Arbor Ecclesiae

The Branching of the Church

From the Apostolic Age to the Reformation, c. 49 – 1700

Time grows outward like the rings of a tree. Living traditions end in a leaf; those that died out fade where they ended. Hover for detail; click a node to fold its branch; scroll or pinch to zoom.

Key
Great Church (undivided)
Church of the East
Oriental Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox
Catholic
Protestant & earlier reformers
Living lineage, ending in a leaf
Extinct, fading where it ended
Council or schism, named in red
?Uncertain origin or descent
Influence (node and leaf size)
Rings mark centuries; wide rings, eventful ones
MNumbered C 100 · D 500 · M 1000
View as outline