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Early Church
✦ Pentecost, Jerusalem
A Jewish sect in 1st-century Jerusalem centered on the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. No denominations — one community, one tradition.
Branched into
The Five Great Ruptures
The Chalcedonian Schism
The Council of Chalcedon's Christological definition split the Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, and Syriac churches from Rome and Constantinople. The oldest surviving Christian schism — still unhealed 1,575 years later.
The Great Schism
Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other. Rome and Constantinople — the two pillars of the ancient church — split permanently over papal authority and the filioque clause.
Gutenberg's Press
The printing press broke the Church's monopoly on scripture. Within 80 years, Martin Luther's 95 Theses had circulated across Europe. The Church could no longer control the interpretation of its own text.
The Protestant Reformation
Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Henry VIII each created distinct Protestant traditions within decades. The principle of sola scriptura guaranteed that every reader could become their own theologian.
Azusa Street Revival
A Black-led revival in a Los Angeles warehouse launched Pentecostalism — now 650 million strong. The emphasis on direct, personal experience of the Holy Spirit made every believer a potential founder of a new church.