Timeline
Events in order
Dates in the ancient world are ranges, not pins. Each event shows its earliest and latest plausible year, the dating scheme used, and how confident we are.
Creation
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, ordered the world by His word, and made humanity, male and female, in His own image to rule and care for it. The New Testament adds that everything was made through the Word who became flesh in Jesus.
The fall
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Tempted by the serpent, the woman and the man ate from the one tree God had forbidden. Shame, blame, and curse followed, and they were sent out of the garden. In the same scene God spoke the first promise: the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent's head.
The call of Abraham
2100 to 1800 BC (approximate), low confidence
God told Abram to leave his country and family for a land He would show him, promising to make him a great nation, to bless him, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. Abram went, at seventy-five, and built altars in the land of Canaan.
The covenant with Abraham
2100 to 1800 BC (approximate), low confidence
God bound Himself by covenant to Abram: descendants as many as the stars, a land for them, and an everlasting relationship in which God would be their God. Abram believed, and it was credited to him as righteousness. God later gave him the name Abraham and the sign of circumcision.
The Passover and the exodus
1450 to 1250 BC (approximate), disputed confidence
On the night God struck down the firstborn of Egypt, every Israelite household sheltered behind the blood of a lamb on its doorframe, and God passed over them. Pharaoh released the people, and when his army pursued them God parted the sea so Israel crossed on dry ground.
The covenant at Sinai
1450 to 1250 BC (approximate), disputed confidence
Three months after leaving Egypt, Israel camped before Mount Sinai. God offered to make them His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and spoke the ten commandments from the mountain in fire and smoke. Moses sealed the covenant with the blood of sacrifices and the people promised to obey.
The covenant with David
1010 to 970 BC (approximate), medium confidence
When David wanted to build a house for God, God answered that He would build David a house: a descendant whose throne would be established forever, whom God would treat as a son. The promise outlasted David's failures and the fall of his kingdom.
The exile and the return
587 to 538 BC (approximate), high confidence
Babylon burned the temple and carried Judah into exile, apparently ending the line of David. Jeremiah had promised that after seventy years God would bring the people back, and the decree of Cyrus of Persia opened the way home and the rebuilding of the temple.
The annunciation to Mary
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to tell Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear a son named Jesus, who would receive the throne of David and reign forever. Mary answered as the Lord's servant.
Mary visits Elizabeth
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Mary hurried to the hill country to her relative Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant with John. At Mary's greeting the child leaped in Elizabeth's womb, Elizabeth blessed Mary and her child, and Mary sang the song of praise known as the Magnificat.
The birth of John the Baptist
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and against family expectation both parents insisted his name was John. Zechariah's speech returned and, filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied that the child would go before the Lord to prepare His way.
The birth of Jesus
7 to 4 BC (approximate), medium confidence
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, during the reign of Herod the Great. Luke records the manger and the angels' announcement to shepherds; Matthew records Joseph's obedience and the visit of the magi.
The presentation in the temple
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and offer the sacrifice the law required of a poor family. Simeon, promised he would see the Lord's Christ, took the child in his arms and called Him a light for the nations; the prophetess Anna gave thanks and spoke of Him to all who waited for redemption.
The visit of the magi
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Magi from the east followed a star to Jerusalem asking where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod's scribes pointed them to Bethlehem from Micah's prophecy, and the magi found the child with Mary, worshiped Him, and gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh before slipping home by another road.
The flight to Egypt
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Warned in a dream, Joseph took the child and His mother to Egypt by night. Herod, enraged at the magi, had every boy in Bethlehem two years old and under killed. After Herod's death Joseph brought the family back to the land of Israel and settled in Nazareth in Galilee.
The boy Jesus in the temple
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
When Jesus was twelve, His family went up to Jerusalem for the Passover. On the way home His parents realized He was missing and found Him three days later in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers. Asked why, He replied that He had to be in His Father's house.
