Religion Review -- Key Eras, Events, and Movements

Apostolic & Early Church Era

The period from c. 30–313 AD encompassing the ministry of Jesus, Pauline missions, Roman persecutions, and the early Christian communities.

Council of Jerusalem

A crucial meeting in c. 49 AD that determined Gentile Christians did not have to follow entire Jewish Mosaic law to be saved.

Edict of Milan

The 313 AD decree by Emperor Constantine that legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire.

Patristic Era

The historical period after 380 AD when Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire and early Church Fathers developed Christian theology.

Heresy

A belief or teaching that denies or contradicts an essential, official dogma of the Christian faith.

Council of Nicaea

The ecumenical council called in 325 AD that defended against heresies and produced the Nicene Creed.

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

The collapse of Roman political rule in 476 AD, leaving the Church as the primary stabilizing institution in Europe.

Monasticism

A religious way of life in which individuals isolate from society, withdraw to monasteries or deserts, and devote themselves to prayer and asceticism.

Rule of St. Benedict

A guide for monastic life written c. 529 AD emphasizing balance, prayer, work (Ora et Labora), and community stability.

East–West Schism

The official split between the Western (Roman Catholic) Church and Eastern (Eastern Orthodox) Church in 1054.

Lay Investiture Controversy

The medieval conflict between the Church and secular rulers over who had the authority to appoint local bishops.

Medieval Inquisition

A series of Church courts established to detect and suppress heresy within Christendom.

Mendicant Orders

Religious orders like the Franciscans and Dominicans who took vows of poverty and traveled to preach in urban areas rather than staying in monasteries.

The Crusades

A series of medieval religious wars sanctioned by the Church to recover the Holy Land from Islamic rule.

Scholasticism

A medieval method of learning and theology, championed by Thomas Aquinas, that used reason and philosophy to understand Christian revelation.

Protestant Reformation

The 16th

Ninety

Five Theses

Sola Scriptura

The Protestant doctrine asserting that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for Christian faith and practice.

English Reformation

The 16th

Catholic Reformation

The 16th

Council of Trent

The ecumenical council (1545–1563) that clarified Catholic doctrines, reformed clergy discipline, and responded to Protestant claims.

Age of Exploration Missions

The global expansion of Christianity via European missionaries encountering non

Rerum Novarum

The 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII addressing labor rights and forming the foundation of modern Catholic Social Teaching.

Second Vatican Council

The 1960s ecumenical council (Vatican II) called by Pope John XXIII to renew the Church and engage it more deeply with the modern world.