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A Chart of All Creation

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A Chart of All Creation
A Chart of All Creation
From the first instant of the universe to today — the full scope of the 8th-grade Church History year: the story of the cosmos, civilizations, the Church, and the priests, friars, and bishops who helped us understand it all.
Inspired by Sebastian Adams' 1871 Synchronological Chart of History
A note on scale: This chart is not drawn to a single ruler. The universe is 13.8 billion years old and humans have only been writing things down for about 5,000 years — so each era below is compressed differently to keep the important, interesting stuff readable. Watch the date ranges at the top of each section.

This Year’s Units:
Event
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Source Document

Source (MLA):
Your Assignment
Using the document above and the event card it came from, write a 2–4 page paper (typed, double-spaced) that does three things:
Explain the event. What happened, when, and who was involved?
Analyze the document. What does this source reveal about the people, beliefs, or conflicts of that moment? Why does it matter that this document exists?
Connect it to today. How does this point in history still shape Catholic belief, worship, or practice now? Be specific — a teaching, a prayer, a practice, or a habit of mind we still have because of this event.
Include at least one properly formatted MLA citation from the document above, plus one citation from an outside source you find yourself. Attach a Works Cited page.
Works Cited
MLA 9th edition format. Numbers in the chart (like ^[1]) point to the matching entry below.
Companion resource: The Family Tree of Christianity — a searchable reference of Christian denominations with their founders, founding dates, approximate population today, and headquarters/region. Built into this page — tap the “Family Tree of Christianity” button above.
"Cave Painting." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/cave-painting.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., United States Conference of Catholic Bishops / Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000, www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM.
"James Ussher." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/James-Ussher.
Answers in Genesis, Answers in Genesis, answersingenesis.org.
"Romulus and Remus." World History Encyclopedia, World History Publishing, worldhistory.org/timeline/Romulus_and_Remus.
"Council of Jerusalem." Catholic Studies, Arcane Knowledge, arcaneknowledge.org/councils.htm.
Nash, Tom. "Who Are the Twelve Apostles, and What Happened to Them?" Catholic Answers, 12 Nov. 2025, www.catholic.com/qa/were-all-twelve-apostles-martyred.
"Second Council of Nicaea." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/event/Second-Council-of-Nicaea-787.
"The Enduring Legacy of Ecumenical Councils." Diocese of Gaylord, dioceseofgaylord.org/node/3035.
"Holy Roman Empire." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/Holy-Roman-Empire.
Pius XII. Humani Generis. The Holy See, 12 Aug. 1950, www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis.html.
"What Is John Paul II's Theology of the Body?" The Catholic Weekly, catholicweekly.com.au/what-is-john-paul-iis-theology-of-the-body/.
"How Old Is the Universe?" NASA Science, science.nasa.gov/universe/overview/.
"Council of Trent." Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/print/article/604238.
"How Many Ecumenical Councils Have Been Held by the Catholic Church?" Biblical Archaeology Society, library.biblicalarchaeology.org/department/how-many-35.
Vatican Observatory. Vatican Observatory Foundation, www.vaticanobservatory.org. Accessed 13 Sept. 2026.
"Septuagint." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Septuagint.
Friedman, Richard E. Qtd. in "Canon of the Old Testament." Biblical Archaeology Society, old.biblicalarchaeology.org/node/27238.
Bazzett, Mary. "To Pray Always: The Liturgy of the Hours." Catholic Heritage, Our Sunday Visitor, Sept./Oct. 1997, www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=264.
Harrold, Clement. "When Were the Gospels Written?" St. Paul Center, 12 Jan. 2024, stpaulcenter.com/when-were-the-gospels-written/.
"When Was the New Testament Written?" UCR Digital Library, digilib.ucr.edu/when-was-the-new-testament-written.
"Vulgate." Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Vulgate.
"Spotlight on the Eastern Churches." CNEWA, cnewa.org/?p=115383.
"Islam." World History Encyclopedia Timeline, World History Publishing, www.worldhistory.org/timeline/islam/.
"Fourth Lateran Council (1215)." Catholic Encyclopedia, EWTN, www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/fourth-lateran-council-1215-10584.
"The Carthusian Order." Chartreux (official website of the Carthusian Order), chartreux.org/moines/en/.
"History." OCSO (official website of the Trappists / Cistercians of the Strict Observance), www.ocso.org.
"History of the Order." Ocarm.org (official website of the Carmelite Order), ocarm.org.
"Franciscans." OFM.org (official website of the Order of Friars Minor), ofm.org.
"About the Order." OP.org (official website of the Dominican Order), www.op.org.
"About Us." Missionaries of Charity (official website), missionariesofcharity.org/about.
Compiled by Deacon Anthony Cullen for 8th grade Church History, St. Benedict Catholic Church and School. Traditional and legendary dates (e.g. the founding of Rome, the call of Abraham, Young Earth chronologies) are noted as such rather than presented as scientific or historical certainties.
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A Chart of All Creation

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