The ministry of John the Baptist
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
John came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, calling Israel to repent because the kingdom of heaven was near, and baptizing in the Jordan those who confessed their sins. He dressed like Elijah, warned the religious leaders, pointed to one greater than himself, and was later imprisoned by Herod Antipas for rebuking him.
The baptism of Jesus
AD 26 to 29 (approximate), medium confidence
Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. As He came up from the water the Spirit descended on Him like a dove and a voice from heaven declared Him the beloved Son. This marks the public beginning of His ministry.
The temptation of Jesus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
After His baptism the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He fasted forty days and was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread, to throw Himself from the temple, and to gain the kingdoms of the world by worship. He answered each with words from Deuteronomy, and angels ministered to Him.
Jesus announces the Kingdom
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
After John's arrest, Jesus returned to Galilee and began proclaiming that the time was fulfilled and the Kingdom of God had come near, calling people to repent and believe the good news. Luke records Him reading Isaiah in Nazareth and declaring it fulfilled.
The calling of the first disciples
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Beside the Sea of Galilee Jesus called two pairs of fishermen, Simon and Andrew, then James and John, to follow Him and become fishers of men, and they left their nets and their father's boat at once. John's Gospel records that Andrew and Simon had first met Jesus near the Jordan after John the Baptist pointed Him out.
The wedding at Cana
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
At a wedding in Cana of Galilee the wine ran out, and at His mother's prompting Jesus had six stone jars filled with water and turned it into wine of the best quality. John calls this the first of His signs, by which He revealed His glory and His disciples believed in Him.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the council, came to Jesus at night. Jesus told him that no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again, of water and the Spirit, compared His coming lifting up to Moses's bronze serpent, and spoke of God's love in giving His only Son so that whoever believes may have eternal life.
The Samaritan woman at the well
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
At Jacob's well near Sychar Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink and offered her living water. He told her about her life, spoke of worship in spirit and truth, and told her plainly that He is the Messiah. She brought her town to Him, and after two days many Samaritans confessed Him as the Savior of the world.
The rejection at Nazareth
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
In the synagogue of His hometown Jesus read Isaiah's words about the Spirit-anointed preacher of good news and declared the Scripture fulfilled that day. The people marveled, then took offense at the carpenter's son, and in Luke's account tried to throw Him from the hill on which the town was built.
The Sermon on the Mount
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
On a mountainside in Galilee Jesus taught His disciples and the crowds: the Beatitudes, the call to be salt and light, a righteousness that goes deeper than the law's letter, the Lord's Prayer, trust in the Father, and the two ways ending in the wise and foolish builders. The crowds were astonished at His authority.
The healing of the paralytic
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
In Capernaum four men lowered a paralyzed friend through the roof to reach Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus first forgave the man's sins, and when the scribes objected that only God can forgive, He healed the man so that they would know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
The parables of the Kingdom
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Teaching from a boat beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus described the Kingdom in parables: seed on four kinds of soil, weeds among wheat, a mustard seed, leaven, hidden treasure, a pearl, and a net. He explained to His disciples that the parables both reveal and conceal, citing Isaiah's word about a people who hear without understanding.
The calming of the storm
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Crossing the Sea of Galilee by night, the disciples were caught in a violent storm while Jesus slept. They woke Him in fear, He rebuked the wind and the sea and it became perfectly calm, and He asked why they still had no faith. They asked one another who this could be, that even wind and sea obey Him.
The raising of Jairus's daughter
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
A synagogue leader named Jairus begged Jesus to heal his dying daughter. On the way a woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years touched His cloak and was healed, and Jesus told her that her faith had made her well. Word came that the girl had died; Jesus took Peter, James, John, and her parents into the house and raised her with a word.
The feeding of the five thousand
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
In a remote place near the Sea of Galilee Jesus fed a crowd of about five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fish, blessing and breaking the bread until all were satisfied and twelve baskets were left over. John records that the people wanted to make Him king by force, and that Jesus withdrew.
