reign
of the patriarch Severus bar Mashqe, during which Ananias,
metropolitan bishop of Damascus and a monk of Qartmin, is prominent
among the monks and bishops in opposition to the patriarchal policy
of centralized authority.
686: Death
of Athanasius II Baldoyo, Patriarch of Antioch.
696: Monastery
founded above that of Mor Abay near Qeleth (Mardin, Turkey), with
burial vault and conventual church.
700: Simeon
'of the Olives', founder of the latter-day fortunes of Qartmin
Abbey, becomes bishop of Harran.
Several
buildings at Qartmin, at Habesnas and at the monastery of Mor
Lazarus, near the latter village.
708: Death
of Edessene Jacob, prince of translaters, Philosophyer, and
scientist, Syrian bishop.
711: Muslims
began the conquest of Spain.
726: Emperor
Leo III, the Isaurian, launched a campaign against the veneration of
sacred images and relics; called Iconoclasm (image-breaking), it
caused turmoil in the East until about 843.
Simeon of Harran
and Athanasius of Maypherqat, both of Qartmin, are among the five
Syrian bishops at the synod of Mantzikert.
731: Pope
Gregory III and a synod at Rome condemned Iconoclasm, with a
declaration that the veneration of sacred images was in accord with
Catholic tradition.
732: Charles
Martel defeated the Muslims at Poitiers, halting their advance in
the West.
735: Thomas
of Harran and Lazarus of Tur'abdin present at a synod in Arbin
Abbey.
740: Synodical
election by lot, under the unanimously chosen supervision of
Athanasius of Mayperqat, of the patriarch Iwannis.
750: Monastery
founded above Tell-Bashmay. (Chr. Zuqnin 775, Chr. Qartmin 819)
754: Stephen
II (III) crowned Pepin ruler of the Franks. Pepin twice invaded
Italy, in 754 and 756, to defend the pope against the Lombards. His
land grants to the papacy, called the Donation of Pepin, were later
extended by Charlemagne (773) and formed part of the States of the
Church.
772: Church
of Mor Addai and adjoining oratory at Hashtarak,
Tur'abdin, Turkey.
774: The
plaque strikes Tur'abdin, killing 95 monks at Qartmin Abbey and many
at the monastery of the Cross; exhumation of Gabriel of Beth Qustan
'about 130 years' after his death; his right hand is taken to Hah to
ward off the plaque there, and was done miraclesly.
777: Installation
in the domed octagon at Qartmin (formerly the baptistery) of stone
kneading-trough, quarried in 769.
792: Hermit's
column in the monastery of Mor Lazarus near Habesnas, Tur'abdin,
Turkey.
793: Saffron
Monastery (Dayr ul-Za'farn) near Mardin refounded (Dnahishu', in Chr.
Michael 1195).
797/8: Synod
at Harran, designed to cement union with the 'Julianists', is
sabotaged by the enemies of patriarch Kyriacos, among whom is
Zachariah of Edesse.
813: Emperor
Leo V, the Armenian, revived Iconoclasm, which persisted until about
843.
845: Death
of Dionysius Talmahry, Patriarch of Antioch.
846: Muslims
invade Italy and attacke Rome.
857: Photius
displaced Ignatius as patriarch of Constantinople. This marked the
beginning of the Photian Schism, a confused state of East-West
relations which has not yet been cleared up by historical research.
Photius, a man of exceptional ability, died in 891.
860: Death of
Athanasius of Dara.
865: St.
Ansgar, apostle of Scandinavia, died.
869: St.
Cyril died and his brother, St. Methodius (d. 885), was ordained a
bishop. The Apostles of the Slavs devised an alphabet and translated
the Gospels and liturgy into the Slavonic language.
871-c. 900:
Reign of Alfred the Great, the only English king ever anointed by a
pope at Rome.
903: Death of Mushe
Bar Kifo.
932: Church
of Mor Dimet at Zaz.
962: Column
in monastery of Mor Michael at Mardin.
966: Mieszko,
first of a royal line in Poland, was baptized; he brought Latin
Christianity to Poland.
988: Conversion
and baptism of St. Vladimir and the people of Kiev which
subsequently became part of Russia.
