100 Most Significant Events in Christian History

In 1990 Christian History Magazine published the following list of the 25 most significant events in Christian History, and lists 75 more as a final article.

The title of each event will link you to an article on the Christian History website that describes the event and why it is significant.

• 1. 70 Titus Destroys Jerusalem
     When the Roman general sacked the temple, the Jews were forced into a new era—and so were the Christians.
  2. 313 The Edict of Milan
     David F. WrightThe agreement shifted Christianity from being an illicit, persecuted sect to being a welcome—and soon dominant—religion of the Roman Empire.
  3. 325 The First Council of Nicea
     Bruce L. Shelley At stake in the church’s first general council was the simplest, yet most profound, question: Who is Jesus Christ?
  4. 367 Athanasius Defines the New Testament
     Carsten Peter Thiede His letter is the earliest authoritative statement to fix the New Testament as we know it today
  5. 386 Augustine Converts to Christianity
     A brilliant, profligate professor of rhetoric became the church’s leading theologian for centuries to come.
  6. 405 Jerome Completes the Vulgate
     This Latin translation stood as the preeminent Bible text for centuries—and set the standard for future translators.
  7. 461 The Council of Chalcedon
     Tony Lane If Jesus was truly God, how could he be truly human as well? Leo the Great helped guide a critical council to a clear answer.
  8. 540 Benedict Writes His Monastic Rule
     Bennett D. Hill His flexible, compassionate guidelines for Christian community forever shaped monastic life—and influenced Western society.
  9. 988 Vladimir Adopts Christianity 
     The pagan prince of Kievan Rus’ embraced a new faith, leading to the Christianization of the Ukrainian, Russian, and Byelorussian peoples.
  10. 1054 The East-West Schism
      George T. Dennis Long-standing differences between Western and Eastern Christians finally caused a definitive break, and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox still remain separate.
  11. 1095 Pope Urban II Launches the First Crusade
      Waves of pilgrims and soldiers embarked for the Holy Land, beginning an era of exploration, conquest, defeat, and folly.
  12. 1272 Thomas Aquinas Concludes His Work on Summa Theologiae 
      The massive treatise set forth a theological system so influential it has been declared eternally valid.
  13. 1378 The Great Papal Schism
      Dr. Francis Oakley When two popes, and later three popes, vied for supremacy, the medieval church entered a dramatic, forty-year crisis of authority.
  14. 1456 Gutenberg Produces the First Printed Bible
      Using his revolutionary invention—printing from movable type—he made the Scriptures potentially accessible to every person.
  15. 1517 Luther Posts the 95 Theses
      Eric W. Gritsch An obscure monk invited debate on a pressing church issue—and touched off a history-shattering reform movement.
  16. 1521 The Diet of Worms
      Eric W. GritschWas the wayward Luther free to dissent? A German council rendered a judgment.
  17. 1525 The Anabaptist Movement Begins
      Hated by Protestants and Catholics alike, these “radical reformers” wanted to not merely reform the church but restore it.
  18. 1534 The Act of Supremacy
      Breaking from Rome, the English Parliament declared King Henry VIII “the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England.”
  19. 1536 John Calvin Publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion
      Either adored or abhorred, the reformer and his teachings live on in his monumental work.
  20. 1545 The Council of Trent Begins
      Responding to the Reformation, the council charted the Catholic church’s course for the next 400 years.
  21. 1611 Publication of the King James Bible
      A team of scholars produced an English Bible translation unsurpassed in linguistic beauty and longevity.
  22. 1738 John & Charles Wesley Experience Conversions
      Roger J. Green They were ordained ministers and missionaries. Then their hearts were “strangely warmed,” and their changed lives gave rise to a worldwide movement.
  23. 1740 The Great Awakening Peaks
      Mark A. Noll A mighty wave of revival washed across North America, forever altering the religious landscape.
  24. 1962 The Second Vatican Council
      Joseph A. KomonchakIn an epochal council, the Catholic Church undertook its most searching self-examination ever and renewed itself for a modern world.
  25. 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. Leads the March on Washington
      ON AUGUST 28, 1963, more than 200,000 blacks and whites from all over the United States gathered for a gigantic civil-rights demonstration in the nation’s capital.

Seventy-Five Other Important Events in Church History
the Editors A brief listing of significant dates that also earn a place in the “Christian History 100”

You can also download a pdf of this issue here.