Jesus walks on the water
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
The night after the feeding, the disciples were rowing against the wind on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus came to them walking on the water. Matthew records that Peter stepped out toward Him, began to sink, and was caught by Jesus's hand. When Jesus climbed into the boat the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshiped Him as the Son of God.
Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Near Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was, then who they said He was, and Peter answered that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus blessed him, then for the first time told the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and rise on the third day, and rebuked Peter for resisting it.
The transfiguration
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
About a week after Peter's confession Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where His face and clothing shone, Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Him, and a voice from the cloud called Him the beloved Son and told the disciples to listen to Him. Coming down, Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, and they understood He meant John the Baptist.
The parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
When the Pharisees grumbled that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them, He told three parables: a shepherd who searches for one lost sheep, a woman who sweeps her house for one lost coin, and a father who runs to embrace a son who had squandered his inheritance. Each ends in a celebration, and the last with an older brother who refuses to join.
The raising of Lazarus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
When Lazarus of Bethany died, Jesus came four days after the burial, told Martha that He is the resurrection and the life, wept at the tomb, and called Lazarus out alive still bound in grave clothes. Many who saw it believed, and the council resolved from that day to put Jesus to death.
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Luke records that as the time for His departure drew near, Jesus resolutely set His face toward Jerusalem. On the way He kept teaching in towns and villages, and He told the Twelve plainly that in Jerusalem He would be handed over, mocked, killed, and raised on the third day. The disciples did not understand.
Zacchaeus receives Jesus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Passing through Jericho, Jesus called a wealthy chief tax collector named Zacchaeus down from a sycamore tree and stayed at his house, to the crowd's disapproval. Zacchaeus pledged half his goods to the poor and fourfold restitution to anyone he had cheated, and Jesus declared that salvation had come to his house.
Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Near Jericho a blind beggar, named Bartimaeus by Mark, heard that Jesus was passing and cried out to Him as Son of David. Told to be quiet, he shouted louder. Jesus called him, asked what he wanted, and restored his sight, and the man followed Jesus along the road.
The anointing at Bethany
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
At a dinner in Bethany, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, poured costly perfume on Jesus. Judas objected that it should have been sold for the poor, and John notes that he kept the money bag and stole from it. Jesus defended her, saying she had kept it for the day of His burial.
The triumphal entry
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Approaching Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples for a colt and rode into the city while crowds spread cloaks and branches on the road and shouted words from Psalm 118, hailing Him as the Son of David who comes in the name of the Lord. Matthew and John say this fulfilled Zechariah's picture of a humble king on a donkey.
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
As the city came into view during the entry, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He said it had not recognized what would bring it peace, and He foretold a siege in which enemies would surround it and leave no stone standing on another.
The cleansing of the temple
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out those buying and selling, overturning the money changers' tables and the seats of the dove sellers. He explained the act with Scripture, calling the house a house of prayer for all nations that had been made a den of robbers. The chief priests and scribes began looking for a way to destroy Him.
The controversies in the temple
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Teaching in the temple courts, Jesus was challenged in turn by the chief priests and elders, the Pharisees with the Herodians, the Sadducees, and an expert in the law. He answered with the parable of the tenants, the coin bearing Caesar's image, the God of the living, and the two great commandments, then asked how David could call his own son Lord.
The Olivet discourse
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
After leaving the temple, Jesus told His disciples that not one stone of it would be left on another. Seated on the Mount of Olives, He answered their questions about when this would happen and about His coming, warning of deception and persecution, describing the coming of the Son of Man, and calling them to stay awake and ready.
Judas agrees to betray Jesus
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests and offered to hand Jesus over to them away from the crowds. They agreed to pay him, and Matthew records the sum as thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity.
The Last Supper
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
On the night before His death Jesus shared a final meal with His disciples in Jerusalem, gave them bread and the cup as His body and blood of the new covenant, washed their feet, and foretold His betrayal.
