The Bible: New Testament

The Bible: New Testament 62

• c. 20 BC Herod begins rebuilding the Temple Herod the Great Herod the Great begins an enormous expansion of the Second Temple, the Temple Jesus will know.
• c. 6 BC The annunciation to Zechariah John the Baptist foretold In the Temple, the angel Gabriel tells the priest Zechariah that his elderly wife Elizabeth will bear a son, John.
• c. 6 BC The Annunciation Gabriel visits Mary In Nazareth, Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive and bear a son, to be called Jesus.
• c. 6–5 BC John the Baptist born Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth John is born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatives of Mary.
• c. 6–4 BC The birth of Jesus Bethlehem Jesus is born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. The Gospels place his birth under Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC — so before our AD 1, a date fixed by a 6th-century miscalculation.
• Luke 2 The shepherds Glory to God in the highest According to Luke, angels announce the birth to shepherds, who visit the child in Bethlehem.
• Luke 2 Presentation in the Temple Simeon and Anna Mary and Joseph present the infant Jesus in the Temple, where the aged Simeon and Anna recognise him.
• Matthew 2 The visit of the Magi Following the star Wise men from the east follow a star to Bethlehem and bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
• Matthew 2 The flight into Egypt The massacre of the innocents Warned in a dream, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt as Herod orders the killing of Bethlehem's infant boys.
• 4 BC Herod the Great dies His kingdom divided Herod dies and his kingdom is split among his sons. The family returns and settles in Nazareth.
• c. AD 8 Jesus in the Temple at twelve My Father's house The twelve-year-old Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem, found days later discussing with the teachers in the Temple.
• AD 26 Pontius Pilate becomes prefect Governor of Judea Pontius Pilate becomes the Roman prefect of Judea, a post he holds until about AD 36.
• c. AD 27–29 John the Baptist preaches Prepare the way John preaches repentance and baptises in the Jordan. Luke dates this to the fifteenth year of Tiberius.
• c. AD 27–29 The baptism of Jesus In the Jordan Jesus is baptised by John. The Gospels describe the Spirit descending like a dove and a voice from heaven.
• c. AD 27–29 The temptation in the wilderness Forty days Jesus fasts forty days in the wilderness and resists the devil's temptations.
• c. AD 27–29 The first disciples called Fishers of men Jesus calls Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John from their fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee.
• John 2 The wedding at Cana Water into wine According to John, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding — the first of his signs.
• Matthew 5–7 The Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes Jesus teaches the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer and love of enemies.
• Luke 10 The parables The Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son Jesus teaches in parables, among them the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
• c. AD 29 Feeding of the five thousand Five loaves and two fish The only miracle, apart from the resurrection, told in all four Gospels.
• c. AD 29 John the Baptist executed Herod Antipas Herod Antipas has John beheaded at the request of his stepdaughter Salome.
• Matthew 17 The Transfiguration Moses and Elijah On a mountain, Jesus appears transfigured in light before Peter, James and John, with Moses and Elijah beside him.
• John 11 The raising of Lazarus Bethany According to John, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus, four days dead.
• AD 30 or 33 The entry into Jerusalem Palm Sunday Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as crowds spread palm branches.
• AD 30 or 33 The cleansing of the Temple The money-changers Jesus drives the money-changers and traders out of the Temple courts.
• AD 30 or 33 The Last Supper The Eucharist Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples, instituting the Eucharist, and foretells his betrayal.
• AD 30 or 33 Gethsemane and the arrest Betrayed by Judas Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane and is arrested after Judas identifies him with a kiss.
• AD 30 or 33 Trial before Pilate Crucify him Jesus is tried before the high priest Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate, who hands him over to be crucified.
• AD 30 or 33 The Crucifixion Golgotha Jesus is crucified outside Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate — an event also recorded by Tacitus and Josephus. Most scholars date it to AD 30 or 33.
• AD 30 or 33 The Resurrection The empty tomb According to the Gospels, women find the tomb empty on the third day and the risen Jesus appears to his followers — the central belief of Christianity.
• Acts 1 The Ascension Forty days later According to Acts, Jesus is taken up into heaven forty days after the Resurrection.
• Acts 2 Pentecost The birth of the church The Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples in Jerusalem. Peter preaches, and about three thousand are baptised.
• c. AD 34 Stephen stoned The first Christian martyr Stephen is stoned to death after his defence before the Sanhedrin, watched by a young man named Saul.