1009:
Beginning of lasting East (Byzantine)-West Schism in the Church,
marked by dropping of the name of Pope Sergius IV from the Byzantine
diptychs (the listing of persons prayed for during the liturgy). The
deletion was made by Patriarch Sergius II of Constantinople.
1043-59:
Constantinople patriarchate of Michael Cerularius, the key figure in
a controversy concerning the primacy of the papacy. His and the
Byzantine synod’s refusal to acknowledge this primacy in 1054
widened and hardened the East-West Schism in the Church.
1054:
Start of the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches;
it marked the separation of the Byzantine Orthodox Churches from
unity with the pope.
1077:
Henry IV, excommunicated and suspended from the exercise of imperial
powers by Gregory VII, sought absolution from the pope at Canossa.
Henry later repudiated this action and in 1084 forced Gregory to
leave Rome.
1097-99:
The first of several Crusades undertaken between this time and 1265.
Recovery of the Holy Places and gaining free access to them for
Christians were the original purposes, but these were diverted to
less worthy objectives in various ways. Results included: a Latin
Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1187; a military and political
misadventure in the form of a Latin Empire of Constantinople,
1204-1261; acquisition, by treaties, of visiting rights for
Christians in the Holy Land. East-West economic and cultural
relationships increased during the period. In the religious sphere,
actions of the Crusaders had the effect of increasing the alienation
of the East from the West.
1118:
Christian forces captured Saragossa, Spain; the beginning of the
Muslim decline in that country.
1125-65: Many
buildings, churches, monasteries etc. restored around Mardin by its
bishop John (Yuhanun).
1170:
Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, who clashed with Henry II
over church-state relations, was murdered in his cathedral.
1171: Death
of Mor Dionysius Jacob Bar Salibi, the great theologian, Syrian
bishop.
1199: Death
of Great Michael I, Patriarch of Antioch.
1221:
The first translation of the New Testament into Persian language was
made from Syriac Peshito by John from Taflis.
1226:
Death of Francis of Assisi (RC).
1274:
Death of St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, of lasting
influence (RC).
1286: Death
of Mor Gregory John Bar Hebraeus, Catholicos of the East.
1337-1453:
Period of the Hundred Years’ War, a dynastic struggle between France
and England.
1347-50:
The Black Death swept across Europe, killing perhaps one-fourth to
one-third of the total population; an estimated 40 percent of the
clergy succumbed.
1377:
Return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome.
Beginning of the Western Schism
1431:
St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.
1431-45:
Ecumenical Council of Florence (also called Basle-Ferrara-Florence).
It affirmed the primacy of the pope against the claims of
conciliarists that an ecumenical council is superior to the pope. It
also formulated and approved decrees of union with several Eastern
Churches — Greek, Armenian, Syrian — .
1453:
The fall of Constantinople to the Turks.
1456:
Gutenberg issued the first edition of the Bible printed from movable
type, at Mainz, Germany.
1476:
Pope Sixtus IV approved observance of the feast of the Immaculate
Conception on Dec. 8 throughout the Roman Catholic Church.
1492:
Columbus discovered the Americas.
1493:
The Renaissance, a humanistic movement which originated in Italy in
the 14th century, spread to France, Germany, the Low Countries and
England. A transitional period between the medieval world and the
modern secular world, it introduced profound changes which affected
literature and the other arts, general culture, politics and
religion.
1517:
Martin Luther signaled the beginning of the Reformation by posting
95 theses at Wittenberg. Subsequently, he broke completely from
doctrinal orthodoxy in discourses and three published works (1519
and 1520); was excommunicated on more than 40 charges of heresy
(1521); remained the dominant figure in the Reformation in Germany
until his death in 1546.
1524:
Luther’s encouragement of German princes in putting down the
two-year Peasants’ Revolt gained political support for his cause.
1528:
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin was approved as an autonomous
division of the Franciscan Order; like the Jesuits, the Capuchins
became leaders in the Counter-Reformation within Roman Catholic
Church).
1530:
The Augsburg Confession of Lutheran faith was issued; it was later
supplemented by the Smalkaldic Articles, approved in 1537.
1536:
John Calvin, leader of the Reformation in Switzerland until his
death in 1564, issued the first edition of Institutes of the
Christian Religion, which became the classical text of Reformed
(non-Lutheran) theology.