Jesus washes the disciples' feet
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
During the evening meal before Passover, Jesus laid aside His outer garments, wrapped a towel around Himself, and washed His disciples' feet, including the feet of the one who would betray Him. Peter protested and then asked to be washed entirely. Jesus told them He had given an example they should follow.
The farewell discourse
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
After Judas left, Jesus spoke at length with the eleven. He gave them a new commandment to love one another, promised the Holy Spirit as another Advocate, described Himself as the true vine, warned of the world's hatred, and prayed to the Father for Himself, for His disciples, and for all who would believe through their word.
Gethsemane
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
After the supper Jesus went with His disciples to a garden on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane. Taking Peter, James, and John further in, He was deeply distressed and prayed that if possible the cup might pass from Him, yet that the Father's will be done. The disciples slept. He woke them as the betrayer arrived.
The arrest of Jesus
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Judas led a crowd with swords and clubs, and in John a band of soldiers, to the garden he knew Jesus frequented, and identified Him with a kiss. One disciple struck the high priest's servant, and Jesus stopped the violence and, in Luke, healed the man. He was bound and led away, and all the disciples fled.
The trial before the Sanhedrin
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Jesus was taken to the high priest, Caiaphas, where the council sought testimony against Him. When Caiaphas put Him under oath to say whether He was the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus answered and spoke of the Son of Man seated at God's right hand and coming with the clouds. The high priest called it blasphemy, and the council judged Him worthy of death.
Peter denies Jesus
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
While Jesus was questioned inside, Peter waited in the high priest's courtyard by a fire. Three times he was identified as a follower of Jesus, and three times he denied it, the last time with an oath. A rooster crowed, Peter remembered Jesus' warning, and he went out and wept bitterly.
The trial before Pilate
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
At daybreak the council delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate questioned Him about being King of the Jews, found no basis for a charge, sent Him to Herod Antipas, who mocked Him and returned Him, and offered the crowd a Passover release. The crowd chose Barabbas. Pilate washed his hands, had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
The crucifixion of Jesus
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem at Golgotha under Pontius Pilate. He died after several hours on the cross and was buried in a nearby tomb before the Sabbath. The Gospels present His death as the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The burial of Jesus
AD 30 to 33 (approximate), medium confidence
Before the Sabbath began, Joseph of Arimathea, a council member and disciple, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. With Nicodemus he wrapped it in linen with spices and laid it in a new tomb cut into rock in a garden near the place of crucifixion. The women from Galilee saw where He was laid, and Matthew records that the tomb was sealed and guarded.
The resurrection of Jesus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
On the first day of the week the tomb of Jesus was found empty, and He appeared alive to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples, and, according to Paul, to more than five hundred people at once. The New Testament proclaims that God raised Him bodily from the dead.
The empty tomb is discovered
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Early on the first day of the week, women who had followed Jesus came to His tomb and found the stone moved and the body gone. Messengers told them He had risen. Mary Magdalene ran to Peter and John, who found the linen cloths lying where the body had been.
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Weeping outside the tomb, Mary Magdalene saw two angels and then Jesus Himself, whom she took for the gardener until He spoke her name. He sent her to tell the disciples, and she became the first to announce that she had seen the Lord.
The road to Emmaus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
On the day of the resurrection two disciples walked from Jerusalem toward Emmaus, about seven miles away, and a stranger joined them. He explained from Moses and all the Prophets what the Scriptures said about the Christ, and they recognized Him as Jesus when He broke bread at their table.
Jesus appears to the gathered disciples
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
That same evening Jesus stood among the disciples in a locked room, greeted them with peace, showed them His hands and side, and ate in front of them to prove He was no ghost. He opened their minds to the Scriptures, breathed on them, and told them they would be His witnesses.
