The First Millenium

[Vince]

Welcome to 153.

It's another quiet year, with minor uprisings in Egypt.

Eupator becomes king of Bosporus, a Roman client state. Descended from a variety of royal families from various nations, he is considered a friendly king by Rome, as he always pays his annual tribute without any problems.

About this time, Valentinus, a famous Gnostic heretic, forms his own religion in Rome. Trained in Alexandria (which had a large number of scholars even before the famous school was started), he had formed a popular school that taught that only his followers would obtain true salvation, while regular Christians would obtain a lesser salvation. It was generally believed that he broke away because he was embittered by his narrow defeat when he campaigned to be bishop of Rome.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 154 AD.

Laurence (154-166) becomes bishop of Constantinople. Yet, according to various ancient sources, Polycarpus is still the bishop for part of this time. I suspect that someone made a list that can not be confirmed or denied, and he made the list according to what his own group believed. For most of these bishops, nothing is known except their names and time in office.

You probably never heard of the Alans, but they were a powerful nation of nomads that controlled the areas between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. They start looking at annexing Bosphorus, which is a Roman client state.

About this time, Anicetus ("Unconquered") becomes bishop of Rome. The aged Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John, visits him, and they cannot agree on when to celebrate Easter. The idea that the bishop of Rome can tell the bishop of Smyrna what to do doesn't exist.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 155!

The Emperor Antoninus Pius declares war on Parthia. The brief conflict is inconclusive.

Meanwhile, the Emperor decides to ease up on the Jews. He re-legalizes circumcision and ends persecution.

Having completed the Antonine Wall in Britain, the Romans begin moving troops northward from Hadrian's Wall, leaving mostly maintenance crews behind.

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, is burned at the stake. His only surviving work is his Epistle to the Philippians, in which he clearly teaches salvation by faith. His epistle urges Christians to continue faithfully in their Christian lives. One famous quote is ""Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, 'firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,' helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man."

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 156 AD!

Around this time, Montanus begins preaching. Claiming new revelations from the Holy Spirit, his religion spread rapidly, causing great divisions in the churches, and collapsed within a few generations. Relying heavily on ecstatic visions, he is regarded as somewhat of a hero by Pentecostals, and his greatest convert was Tertullian, a champion of orthodoxy, who rejected his former Christianity as "a lot of bishops." At one point, his religion was regarded as true by the bishop of Rome. He might have been a genuine Christian who merely got off on a tangent.

Judah haNasi is busy in Rome. A friend of the Emperor and a champion of the Jews, he begins writing down the Jewish Oral Law. Called the Mishnah, it records actual debates between Jewish scholars, legends, and Pharisaical rules, and is used by Jews to help interpret the Bible.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 157

Galen, the great Roman doctor, figures out that wounded gladiators have a better chance of survival if they are not bled. He also invents antiseptic salve for their wounds. Under his care, only six gladiators die, while his predecessor had sixty deaths.

Among the Christians, conflicts are growing over Quartodecimanism (14ism), the belief that since the Passover is a perpetual ordinance, Easter should be celebrated on Nisan 14, regardless of whatever day of the week it is. Polycarp had championed the belief, explaining that it was what the Apostle John had practiced. The Roman bishops insist that Easter must always be on a Sunday, because that was their custom.

Trouble is brewing in China. The government is becoming steadily more corrupt and hostile to the peasants. A Taoist church has been maintaining roads and bridges, storing grain and feeding the hungry, helping to turn the peasants away from Confucianism.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 158.

About this time, Conaire Cóem ("the beautiful") becomes High King of Ireland. For some incredible reason, the Romans are leaving Ireland alone. Ireland reciprocates, leaving Britain alone. Eight years later, he is killed in battle.

A written fragment tells us that Longinus becomes governor of Britain. Nothing else is known about him.

Japan sends an ambassador to Silla, one of the three kingdoms that made up Korea. Silla had been expanding into independent tribal areas and had fought a major, but inconclusive, battle with a rival kingdom. The Chinese refer to both kingdoms as "eastern barbarians."

 

[Vince]

And here we are in 159.

Not much happens in Rome.

