DATES WITH DESTINY

150 Events, People and Publications that Changed History

 YEAR          EVENT

 4 BC            Incarnation
30 AD          Crucifixion, Resurrection & Pentecost
46           Paul’s Missionary Journeys
64                           The fire in Rome, Nero launches persecution of Christians
70                           Titus destroys Jerusalem
150           Justin Martyr writes his Apology
155                      The martyrdom of Polycarp
177                      Irenaeus writes Against Heresies
196                      Tertullian begins to write Christian books
205                      Origen begins writing ministry
250                      Empire-wide persecution
251                      Cyprian writes On the Unity of the Church
303                      Great persecution
312                      The conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine
313                      Edict of Milan grants religious toleration for Christians
325                      The Council of Nicea
342                      Ulphilas’ mission to the Goths
367                      Athanasius’ letter recognises the New Testament Canon
385                      Bishop Ambrose defies the Emperor
386                      Conversion of Augustine
398                      John Chrysostom becomes Bishop of Constantinople
405                      Jerome completes the Vulgate translation of the Bible into Latin
410                      Rome sacked
432                      Patrick begins mission to evangelise Ireland
451                      The Council of Chalcedon
493                      King Clovis of the Franks becomes the first Barbarian ruler to be baptised
563                      Columba goes as a missionary to Scotland
589                      The Visigoths in Spain are converted to Christianity
716                      Boniface sets out as a missionary to the Germans
732                      The Battle of Tours in France:  Charles Martel “the Hammer” stops Islamic advance
800                      Charlemagne crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
863                      Cyril and Methodius evangelise Slavs
900                      King Alfred the Great lays foundation for the Common Law
966                      Polish people converted to Christianity
988                      Conversion of Vladimir, Prince of Russia
995           Olaf I conquers Norway and commands all it’s people to convert to Christianity – or die
1054                  The East-West Schism
1095                  The First Crusade launched
1099                  Crusaders liberate Jerusalem from the Turks
1115                  Bernard founds the Monastery at Clairvaux
1147                  Lisbon liberated from the Muslims
1150                  Universities of Paris and Oxford founded
1170                  Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket is murdered
1173                  Peter Waldo launches the Waldensian Movement
1206                  Francis of Assisi renounces wealth and begins his ministry
1215                  The Magna Carta – the first statute – written restriction on the powers of government
1231                  Pope Gregory IX institutes the papal Inquisition
1273                  Thomas Aquinas completes work on Summa Theologica
1291                  Switzerland is founded
1347                  The Plague breaks out – decimating Europe
1377                  The Great Papal Schism begins
1380                  Wycliffe oversees English Bible translation
1415                  John Hus burned at the stake at the Council of Constance
1431                  Joan of Arc burned at the stake
1453                  The Fall of Constantinople to the Muslims
1456                  Johann Gutenberg produces the first printed book – a Bible
1478                  Establishment of the Spanish Inquisition
1492                  The liberation of Spain from Islamic occupation completed
1492                  Columbus discovers America
1498                  Savonarola burned at the stake in Florence
1517                  Martin Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg
1518                  Ulrich Zwingli leads the Swiss Reformation
1525                  Anabaptist movement begins
1529                  Ottoman Turks besiege Vienna
1534                  Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy, and the Church of England breaks with Rome
1536                  John Calvin publishes The Institutes of the Christian Religion
1536                  William Tyndale is burned at the stake
1540                  The Pope approves the Jesuits
1545                  Opening of the Council of Trent - Counter-Reformation launched
1549                  Xavier’s mission to Japan
1550                  Cranmer produces The Book of Common Prayer
1553          Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) becomes Queen of England and burns hundreds of prominent Protestants at the stake
1555                  Peace of Augsburg forces Emperor Charles V to tolerate freedom of religion for Lutherans in Germany
1559                  John Knox returns to Scotland to lead the Reformation
1563                  Foxe’s Book of Martyrs published
1571                  The Battle of Lepanto destroys the Turkish fleet
1572                  Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
1582                  Ricci’s mission to China
1588                  Spanish Armada defeated by the English Navy
1598                  Edict of Nantes grants French Protestants religious liberty
1608                  John Smyth baptizes the first Baptists
1611                  Publication of the King James Version of the Bible
1618                  Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants begins
1620                   Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact
1628                  Comenius driven from his homeland
1631                  King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden saves German Protestants from annihilation
1642                  The English Civil War
1646            The Westminster Confession of Faith
1647                  Peace of Westphalia end the Thirty Years War
1666                  The Great Fire destroys most of London
1678                  John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress published
1685                  Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes and exiles many thousands of French Huguenots
1685                  The births of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel
1707                  Publication of Isaac Watt’s Hymns and Spiritual Songs
1727                  Awakening at Herrenhut launches Moravian Brethren
1735                  Great Awakening begins under Jonathan Edwards
1738                  John Wesley’s conversion
1739                  George Whitefield starts open air preaching and spreads the Great Awakening
1742                  Handel’s  Messiah first presented
1776                  The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration on Independence
1780                  Robert Raikes begins Sunday Schools
1792           William Carey writes An Enquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen
1793                  William Carey sails for India and launches the modern missionary movement
1807 The slave trade is abolished by the British Parliament
1812                  America’s first foreign missionaries, Adoniram and Ann Judson, sail for Burma
1817     Elizabeth Fry begins ministry to women in prison
1829                  Suttee (widow burning) outlawed in India
1830                  Charles G. Finney’s urban revivals begin
1830     John Nelson Darby helps start Plymouth Brethren
1840                  David Livingstone sails for Africa
1854                  Hudson Taylor arrives in China
1854                  Charles Haddon Spurgeon becomes pastor in London
1855                  Dwight L. Moody’s conversion
1857                   David Livingstone publishes Missionary Travels
1861                  United States and Confederate War Between the States
1865                  William Booth founds the Salvation Army
1870                  Pope Pius IX proclaims the doctrine of Papal Infallibility
1866                  Student Volunteer Movement beings
1906                  Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism
1910                  Publicaiton of The Fundamentals launches Fundamentalist Movement
1914-1918         First World War
1919                  Karl Barth’s Commentary on Romans is published
1920                  First Christian radio broadcast
1931                  C.S. Lewis converted
1934                  Cameron Townsend begins Wycliffe Bible Translators
1939-1945         Second World War
1948                  World Council of Churches is formed
1949                  Billy Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade
1950’s-80’s       Bible smuggling into Communist Block
1960                  Beginnings of the Modern Charismatic Renewal
1962                   Second Vatican Council forms
1960’s        Alexander Solzenitzen, Richard Wurmbrand, Francis Schaefer and R.J. Rushdoony’s writings; Dr James Kennedy launches Evangelism Explosion.
1970’s        Chinese Church grows despite Cultural Revolution
1980’s        Christian Reconstruction, Moral Majority, The Pro-life movement & resurgence of Christian schools and home schooling
1989                  Fall of the Berlin Wall
1990’s     Desk Top Publishing and the Internet, Revival amidst persecution in Sudan
1994                  Holocaust in Rwanda
2001          Islamic terror attack on the World Trade Center and the start of America’s War Against Terror

Compiled by Dr Peter Hammond, The Reformation Society

P.O. Box 74, Newlands, 7725, Cape Town, South Africa

E-mail: info@ReformationSA.org

Website: www.ReformationSA.org

The Reformation Society
PO Box 74, Newlands, 7725, South Africa
Tel : (021) 689-4480 Fax : (021) 685-5884
Email: info@ReformationSA.org