Jesus appears to Thomas
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Thomas had missed the first appearance and said he would not believe without touching the wounds. A week later Jesus came again, invited Thomas to do exactly that, and Thomas answered with the fullest confession in the Gospels, calling Jesus his Lord and his God.
Jesus appears by the Sea of Galilee
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Seven disciples fished all night on the Sea of Galilee and caught nothing until a figure on the shore told them to cast on the right side. Recognizing Jesus, Peter swam ashore. After breakfast Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved Him and three times charged him to care for His sheep.
Jesus appears to more than five hundred
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Paul passed on a summary he had himself received: Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to Cephas, to the Twelve, to more than five hundred at once, to James, to all the apostles, and finally to Paul.
The Great Commission
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
The risen Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He commanded, with the promise that He is with them always.
The ascension of Jesus
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus led His disciples out near Bethany, promised the Holy Spirit, and was taken up into heaven as they watched. Two messengers told them He would return in the same way.
Matthias is chosen to replace Judas
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Returning from the Mount of Olives after the ascension, about a hundred and twenty believers gathered in Jerusalem. Peter cited the Psalms about the vacancy left by Judas, two men who had been with Jesus from His baptism were proposed, and the lot fell to Matthias, who was added to the eleven.
Pentecost
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered disciples in Jerusalem with the sound of wind and tongues of fire, and they spoke in other languages. Peter preached that Jesus, crucified and risen, is Lord and Christ, and about three thousand were baptized.
The healing at the Beautiful Gate
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Going up to the temple to pray, Peter and John healed a man lame from birth in the name of Jesus. Peter preached that the God of Abraham had glorified His servant Jesus, the council arrested them, and the church prayed and was filled again with the Spirit and with boldness. The number of believers grew to about five thousand men.
Stephen's martyrdom
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Stephen, one of seven men chosen to serve the Jerusalem church, worked wonders and debated in the synagogues until he was accused of speaking against the temple and the law. His defense retold Israel's story from Abraham to Solomon, he saw Jesus standing at God's right hand, and he was stoned while praying for his killers. A young man named Saul approved.
Philip and the Ethiopian official
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Sent by an angel to the road toward Gaza, Philip met an Ethiopian court official reading Isaiah 53 in his chariot. Starting from that passage Philip told him the good news about Jesus, and at the official's request Philip baptized him in water beside the road.
The conversion of Paul
AD 33 to 36 (approximate), low confidence
Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who had approved Stephen's death, set out to arrest believers in Damascus. Near the city a light from heaven threw him down and the risen Jesus spoke to him. Blind for three days, he was healed and baptized by a disciple named Ananias and began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues.
Cornelius and the first Gentile believers
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
A Roman centurion at Caesarea named Cornelius was told in a vision to send for Peter. Peter, prepared by his own vision at Joppa, went and preached, and the Holy Spirit fell on the whole Gentile household while he spoke. They were baptized, and the Jerusalem church concluded that God had granted repentance to the Gentiles as well.
The church at Antioch
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
Believers scattered by the persecution after Stephen preached to Greeks in Antioch and many turned to the Lord. Jerusalem sent Barnabas, who brought Saul from Tarsus, and the two taught there for a year. In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians, and from Antioch the church later set apart Barnabas and Saul for their mission.
The council at Jerusalem
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
When some taught that Gentile believers must be circumcised to be saved, the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem. After debate Peter recalled Cornelius, Paul and Barnabas reported what God had done among the Gentiles, and James cited Amos to conclude that the Gentiles should not be burdened beyond a few essentials. A letter carried the decision back to Antioch.
The promise of His return
Date not assigned; ordered by narrative sequence
As Jesus was taken up, two messengers promised that He would come back in the same way. Paul wrote that the Lord will descend, the dead in Christ will rise, and believers will be with Him forever. John saw a new heaven and a new earth where God dwells with His people and wipes away every tear, and the book closes with the prayer that the Lord Jesus come.