The Satavahana Empire of central India takes control of Andhra, a kingdom on their southern border. At its height, Satavahana had established colonies in south-east Asia. But with central control weakening, it is beginning to decline. Over the next few decades, various Indian kingdoms seize parts of the empire.

Liang Ji, the Grand Marshal of China, had accumulated near-total power. A greedy, murderous man who has previously poisoned the seven-year-old Emperor, he learns that the current Emperor plans to re-seize power. He reacts quickly, but too late. Surrounded in his luxurious mansion, he commits suicide rather than be arrested.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 160!

In Rome, the manufacturing of soap containing grease, lime and ashes begins.

Appian writes his "Roman History,"which describes the history of every kingdom Rome had annexed. Several copies have survived.

Buddhist monks arrive in China. The dominant religion there is Confucianism, which is having problems due to the corrupt Confucian government.

About this time, the The Elder Futhark alphabet is invented by the Germans. And while things are peaceful in Germany, various tribes are quietly starting to unite against Rome.

 

[Vince]

Here it is, already 161 AD.

Roman emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by Marcus Aurelius, the last of "The Five Good Emperors." He shares authority with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Lucius' death in 169. Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic philosopher and a priest of Mars.

His ascension to the throne was popular with the people. He gave the army several years' pay as a gift, guaranteeing their loyalty, and he soon passed laws helping women and children. He had always liked most of his former teachers, and he maintained good terms with them after becoming Emperor.

In the long term, he will have to deal with wars that resulted from the previous Emperor's leaving problems unattended to.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 162!

Vologases IV of Parthia invades the Roman Empire. He advances into Syrian and Armenia. A Roman legion invades Parthia and is massacred.

More trouble, as there is a revolt in Britain.

Arrian,the historian, publishes "Indica," a history of Alexander the Great's victories in India. But the book is important because it describes the various cultures and kingdoms of India.

 

[Vince]

It's 163, and things aren't getting any better.

Statius Priscus, a military hero who had governed troubled provinces, leads a major Roman force into Parthia. He re-conquers Armenia, destroying its capital city.

Meanwhile, Rome's new Emperor has no military experience, and he has a major war on his hands. He dispatches his co-emperor, Lucius Verus to the battle front. Moving slowly, accompanied by a large procession, Lucius Verus manages to get sick in various locations and takes a long time to recuperate.

Ulaid is a functioning kingdom in northern Ireland, and things are quiet there. Yet, other stories tell us that Ireland is ruled by a high king.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 164 AD!

Parthia had begun its war with Rome with a lot of success, but everything is turning around now. Avidius Cassius, governor of Syria, invades Parthia, which had started the war by invading Syria. He captures Ctesiphon, capital of the Parthian Empire. Ctesiphon is actually larger than Rome, although with a smaller population. On the other side of the river from Ctesiphon is the city of Seleucia, and Avidius Cassius burns it to the ground.

The Emperor makes the decision to abandon the Antonine Wall in Scotland. Roman troops fall back to the much stronger Hadrian's Wall, forty miles to the south.

 

[Vince]

And here we are in 165!

Avidius Cassius, governor of Syria, continues to capture Parthian cities, and Parthia sues for peace. Among other things, the Romans capture Dura-Europos, a border city that served as a fortress. They abandon it a century later, and it is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Victorious on every side, the Romans capture northern Mesopotamia, including all of modern Turkey.

Unfortunately, Roman troops return from Parthia with smallpox. The Antonine Plague rages through the Empire for fifteen years, killing about five million people and decimating the Roman army. Rome later finds itself unable to push back German forces as the Romans lose too many troops to the disease.

Justin Martyr is flogged and beheaded. He had vigorously defended Christianity to the pagans, hoping to reduce persecution. In his writings, Justin explained that most Christians believed in a literal millennium. He urged Christians to tolerate Jewish Christians, but not to practice their Jewish customs. He clearly taught that salvation is by faith.

The great astronomer Ptolemy dies.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 166 AD.

Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius sends gifts to Chinese Emperor Huan Ti. A Roman embassy reaches China, bringing gifts and a treatise on astronomy.

Soter (166-175) becomes bishop of Rome. He declares that marriage is only valid when blessed a priest. He also requires that Christians in Rome celebrate Easter on a Sunday, rather than on Nisan 14. Persecution of Christians includes sentencing them to work as slaves in mines.

