Download SIGNIFICANT DATES IN CHURCH HISTORY FIRST CENTURY 30

SIGNIFICANT DATES IN CHURCH HISTORY
FIRST CENTURY
30?
33?
39?
42
49
51?
64
67
70
88
97
98
100?
Descent of the Hoy Spirit on the Apostles in Jerusalem.
Birthday of the Church. St Peter preached to Jews at Jerusalem.
3,000 became converts.
Stephen, deacon, stoned to death at Jerusalem.
First martyr in the Church.
Paul, formerly Saul, persecutor of Christians, converted, baptized and
added to the company of the apostles. Becomes the “Apostle to the
Gentiles” and the author of many New Testament Texts. Made
missionary journeys to Cyprus, Asia Minor(modern Turkey),
Macedonia, Corinth, and perhaps even to Spain.
Herod Agrippa persecuted Christians in the Holy Land. St James the
Greater beheaded in Jerusalem, the first of the Apostles to die. St
Peter was imprisoned but released miraculously (Acts 12:6ff). Many
Christians fled to Antioch and elsewhere. At Antioch the followers of
the Way(Christ) were first called Christians.
St Peter, the “Prince of the Apostles”, arrived in Rome, established the
Church there, so that Rome becomes the seat of the Papacy. He left
Rome for a time to do missionary work in Israel, presided over the
Council of Jerusalem and returned to Rome.
Christians at Rome considered as members of a Jewish Sect. They
suffered because of the decree of the Emperor Claudius which forbade
Jewish worship in the city.
The Council in Jerusalem, in which the Apostles participated under
the presidency of St Peter (Acts Chapter 15). This Council, the first in
the Church, sent a letter to Gentile believers(Acts 15:22-33). The
Council decreed that circumcision and the observance of various
Mosaic prescriptions were not necessary for those non-Jews(the
Gentiles) who converted to Christianity. These decrees were issued to
oppose the error of the Judaizers who said that if Gentiles wanted to
become Christians they had to become Jews first, because they though
that the observance of the Mosaic Law in its entirety was essential for
salvation.
Nero set fire to Rome and accused the Christians. This was the beginning
of the great Roman persecutions of the Christians
St Peter and St Paul martyred.
Roman General, Titus, destroyed Jerusalem
St Clement l becomes 3rd successor of St Peter as Head of the Church
in Rome. He writes a letter to the Christians at Corinth about a schism
among them. This gives clear evidence of the understanding among the
first Christians of the “primacy” of the Bishop of Rome. Clement is the
first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church.
Martyrdom of Clement
Emperor Domitian persecuted the Christians mainly those of Rome.
St John the last of the Apostles died at Ephesus. With his death, the
Revelation through the inspired works of the Old and New Testaments
known as the “Deposit of Faith” was complete.
1
SECOND CENTURY
107?
112
117
125?
155?
156?
161
165
180
196
St Ignatius of Antioch martyred at Rome. He is the first to use in his
writings the expression “The Catholic Church”.
A letter(rescript) sent to Pliny from the emperor Trajan. The rescript
instructed Pliny, governor of Bithynia, not to search for Christians but
to punish them if they were publicly denounced and refused to adore
the gods. This rescript set a pattern for Roman Magistrates on how to
handle the “problem” of what to do with the Christians.
Persecution under Hadrian begins. Many of the stories about the
Martyrs called the Acts of the Martyrs begin from this period.
Gnosticism is widespread
St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of St John the
Evangelist martyred.
Beginning of Montanism, a heresy. It was ”an apocalyptic movement
of the 2d cent. It arose in Phrygia (c.172) under the leadership of a
certain Montanus and two female prophets, Prisca and Maximillia,
whose entranced utterances were deemed oracles of the Holy Spirit.
They had an immediate expectation of Judgment Day, and they
encouraged ecstatic prophesying and strict asceticism. They believed
that a Christian fallen from grace could never be redeemed, in
opposition to the Catholic view that, since the sinner's contrition
restored him to grace, the church must receive him again. Montanism
antagonized the church because the sect claimed a superior authority
arising from divine inspiration. Catholics were told that they should
flee persecution, Montanists were told to seek it. When the Montanists
began to set up a hierarchy of their own, the Catholic leaders, fearing
to lose the cohesion essential to the survival of persecuted
Christianity, denounced the movement. Tertullian was a notable
member of the movement, which died (c.220) as a sect, except in
isolated areas of Phrygia, where it continued to the 7th cent.”
[Columbia On-line encyclopaedia]
Marcus Aurelius becomes Emperor of Rome. His persecution of the
Christians was more violent than those of his predecessors
A leading apologist, Justin, martyred at Rome
Death of Marcus Aurelius.
St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, “Father of Catholic Theology”, wrote
“Adversus Haereses”. This theological treatise stated that the teaching
and tradition of the Roman See is the standard of belief.
The controversy over the date for Easter.
The “Didache” was written during this century. This document is an
important record of Christian belief, practice and government in the
first century.
Latin was introduced in the West as a liturgical language.
The Catechetical School of Alexandria in creased in importance.
2
THIRD CENTURY
202
Persecution under Septimus Severus. He wanted to establish one
common religion throughout the Roman Empire.
206
Tertullian a convert since 197, joined the Montanists, an heretical sect.
He thought that Pope St Callistus was too lenient in re-admitting to the
Church persons guilty of certain grave sins. Before joining the
Montanists, he was the first great ecclesiastical writer in Latin.
215
Death of clement of Alexandria, who was a teacher of Origen and one
of the founders of the School of Theology at Alexandria.
217
Hippolytus was the first antipope. He was reconciled the Church
while serving a prison sentence. He wrote a Eucharistic Prayer which
we still use. It is Eucharistic Prayer Number 2.
231
Origen deposed as Head of the School of Theology at Alexandria
232
Origen established a School, of Theology at Caesarea. In his liftetime
Origen wrote many treatises on systematic theology and was a great
scholar.
235
Death of St Hippolytus.
242
The beginnings of Manicheism in Babylonia.
249
Persecution on the Christians by the Emperor Decius begins.
250
Plotinus and Porphry develop a way of thinking called Neo-platonism
and gain followers.
