Church History TIME-LINE...by Joseph F. Kelly

The Church was born 1989 years ago (assuming Pentecost to be 33 A.D.)...How did it get to the 21st Century?

INTRO (excerpts):

The Church is the Body of Christ, and under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it continues the work of Christ in the world.

VATICAN II (1962 - 1965) urged people to pray in the language of their countries vs. the Latin that had been used over time, seeking to define that the Church is the whole People of God.

So, the Roman Catholic Church originated at Pentecost and has not just survived but flourished through 2000 years as it strives to make Christ a presence in the world. The Church has a remarkable history...

1st Century:

The Apostles and other disciples of the Lord started to preach fearlessly in Jerusalem (after Peter became the first Pope), making many converts but also encountering much opposition...witness the martyrdom of St. Stephen in Acts...

Saul, who led persecutions of these new disciples of Christ, has his own conversion experience on the road to Damascus..."Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) produced the first Christian literature, his epistles, in which we find the first teachings about Jesus, the Church, and the Sacraments.

The Church continued to be persecuted and in 64 A.D., the Emperor Nero took his turn by ensuring that key leaders Peter and Paul were among those that lost their lives.

St. Mark, one of the four Evangelists in the New Testament, wrote the first Gospel around 70 A.D., recording traditions about Jesus which had been passed on orally for decades. In the 80s, Matthew and Luke followed with their gospel versions; John followed up

around 100 A.D.

Rome and Antioch emerged as the regional leaders in the Church pointing toward a growing future vs. the belief of the world ending soon, very popular at the beginning...