VESPASIAN

69 – 79 DOMITIAN NERVA TRAJAN HADRIAN ANTONINUS PIUS MARCUS AURELIUS COMMODUS SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS CARACALLA ELAGABALUS
EMPEROR OF ROME/PERSECUTION
96 – 98 218 – 222
TITUS 211 – 217
79 – 81 81 – 96 98 – 117 117 – 138 138 – 161 161 – 180 180 – 192 193 – 211
108 – 117 162 – 180 202 – 211

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
Papyrus P52
ca. 125
7 EPISTLES BEFORE MARTYRDOM John 18
SYRIA ROME, ITALIA†
WRITES 7 EPISTLES (6 TO CHURCHES AND 1 TO POLYCARP) EN ROUTE TO MARTYRDOM (108)
35 – 108 Ignatius Polycarp Aurelius
Pierre-Selim

2ND CENTURY
IGNATIUS WAS CONDEMNED BY EMPEROR TRAJAN AND MARTYRED AT THE COLOSSEUM. Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antonius Pius Orth. Icon Orth. Icon Severus

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA
CC BY-SA 3.0
HIS 7 EPISTLES STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LOCAL BISHOP IN EACH CITY.

VENERABLE MARTYR
SMYRNA, ASIA MINOR
EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS (115)
SMYRNA, ASIA MINOR†
DISCUSSES PASCHAL DATE AT ROME (150)
69 – 155
DESCRIBED BY IRENAEUS AS A “HEARER OF JOHN” IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS ALONGSIDE ALONGSIDE BISHOP PAPIAS OF HIERAPOLIS, POLYCARP IS REMEMBERED AS THE VENERABLE OLD BISHOP OF SMYRNA WHO TRIUMPHANTLY STATED AT

MARCION OF SINOPE
HIS TRIAL, “FOR EIGHTY-SIX YEARS I HAVE SERVIED CHRIST, AND HE HAS DONE ME NO EVIL. HOW COULD I CURSE MY KING, WHO SAVED ME?” BURNED AT THE STAKE FOR HIS FAITH, HE REMAINS A HERO IN THE CHRISTIAN MEMORY.

REJECTED THE OLD TESTAMENT AND ITS “OTHER GOD”

SINOPE, PONTUS ASIA MINOR 85 – 160 The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer

γνῶσις
DEVELOPS OWN CANON, DIVIDED INTO EVANGELIKON (AN EDITED VERSION OF LUKE) AND APOSTOLIKON (AN EDITED VERSION OF PAUL’S EPISTLES EXCEPT THE PASTORALS) (140)
GOES TO ROME; DONATES 200,000 SESTERCES TO THE CHURCH THERE (142) Marcion Displaying His Canon Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883)
VALENTINUS THE GNOSTIC
DEVELOPS DUALIST THEOLOGY; EXCOMMUNICATED AND CONDEMNED; RETURNS TO ASIA MINOR (144)

FOREMOST GNOSTIC Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest,
gnōsis, “knowledge”. This Greek word is the root word for
PHREBONIS, EGYPT
ALEXANDRIA (115) GOES TO ROME (136)
CYPRUS 100 – 160 being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is
gnosticism. While diverse, all forms of gnosticism claimed RECEIVES “SECRET” TEACHINGS FROM THEUDAS (120) LOSES ELECTION FOR BISHOPRIC OF ROME (150)
craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its
JUSTIN MARTYR
special or secret “knowledge” of spiritual truths and were DEVELOPS AND TEACHES PLATONIC VERSION OF CHRISTIANITY (125) THE GOSPEL OF TRUTH (155)
dualistic in maintaining the basic goodness of the soul and

Martyrdom Mosaic
the spiritual realm and the basic evil of the body and the
material world. The Docetic branch of gnosticism maintained LOGOS CHRISTOLOGY outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced more
that Christ only “seemed” to be human but in fact was not. FLAVIA NEAPOLIS, IUDAEA
CONVERTED AT EPHESUS (130) DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO (155)
ROME, ITALIA† 100 – 165 true than the truth itself. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Preface
I write to the churches, and impress on them all, that I shall
GOES TO ROME, OPENS SCHOOL (140) SECOND APOLOGY TO ROMAN SENATE (160)

TATIAN THE ASSYRIAN

FIRST APOLOGY TO ANTONINUS PIUS (150) BEHEADED AT ROME (165)

willingly die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech of DIATESSARON: POPULAR GOSPEL HARMONY
you not to show an unseasonable good-will toward me. ASSYRIA
BECOMES PUPIL OF JUSTIN AT ROME (150) DIATESSARON (175)
ASSYRIA 120 – 185
EMBRACES ENCRATISM; EXCOMMUNICATED BY ROMAN CHURCH (165) AGAINST THE GREEKS (178)

Suffer me to become food for the wild beats, through MONTANUS OF PHRYGIA
whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to EXTREME CHARISMATIC
Martyrdom of Ignatius ARDABAU, PHRYGIA UNKNOWN 125 – 175