251
254
258
260?
261
266
292
As the persecution of Decius ends many of those who denied their
faith(lapsi) asked to be re-admitted to the Church. Pope Cornelius
wrote letters to St Cyprian on the subject. The solution was that the
Lapsi were to be re-admitted after suitable penance. These letters are
evidence of the primacy of the Pope in Rome over the Church.
Pope Stephen upheld the validity of baptism administered by heretics.
Death of Origen. 257Persecution under the Emperor Valerian begins.
He wanted to destroy the Church as a social structure.
Martyrdom of St Cyprian.
St Lucian establishes the exegetical School of Antioch. Dionsius
condemned the teachings of Sebellius and the Marcionites.
Paul of Thebese becomes the first Christian hermit.
Gallienus issued an edict of toleration which ended the general
persecution of Christians for nearly 40 years.
Sabellianism condemned.
Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West.
The division emphasized the political, cultural and other differences
between the two parts of the Empire. The prestige of Rome began to
decline.
3
FOURTH CENTURY
303?
The Council of Elvira in Spain legislated regarding clerical celibacy.
This Council also declared the indissolubility of marriage. Persecution
under Diocletian begins.
306
Persecution under Diocletian ends in the West.
305
St Anthony of Heracles established an eremetical(living as a hermit)
foundation near the Red Sea on the Egyptian coast.
310
St Hilarion establishes an eremetical community in Palestine.
311
Edict of toleration issued by Galerius at the urging of Constantine and
Lucinius officially ended the persecution.
313
The Edict of Milan issued by Constantine and Lucinius recognized
Christianity as a lawful religion and the legal freedom of all religions.
It also stated that the Church must be compensated for losses sustained
in the persecutions.
314
The Council of Arles condemned Donatism in Africa. It also declared
that baptisms performed by heretics were valid.
318
St Pasominus established the first foundation of cenobitic (community)
life. This was the opposite to the eremetical(solitary) life of hermits in
Upper Egypt.
325
The First General(Ecumenical) Concil at Nicaea condemned Arianism
and formulated the Nicene Creed.
337
Baptism and death of Constantine.
343?
Beginning of 40 years of persecution in Persia(Iran).
343
Council of Sardica re-affirmed the Nicene Creed. This council declared
that bishops had the right of appeal to Rome as the highest authority in
the Church.
361
Julian the Apostate tried to restore paganism as the State Religion. He
campaigned against the Church by persecution, legal and other
measures.
365
Persecution under Valens continues in the East.
374
At the Council of Rome, Pope Damasus published the list(Canon) of
the inspired works of the Old and New Testaments.
376?
Beginning of the barbarian(people form Northern Germany and
France) invasions in the West.
379
Death of St Basil, the “Father of Monasticism” in the East. His many
writings contributed to the development of rules for religious life.
381
The Second General(Ecumenical) Council of Constantinople
condemned Arians, semi-arians and Macedonians. It re-affirmed the
Nicene Creed.
382?
St Jerome, living in a cave in Bethlehem begins the translation of the
Scriptures into Latin the language of ordinary people(vulgus in Latin).
This translation becomes known as the Vulgate.
396
St Augustine becomes Bishop of Hippo in North Africa.
397
Council of Carthage.
Death of St Ambrose, who was Bishop of Milan and a friend of St
Augustine.
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FIFTH CENTURY
406
St Jerome completes his translation of the Old and New Testaments.
410
Visigoths sack(defeat, ransack and plunder) Rome.
411
Donatism was condemned again by a Council at Carthage.
415
St Augustine refuted(proved him wrong) Pelagius, who discounted and
denied the necessity of grace for salvation.
430
St Augustine died.
431
The Third General(Ecumenical) Council of Ephesus condemned
Nestorius, who denied that Mary was the Mother of the Second Person
of the Blessed Trinity made man. This Council also issued a final
condemnation of Pelagianism.
432
St Patrick arrives in Ireland.
438
The Theodosian Code, which was a compilation of the decrees of the
Empire was issued by the Emperor. It has had great influence on
subsequent civil(State) and ecclesiastical(Church) law.
444
Death of St Cyril of Alexandria.
449
The “Robber” Council of Ephesus, which had no ecclesiastical
authority, declared itself in favour of the heretical teachings of
Eutyches, who taught that Christ had only one nature.
451
The Fourth General(Ecumenical) Council of Chalcedon condemned
Monophysitism (another name for Eutychianism). Pope Leo the Great
refused to approve Canon 28(A decree) issued by the Council. This
Canon falsely asserted that the primacy of Rome was based on Rome’s
political position.
452
Pope Leo the Great persuaded Attila the Hun to spare Rome.
455
Vandals(a race of people) sacked Rome. The decline of imperial
Rome, already underway dates from this time.
494
Pope Gelasius I declared in a letter to Emperor Anastasius that the
pope had power and authority over the Emperor in spiritual matters.
This letter is an important document regarding the concept of papal
authority.
496
Clovis, King of the Franks(original tribe of People in modern France)
was converted and became the defender of Christianity in the West.
The Franks become a Catholic People.
5
SIXTH CENTURY
520
Irish monasticism flourishes. Irish monasteries become training places
for missionaries and centres for study where scholars were developed
and manuscripts of importance were preserved and copied for
posterity.
529
The Second Council at Orange condemned Semi-pelagianism. St
Benedict establishes a monastery at Monte Cassino.
533
John II becomes the first Pope to change his name. This practice did
not become general until the time of Sergius IV(1009). The Emperor
Justinian promulgated the “Corpus Juris Civilis” for the Roman world.
This document influenced subsequent State and Church Law.
543
St Benedict writes a Monastic Rule which is still followed by many
Benedictine monks, nuns and lay people to this day. St Benedict is
known as the “Father of Monasticism” in the West and is a co-Patron
of Europe.
545?
Dionysius Exiguus died. He introduced the division of history into
periods before and after Christ. We have adopted his division and call
them BCE, before the Common Era and CE-the Common Era. He
worked out how many years Christianity had been in existence before
his time. His calculations were about 6 years out. The number 0 zero
had not been “invented” by this time so there is no year zero.
