History of Christianity
From a small group of disciples in Jerusalem to the world's largest faith — the story of how Christianity spread, survived persecution, fractured, reformed, and grew across every continent.
Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
Jesus is born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of Herod the Great. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke record the nativity accounts. Most historians date the birth between 6 and 4 BC, before Herod's death.
The Ministry of Jesus
Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, preaching the Kingdom of God, calling twelve disciples, performing miracles, and fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) would become foundational to Christian ethics.
Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Pentecost
Jesus is crucified under Roman governor Pontius Pilate, buried, and rises from the dead on the third day. Forty days later he ascends to heaven. Ten days after that, the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples at Pentecost — and 3,000 people are baptised in a single day. The church is born.
Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?Conversion of Paul
Saul of Tarsus — a zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians — encounters the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and is transformed into the Apostle Paul. He will go on to write thirteen epistles and carry the gospel across the Roman Empire.
Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?First Apostolic Martyr: James Son of Zebedee
King Herod Agrippa I executes James the brother of John by sword (Acts 12:2) — the first of the Twelve apostles to be martyred. The church responds with prayer, and Herod himself dies shortly after.
Paul's Three Missionary Journeys
Paul undertakes three major journeys across Asia Minor, Greece, and the eastern Mediterranean, planting churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, and beyond. His letters to these churches form much of the New Testament.
Council of Jerusalem
The first church council (Acts 15) settles whether Gentile converts must be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law. The decision — no — opens Christianity fully to the non-Jewish world and shapes the faith's universal character.
Nero's Persecution
Emperor Nero blames Christians for the Great Fire of Rome and launches the first imperial persecution. Peter is crucified upside down and Paul is beheaded in Rome, according to early church tradition. Christianity is declared an illegal religion.
Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
Roman general Titus destroys Jerusalem and the Second Temple — fulfilling Jesus's prophecy in Matthew 24:2. The Jewish-Christian community scatters. Christianity's centre of gravity shifts to Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Ephesus.
John Writes Revelation
The Apostle John, exiled to the island of Patmos under Emperor Domitian, receives the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation — the final book of the New Testament. He is the last surviving apostle.
Christianity Around the World
How the faith spread from Jerusalem to every corner of the globe — region by region.
Middle East & North Africa
Arrived: c. AD 30–100Christianity was born in Jerusalem and spread rapidly through Judea, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor within the first generation. Alexandria became a major centre of Christian theology. The Coptic Church of Egypt and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church — among the world's oldest — trace their origins to the apostolic era. Today, despite centuries of Islamic dominance, significant Christian communities remain in Egypt, Lebanon, Ethiopia, and across the Levant.
Europe
Arrived: c. AD 50–500Paul carried the gospel into Greece and Rome by AD 50. By the 4th century, Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion under Constantine. Medieval Europe was shaped entirely by the church — cathedrals, universities, and law all bore its mark. The Reformation (1517) permanently divided Western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant streams. Today Europe is increasingly secular, yet its civilisation, art, and legal systems remain deeply shaped by the Christian faith.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Major growth: 1800s–PresentThough Christianity reached Ethiopia in the 4th century, Sub-Saharan Africa's transformation came through 19th-century missionary work — and then through African Christians themselves. Africa had approximately 10 million Christians in 1900. Today there are over 700 million — the most dramatic growth of any religion in any region in recorded history. African Christianity is vibrant, charismatic, theologically serious, and increasingly sending missionaries back to Europe.
Asia
Arrived: c. AD 52–1500sThomas is traditionally said to have brought the gospel to India in AD 52 — a tradition maintained by the Thomas Christians of Kerala to this day. China received Nestorian Christianity via the Silk Road by the 7th century. South Korea had virtually no Christians in 1900; today over 30% of the population is Christian. China's underground church, despite persecution, may number 70–100 million. The church in Asia is one of the fastest growing in the world.
Latin America
Arrived: 1490s–1600sSpanish and Portuguese colonisation brought Catholicism to Latin America from the 1490s onward — often violently entangled with conquest and exploitation. The 20th century saw Liberation Theology emerge as a response to poverty and injustice. More recently, Pentecostalism has swept across Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala with extraordinary speed. Latin America is home to more than 500 million Christians — over 40% of the world's Catholics.
North America & Oceania
Arrived: 1600s–1800sPuritan settlers brought Protestant Christianity to New England in the 1620s seeking religious freedom. The Great Awakenings (1730s and 1800s) shaped American religious identity profoundly. Australia and New Zealand received Christianity through British settlement. Today the United States remains one of the most religiously active wealthy nations in the world, though church attendance is declining. Australia and New Zealand are increasingly post-Christian, though vibrant evangelical communities remain.
Today, Christianity is the world's largest religion — 2.4 billion people across every nation, language, and culture.
Its centre of gravity has shifted from Europe to Africa, Asia, and Latin America — exactly as Jesus commanded: "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”— Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
The history of Christianity is the story of that promise being tested and proven true — in every century, on every continent.