Bible Timeline: The Main Events from Creation to the Early Church

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This Bible timeline puts the main events of the Bible in order, from Creation to the end of the first Christian century. Tap a period to see only its events, or search for a name such as Moses, David or Paul. Every event has its date, one sentence on what happened, and the place in the Bible where you can read it.

  1. Beginnings

    Before history can date them · Genesis 1–11

  2. Creation

    God makes heaven and earth, and man and woman in his own image. (Genesis 1–2)

  3. The Fall

    Adam and Eve disobey God, and God promises a redeemer. (Genesis 3)

  4. Cain and Abel

    The first murder: Cain kills his brother Abel. (Genesis 4)

  5. Noah and the flood

    God saves Noah's family in the ark and makes a covenant with all living things. (Genesis 6–9)

  6. The tower of Babel

    Human pride is scattered into many peoples and languages. (Genesis 11)

  7. The patriarchs

    About 2000 to 1700 BC · Genesis 12–50

  8. c. 2000 BC
    God calls Abraham

    Abram leaves Ur and Haran for the land God will show him. (Genesis 12)

  9. c. 2000 BC
    The covenant with Abraham

    God promises Abraham a land, descendants like the stars, and a blessing for all nations. (Genesis 15; 17)

  10. c. 1900 BC
    Isaac

    The son of the promise is born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. (Genesis 21–22)

  11. c. 1800 BC
    Jacob becomes Israel

    Jacob, father of twelve sons, wrestles with God and receives the name Israel. (Genesis 32)

  12. c. 1750 BC
    Joseph in Egypt

    Sold by his brothers, Joseph rises to power and saves his family from famine. (Genesis 37–50)

  13. Exodus and the desert

    About 1250 BC (older reckoning: about 1446 BC) · Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

  14. c. 1300 BC
    Slavery in Egypt

    The children of Israel become slaves; Moses is born and saved from the Nile. (Exodus 1–2)

  15. c. 1250 BC
    The burning bush

    God reveals his name to Moses and sends him to Pharaoh. (Exodus 3)

  16. c. 1250 BC
    The Passover and the Exodus

    After ten plagues Israel leaves Egypt and crosses the sea on dry ground. (Exodus 12–14)

  17. c. 1250 BC
    The covenant at Sinai

    God gives the Ten Commandments and makes Israel his own people. (Exodus 19–24)

  18. c. 1250–1210 BC
    Forty years in the desert

    Israel wanders, is fed with manna, and learns to trust God. (Numbers; Deuteronomy)

  19. c. 1210 BC
    The death of Moses

    Moses sees the promised land from Mount Nebo and dies there. (Deuteronomy 34)

  20. The promised land and the judges

    About 1210 to 1030 BC · Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel

  21. c. 1210 BC
    Joshua enters the land

    Israel crosses the Jordan, and the walls of Jericho fall. (Joshua 3–6)

  22. c. 1200–1030 BC
    The time of the judges

    Deborah, Gideon, Samson and others deliver the tribes when they cry to God. (Judges)

  23. c. 1100 BC
    Ruth

    A woman of Moab stays with Naomi and becomes the great-grandmother of David. (Ruth)

  24. c. 1050 BC
    Samuel

    The last judge and a prophet, who will anoint the first kings. (1 Samuel 1–7)

  25. The united kingdom

    About 1030 to 931 BC · 1–2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1–11, Psalms

  26. c. 1030 BC
    Saul, the first king

    Israel asks for a king, and Samuel anoints Saul. (1 Samuel 8–10)

  27. c. 1010 BC
    David becomes king

    The shepherd of Bethlehem reigns for forty years. (2 Samuel 2; 5)

  28. c. 1000 BC
    Jerusalem, city of David

    David takes Jerusalem, brings the ark there, and God promises him an everlasting throne. (2 Samuel 5–7)

  29. c. 970 BC
    Solomon

    David's son reigns in peace and is famed for his wisdom. (1 Kings 1–4)

  30. c. 960 BC
    The first Temple

    Solomon builds and dedicates the Temple in Jerusalem. (1 Kings 6–8)