553
The Fifth General(Ecumenical) Council(Constantinople II) condemned
the “Three Chapters”, writings of Theodore of Mopsuetia, Theodoret
of Cyprus and Ibas of Edessa, which contained Nestorian errors.
570?
Birth of Mohammed
585
St Columban founded the monastical school at Luxueil.
589
The Council of Toledo was held in Spain. The Visigoths renounced
Arianism, and St Leander successfully began the organization of the
Church in Spain.
590
Pope Gregory I called Gregory the Great becomes Pope. He initiated
liturgical and disciplinary reforms, enforced clerical celibacy and
upheld the prerogatives of the Holy See(Rome). Gregorian Chant is
named in his honour.
596
Pope Gregory the Great sends St Augustine and 40 monks as
Missionaries to England. The settle in Canterbury in Kent in Southern
England. St Augustine is the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
597
St Columba died. He founded a monastery at Iona, established schools
and did great missionary work in Scotland.
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SEVENTH CENTURY
610
Mohammed claims to have received a divine delegation to establish a
religion for the Arab Peoples
613
Mohammed teaches his message openly among the people.
St Columban established a monastery at Bobbio in Northern Italy.
622
Mohammed forced to flee from Mecca to Medina, which was the first
Hegira. From this time on Islam was spread by the sword.
The book largely written by Mohammed is called the Koran.
622 is Year 1 of the Islamic Calendar.
629
The Emperor Heraclitus recovered the True Cross from the Persians
632
Death of Mohammed
636
St Isidore of Seville, “the most learned man of his day” died.
649
A Lateran Council condemned two wrong formulas issued by the
Emperors Heraclitus and Constans as a means of reconciling
Monophysites with the Church.
664
Actions of the Synod of Whitby(England) advanced the adoption of the
Roman way of Liturgy and Worship in England, especially the way in
which the date for the Feast of Easter was determined.
680
The Sixth General(Ecumenical) Council takes place in Constantinople
known as “Constantinople III. This Council condemned the error of
the Monothelites who contended that there was only one will, the
divine, in Christ. The Council declared that Christ had a human will
and a divine will.
During this century the monastic influence of Ireland and England increased in
Western Europe; schools and learning in general declined; regulations regarding
clerical celibacy become more strict in the Eastern Churches.
7
EIGHTH CENTURY
711
Moslems begin the conquest of Spain.
723
St Boniface begins to do missionary work in Germany.
He becomes known as the “Apostle of Germany”.
726
The error of Iconoclasm begins in the East with the edict decreed by
the Eastern emperor Leo III that declared that the veneration of images,
pictures and relics was idolatrous. He ordered their removal from
churches. Iconoclasm means “image-breaking”.
727
A synod at Rome declared that the veneration of images was in
accordance with Catholic tradition.
731
Pope Gregory III condemned Iconoclasm.
Bede the Venerable, an English monk, who lived near Durham, wrote a
book entitled “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”.
732
Charles Martel defeated the Turks, (followers of Islam) at
Poitiers(France). The Muslims advanced no further into Europe.
744
The Monastery at Fulda(Germany) was established by St Sturm,
disciple of St Boniface.
750?
Death of St John Damascene, the last of the Greek Fathers(Teachers)
of the Church.
754
A council of Bishops at Hieria endorsed Iconoclast errors.
Pope Stephen III crowned Pepin King of the Franks. Pepin invaded
Italy to defend the Pope against the Lombards. He granted land to the
Papacy. This was called the Donation of Pepin and was the
beginning of the Papal States.
755?
St Boniface(originally Winfrid), the “Apostle of Germany”, was
martyred.
769
The council of Hieria and its actions were condemned by the Lateran
Synod
781
Alcuin was chosen by Charlemagne to organize a school in his palace.
This School assumed an important role in the intellectual history of
Europe.
785
Pope Adrian I condemns Adoptionism.
787
The Seventh General(Ecumenical) Council(Nicea II) condemned
Iconoclasm and Adoptionism( a heresy which declared that Jesus was
not the only-begotten Son of God but was just a man “adopted’ by God
as his Son). They believed the Jesus was not the Son of God by nature
but by adoption.
792
A council at Ratisbon condemned adoptionism.
The Book of Kells, the Great Illustrated Gospel of Columcille, at
present on display in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland dates from this
period.
8
NINTH CENTURY
800
Pope Leo III, on Christmas Day, crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the
Franks.
Egbert became King of the West Saxons(England). This act unified
England and strengthened to prestige and power of the Archbishops of
Canterbury.
813
Emperor Leo V, the Armenian, revived the Iconoclast heresy and
persecuted Catholics who held to the true Catholic belief in reference
to the veneration of images.
814
Death of Charlemagne.
842
A Synod at Constantinople stated once again the heretical nature of
Iconoclasm by asserting once again the decrees of the Seventh
Ecumenical Council of 787.
843
The Treaty of Verdun split the Frankish Kingdom among the three
sons of Charlemagne.
844
A controversy over the Eucharist involving the writings of Paschasius
Radbertus, Ratramnus and Rabanus Maurus helped to formulate the t
erminology regarding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic
Species of Bread and Wine.
846
Moslems invade Italy and attack Rome.
848
The Council of Mainz condemned Gottschalk for heretical teaching
regarding predestination.
857
Photius was illegally appointed Patriarch of Constantinople after the
deposition of Ignatius, the legitimate Patriarch.
863
The Photian Schism was condemned by the Roman Synod .
865
St Ansgar, “Apostle of Scandinavia” died.
868
Sts Cyril and Methodius consecrated bishops. These “Apostles of the
Slavs” devised the Slavonic alphabet(used by the Russians to this day).
They translated the Gospels and the Liturgy of the Eastern Church
from Greek into the Slavonic Languages.
869
The Eighth General(Ecumenical) Council (Constantinople IV),
condemned Iconoclasm, deposed Photius and restored Ignatius to the
Patriarchate of Constantinople.
871
The Reign of Alfred the Great begins. He is the only English king ever
anointed by the Pope at Rome.
9
TENTH CENTURY
910
William, Duke of Acquitane, founded the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny,
which became a centre of monastic and church reform.
911
Catholicism begins in Normandy, following the baptism of Rollo, the
Leader of the Normans.
