TIMELINE OF THE BIBLE

FROM CREATION TO THE TIME OF CHRIST

Creation
Adam + Eve The Fall.
Cain, Abel, Seth
First murder. Cain killed Abel whose sacrifice of sheep was acceptable to God. The Flood.

GENESIS

Noah
Nahor Terah Sarahs maidservant. Nephew of Abraham. Saved before destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Shem, Ham, Japheth

Lot

+ Hagar

JOB

Story dealing with the Problem of Evil. A righteous man is afflicted to test his faith.

Ishmael + BilhahRachels maid + Zilpah Leahs maid

nation of his descendants. Tested when God Abraham + Sarah great demanded that he sacrifice Isaac, the son of his extreme Isaac + Rebekah old age. + Rachel (favored) Esau, Jacob (Israel) + Leah

Righteous man with whom God made a covenant, symbolized by circumcision. God promised to make a

Line of immediate descent Line of descent with intervening descendants removed Line of non-hereditary power Patriarch Ruling Nation Judge Prophet King (King with reign of 3 years) good king BOOK OF THE BIBLE

Jacob tricked his father to steal his brothers birthright and his fathers blessing. Worked 14 years in exchange for his wives. After wrestling with God, was renamed Israel. Joseph was the favorite son sold into slavery by his brothers. And interpreter of dreams, he became Pharaohs right hand and preserved his family when they moved to Egypt during a great famine.

Dan, Naphtali

Gad, Asher

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun

Kohath Amram

Joseph, Benjamin
Ephraim, Manasseh

Moses leads Israel out of Egypt through the ten plagues worked by God. Sees God in the burning bush, learns His name, parts the Red Sea, receives the 10 Commandments, then leads Israel for 40 years of wandering in the desert. Aaron was his spokesman.

Egypt

(Aaron, Miriam) MosesEXODUS,

All priests

LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY

Story of a widows faithfulness to her mother-in-law.

RUTH + Boaz
Obed Jesse

Land. JOSHUA Leaders of portions of Israel before the establishment of the monarchy. JUDGES 12 (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak (Deborah ), Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jepthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson)
With Caleb, only one of Israels scouts not to doubt Gods power. Leads Israel into Promised

Eli

Zeruiah, Abigail
Davids 2nd in commandAbishai Davids general, killed by SolomonJoab Asahel

1+2 SAMUEL

Student of Eli, son of Hannah. Anoints Saul, then David as king.

AmasaAbsaloms general

Saul (1030-1010) of tribe of Benjamin, lost Gods favor.

Written over many centuries, the Psalms are considered the great prayer of the Church. They contain every human emotion. Written over many centuries, a collection of morally instructive verses.

PSALMS

David (1010-970) Great King of Israel with many personal failings.

of Bathsheba. Very wise King tempted to idolatry by Solomon (970-931) Son many foreign wives.

Nathan 1

CHRONICLES David idealized. 2 CHRONICLES 1 KINGS

Focus on Judah, temple.

PROVERBS

Israel
Leads Northern rebellion, establishes worship at Dan and Bethel.

Judah
Rehoboam (931-913)
(Abijam) (913-911)

Jeroboam (931-910)
(Nadab) (910-909)

Through pride, drives Ten Northern tribes to rebel. Only Benjamin and Judah remain.

Destroys house of Jeroboam.

Baasha (909-886)
(Elah) (886-885) (Zimri) (7 days in 885)

Asa (911-870) Moderate reform.

Founds Samaria.

Omri (885-874)

Elisha Elijah

Marries Jezebel, builds temple to Baal, persecutes Elijah.

Ahab (874-853)
(Ahaziah) (853-852)

Jehoshaphat (870-848) Moderate reform, peace with Israel.

Jehoram (848-841)
(Ahaziah) (841) Ahaziahs mother. Kills all his sons except Joash to Athaliah (841-835) usurp throne as Queen. Daughter of Jezebel. AKA Joram. Marries daughter of Jezebel (Athaliah), behaves like Ahab.

AKA Jehoram.

Joram (852-841)
(841-814)

Kills Joram of Israel, Ahaziah of Judah, entire house Jehu of Omri. Destroys Baals temple and worshippers.

2 KINGS

Jehoahaz (814-798) AKA Jehoash. Joash (798-783)

Joash (835-796) Amaziah (796-781) Azariah (781-740)

AKA Jehoash. Rebuilds Temple but apostatizes. Later assassinated. Captured by Joash of Israel. Later assassinated. AKA Uzziah.

