Annals of the Centuries

The Fifth Century B.C. 500 - 401 BC

The Fifth Century BC was the age of the first philosophers of Ancient Greece, of the Buddha in India, and of Confucius and Lao tze in China. The Fifth Century was the age of Isaiah the prophet in the Holy Land. Isaiah said: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel - a name which means, God with us.

The Fifth Century BC was one of those rare times in history when a great awakening seemed to come over 
the whole world. The Fifth Century BC was the age of the first philosophers of Ancient Greece, 
of the Buddha in India, and of Confucius and Lao tze in China. In their different ways, 
all these men tried to show their fellow-men how to be wise and good in this world which can be so hard and evil. 
They tried to insist that they were only men, but Buddha was later worshipped like a God. 
The Greek philosophers were the first we know of who ever began to ask questions such as "How, and of what
materials, is the World made?"
The Peloponnesian War [PELL-o-po-NEES-ian] occupied the final third of the Fifth Century BC. and was a struggle 
between Athens and Sparta for the supremacy of the Greek World. Athens was the centre of the Arts 
and High Culture: Sparta was a nation run as a military training-camp. The war drew off a very large portion
of the wealth and energy of both Athens and Sparta, and was an important factor in the eventual fall 
of the Greek city-states to Alexander the Great. The Fifth Century was also the age of Isaiah the prophet in the Holy Land. God spoke directly to Isaiah, 
as he was the prophet of God's Chosen People. Isaiah said to the King of Israel:
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel - a name which means, God with us.

The Fourth Century B.C. 400 - 301 BC

The Fourth Century BC is counted as the Golden Age of Greece. During this century the Parthenon was built in Athens and the great philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lived. In Ireland, the great fortress of Emhain Macha was built in Ulster.

The Fourth Century BC is counted as the Golden Age of Greece. During this century the Parthenon was built in Athens and the great philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lived. Socrates was filled with the love of the Truth. He taught by asking questions and encouraging others to think things out, to question their assumptions. He was put to death in athens for questioning the gods and corrupting the youth: he was ordered to drink hemlock.
Plato, student of Socrates, taught that, beyond the physical world we can see, there must a world of perfection, where our ideas come from. His teachings are in the form of a collection of The Dialogues of Plato.
Aristotle, student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, was one of the most brilliant minds who ever lived. Aristotle studied almost every subject possible at the time. In science, Aristotle studied anatomy, astronomy, economics, embryology, geography, geology, meteorology, physics, and zoology. In philosophy, Aristotle wrote on aesthetics, ethics, government, metaphysics, politics, psychology, rhetoric and theology. He also dealt with education, foreign customs, literature and poetry. His works amount to an encyclopedia of Greek knowledge. Alexander the Great brought the Greek world and all the lands east up to the borders of India into a huge Empire, combining Greek with Oriental culture: the Hellenistic world. After his early death his empire broke up, but the Hellenistic culture remained.
Aristotle, Plato and Socrates are thought of as the most influential ancient Greek philosophers in Western thought. They transformed Pre-Socratic Greek philosophy into the foundations of Western philosophy as we know it. The writings of Plato and Aristotle form the core of Ancient philosophy.
At the beginning of the Fourth Century was the Sack of Rome by the Gauls, led by Brennus. They left Rome a shambles but failed to take the Capitoline Hill. Eventually they withdrew and the Romans rebuilt their city. In Ireland, the great fortress of Emhain Macha [Evin Macha or A-win Macha] was built in Ulster in the Fourth Century B.C., and the Kings descended from Milidh [Milesius] ruled there for seven hundred years. We have detailed records of the Irish Kings from this time on.

The Third Century B.C. 300 - 201 BC

The Third Century B.C. saw the First and Second Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage.

In 264 BC was the First Punic War between Rome and the powerful Phoenician colony of Carthage, in North Africa. Carthage had a huge harbour and had been a naval power for centuries. Rome, at the beginning of the war, had not a single warship. The Romans found a wrecked Carthaginian ship and, after studying how it was made, built a fleet of one hundred and twenty ships in just sixty days. Although the Carthaginians were far more skilled as sailors, the Romans refused to give in. In the end the Carthiginians had to ask for peace terms. In 218 was the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the Alps with a huge army including war-trained elephants. Other towns that the army passed through joined Hannibal, believing that Carthage must win. Thus the army grew and grew. The Romans were hopelessly outnumber-ed, and at first lost great numbers of men. But they refused to admit defeat, and after years of bitter fighting they began to attack enemy territory. Some say that the rulers of Carthage became so sure of victory that they did not send enough supplies to Hannibal. They could not believe that the Romans would fight on, and even attack, when they had obviously lost. The Romans drew Hannibal away from Rome while constantly raiding his army. His army looted and burned the rich Italian fields. Meanwhile the Romans sent armies to gain territory in Spain and then Africa. Eventually Hannibal had to be recalled to defend Carthage itself. For a second time, Carthage was forced to accept peace terms which left Rome much stronger than Carthage.