915
Pope John X led the expulsion of the Moslems from Northern Italy.
955
St Olga a member of the Russian Royal Family baptized
962
Otto l, also known as Otto the Great, crowned by Pope John XII.
He revived Charlemagne’s kingdom, which became known as the Holy
Roman Empire. The sovereignty of Germany and Italy was thus
vested in a German prince.
966
Mieszko, first of a royal line in Poland was baptized and brought Latin
Christianity to Poland.
989
Vladimir, the Czar of Russia, was baptized and Russia was
subsequently Christianized by Greek missionaries.
993
Pope John XV was the first pope to decree the official canonization of
a saint for the universal Church. It was St. Urlich. (From the very
beginning of Christianity, the Church venerated saints. Public official
honour always required the recognition of heroic sanctity or
martyrdom and the approval of the bishop of the place where the saint
had lived..)
997
St Stephen became the Ruler of Hungary. He assisted the Church in o
rganizing the hierarchy and establishing Latin Christianity.
999
Sylvester II became Pope. He was Gerbert of Acquitane, who was a
Benedictine monk and being French was the first French Pope.
10
ELEVENTH CENTURY
1012 St Romuald founded the Camaldolese Hermits.
1025 The Council of Arras, as well as subsequent Councils condemned the
Catharists(Neo-Manicheans and Albigenses).
1027 The Council of Elne proclaimed the Truce of God as a means of
stemming violence. The Truce involved armistice periods, which were
later extended.
1038 St John Gaullbert founded the Vallombrosians.
1047 Pope Clement II died and was buried in Germany, the only Pope ever
to be buried in that country.
1049 Leo IX became Pope. He began a reform movement in the Church of
wide and lasting influence. His and later reforms of this period
centered around papal elections, clerical celibacy, control of
ecclesiastical offices and other matters.
1054 Michael Caerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, quarreled with the
Pope, disputed usuages of the Latin Church. He refused to obey the
Pope and led most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches into schism.
1059 The Lateran Council issued new legislation regarding papal elections.
The voting power was entrusted to the Roman Cardinals.
1066 William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England. Later he opposed
the independence of the Church in England from secular control.
St Edward the Confessor, who established Westminister Abbey, died.
1073 Hildebrand, an experienced advisor of several popes elected as Pope
Gregory VII. He continued programmes of reform and took measures
against Lay Investiture(this was the custom whereby local rulers,
princes and kings could install bishops). He opposed Henry IV and
even absolved Henry’s subjects of allegiance to him. This was the first
case of a pope(Head of the Church) dismissing an emperor(Head of
State).
1077 Lay Investiture and Pope-Emperor relations reached a climax when
Henry IV submitted to Pope Gregory VII Canossa. Henry later
repudiated this action and finally abdicated.
1079 The Council of Rome condemned the Eucharistic errors of
Berengarius. Berengarius retracted his teaching.
1084 St Bruno established the Carthusians.
1095 The Council of Clermont inaugurated the First Crusade.
1096 Teaching is taking place at Oxford
1098 St Robert founded the Cistercians.
1099 The Crusaders conquered Jerusalem.
11
TWELTH CENTURY
1108 Abbey and School of St Victor established
1111 As a solution to the problem of the Investiture of Bishops, Pope
Paschal II proposed that bishops should surrender their feudal Lord
rights and that rulers(Emperors, princes)should give up rights to
investiture.
1115 St Bernard established the Abbey of Clairvaux and inaugurated the
Cistercian reform.
St Anselm died. Anslem was an important figure in the development of
Scholastic Philosophy and Theology. He is the person who wrote the
phrase “Fides quaerens intellectum”, that is, Faith seeking
understanding.
1118 Christian forces captured Saragossa in Spain, this victory began the
decline of Moslem power in Spain.
1120? Pope Callistus II issued the Bull “Sicut Judaeis”, which defended the
right s of the Jews. The ideas of this Bull were taught by other popes
of this Twelth Century.
1120 The beginnings of the Order of Norbertines or Promonstratensians,
which had three sections-one for men, one for women and one for lay
persons. This Third Order for Lay Persons was the first in the history
of the Church.
1122 The Concordat of Worms contained the following decrees with regard
to Lay Investiture:- the emperor could invest bishops with the symbols
of temporal authority but had no right to invest them with the symbols
of spiritual authority, since ecclesiastical jurisdiction was from the
Church alone and the emperor was not to interfere in papal elections.
This was the first Concordat in history.
1123 The Ninth General(Ecumenical) Council known as Lateran I because
it was held in the Lateran Basilica in Rome endorses the provisions of
the Concordat of Worms. This was the First Ecumenical Council to be
held in the West.1139 The Tenth General(Ecumenical ) council
(Lateran II at Rome adopted measures against the schism organised by
the anti-pope Anacletus, against the followers of Arnold of
Brescia and Peter Bruys and issued disciplinary decrees.
1140 St Bernard met Abelard in debate sat the Council of Sens. Abelard
was first condemned in 1121 for rationalistic tendencies. He died in
1142 at the Abbey of Cluny where he had retired after being ordered
by Innocent II to stop teaching.
1147 The Second Crusade, preached by St Bernard, started for the Holy
Land. The Crusade ended unsuccessfully at Damascus.
1148 The Synod of Rheims enacted stricter disciplinary decrees for religious
communities of women.
1152 The Synod of Kells re-organised the Church in Ireland.
1153 St Bernard dies. He was an outstanding figure of the century and the
founder of mediaeval mysticism.
1154/55
A community of monks founded by St Merthold marked the
beginning of the Carmelite Order.
1160 Gratian died. He had compiled a Decretum which became a basic text
of Canon(Church) Law.
12
1167
1170
1171
1179
1184
1192
Peter Lombard died. He had compiled a book of Philosophy calledthe
“Four Books of Sentences”. This was a standard text until the time of
St Thomas Aquinas.
Henry II banned English students from attending the University of
Paris, this increases the number of students at Oxford
St Thomas a’Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had clashed with
Henry II regarding clerical immunities, was murdered in the Cathedral
at Canterbury.
Pope Alenander III reserved the process of canonisation of saints to the
Holy See.
