Church History Timeline: the 600s

Pope Gregory I died.

Muhammad died.

Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem and the city became Muslim. It would remain Muslim until 1099 when the Crusaders invaded and captured it.

• More info: To learn about the history of Jerusalem from the first time it is mentioned in history to the present, go here.

John Climacus died. His Ladder of Paradise or Ladder of Divine Ascent is considered a spiritual classic.

The Emperor Constans II visited Rome, the first emperor to visit in over 200 years. This illustrated the friendly terms between the West and the East.

Council of Constantinople III. This Council condemned as heretical the belief monothelitism (Jesus had two natures but one will) (from the Greek meaning "one will"). It defined Jesus as both divine and human (two wills in one body).

The oldest known copy of the Vulgate (official Latin Catholic Bible from the Middle Ages) dates from around this year; it is only missing the book of Baruch, which is in the Catholic Deuterocanonicals and which Protestants consider Apocrypha. (Click here to learn more about the Deuterocanonicals.) It is called the Codex Amiatinus and is currently located in a library in Florence.

The Dome of the Rock was completed in Jerusalem. This building houses the rock which is the third most holy site for many Muslims. It is located on the spot where the Jewish Temple stood. This site is a point of contention between Muslims and Jews today; the Jews want to rebuild the Temple on this spot, but the Dome of the Rock stands in their way.