The Second Century B.C. 200-101 BC

In the middle of The Second Century B.C. was the third and last Punic War, in which the Romans destroyed Carthage utterly.

In the middle of the Second Century BC was the third and last Punic War, in which the Romans destroyed Carthage utterly. The Romans believed in little Household Gods that stood by the hearth; the children each night would offer a little of their supper to the household gods. They utterly hated Carthage, that made the children themselves the supper of their god. One of the bravest of the Romans, and the most concerned that Rome should not lose her simple virtues, was Cato. Cato insisted again and again: Delenda est Carthago - Carthage must be wiped from the face of the earth. After a bitter siege the Romans burned the city to ashes and then sowed the fields with poisonous salt so that nothing would ever grow there again. Later, thousands of burned skeletons of children were found in the remains of underground furnaces.
Because the Romans won the Punic Wars, the Apostles found a pagan religion which was ready to hear the Truth about God. The pagans of the Roman Empire were striving after goodness, but did not know where it could be found. At least their false religion was a human one, with feasts and holidays. The religion of Carthage was more like worshipping a devil as their God. The other cities respected Rome for her heroism, and accepted her as ruler of the world, partly because of the day when she had stood all alone against a seemingly all-powerful and devilish foe.

The First Century B.C. 100 -1 BC

From 70 BC to 14 AD is counted as the Golden Age of Pagan Rome. It was the time of Julius Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Horace, Ovid and Virgil. 
The first Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, came to power in 31 BC.

From 70 BC to 14 AD is counted as the Golden Age of Pagan Rome. It was the time of Julius Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Horace, Ovid and Virgil. Julius Caesar, one of the most gifted men ever to have lived, brought Gaul into the Roman Empire. But in the struggles for power, Ceasar and Pompey waged a damaging civil war. Julius Caesar was murdered during a session of the Senate on the Ides of March ? 15th March ? 44BC. When he saw his great companion Burtus amongst the assassins, he said, "Et tu, Brute?" "You too, Brutus? Then die, Caesar!" The conspirators were afraid that Caesar's popularity and ambition would lead him to become another tyrant, but his murder only led to more civil war and disorder. Cicero introduced Greek philosophy to the Romans, and invented many new Latin words and expressions to translate the thought of the more advanced Greek civilisation. His speeches and writings created the standard for Classical Latin that has been followed ever since. Cicero rejected Plato's theory of Ideas in favour of a form of Stoicism. It appealed to the Romans because it laid emphasis on controlling one's emotions and willpower, an attitude that agreed with ancient Roman ideals. Cicero was very active in the politics of the First Century BC, was an ardent supporter of the ideal of the Roman Republic, and was eventually murdered by his enemies. Livy the historian wrote to inspire his countrymen by the examples of the heroes of old. Horace the poet praised the simple virtues of loyalty to family and fatherland, the rural life, and piety to the gods. Ovid was the Love Poet. Virgil wrote the Aeneid, the beautiful Latin epic of the flight of Aeneas, Prince of Troy, after the Trojan war. The Romans believed that the Latin race was descended from the Trojans, who had fled the burning city and eventually founded the city of Rome. Virgil wrote that the gods had chosen the Romans to rule and guard the world: 'to protect the humble, and to war down the proud'. Virgil died when Jesus was still a boy in Nazareth, but Virgil's good and wise teaching helped prepare the Roman people to receive the Gospel when the first Christians came.
The first Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus (originally named Octavian), came to power after The Battle of Actium in 31 BC, defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra. He brought order to the Roman Empire after a whole century of civil wars. The Gates of the Temple of Janus were ceremonially closed, and "The Peace of Augustus" was proclaimed. A great ceremony was held, in which the Roman people vowed to build the Roman world anew on the ancient Roman virtues.
The World was now ready for the Saviour.




5th — 1st Century BC
1st — 5th Century AD
6th — 10th Century AD
11th — 15th Century AD
15 th — 20th Century AD
21st Century AD