The Eleventh General (Ecumenical) Council (Lateran III) at Rome
enacted measures against the Waldenses and Albigensians. It provided
that a pope should be elected by a two thirds vote of cardinals present.
The Waldenses, and others, were excommunicated as heretics by Pope
Lucius III.
The Third Crusade ended in a truce. The Moslems held Jerusalem but
granted permission for Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy Sepulchre
and other Holy Places.
13
THIRTEENTH CENTURY
1204 Fourth Crusaders sacked Jerusalem. The Latin Empire of the East was
begun. The leaders of the Crusade were excommunicated by Pope
Innocent III.
1205 The struggle of the Pope with John off England begins over the
election of the Archbishop of Canterbury. England was placed under
an interdict for five years.
1208 Innocent III called for a crusade against the Albigensians. This was the
first crusade in a Christian country.
1209 Verbal approval given by Innocent III to St Francis of Assisi for the
foundation of the Order of Friars Minor( Franciscans).
Cambridge University founded
1212 Poor Clares founded by St Clare friend of St Francis.
Children’s Crusade a complete failure.
1215 The Twelfth General (Ecumenical) Council (Laterna IV) held at Rome.
This Council enacted 70 decress concerning reform of the Church,
ordered annual confession to the parish priest and that each Catholic
had to go the Holy Communion at Easter time and issued a creed
against the Albigensians. For the first time in official documents the
word “transubstantiation” was used.
1216 Death of Innocent III.
S
t Dominic received formal papal approval for his new Order of
Preachers(the Dominicans).
The famous Portiuncula Indulgence was granted by the Holy See at the
request of St Francis of Assisi.
1221 Death of St Dominic.
Founding of the Third Order of St Francis. A third Order is for lay
people who live ordinary lives.
1224 St Francis receives the stigmata
1226 Death of St Francis of Assisi. St Francis had made the first Christmas
Crib at Gubbio, as well as putting up stations of the Cross in Churches
and placing the suffering Jesus on crucifixes.
1227 Death of Pope Honorius III.
1228 Peaceful negotiations during the Fifth Crusade secured for Christians
the possession of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
1231 Death of St Anthony of Padua, a famous Franciscan preachers,
teachers and miracle-worker.
1233 The institution of the Papal Inquisition to oppose heresy.
1244 The Turks(Islamic) recaptured Jerusalem.
1245 The Thirteenth General (Ecumenical) Council (Lyons I) consideed
measures against Frederick II.
1247 The Carmelit Order received preliminary approval.
1248 Beginnings of the Sixth Crusade.
1250 Death of Frederick II, who had been hostile to the Holy See for many
years.
1253 Death of St Clare of Assisi.
1254 Sixth Crusade ends in failure.
1261 End of the Latin Empire in the East.
1264 St Thomas Aquinas composed the Mass and Office for the new Feast
of Corpus Christi(The Body of Christ. This feast is now referred to as
14
1270
1270
1274
1280
1281
1296
the Body and Blood of Christ and is celebrated in Australia, on the
second Sunday after Pentecost).
Death of King Louis IX of France. France was the most powerful
nation in Europe at this time.
The prestige and poser of the Holy See begins to decline.
Fourteenth General (Ecumenical) Council (Lyons II). This Council
effected a temporary re-union with the Eastern Church.
St Thomas Aquinas( a Dominican) died. St Thomas is one of the
greatest intellectuals of the Western World. He wrote the “Summa
Theologica” was a Doctor of the Church and is Patron of Catholic
Education.
Death of St Bonaventure, a Franciscan theologian and author. He has
since been declared a Doctor of the Church.
Pope Nicholas III died. This pope had made the Breviary the official
prayer book for the Roman Church, which had been edited and
published in a single book by Pope Innocent III at the beginning of the
12th Century.
The excommunication of the Greek Emperor by Pope Martin IV
destroyed the effort of Re-union of the eastern Church in 1274.
Pope Boniface VIII issued the Bull “Cleris Laicos” which forbade the
clergy to submit to lay taxation.
15
FOURTEENTH CENTURY
1300 First Jubilee celebration at Rome. Thousands attended from all over
Christendom(Western Europe).
1301 Pope Boniface VIII withdrew privileges from the French King, Philip
the Fair, who had arrested a bishop and refused his appeal for a trial at
Rome.
1302 Boniface VIII issued the Bull “Unam Sanctam” which stressed the
primacy of the spiritual power of the Pope over any temporal
power(This meant that the Pope was the only one who could appoint
bishops).
1309 Pope Clement V moved his residence from Rome to Avignon in
France and begins what is known in Church History as the
“Babylonian Captivity” of the Papacy. The change of residence meant
that the pope lost his independence and as a result most of the popes of
this century were French.
1311 The Fifteenth General (Ecumenical) Council of Vienne begins and
condemns a number of errors. The Council suppressed the Knights
Templar and sought aid for the Holy Land.
1312 The Council of Vienne concludes.
1320 Dante completed his great poem “Divine Comedy”.
1321 Dante the Italian Poet died.
1323 Beginning of the struggle between Pope John XXII and Louis of
Bavaria, during which Louis was excommunicated and the pope was
called a heretic by Louis’ followers.
1327 “Defensor Pacis” by Marsilius was condemned. This document upheld
the Conciliarist Theory which said that a General(Ecumenical) Council
was superior to the pope. If such an idea were to be accepted it would
mean that the primacy of the pope did not exist.
1328 After invading Italy and being accepted by the pope as emperor, Louis
deposed John XXII and set up an anti-pope. Nicholas V, the antipope,
later sought reconciliation with the Holy See.
1337 Beginning of the Hundred Year’s War.
1338 In the Declaration of Rense, the German electors stated that the pope
had only the right to formal coronation of the emperor at Rome.
1348 The Black Death spread throughout Europe, taking a terrible toll of
life. A shortage of priests was one of the effects of this terrible plague.
1351 New laws were enacted in England to limit papal powers in that
country.
1356 The “Golden Bull” pg Charles IV renewed the Declaration of Rense
which eliminated papal rights in an election of the emperor.
1364 The Universities of Cracow and Vienna were established.
1367 Pope Urban V left Avignon for Rome. The popes had lived for nearly
6 0 years in this French city.