• Acts 8 Philip and the Ethiopian official The gospel goes south Philip explains Isaiah to an Ethiopian court official on the road to Gaza and baptises him.
• c. AD 34–36 Saul's conversion The road to Damascus Saul, a persecutor of Christians, is blinded by a light and hears Jesus speak. As Paul, he becomes the leading missionary of the early church.
• c. AD 37–40 Peter and Cornelius The gospel to the Gentiles Peter baptises the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household, opening the church to non-Jews.
• Acts 11 Called Christians at Antioch A new name In Antioch, the disciples are first called Christians. The city becomes the base for mission to the Gentiles.
• AD 44 James son of Zebedee executed Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I beheads the apostle James and imprisons Peter, who escapes. Agrippa himself dies the same year.
• c. AD 46–48 Paul's first missionary journey Cyprus and Galatia Paul and Barnabas preach in Cyprus and the cities of southern Galatia in Asia Minor.
• c. AD 48–55 Letter to the Galatians Freedom in Christ Paul argues that Gentile converts need not follow the Jewish law. Its date is debated.
• c. AD 49 The Council of Jerusalem Acts 15 The apostles decide that Gentile believers need not be circumcised — a turning point for the church.
• AD 49 Claudius expels Jews from Rome Aquila and Priscilla Emperor Claudius expels Jews from Rome, bringing Aquila and Priscilla to Corinth, where they meet Paul.
• c. AD 50–52 Paul's second missionary journey Into Europe Paul takes the gospel to Europe — Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth.
• Acts 17 Paul at the Areopagus To an unknown god In Athens, Paul debates with philosophers and preaches before the Areopagus.
• c. AD 50–51 1 Thessalonians The oldest New Testament book Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians is widely thought to be the oldest surviving Christian writing.
• AD 51–52 Paul before Gallio The Gallio inscription Paul is brought before the proconsul Gallio in Corinth. An inscription from Delphi dates Gallio's term, anchoring Paul's chronology.
• c. AD 53–57 Paul's third missionary journey Ephesus Paul spends nearly three years in Ephesus, where a riot breaks out among the silversmiths of Artemis.
• c. AD 55 1 Corinthians Love is patient Paul writes to the troubled church in Corinth, including the famous passage on love in chapter 13.
• c. AD 57 The Letter to the Romans Paul's fullest statement Paul sets out his understanding of the gospel to the church in Rome, which he has not yet visited.
• c. AD 57 Paul arrested in Jerusalem Two years at Caesarea Paul is arrested after a riot in the Temple and held for two years at Caesarea. He appeals to Caesar.
• c. AD 59–60 Shipwreck on Malta The voyage to Rome Sailing to Rome as a prisoner, Paul is shipwrecked on Malta.
• c. AD 60–62 Paul under house arrest in Rome The prison letters Acts ends with Paul preaching freely under house arrest in Rome. Philippians, Colossians and Philemon are traditionally dated here.
• AD 62 James the brother of Jesus killed Leader of the Jerusalem church James, leader of the Jerusalem church, is stoned on the orders of the high priest, as recorded by Josephus.
• AD 64 The Great Fire of Rome Nero blames the Christians After fire destroys much of Rome, Nero blames the Christians and has many executed, as Tacitus records.
• c. AD 64–67 Peter and Paul martyred in Rome According to tradition Early tradition holds that Peter was crucified and Paul beheaded in Rome under Nero.
• AD 66 The Jewish revolt begins The First Jewish–Roman War Judea rises against Rome, beginning a war that ends with the destruction of Jerusalem.
• c. AD 65–70 The Gospel of Mark The earliest Gospel Most scholars date Mark, the earliest Gospel, to around the time of the Jewish revolt.
• AD 70 The destruction of the Second Temple Titus takes Jerusalem Roman forces under Titus destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, ending Temple worship.
• c. AD 80–90 Matthew, Luke and Acts Two more Gospels Most scholars date the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and Luke's sequel Acts, to the decades after AD 70.
• c. AD 90–100 The Gospel of John In the beginning was the Word The Gospel of John, the most theological of the four, is usually dated to the end of the 1st century.
• c. AD 95 The Book of Revelation John on Patmos Exiled on Patmos, John records a series of visions of the end of the age, traditionally dated under Domitian.
• c. AD 100 Death of John, last of the apostles Ephesus Tradition holds that the apostle John dies of old age in Ephesus, the last of the Twelve.