AMOS
Shepherd from Judah. The injustice of Israel will doom her.

HOSEA

Restored boundaries of Israel. Jeroboam II

(783-743)

Gods faithful love is never-ending, but He will chastise in order to heal.

(Zechariah) (6 months in 743) (Shallum) (1 month in 743) Menahem (743-738) (Pekahiah) (738-737) Pekah (737-732)

Jotham (740-736)

ISAIAH
Gods plan of salvation. Begins prophesying in 740 after having his lips purged by a coal. Heinous idolater.

MICAH
Condemns mere ritualism, promises salvation. Prophet of social justice.

Hoshea (732-722)

Ahaz (736-716) Fights with Assyria against Israel, loses.

Some Israelite refugees

Assyrian Exile722
Under Sargon II

Assyria

Hezekiah (716-687)

Exiled Israelites replaced by foreigners who intermarry, become Samaritans. TOBIT exiled in Assyria. His son Tobiah journeys with the Archangel Raphael. Themes include the merits of almsgiving and burying the dead.

Major reformrestricts worship to the Temple. Fights Assyria (Sennacherib). in the Temple.

Manasseh (687-642) The worstputs pagan altars and idols

(Amon) (642-640)

Cyrus Darius I of Persia

(522-486)

The Restoration
Judah post-Captivity

Josiah (640-609)

Major reformfinds the book of Deuteronomy (622)

Renews work on the Temple (520). Temple finished around 516.

HAGGAI
First post-exilic prophet. Exhortation to finish Temple to avoid Gods wrath.

ZECHARIAH
Encouragement to finish Temple for the Messiah.

NAHUM ZEPHANIAH
Foretells fall of Nineveh (612). Coming Day of the Lord. Unjust punished, repentant restored through Messiah.

JEREMIAH
627 on. Describes Gods heartbreak at Judahs faithlessness, foretells Captivity, promises restoration.

(Jehoahaz) (609) Deposed by Pharaoh. Jehoiakim (609-598) Installed by Pharaoh. (Jehoiachin) (598-597) Deported to Babylon.

Xerxes of Persia (AKA Ahasuerus) (486-465) Husband of ESTHER., who saves the Jews by interceding with the King when Haman tries to destroy them. Artaxerxes I of Persia (465-423) Stops the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah persuades him to allow it.
general of (ahistorical) Stepson of Esther. JUDITH kills Holofernes, Assyrian Nebuchadnezzar. Governor who rebuilt walls of Jerusalem. NEHEMIAH MALACHI (beginning around 445, Ezra likely somewhat later) Message of judgment to EZRA Priest who encourages fidelity to Torah (legalism). complacent people.

HABAKKUK

Zedekiah (597-587)

Wicked will be destroyed, just saved. Foretells Babylon (Chaldeans).

Babylonian Captivity587

Babylon Judahs elite taken to Babylon.

EZEKIEL
First prophet to be called outside

THE SONG OF SONGS A love poeman allegory of the love between God and his people. JONAH

Jerusalem destroyed. the Holy Land. Israel deserved punishment, must acknowledge Remnant in Judah composes LAMENTATIONS, that the Lord is God. Promise of acrostic poems mourning loss of Jerusalem. a new spirit and a new covenant. BARUCH Describes the new Temple, Many, including Jeremiah, then emigrate to Egypt. Purported scribe ofprophesies against foreign lands.

Preaches repentance to Nineveh. Prophesies against Edom.

OBADIAH

JOEL
Call to repentance before apocalyptic Day of the Lord.

Greece 300-Ptolemies of Egypt 200-Seleucids of Assyria History of the post-exilic

333-Alexander the Great of
End of Persian Empire331.

Encourages faithfulness, demonstrates superiority of God of Israel.

DANIEL

Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar

Daniel fasting, fiery furnace.

Jeremiah. Encouragement for exiles.

Vanity of the world, fulfillment through obedience to God.

ECCLESIASTES SIRACH

Daniel and writing on wall, visions.

Darius the Cyrus of

Mede

134-63-HasmoneansJews

1+2 MACCABEES
Descendants of Judas Maccabeus Ruled Galilee and Judea with (pagan) Samaria in between.

Primarily moral and spiritual Jews led by the priestly Moral maxims in praise of God maxims. family of Judas Maccabeus. and His wisdom.

WISDOM

Daniel and lions den. (539-530) 538sends Jews back, starts to rebuild Temple, restores sacred artifacts. Bel and the Dragon (DANIEL) Sheshbazzar governor of Judah.

Persia

63-

Rome

Note: all dates are approximate.