1370 Pope Urban V returned to Avignon because Rome was in such a state
of anarchy, it was dangerous to live there.
1374 Petrarch died.
1377 Partly due to the influence of St Catherine of Siena, Pope Gregory XI
ended the Avignon residency of the Popes and returned to Rome. Italy
was in a disturbed condition. It was so bad that Florence for example
was placed under interdict.
16
1378
1397
John Wycliff denied the doctrine of transubstantiation.
The beginning of the Western Schism.
The Turks(Moslems) besieged Constantinople.
17
FIFTEENTH CENTURY
1409 The Council of Pisa, which had no authority for its action chose a third
claimant to the papacy after stating that Gregory XII and Benedict XIII
were schismatics, which only complicated the Western Schism.
The seeds of the Conciliar Movement began to develop from such
action on the part of the cardinals.
1414 The Sixteenth General(Ecumenical) Council of Constance marked the
end of the Western Schism. This council also condemned Wycliff and Hus,
issued decrees for ecclesiastical reform. Pope Marin V began an era of
concordats which became necessary because of the rise of nationalism, which
opposed the supernatural character and mission of the Church. Agreements
with States were necessary to safeguard the Church’s rights and those of the
faithful.
1418 The Council of Constance concludes.
1431 Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.
The Council of Basle was called. The supreme power of the Pope
which had previously been questioned by such writers as Msarsilius of
Padua and William of Ockham, was challenged. Such an attitude had
grown as a result of the Great Schism. Extreme advocates of the
Consiliar Theory argued that, when the need arose, a general council
could depose a Pope.
1438 The French National Council at Bourges issued the Pragamatic
Sanctions which affirmed Gallican (French) liberties and limited the
rights and powers of the Holy See.
The Seventeenth General (Ecumenical) Council of Florence reaffirmed
the primacy of the Pope, thus ending the controversy began by the
Consiliar Movement. This Council attempted to effect union with the
Orthodox Churches of the East. Henceforth the Popes concentrated on
stopping the Turks invading Europe from the East. The pleas the
Popes made for more crusades to the East were not heeded.
1456 The first printed edition of the Bible using moveable type.
1476 Permission was granted for the establishment of the Inquisition in
Spain. Pope Sixtus IV proclaimed the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception( Mary was conceived free from Original sin) of the Most
Blessed Virgin should be celebrated on the 8th December.
1492 Christopher Columbus discovers the New World(America).
1493 Alexander VI issued a “Bull of Demarcation” which determined what
might be called spheres of influence for the Spanish and Portuguese
Empires in the New World(This is the reason why Brazil is Portuguese
speaking today while the rest of Latin America is Spanish speaking).
This Bull also provided for the propagation of the Christian Faith in
these newly discovered territories.
18
SIXTEENTH CENTURY
1512 The Eighteenth General(Ecumenical) Council (Latern V) defined the
relationship of the Pope to General Councils. This Council also
condemned errors regarding the nature of the human soul and called
for a crusade against the Turkish Moslems.
1517 The Council (Lateran V) concludes. Martin Luther posted his 95
theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. 1520 Luther published
his “Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
concerning the Reform of the Christian Estate”. The papal Bull
“Exsurge Domine” demanded his recantation. Luther burned the Bull
publicaly at Wittenberg in December and was formally
excommunicated the following month.
1524 Beginning of the Peasant Wars. Lutheranism became associated with
strong German Princes who gave it political support.
1528 The Capuchin Order, a branch of the Franciscans took a lead in the
Counter-Reformation.
1529 The Catholic Church was abolished in Sweden.
1531 Protestant Princes formed the Schmalkaldic League. Soon all Northern
Germany united in Lutheranism. Zwingli, the leader of the Protestant
Reformation in Switzerland died.
1533 Henry VIII excommunicated.
1535 Henry VIII proclaimed the Act of Supremacy(to become Head of the
Church in England) and the Oath of Succession. St John Fisher of
Rochester and St Thomas More refused to recognise the claims of
Henry VIII and were martyred. The dissolution of the
monasteries in England follows.
1536 John Calvin published the “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, and
took up once again the work of Zwingli in Switzerland.
1540 The Constitutions(Rules) of the Society of Jesus(Jesuits) were
approved. St Ignatius Loyola was their founder.
1541 Geneva became for the Protestant what Rome was for the Catholics.
1542 The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office was established and
became a leading player in the Counter-Reformation.
1545 The Nineteenth General(Ecumenical) Council of Trent was called and
over the next 18 years issued decrees and canons which stated Catholic
belief on matters of faith and practice which were attacked by the
“Reformers”. It set about the task of the Counter Reformation.
1546 Legal measures in Denmark virtually ended Catholicism in that
country. Norway and Iceland were gradually forced to adopt
Lutheranism. Martin Luther died.
1549 First “Book of Common Prayer” was published. A communion service
in English was substituted for the Mass.
1552 St Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary to the Far East died. His
remains are buried in Goa in India.
1553 Mary Tudor becomes Queen of England and tries to restore the
Catholic Faith using harsh methods including burning Protestants at
the stake.
1555 The Provisions of the Treaty of Augsburg stated that rulers of the
German States had the right to decide what religion should be
professed in their territories.
19
1559
1560
1563
1564
1567
1570
1571
1572
1579
1582
1587
1593
Matthew Parker was invalidly “consecrated” as Archbishop of
Canterbury, which has meant that from this time on Anglican Orders
are considered in valid by the roman Church. It broke with Apostolic
Tradition.
Legal measures taken in Scotland destroyed the Catholic Church in
that country. John Knox organises the Presbyterian Church.
The 39 Articles and re-passage of the Act of Supremacy and Oath of
Succession proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth establishes the Church of
England(Anglican Church) as completely independent of Rome.
John Calvin dies.
The errors of Baius were condemned. His teaching sought compromise
with Luther’s teaching on the nature of original sin, grace and free will.
Queen Elizabeth I excommunicated.
Defeat of the Turkish Armada at Lepanto prevents an invasion of
Eastern Europe by the Turks.
The Sacred Congregation of the Index was established to combat antiCatholic writings.