λόγος
God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the STARTS ADVOCATING “NEW PROPHECY” WITH PRISCA AND MAXIMILLA (150)
TEACHINGS CONDEMNED POSTHUMOUSLY IN NATIVE PHRYGIA BY BISHOP APOLLINARIS CLAUDIUS (177)
Tatian Clement
teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread
AGAINST HERESIES
IRENAEUS OF LYONS
of Christ…I shall rise again emancipated in Jesus. logos, “word” or “reason”. Justin Martyr expounded SMYRNA, ASIA MINOR LUGDUNUM, GAUL)† 130 – 202
Ignatius, To the Romans 4 the Logos Christology, linking Jesus with both the
Jewish notion of the pre-existent “Word” (of God)
PRIEST AT LYONS (160) PERSUADES ROMAN CHURCH TO LENIENCY ON PASCHAL DATING (190)
LYONS PERSECUTION; BISHOP POTHINUS MARTYRED; BISHOP OF LYONS (177) Irenaeus
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
AGAINST HERESIES (180)
and the Greek notion of the pre-existent “Reason”.

LAW TO JEWS, PHILOSOPHY TO GREEKS

Do nothing without the bishop and presbyters. ATHENS, ACHAIA
ARRIVES IN ALEXANDRIA; MEETS PANTAENUS OF THE CATECHETICAL SCHOOL (180) EXHORTATION (195)
CAPPADOCIA 150 – 215
Ignatius, To the Magnesians 7 TUTOR (198)

TERTULLIAN OF CARTHAGE
MISCELLANIES; DEPARTS ALEXANDRIA, FLEEING PERSECUTION (203)

1 SUBSTANTIA, 3 PERSONAE; TRINITAS

For [Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus and Paul and the rest CARTHAGE, AFRICA
CONVERTED (195) AGAINST MARCION (208)
CARTHAGE, AFRICA 155 – 220
of the apostles]…have not run in vain, but in faith and APOLOGY (197) AGAINST PRAXEAS (215)

MARCION CONDEMNED
PRESCRIPTION AGAINST HERETICS; BECOMES A MONTANIST (207)

righteousness, and they are now in their due place in the Justin Martyr Martyrdom of Justin THE MURATORIAN FRAGMENT
presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For IGNATIUS MARTYRED 144 AT ROME An 85-line 7th-Century Latin manuscript
they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, discovered in 1740 by Italian antiquarian
108 JUSTIN: FIRST APOLOGY TO Lodovico Muratori, the Muratorian Fragment
and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead.
Polycarp, To the Philippians 9 150 ANTONIUS PIUS is a copy of a document dating from
approximately 170 that functioned as a list of
For not only among the Greeks did Reason (λόγος [logos])
POLYCARP MARTYRED books the Roman church then recognized as

prevail to condemn [wicked things] through Socrates, but 155 AT AGE OF 86 canonical, perhaps in response to Marcion and
other heretics. It mentions or implies all 27
also among the Barbarians were they condemned by books of the New Testament with the
Reason himself, who took shape, and became man, and
MURATORIAN Papyrus Bodmer XV exceptions of Hebrews, James, the Petrine
was called Jesus Christ, and in obedience to him, we not 170 CANON ca. 225.
Luke 24/John 1 epistles, and an unspecified Johannine epistle.
only deny that they who did such things as these are gods, MONTANISM CONDEMNED
but assert that they are wicked and impious demons, The more we are cut down by
whose actions will not bear comparison with those even of 177 BY HIERAPOLIS SYNOD you, the more in numbers we
men desirous of virtue. Hence are we called atheists. And IRENAEUS: AGAINST grow; the blood of Christians is
we confess that we are atheists, so far as gods of this sort HERESIES seed. Tertullian, Apology 50.13
are concerned, but not with respect to the most true God.
180
Justin Martyr, First Apology 5-6 Polycarp
TERTULLIAN: APOLOGY
Nick Thompson
Martyrdom of Ignatius CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 197 FOR CHRISTIANS
IGNATIUS MONTANISM
100 JUSTIN MARTYR 150 IRENAEUS: AGAINST HERESIES (GNOSTICISM) 200
INTERPRETATIONS OF PAPIAS (115) DIDACHE (125) BARNABAS (135) 2 CLEMENT (150) SHEPHERD (160) DIOGNETUS (170) CELSUS (177)
OTHER WORKS: GENUINE, PSEUDEPIGRAPHICAL, SEMI-GNOSTIC, OPPOSING APOLOGY OF ARISTIDES (125) GOSPEL OF PETER; VARIOUS OTHER GOSPELS (150) GOSPEL OF THOMAS (160) ACTS OF PAUL (167) ATHENAGORAS (177)
Hadrian Expels the Jews 2ND JEWISH REVOLT 3RD JEWISH REVOLT
15th Cen. Irenaeus
Martyrs are indicated with a † following their place of death
115 – 117 132 – 135 Tertullian
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