Church History
We are a Greek Orthodox parish, part of the oldest Christian tradition dating back to 33 A.D., the day of Pentecost.
We trace our roots back to the Apostles and their teachings.
We are a stronghold of the moral, theological, liturgical and spiritual traditions of the Early Church.
We invite you to come and join us to experience the worship of Early Christianity in the modern setting.
DISCOVERING ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY – video presentations
Chronology of Church History
A timeline of key events in the life of the Church
The Apostolic Age and Early Persecutions (33–313)
33 Pentecost – The Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles and gives birth to the Church.
33–100 – Known as the Apostolic Age. Rapid spread of the Church throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
45–80 – Apostles Paul, Peter, James, John, and Judas write their epistles. Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke are written.
49 – Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) establishes precedent for addressing Church disputes in Council. James presides as bishop. Gradually, Sunday (called the Lord’s Day) replaces the Sabbath as the day of worship.
60–150 – Several Gnostic sects appear which attempt to infiltrate Christian communities.
64–67 – Persecution of Christians in Rome under Emperor Nero. St. Peter and Paul become martyrs.
69 – Bishop Ignatius consecrated in Antioch as heart of New Testament era. St. Peter had been the first bishop there. Other early bishops include James, Polycarp, and Clement.
70 – Destruction of Jerusalem, foretold by Jesus (Matt. Ch. 24).
95 – Book of Revelation written by the Apostle John on island of Patmos; later John writes his Gospel.
96–98 – Persecution of Christians under Emperor Domitian.
110 – St. Ignatius of Antioch writes a number of letters on his way to martyrdom in Rome.
150 – St. Justin Martyr describes the structure and worship of the Church centered in the Eucharist. Liturgical worship is rooted in the Old and New Testaments.
202 – St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons is martyred, author of foundational theological works.
215–290 – The rise of Christian schools in Alexandria and Antioch.
244–49 – The Roman Emperor Decius persecutes Christians.
258 – St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, author and theologian, is martyred.
300 – Christianization of Britain.
303 – St. Alban is martyred.
300–305 – The Emperor Diocletian vows to vanquish Christianity. Thousands of Christians, including St. George, St. Barbara, and St. Catherine are martyred.
Imperial Support and the Ecumenical Councils (313–787)
313 – Emperor Constantine ends persecution of Christians and gives them the right to freely exercise their faith. The Edict of Milan marks an end to the period of Roman persecution of Christianity.
325 – The Council of Nicea settles the major heretical challenges to the Christian Faith posed where the heretic Arius asserts Christ was created by the Father. St. Athanasius defends the eternality of the Son of God. Nicea is the first of Seven Ecumenical (Church-wide) Councils (325–787).
326 – Empress Helena finds the Cross of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Later this builds the Church of the Resurrection on the place of Christ’s Resurrection, where each year on the Orthodox Pascha (Easter) the Holy Fire descends.
330 – Beginning and spread of monasticism in Egypt: St. Anthony and Pachomius.
343 – St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, reposes.
330–410 – Period of the great Fathers of the Church: St. Athanasius, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Ambrose of Milan, John Chrysostom, and countless others.
381 – The Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople reaffirms the need to have five Patriarchates: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
397 – Synod of Carthage affirms Biblical Canon.
410 – Alaric, leader of the Germanic Visigoths, takes Rome.
451 – Council of Chalcedon affirms apostolic doctrine of two natures in Christ.
563 – The Great Church, Hagia Sofia, consecrated in Constantinople.
584 – St. Saba founds his monastery in the Judean wilderness, where later the Typicon for church services is developed.
589 – A local synod of the Roman Catholic Church in Toledo, Spain, adds filioque to the Nicene Creed. This error causes division between the Eastern and the Western Churches.
630 – First the Persians, then the Arabs threaten the Byzantine Empire, persecute Christians, and destroy churches.
685 – The spread of monasticism on Mt. Athos begins.
726 – Emperor Leo the Isaurian starts his campaign against the veneration of icons.
771 – Arabs and Jews argue.
780s – St. John Damascene the author of the Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.
787 – The era of Ecumenical Councils ends at Nicea; the Seventh Council restores the veneration of icons to the churches.
Evangelization and the Great Schism (864–1204)
864 – The Prince Boris of Bulgaria is baptized. About this time Ss. Cyril and Methodius spread the Orthodox faith among the Slavs.
988 – Prince Vladimir is baptized and begins conversion of the Rus (Russians) to Christianity.
1054 – St. Anthony and Theodosius found monasteries near Kiev.
1054 – The Roman Pope inserts the filioque into the Nicene Creed. The Photian Schism (880) further complicates the debate.
1066 – Norman conquest of Britain. Orthodox hierarchs are replaced with those loyal to Rome.
1095 – The Crusades, begun by the Roman Church, weaken the Eastern Orthodox churches in Palestine and Syria.
1204 – The Sack of Constantinople by the crusaders adds to the estrangement between East and West.
Defenders of Orthodoxy and Modern Shifts (1333–2005)
1333 – St. Gregory Palamas defends the Orthodox practice of hesychast spirituality and the use of the Jesus Prayer.
1438 – St. Mark of Ephesus defends the Orthodox faith at the Council of Florence.
1453 – Turks overrun Constantinople; Byzantine empire ends.
1455 – Gutenberg prints the Bible.
1517 – Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of the Roman Church in Wittenburg; begins Protestant Reformation.
1529 – Church of England begins pulling away from Rome.
1782 – First publishing of the PHILOKALIA, a classic of spirituality.
1794 – Russian missionaries, St. Herman and others arrive in Alaska; introduce Orthodoxy to North America.
1870 – Papal infallibility becomes Roman Dogma.
1917 – The revolution in Russia begins. Christians are persecuted and martyred.
1918 – Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco becomes Patriarch of Russia.
1988 – 1000 years of Orthodoxy in Russia, as Orthodox Church worldwide maintains fullness of Apostolic Faith.
1990 – Beginning of renewal of Orthodoxy in Russia.
2005 – 1,972 years of Orthodox Christianity.