St Bartholomew’s Eve(October 23) Massacre of French
Protestants(called Huguenots) occurs in various places in France. This
was really a political manoeuvre of Catherine of Medici.
The Union of Utrecht formed the aliance of the Northern Provinces of
the Netherlands, which became the Dutch Republic. It made
Protestantism the State Religion.
Death of St Teresa of Avila, founder of the Carmelite Sisters, a mystic
and Doctor of the Church.
The Gregorian Calendar was put into effect and was eventually
adopted by most countries of the world. A “Leap Year” was inserted
at this time.
St Robert Bellarmine published “De Controversilis”, the greatest
literary defence of the Faith issued during the Counter-Reformation
period.
Catholics were banished from England.
20
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
1601 Matteo Ricci, Jesuit missionary settled at Beijing, China.
1605 A few Catholic fanatics conspired in the Gunpowder plot to blow up
King James I of England and the Houses of Parliament. The plot was
discovered and the conspirators condemned to death. One of the results
was the Oath of Allegiance which was condemned by Pope Paul V in
1606.
1610 St Francis de Sales and St Jane Frances de Chantal founded the first
Community of the Order of the Visitation.
1611 St Philip Neri founded the Oratorians.
1613 Galileo begins his scientific quest. He eventually proves that the Sun is
the centre of the Universe and not the earth. He has difficulties with
the Church.
1618 The Thirty Year’s War begins.
1625 St Vincent de Paul establishes the Congregation of the Mission(Known
today as the Vincentians).
1633 With the help of St Vincent de Paul, St Louise de Marillac founded
the Sisters of Charity.
1642 Jean Jacques Olier founded the Sulpicians.
1643 Bolland, a Belgian Jesuit, began publication of the “Acta Sanctorum” a
critical work on the lives of the Saints.
1649 Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland and began a severe persecution of
Catholics.
1648 Treaty of Westphalia ends Thirty Year’s War. This treaty confirms
once again the Peace of Augsburg issued in 1555.
1651 30 April, St John Baptist De La Salle born in Rheims, France.
1653 Pope Innocent X condemned the errors of Jansen who had published a
book in 1640 entitled “Augustinus”. This book contained incorrect
ideas on grace.
1657 Blaise Pascal’s “provincial Letters” in favour of Jansenism were
condemned.
1669 The “Clementine Peace” of Pope Clement IX quieted the Jansenist
controversy for 30 years.
1673 The Test Act in England barred all Catholics from holding public
office if they would not deny the doctrine of transubstantiation and
receive communion in the Anglican Church.
1678 The “Popish Plot” resulted in the deaths of many English Catholics.
Titus Oates, a discredited Anglican Minister, falsely claimed that
Catholics planned to assassinate Charles I, land a French Army, burn
London and place the government in the hands of the Jesuits.
1682 Bossuet drew up the “Four Articles of 1682” which expressed the
fundamental ideas of Gallicanism:
1. the pope had no temporal authority over princes in temporal
affairs;
2. the power of the pope was limited by General(Ecumenical)
Councils;
3. The power of the pope was limited by customs and practices
of the Gallican(French) Church;
4. The decisions of the Pope were infallible only with the
consent of the Church.
21
1688
1687
1689
1690
1694
John Baptist De La Salle establishes schools in Paris for poor
boys.
The Quietism of Molinos was condemned by Pope Innocent XI.
The Toleration Act granted a certain amount of freedom of worship to
English dissenters, but intentionally excluded Catholics.
The “Four Articles of 1682” by Bossuet were condemned.
John Baptist De La Salle, in order to maintain Schools for poor boys,
makes the Heroic Vow to live on bread alone if needed
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
1713 Pope Clement XI issued the Bull “Unigenitus”, in which he
condemned 101 Jansenistic propositions of Quesnel.
1713 The Treaty of Utrecht ceded Newfoundland, Acadia and the Hudson
Bay Territory to Great Britain and guaranteed freedom of Religion to
the people almost all of whom were Catholic.
1719 John Baptist De La Salle dies in Rouen.
1724 Catholic in China persecuted.
1732 St Alphonus Liguori founded the Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer (Redemptorists).
1738 Pope Clement XII condemned Freemasonry in the Bull “In Eminenti”
forbidding Catholics to join the Freemasons under pain of
excommunication.
1741 Papal approval was given to the Clerics Regular of the Holy Cross and
Passion of Our Lord (Passionists). This community had been founded
by St Paul of the Cross.
1743 Febronianism began in Germany with the publication of a Book by
John Nicholas von Hontheim, under the pseudonym Febronius. This
book was directed against Papal authority
1752 7,000 Acadians were driven from their homes.
1774 The Quebec Act gave legal rights to the Catholic Church in Quebec.
1759 The Jesuits were expelled from Portugal.
1764 The Jesuits were expelled from France.
1767 The Jesuits were expelled from Spain.
1773 Pope Clement XIV issued a “Brief of Suppression” against the Jesuits.
This “Brief” contained neither criticism of the Jesuits nor any of its
members.
1776 USA declares independence.
1778 The Catholic Relief Act in England permitted Catholics to buy and
inherit land, and abolished the penalty of life imprisonment for priests.
1780 The beginnings of Josephism in Austria. This was a movement to make
the Church of Austria almost independent of the Pope.
1788 The First Fleet arrives In Sydney Cove.
1789 The French Revolution begins.
The Proclamation of Religious Liberty in the USA.
1790 In France, The Civil Constitution of the Clergy and the secularization
of Church property; persecution of priests, religious and laity loyal to
papal authority.
1792 2nd September Brother Solomon martyred at the Carmelite Monastery,
in Paris
22
1794
1796
1798
1799
Pope Pius VI condemned the decrees of the Synod of Pistola, held in
1786 and had favoured Jansenism and Gallicanism. .
Napoleon invades the Papal States.
French troops occupy Rome and took the Pope, Pius VI, to France.
Pope Pius VI dies in Valence in France.
23
NINETEENTH CENTURY
1802 Concordat with France re-establishing and giving legal rights to the
Church.
1809 Papal States were incorporated into the Napoleonic Empire.
1809 Exile and captivity of Pope Pius VII.
1814 Restoration of the Jesuits. Fall of Napoleon. Return of Pope Pius VII
to Rome.
