In the second century, the post-apostolic church learned to read its emerging Scriptures, shape its practice, and endure episodic Roman persecutions that claimed witnesses such as Ignatius and Polycarp. Confronted by gnostic, Marcionite, and Montanist movements, they clarified orthodoxy and fostered the monarchical episcopate, laying the structural and theological foundations for the centuries to come. Title: Overview of the 2nd Century Date: 100 - 200 AD Place: Roman Empire Key Figures and Events: Heretics, Gnosticism, Martyrs, Emperors, and Theologians Contact: churchhistoryandtheology@proton.me License: Church History and Theology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For full license details, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Under this license, you are free to download, copy, share, remix, and translate episodes. You must credit Church History and Theology, link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. These materials may not be used for commercial purposes.