1540:
The constitutions of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), founded by
Ignatius of Loyola, were approved by Roman Catholic Church.
1545-63:
Council of Trent. It initiated many reforms for renewal in the
liturgy and general discipline in the Church, the promotion of
religious instruction, the education of the clergy through the
foundation of seminaries, etc. Trent ranks with Vatican II as the
greatest council held in the West.
1549:
The first Anglican Book of Common Prayer was issued by Edward VI.
Revised editions were published in 1552, 1559 and 1662 and later.
1553:
Start of the five-year reign of Mary Tudor who tried to counteract
actions of Henry VIII against the Roman Church.
1555:
The first Syriac New Testament was printed by Mor Ignatius Abdullah
Estephan the Patriarch of Antioch assisted by Rev. Fr. Musa Isaac
from Sauro town near Mardin, Turkey.
Enactment of
the Peace of Augsburg, an arrangement of religious territorialism
rather than toleration, which recognized the existence of
Catholicism and Lutheranism in the German Empire and provided that
citizens should adopt the religion of their respective rulers.
1558:
Beginning of the reign (to 1603) of Queen Elizabeth I of England and
Ireland, during which the Church of England took on its definitive
form.
1559:
Establishment of the hierarchy of the Church of England, with the
consecration of Matthew Parker as archbishop of Canterbury.
1563:
The first text of the 39 Articles of the Church of England was
issued. Also enacted were a new Act of Supremacy and Oath of
Succession to the English throne.
1570:
Elizabeth I was excommunicated. Penal measures against Catholics
subsequently became more severe.
1571:
Defeat of the Turkish armada at Lepanto staved off the invasion of
Eastern Europe.
1577:
The Formula of Concord, the classical statement of Lutheran faith,
was issued; it was, generally, a Lutheran counterpart of the canons
of the Council of Trent. In 1580, along with other formulas of
doctrine, it was included in the Book of Concord.
1582:
The Gregorian Calendar, named for Pope Gregory XIII, was put into
effect and was eventually adopted in most western countries: England
delayed adoption until 1752.
1613:
Catholics were banned from Scandinavia.
1642:
Death of Galileo, scientist, who was censured by the Congregation of
the Holy Office for supporting the Copernican theory of the
sun-centered planetary system. The case against him was closed in
his favor in 1992.
1643:
Start of publication of the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum, a
critical work on lives of the saints.
1648:
Provisions in the Peace of Westphalia, ending the Thirty Years’ War,
extended terms of the Peace of Augsburg (1555) to Calvinists and
gave equality to Catholics and Protestants in the 300 states of the
Roman Empire.
1649:
Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland and began a severe persecution of
the Church there.
1663: St. Mathew
monastery, near Mosul, become a headquarter of Catholicos Baselius
Yaldo.
1673:
The Test Act in England barred from public office Catholics who
would not deny the doctrine of transubstantiation and receive
Communion in the Church of England.
1678:
Many English Catholics suffered death as a consequence of the Popish
Plot, a false allegation by Titus Oates that Catholics planned to
assassinate Charles II, land a French army in the country, burn
London, and turn over the government to the Jesuits.
1689:
The Toleration Act granted a measure of freedom of worship to other
English dissenters but not to Catholics.
1724:
Persecution of Christianity in China.
1773:
Clement XIV issued a brief of suppression against the Jesuits,
following their expulsion from Portugal in 1759, from France in 1764
and from Spain in 1767. Political intrigue and unsubstantiated
accusations were principal factors in these developments. The ban,
which crippled the society, contained no condemnation of the Jesuit
constitutions, particular Jesuits or Jesuit teaching. The society
was restored in 1814.
1789:
Religious freedom in the United States was guaranteed under the
First Amendment to the Constitution.
Beginning of
the French Revolution which resulted in: the secularization of
church property and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in 1790;
the persecution of priests, religious and lay persons loyal to papal
authority; invasion of the Papal States by Napoleon in 1796; renewal
of persecution from 1797-1799; attempts to dechristianize France and
establish a new religion; the occupation of Rome by French troops
and the forced removal of Pius VI to France in 1798.