  31. Two kingdoms and the prophets

    931 to 587 BC · 1–2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah

  32. c. 931 BC
    The kingdom divides

    Ten tribes form Israel in the north; Judah keeps Jerusalem and David's line. (1 Kings 12)

  33. c. 870 BC
    Elijah

    On Mount Carmel the prophet calls Israel back from Baal to the Lord. (1 Kings 17–19)

  34. c. 750 BC
    Amos and Hosea

    Prophets in the north speak for the poor and for God's faithful love. (Amos; Hosea)

  35. c. 740–700 BC
    Isaiah

    In Jerusalem Isaiah foretells Emmanuel and a king from the stump of Jesse. (Isaiah 7; 9; 11)

  36. 722 BC
    The fall of Samaria

    Assyria destroys the northern kingdom and deports its people. (2 Kings 17)

  37. 622 BC
    Josiah's reform

    The book of the Law is found in the Temple, and the king renews the covenant. (2 Kings 22–23)

  38. 597 BC
    The first deportation

    Babylon takes Jerusalem and carries off the king and many others. (2 Kings 24)

  39. 587 BC
    Jerusalem and the Temple destroyed

    Babylon burns the city; Jeremiah weeps over it and promises a new covenant. (2 Kings 25; Jeremiah 31)

  40. Exile and return

    587 to about 400 BC · Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah

  41. 587–538 BC
    The exile in Babylon

    Far from home, the people keep the faith; Ezekiel sees dry bones live again. (Ezekiel 37; Psalm 137)

  42. 538 BC
    The edict of Cyrus

    The king of Persia lets the exiles go home. (Ezra 1)

  43. 515 BC
    The second Temple

    The rebuilt Temple is dedicated in Jerusalem. (Ezra 6)

  44. c. 458–445 BC
    Ezra and Nehemiah

    The Law is read to the people, and the walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt. (Ezra 7; Nehemiah 8)

  45. Under Greek and Roman rule

    333 to 4 BC · 1–2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom

  46. 333 BC
    Alexander the Great

    Greek rule and the Greek language spread across the East. (1 Maccabees 1)

  47. c. 250 BC
    The Septuagint

    The Scriptures are translated into Greek in Alexandria.

  48. 167 BC
    The revolt of the Maccabees

    A pagan king defiles the Temple, and Judas Maccabeus leads the fight for the faith. (1 Maccabees 1–4)

  49. 164 BC
    The Temple rededicated

    The feast of Hanukkah remembers this day. (1 Maccabees 4)

  50. 63 BC
    Rome takes Jerusalem

    The land comes under Roman power.

  51. 37 BC
    Herod the Great

    Rome's client king rebuilds the Temple on a grand scale. (Matthew 2)

  52. The life of Jesus

    About 6 BC to AD 30 · Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

  53. c. 6–4 BC
    The birth of Jesus

    The angel comes to Mary in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem. (Luke 1–2; Matthew 1–2)

  54. c. AD 7
    Jesus in the Temple

    At twelve years old Jesus is found among the teachers. (Luke 2:41–52)

  55. c. AD 27
    The baptism of Jesus

    John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan, and his public ministry begins. (Mark 1; Luke 3)

  56. c. AD 27–30
    The public ministry

    Jesus proclaims the Kingdom, calls the Twelve, heals and teaches in Galilee and Judea. (Matthew 4–25)

  57. c. AD 30
    The Last Supper, the cross and the Resurrection

    Jesus gives the Eucharist, dies on the cross and rises on the third day. Some date this to AD 33. (Matthew 26–28; John 13–20)

  58. c. AD 30
    Ascension and Pentecost

    Jesus returns to the Father, and the Holy Spirit comes upon the Church. (Acts 1–2)

  59. The early Church

    AD 30 to about 100 · Acts, the Letters, Revelation

  60. c. AD 34
    Stephen, the first martyr

    A deacon is stoned in Jerusalem, and the believers scatter and preach. (Acts 6–8)

  61. c. AD 34–36
    The conversion of Paul

    The risen Lord meets Saul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9)