1817 Concordats signed with German States granting limited freedom of
action to the Church.
1822 Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith established.
1829 Catholic Emancipation in Great Britain and Ireland.
1832 Pope Gregory XVI issued the encyclical “Mirari Vos” condemning the
movement known as Catholic Liberalism.
1833 Beginning of the Oxford Movement in England.
Founding of the Catholic University of Louvain.
1848 Pope Pius IX leaves Rome to seek refuge in Gaeta. Karl Marx issues
the “Communist Manifesto”.
1850 The Catholic Hierarchy (Bishops and Dioceses) re-established in
England.
1852 Catholic Universities founded at Dublin and Quebec (Laval, Canada).
1853 The Hierarchy was re-established in Holland.
1854 Proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the most
Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sydney University established by Charter which states that a faculty of
Theology must be maintained.
1858 Apparitions of the most Blessed Virgin to St Bernadette at Lourdes,
France.
1860 The Piedmontese begin occupation of the Papal States.
1864 Pope Pius IX issued the “Syllabus”, a systematic condemnation of
modernistic errors.
1867 Publication of the first volume of “Das Kapital”. The organization of
the First Communist International.
Expropriation of the Papal States completed.
1869 Disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Ireland.
1870 The Twentieth General (Ecumenical) Council of the Vatican, defines
the dogma of the Infallibility of the Pope. A break-away group called
“Old Catholics” did not accpe this dogma.
1871 The establishment of the new German Empire and the beginning of
Kulturkampf, the persecution of Catholics in Germany.
Development of anti-clericalism in France.
Pope Pius IX becomes “the Prisoner of the Vatican” when recognition
was not given to the temporal possessions(the Papal States) and papal
Sovereignty over these possession in Italy.
1873 May Laws in Germany.
1878 Leo XII becomes Pope.
1881 The First International Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille, France.
1889 The Catholic University of America founded at Washington, USA
24
TWENTIETH CENTURY
1900 May 24th John Baptist De La Salle canonized. Electric lights used for
the first time in the Basilica of St Peter.
1903 Pius X elected Pope. Expulsion of Religious Orders and Congregations
from France
1904 The Pope begins the codification of Canon(Church) Law.
1905 Pius X removed the ban against Catholics participating in Italian
Nations elections. He also issued decrees calling upon the Catholic
Faithful to receive Holy Communion frequently and daily and lowered
the age for children to receive Communion to 7 years of age.
He ordered the establishment of the confraternity of Christian Doctrine
for the Religious Instruction in all parishes throughout the world.
1907 The Pope condemned Modernism in the decree “Lamentabli”.
1910 Laws passed in Portugal separating Church and Sate.
Diplomatic relations between the Church and Spain, broken.
1914 Benedict XV becomes Pope. Outbreak of World War I.
1917 Benedict XV offers to act as a mediator between the warring nations,
but his pleas for the settlement of the conflict went unheeded.
Our Lady appears to three young children at Fatima in Portugal.
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia .
A new constitution is approved in Mexico which gives the State
control over religious worship, persecutions of the Church begins.
Promulgates the new Code of Canon Law.
1918 The New Code of Canon Law becomes effective.
1919 Pope Benedict XV issued the decree “Maximum Illud”, in which he
urged the recruiting and formation of native clergy in missionary lands.
1922 Pius XI elected as Pope.
1926 Catholic Relief Act passed in England which removes all legal
disabilities of Catholics except those associated with the Act of
Succession to the Throne of England.
1929 The Lateran Treaty is signed which establishes the Vatican City State.
1931 Pope Pius XI issues the encyclicals “Quadrgesimo Anno” and “Divini
Redemptoris”.
Proclamation of the Spanish republic and the beginning of anti-Church
measures by the Spanish Government.
1933 Rise of Hitler in Germany.
1936 Beginnings of Spanish persecutions during the Spanish civil War. The
De La Salle Brothers of Turon were martyred during this period.
1939 Pope Pius XII becomes Pope. 3rd September, Germany invades Poland
and as a result World War II begins.
The Pope refers to Galileo as the most audacious heroes of research
who was prepared to take risks and not afraid of stumbling blocks.
1940 Many Catholic countries invaded by the Russians become Communist
States.
1945 6th August Atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
15th August Japan surrenders to General MacArthur on the USS
Missouri.
1949 Mao Zedong leads the Chinese Communitst Revolution and establishes
the Democratic Republic of China.
25
1954
Pope Pius X canonized. 1957 Nationalist Church established by the
Communists in China. This is a schismatic Church.
1958 Pope John XXIII elected to the Papacy.
1959 25th January Pope John XXIII announces his intention to summon a
Council. He did this at the Basilica of St Paul outside the walls of
Rome.
Fidel Castro establishes a Cuba as a Communist State.
1962 Pope John XXIII opens the Twenty First General (Ecumenical)
Council known as the Second Vatican Council.
1963 Election of Cardinal Montini as Pope Paul VI and continues with the
second session of the Council on 26th June.
1964 Pope Paul VI meets Patriarch Athenagoras I in Jerusalem
1965 8th December, The Second Vatican Council concludes.
Pope Paul VI visits UN headquarters in New York. “Never Again
War!”
1966 Pope Paul and Michael Ramsay, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury
meet in Rome
1968 Encyclical “Humanae Vitae” published
1970 Pope Paul visits Sydney.
1978 6th August Pope Paul VI dies.
1978 26th August John Paul I elected Pope.
28th September, Pope John Paul I dies.
16th October, John Paul II becomes Pope. He is the first non-Italian to
be elected Pope since the Dutchman Adrian VI in 1520.
1986 Pope John Paul II visited Australia.
1992 31st October Pope John Paul II expressed regret for the way the
Church handled the controversies surrounding Galileo.
1995 Pope John Paul II made second Visit to Australia beatifies Mary
MacKillop on 19th January
TWENTY FIRST CENTURY
2000 Year of Great Jubilee.
2001 11th September, Islamic terrorist attack Twin Towers in New York.
2005 2nd April, death of Pope John Paul II .
19th April , election of Pope Benedict XVI
2008 July World Youth Day in Sydney
26