This century
is called the age of Enlightenment or Reason because of the
predominating rational and scientific approach of its leading
philosophers, scientists and writers with respect to religion,
ethics and natural law. This approach downgraded the fact and
significance of revealed religion. Also characteristic of the
Enlightenment were subjectivism, secularism and optimism regarding
human perfectibility.
1801:
Concordat between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII is signed. It is soon
violated by the Organic Articles issued by Napoleon in 1802.
1804:
Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French with Pope Pius in
attendance.
1809:
Pope Pius VII was made a captive by Napoleon and deported to France
where he remained in exile until 1814. During this time he refused
to cooperate with Napoleon who sought to bring the Church in France
under his own control, and other leading cardinals were imprisoned.
The
turbulence in church-state relations in France at the beginning of
the century recurred in connection with the Bourbon Restoration, the
July Revolution, the second and third Republics, the Second Empire
and the Dreyfus case.
1820:
Year’s-long persecution, during which thousands died for the faith,
ended in China.
1854:
Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the
bull Ineffabilis Deus.
1869:
The Anglican Church was disestablished in Ireland.
1882:
Charles Darwin died. His theory of evolution by natural selection,
one of several scientific highlights of the century, had extensive
repercussions in the faith-and-science controversy.
1914:
Start of World War I, which lasted until 1918.
1917:
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children at Fatima,
Portugal.
Bolsheviks
seized power in Russia and set up a communist dictatorship. The
event marked the rise of communism in Russian and world affairs. One
of its immediate, and lasting, results was persecution of the
Church, Jews and other segments of the population.
1931:
Leftists proclaimed Spain a republic and proceeded to disestablish
the Church, confiscate church property, deny salaries to the clergy,
expel the Jesuits and ban teaching of the Catholic faith. These
actions were preludes to the civil war of 1936-1939.
1933:
Emergence of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany. By 1935 two of his
aims were clear, the elimination of the Jews and control of a single
national church.
1939-45:
World War II.
1940:
Start of a decade of communist conquest in more than 13 countries,
resulting in conditions of persecution of the church in many
countries.
1950:
Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
1957: Death
of Mor Ignatius Ephrem Barsoum I,
Patriarch of Antioch.
1958-63:
Pontificate of John XXIII. His principal accomplishment was the
convocation of the Second Vatican Council, the twenty-first council
in the history of the Catholic Church.
1962-65:
Council of the Vatican (II). It formulated and promulgated 16
documents — two dogmatic and two pastoral constitutions, nine
decrees and three declarations — reflecting pastoral orientation
toward renewal and reform in the Church, and making explicit
dimensions of doctrine and Christian life requiring emphasis for the
full development of the Church and the better accomplishment of its
mission in the contemporary world.
648: Death
of Mor Ignatius Jacob III, Patriarch of Antioch.
1983:
The revised Code of Canon Law, embodying reforms enacted by the
Second Vatican Council, went into effect in the Church of Roman
Rite.
1989-91:
Decline and fall of communist influence and control in Middle and
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
1991:
The Gulf War was waged to eject Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
1995:
By the Synodical decision of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch,
the Archdiocese of the North America and Canada been divided into
three Archdioceses: East, West of USA, and Canad.
1997:
Pope John Paul II issued an apology for any anti-Semitism by
Catholics; a conference on anti-Semitism was also held in Rome and a
number of Catholic leaders in Europe issued apologies for historical
anti-Semitism.
1998:
Pope John Paul II, The Vatican issued a white paper on
Anti-Semitism, titled: We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah.
2000:
The Syrian Orthodox Church celebrated the Holy Year 2000 and the
Jubilee; commencement of the third Christian millennium.
Pope John
Paul II issued apology for the sinful actions of the Church’s
members in the past.
2001: On
September 11, the World Trade Center was destroyed and the Pentagon
attacked by Islamic terrorists who hijacked several planes and used
them as weapons of mass destruction. The attacks launched a global
war on terror.
2003: A
coalition headed by the U.S. removed Saddam Hussein the president of
Iraq.
2005:
Pope John Paul II passed away. April 2.