  62. c. AD 40
    The Gentiles are welcomed

    Peter baptizes the Roman centurion Cornelius. (Acts 10)

  63. c. AD 46–58
    Paul's missionary journeys

    Paul founds churches across Asia Minor and Greece and writes his letters. (Acts 13–21)

  64. c. AD 49
    The Council of Jerusalem

    The apostles decide that Gentile Christians need not keep the whole Law of Moses. (Acts 15)

  65. c. AD 60–62
    Paul in Rome

    Paul arrives as a prisoner and preaches the Gospel in the capital. (Acts 28)

  66. c. AD 64–67
    The martyrdom of Peter and Paul

    Both apostles die in Rome under the emperor Nero.

  67. c. AD 65–100
    The Gospels are written

    Mark, Matthew, Luke and John set down the apostles' preaching.

  68. AD 70
    The Temple destroyed

    Roman armies take Jerusalem and burn the Temple. (Luke 21:5–6)

  69. c. AD 95
    The Book of Revelation

    John, exiled on Patmos, writes to the churches under persecution. (Revelation 1)

The Bible in 10 periods

PeriodDatesBooks of the Bible
BeginningsBefore history can date themGenesis 1–11
The patriarchsAbout 2000 to 1700 BCGenesis 12–50
Exodus and the desertAbout 1250 BC (older reckoning: about 1446 BC)Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
The promised land and the judgesAbout 1210 to 1030 BCJoshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel
The united kingdomAbout 1030 to 931 BC1–2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1–11, Psalms
Two kingdoms and the prophets931 to 587 BC1–2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah
Exile and return587 to about 400 BCEzekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah
Under Greek and Roman rule333 to 4 BC1–2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom
The life of JesusAbout 6 BC to AD 30Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
The early ChurchAD 30 to about 100Acts, the Letters, Revelation

How to read the dates

  • “c.” means “about”. The Bible rarely gives dates as we do. Dates are worked out from the reigns of kings and from records of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Rome.
  • From King David on, the dates are fairly firm. The fall of Samaria (722 BC), the destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC) and the edict of Cyrus (538 BC) are fixed by records outside the Bible.
  • Before David, the dates are estimates. Many scholars place the Exodus about 1250 BC; an older reckoning, based on 1 Kings 6:1, places it about 1446 BC. The timeline gives the first and notes the second.
  • The first chapters of Genesis are not dated. They tell what is true about God, the world and sin, in a form that is older than written history.
  • Jesus was born a few years “before Christ”. The monk who worked out our calendar in the sixth century was a few years off. Herod the Great died in 4 BC, so the birth of Jesus falls about 6 to 4 BC.

How long does the Bible cover?

From Abraham to the last books of the New Testament is about 2,100 years. Abraham to David is roughly a thousand years, and David to Jesus another thousand. The books themselves were written over more than a thousand years, the last of them about AD 100.

Using the timeline for study and teaching

  • Reading the Bible straight through? Keep the timeline open to see where each book belongs. The prophets make far more sense when you know which king and which crisis they were speaking to.
  • Teaching a class? Give each group one period and let it present three events in order.
  • Preparing a talk? Search for a person and read the references around the event.

Frequently asked questions

When did Abraham live?

About 2000 BC, give or take a century or two. The Bible places him many generations before Moses, and the way of life in Genesis fits the early second millennium before Christ.

When was the Exodus?

Most scholars today say about 1250 BC, in the reign of Ramesses II. A count based on 1 Kings 6:1 gives about 1446 BC. The Church does not fix a date.

In what year was Jesus crucified?

Most likely AD 30; some scholars prefer AD 33. In both years the Passover fell so that the crucifixion was on a Friday.

How many years are there between the Old and the New Testament?

The last Old Testament books in Catholic Bibles, such as 1 and 2 Maccabees and Wisdom, were written in the last two centuries before Christ, so the gap is short. Bibles without those books leave a gap of about four hundred years after Malachi.

When were the Gospels written?

Between about AD 65 and 100, a generation or two after the Resurrection, from the preaching of the apostles and of those who had heard them.

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