Martin Luther is born into a world dominated by the Catholic Church. For the keenly spiritual Luther, the Church’s promise of salvation is irresistible.

Spread outside Judea by missionaries like Peter and Paul, the Jesus movement caught on quickly among Jews and non-Jews around the Roman Empire.

Rabbis struggle to reinvigorate Judaism after the Romans destroy temples; the rise of Christianity.

Early Christianity faced powerful obstacles. The might of the Roman Empire and the power-politics of ancient Jerusalem lay a heavy burden on those who believed Jesus was “the Messiah.”

Conflict erupts between Jews and Romans when Pompeii enters Judah in 63 B.C.

Ezra reads the Bible to illiterate Judeans in 458 B.C.; the Maccabees defend their religious freedom.

In 586 B.C., exiled Israelites write down stories of Judah.