2005:
One
of the three or four most powerful hurricanes in recorded history,
Katrina hit the Gulf coast of the United States in
August 30,
with unimaginable destruction. New Orleans is almost completely
inundated with muddy, chemically contaminated water from Lake
Pontchartrain, tens of thousands of houses on the coastal areas have
been washed away, untold numbers of businesses are destroyed,
millions are without clean water or electricity for days, and travel
is almost impossible due to the high cost of fuel.
2005: The
Syriac Orthodox Church inaugurate the Patriarchal Silver Jubilee
celebration of His Holiness Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, patriarch of
the universal Syriac Orthodox Church, on Sep. 13-14.
2005: His
Holiness Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, patriarch of the universal Syriac
Orthodox Church, consecrating Holy Myron (Chrism) on Sep. 18, at St.
Ephrem Seminary, Ma'arat Saidnaya, Damascus, Syria.
2005: In
Pakistan
Almost 80,000 people were
killed in the Oct. 8 earthquake and more than 2.5 million people are
homeless because of the calamity.
2005: The
first
Archbishop
of Central Europe, His
Eminence Mor Julius Isa (Yeshu) Çiçek, the
publisher-calligrapher passed away unexpectedly on Friday night
October 29. His contribution to Syriac studies includes publishing a
few hundred books through Bar Hebraeus Verlag. His Eminence
was born in 1942 in Upper Kafro, in
Turabdin (Turkey), to
Qashisho
Barsawmo and
Bath-Qyomo
Sayde.
See
here
2005: The
Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch in his meeting
held in December 13-15 divided the Central Europe Archdiocese into
three Archdioceses Patriarchal Vicariates: Archdiocese of
Netherlands, Archdiocese of Belgium and France, and Archdiocese of
Switzerland and Austria.
2006: The
Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch in his meeting
held in October 10-13 divided the Archdiocese of Germany into
three Archdioceses Patriarchal Vicariates: Archdiocese of
North Germany, Archdiocese of South Germany, and Archdiocese of
Mid Germany.
2006: On
October 13, 2006
Statement Issued by the Holy Synod of the Syriac
Orthodox Church of Antioch, on martyrdom of Rev. Fr. Poulos Iskandar
Behnam, who
was found murdered in the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq.
Rev.
Fr. Polous Iskandar was kidnapped in north Iraq on 9
October and two days later beheaded by an Islamic militant group in
Iraq. According to locals the captors had demanded a ransom in the
amount of $350,000. The captors also demanded that posters be
displayed on the parish walls condemning the recent remarks made by
the Pope Benedict XVI about Islam. On Thursday October 12, Some 500
people attended the funeral of Rev. Fr. Paulos Iskandar at Mosul's
Syriac-Orthodox St Ephrem Church.
This is the
statement of the Holy Synod
"During the sessions
of the Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch held in
Damascus under the patronage of His Holiness, Patriarch Zakka I Iwas,
and the participation of the bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church
worldwide, we received from the heads of Christian denominations in
Iraq, the tragic, painful news of the death of the Rev. Fr. Poulos
Iskander Behnam, one of our priests in Mosul. Fr. Behnam died at the
hands of extremist terrorists, people disconnected from humane,
spiritual and ethical values.
Our Holy Synod expresses deepest regrets that this
shameful crime took place. It touches all noble citizens of our
beloved Iraq. The Synod denounces this horrible deed and calls upon
the international conscience of those in authority to put an end to
the bitter suffering of the Iraqi people. We invite all those in
positions of authority and influence to continue their diligent
efforts in spreading peace and security, so that the citizens of
Iraq may resume normal life in their historic homeland within a
framework of national unity.
May God protect Iraq and its people from adversity
and affliction. May the coming days be full of peace, love,
fraternity and prosperity."
2006:
ISTANBUL, Turkey,
On
November 30, 2006
Statement of
Common Declaration signed today by Benedict XVI and Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, at the end of the Divine
Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George at Fener,
Istanbul.
2008:
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
On
April 5th, 2008
Reverend Father Yousef Adel Abboudi the parish
priest of St. Severius the Great church, Baghdad, who was
slain for sticking to the faith in the Lord Jesus in
performing his priestly duty. Rev. Fr. Yousef born
in Baghdad 1961 - Martyred on Saturday April 5, 2008.
2008:
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
On
April 5th, 2008
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