Alypius (166-169) becomes bishop of Constantinople. Wikipedia tells us “The date when he became the bishop of Byzantium is not known for certain, but is most likely somewhere between 166 and 197.†Folks, somebody made a list that skips people whom his group disagreed with.

The war with Parthia ends, but the Roman Empire is invaded in three other areas.

Art mac Quinn becomes High King of Ireland after the current high king is killed in battle. He rules for thirty years, winning decisive military victories before being killed in battle himself.

In China, the powerful palace eunuchs depose the Confucian scholars who opposed them, in a largely bloodless "First Disaster of Partisan Prohibitions."

 

[Vince]

Greetings, Folks! We've reached the year 167!

It's the second year of the sixteen-year-long war with the Marcomanni, a German tribe that has united various other tribes against Rome. The Germans reach Aquileia, a fortified city in northern Italy that controls several major roads into Italy itself. Caught with little warning, and having neglected Aquileia's defenses during the long peace, the Italians hold on for a difficult fight.

The Germans devastate the Balkans, and a German force reaches the religious center at Aquileia, only fifteen miles from Athens.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 168, when things were getting better for the Empire.

The Romans drive back the Germans in the province of Dacia (Romania). Italy's defenses are re-organized, and tow new legions are raised. On other military fronts, the victorious Germans are brought to a stand-still.

Emperor Huan of China dies. He is one of the greatest failures in history, having suppressed minor rebellions against corruption in government. He had successfully overthrown Liang Ji, a corrupt official who was the actual ruler of China, but fearing disunity, has allowed the palace eunuchs to take control. The eunuchs were as corrupt as Liang Ji. He picked good generals to suppress various rebellions, but rampant corruption simply produced other rebellions.

 

[Vince]

Here we are in 169.

Pertinax (169-187), a Roman officer, had been healed after Alypius, bishop of Constantinople, had prayed over him. He converts to Christianity, and a couple of years later he is bishop of Constantinople. Folks, I am having some problems with this story. After a few years as a Christian, he is ordained bishop of Constantinople?

In China, Confucian scholars who had opposed the corrupt palace eunuchs (who had seized control) are killed or exiled.

Rome is having a bad time. After a series of defeats, the Germans invade the Empire in central and eastern Europe. The Moors sail across the Mediterranean and invade Spain. The Moors are not a single tribe. They consist of a union of Berbers, Black Africans, and various nomadic peoples from northern Africa.

Lucius Verus dies, leaving Marcus Aurelius as the sole Emperor.

Theophilus of Antioch becomes Patriarch of Antioch. He vigorously opposes Gnosticism, as well as the blending of Greek paganism into Christianity.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 170!

Marcus Aurelius orders humane treatment for Christians and slaves throughout the Empire.

The Costoboci, a tribe from eastern Europe and western Asia, unites with the Germans. Invading Dacia, they continue into Greece. They capture all of northern Greece and advance towards Athens.

 

[Vince]

Things are improving for the Empire in 171.

Mesopotamia is made a Roman province.

German troops in northern Italy are defeated and driven out. Various German tribes make peace, and some become Roman allies, as Rome pushes towards the Danube.

About this time, the Muratorian Canon is written. The only surviving copy is an eighth century fragment. It states that Christians recognize the four Gospels, 13 of Paul's epistles, 2 epistles of John, and Jude. It rejects various books, some of which are unknown today.

 

[Vince]

And now it's 172!

The Emperor Marcus Aurelius allows some Marcomanni to settle areas of the Empire that had been depopulated by the Antonine Plague (smallpox) which is still raging.

The Sarmatians, an Iranian tribe which had expanded into eastern Europe, Russia, and India, attack the Roman frontier in southern Germany,

Miracle in Moravia! As the Roman army is encircled by the Quadi under intense heat, a violent thunderstorm sweeps away the Quadi in a torrent of water and mud, and refreshes the parched legionnaires.

Tatian the Syrian, a disciple of Justin Martyr, writes a harmony of the Gospels that becomes the standard text of the Syrian churches until the fifth century. An extreme ascetic who later became a Gnostic, he was later expelled from his church.