Timeline of the Bible - MuutaNet Comics

Who Wrote the Bible? Episode 8: Summary Chart (Aug. 26, 2022)

Biblical Chronology (Sept. 3, 2021)

Israel & Judah

931 BCE – START OF VERIFIABLE BIBLE HISTORY: At this point, the Ancient Israelites are divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the North, and Judah in the South.
871 BCE – Ahab, from the House of Omri, becomes King of Israel. According to the Bible, Elijah the Prophet is active during his reign.
841 BCE – Jehu becomes King of Israel. According to the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, Israel becomes a vassal of Assyria during Jehu’s reign.
760 BCE – The seismic record confirms that the major earthquake mentioned in the Book of Amos occurred around this time.

Judah only

721 BCE – The Kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria; Many Northerners are deported to Assyria while others flee south and join the Kingdom of Judah, where, under the reign of King Hezekiah, Jerusalem sees a major increase in population.
624 BCE – King Josiah initiates religious reform based on what is now the core part of the Book of Deuteronomy.

Babylonian Exile

586 BCE – The Kingdom of Judah falls to Babylon: Jerusalem & the First Temple are completely destroyed and many Jews are deported to Babylon.

Persian Period

539 BCE – Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and allows the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple.
458 BCE – Ezra leads a group of returnees back to Jerusalem and is instrumental in compiling the Torah.

Greek Period

330 BCE – Alexander the Great conquers Persia and Judea becomes part of the Hellenistic world.
301 BCE – Judea comes under the control of the Ptolemies.
260 BCE – Ptolemy II Philadelphus commissions a translation of the Torah into Greek. This, as well as subsequent translations of Hebrew scriptures into Greek, becomes known as the Septuagint.
200 BCE – Control of Jude switches to the Seleucids.

Hasmoneans

164 BCE – After a three-year revolt, the Maccabees capture Jerusalem and rededicate the temple, which had been previously desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
141 BCE – One of the Maccabees, Simon Thassi, becomes prince of Judea, thus establishing the Hasmonean dynasty as the hereditarv rulers of the now mostly-independent Jewish state.
63 BCE – Roman general Pompey the Great captures Jerusalem, making Judea a client-state of Rome.

Herodians

37 BCE – Rome appoints Herod the Great “King of the Jews”.
4 BCE – 30 CE – Approximate lifespan of Jesus.

Ante-Nicene Period

49 CE–67 CE/50s–60s CE – The letters (or epistles) attributed to Paul (New Testament) were written between 49 CE–67 CE, with the majority being written in the 50s–60s CE. Paul’s letters are the earliest Christian writings in the New Testament, predating the gospels.
65–75 CE – The Gospel of Mark (New Testament) is widely believed by scholars to have been written
70 CE – Jerusalem and the Second Temple are completely destroved by the Romans following the Great Jewish Revolt. Several Jewish sages move to the town of Yavne where they become known as rabbis. Christianity starts to become distinct from Judaism.
80–90 CE/70–100 CE – The Gospel of Matthew (New Testament) is commonly dated to 80–90 CE, though some scholars suggest a range of 70–100 CE. It was likely written after the Gospel of Mark, upon which Matthew heavily relies, but before the widespread separation of Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians became fully entrenched.
80–90 CE/80–110 CE – The Gospel of Luke (New Testament) is generally dated to 80–90 CE, though some scholars suggest a broader range of 80–110 CE. It is part of a two-volume work, along with the Book of Acts, both traditionally attributed to Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul.
90–110 CE – The Gospel of John (New Testament) is generally believed to have been written between 90–110 CE, making it the latest of the four canonical gospels. It is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, though modern scholars debate whether the gospel was written directly by him or by his followers or disciples within the Johannine community.
135 CE – Another revolt by the Jews, led by Simon Bar Kokhba, is put down by the Romans. Around the same time, the Romans rebuild Jerusalem, calling it Aelia Capitolina and forbidding Jews to enter the city.
189 CE – Judah ha-Nasi complies a record of Jewish oral traditions known as the Mishnah (the core part of the Talmud). Christianity continues to spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Post-Nicene Period

325 CE – The First Council of Nicaea, convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.
4th century – The Trinitarian doctrine was effectively fixed for mainstream Christianity by the 4th century through the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). These definitions became the standard for both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and later for many Protestant denominations as well. While debates and differing interpretations persisted, particularly in the Arian and Unitarian traditions, the Trinitarian framework established by these councils has remained foundational for most of Christianity.
380 CE – Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
476 CE – The Western Roman Empire falls. The Eastern Roman Empire aka The Byzantine Empire continues.
787 CE – The Second Council of Nicaea. It was the seventh ecumenical council of the Christian Church and played a crucial role in resolving the controversy over the use of religious images, known as the Iconoclasm controversy.
1054 CE – The Great Schism marked the formal split between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East.
1096–1291 CE – The First Crusade (1096–1099) successfully captured Jerusalem, but later Crusades were less successful and often led to conflicts between Christian powers. The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) caused lasting damage to relations between the Western and Eastern Churches when crusaders sacked Constantinople.
9th–13th Centuries – Monasticism flourished, with key developments such as the founding of the Cluniac Order (10th century), Cistercian Order (11th century), and the Franciscan and Dominican Orders (13th century).
11th–14th Centuries – The rise of Scholasticism, a method of theology and philosophy that sought to reconcile faith and reason. Thinkers like Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, and Thomas Aquinas developed influential theological works, such as Aquinas’s Summa Theologica.
1309–1417 – The papacy was based in Avignon, France, rather than Rome, leading to tensions and corruption. The Western Schism (1378–1417) saw multiple claimants to the papacy, causing division within the Catholic Church.
1517–1648 – Sparked by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517, the Reformation challenged Catholic doctrines, practices (e.g., indulgences), and papal authority. Led to the establishment of Protestant denominations such as Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anglicanism. Resulted in the Counter-Reformation, with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) addressing church reforms and reaffirming Catholic teachings.
1453 CE – The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks marked a turning point for Eastern Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox Church came under Ottoman rule but maintained its traditions and influence, particularly in Russia, which emerged as a center of Orthodox Christianity.
15th–18th Centuries – Christianity spread globally through European exploration and colonization. Missionaries, such as Jesuits (e.g., Francis Xavier), played a key role in spreading Christianity to the Americas, Africa, and Asia.