Timeline

An overview of the events around the formation and development of Christianity and Islam including key sources.

Filter All Old Testament New Testament Christianity Bible Heresies Christian Councils Islam Qur'an Hadith and Biographies Crusades Other History
2166 BC
Old TestamentAbraham is bornGenesis 11:26Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
2091 BC
Old TestamentGod's covenant with AbramGenesis 12:1-4Now the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
1876 BC
Old TestamentIsrael in EgyptExodus 1:1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
1500 BC
Old TestamentJob laments of humanity's broken relationship with God: "If only there were someone to mediate between us"
1450 BC
Old TestamentThe Genesis creation account: "let us make man in our image" (1:26); the prophesy of Adam's offspring who would be stricken by Satan, but ultimately defeat him (3:15)Genesis 1:26God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
1446 BC
Old TestamentThe ExodusExodus 12:40-41Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. At the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the day, all of the LORD’s armies went out from the land of Egypt.
1420 BC
Old TestamentThe Shema: 'Hear O Israel, Yahweh is one'Deuteronomy 6:5-6You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart;
1407 BC
Old TestamentMoses diesDeuteronomy 34:5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s word.
1406 BC
Old TestamentJoshua leads the Israelites into CanaanJoshua 1:1Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,
1360 BC
Old TestamentPeriod of the Judges begins (-1060)Judges 2:16-17The LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying the LORD’s commandments. They didn’t do so.
1070 BC
Old TestamentSamuel is born1 Samuel 7:2From the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, the time was long—for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
1050 BC
Old TestamentSaul reigns (-1009)
1009 BC
Old TestamentDavid reigns (-969)2 Samuel 5:5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
1000 BC
Old TestamentDavid and others compose Messianic Psalms, prophesying of a future Anointed One: the Messiah ('Christ' in Greek) (see Psalms 2, 22, 69, 72, 100)Psalms 2Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed, saying, “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath: “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.” I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
931 BC
Old TestamentIsrael's kingdom divides1 Kings 12:19So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.
750 BC
Old TestamentAmos prophesies of Israel's coming MessiahAmos 8:8-11Won’t the land tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? Yes, it will rise up wholly like the River; and it will be stirred up and sink again, like the River of Egypt. It will happen in that day,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day. Behold, the days come,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the LORD’s words.
750 BC
Old TestamentThe 'Sign of Jonah', who is raised from the sea after three daysJonah 1:17The LORD prepared a huge fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
723 BC
Old TestamentAssyrian exile begins2 Kings 17:6In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
700 BC
Old TestamentIsaiah prophesies about the Suffering ServantIsaiah 53:4-5Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
700 BC
Old TestamentMicah prophecies about Israel's shepherd Messiah to comeMicah 5:2-4But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small amongst the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labour gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel. He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
605 BC
Old TestamentBabylonian exile (first deportation)Daniel 1:1-4In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. The king spoke to Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, even of the royal offspring and of the nobles: youths in whom was no defect, but well-favoured, skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding science, and who had the ability to stand in the king’s palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the language of the Chaldeans.
600 BC
Old TestamentJeremiah prophesies of a day when God would write the Law on the hearts of his peopleJeremiah 31:31-34“Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says the LORD. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer each teach his neighbour, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
600 BC
Old TestamentJoel prophesies a day when God will pour out his Spirit on all peoplesJoel 2:28-32“It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit. I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. It will happen that whoever will call on the LORD’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and amongst the remnant, those whom the LORD calls.
597 BC
Old TestamentBabylonian exile (second deportation)2 Kings 24:1In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.
590 BC
Old TestamentEzekiel prophecies of a day when the covenant would be restored in Israel, and it would be said, 'The Lord is there'Ezekiel 48:35“It shall be eighteen thousand reeds in circumference; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.’
587 BC
Old TestamentBabylonian exile (third deportation)Jeremiah 38:1Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
538 BC
Old TestamentCyrus' Decree and the exiles' returnEzra 1:1-2Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the LORD’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
538 BC
Old TestamentTemple renovated under DariusHaggai 1:1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came by Haggai the prophet, to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
535 BC
Old TestamentZechariah prophesies Israel's promised Messiah KingZechariah 9:9-11Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
530 BC
Old TestamentDaniel prophesies of a divine figure, 'the Son of Man'Daniel 7:13-14“I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. Dominion was given him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be destroyed.
486 BC
Old TestamentXerxes reigns (-465), and shows favour to EstherEsther 1:1-2Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces), in those days, when the King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Susa the palace,
458 BC
Old TestamentEzra returns to JerusalemEzra 7:1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
445 BC
Old TestamentNehemiah returns to Jerusalem with Artaxerxes' supportNehemiah 2:1-6In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence. The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, I ask that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.” The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
434 BC
Old TestamentMalachi prophesies of the Sun of RighteousnessMalachi 4:1-2“For behold, the day comes, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all who work wickedness will be stubble. The day that comes will burn them up,” says the LORD of Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out and leap like calves of the stall.
430 BC
Old TestamentOld Testament prophetic period endsMalachi 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
336 BC
Other HistoryAlexander the Great reigns (-323)Hellenistic period begins
198 BC
Other HistorySeleucids control Palestine
192 BC
Other HistoryGraeco-Roman wars begin
175 BC
Other HistoryAntiochus Epiphanes IV reigns in Palestine (-164)
164 BC
Other HistoryMaccabean revolt
142 BC
Other HistoryJudah becomes independent
63 BC
Other HistoryPompey conquers Palestine for Rome
36 BC
New TestamentHerod the Great reigns (-1 AD)Matthew 2:19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
31 BC
Other HistoryAugustus reigns (-14)Luke 2:1Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. The so-called 'Pax Romana'.
3 BC
ChristianityJesus is born“A slight error in the computation of the modern reckoning of time in the Middle Ages is responsible for the fact that Jesus’s birth does not fall in the year 1, as might be expected, but is dated 3/2 B.C.” – A. Köstenberger
1 AD
ChristianityEvidence of the Nazareth tombs (Matthew 2:23, Mark 1:9, Acts 2:22)
3 AD
ChristianityEvidence of The Pool of Siloam (John 9:7)
14 AD
Other HistoryEmperor Tiberius reigns (-37)
14 AD
ChristianityThe Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, dies
29 AD
New TestamentJohn the Baptist's ministryLuke 3:1-3Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
29 AD
New TestamentJesus begins ministryJohn 1:26-34John answered them, “I baptise in water, but amongst you stands one whom you don’t know. He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising. The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptising in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. I didn’t recognise him, but he who sent me to baptise in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptises in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
33 AD
New TestamentJesus is crucified, and raisedMark 16:1-7When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying amongst themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back. Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him! But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’”
34 AD
New TestamentFirst churches established
34 AD
New TestamentStephen is martyred
34 AD
New TestamentPaul, a former Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, becomes a follower of Jesus
37 AD
ChristianityEvidence of Pilate: The Pilate Stone - Prefect Inscription (Luke 3:1, Acts 4:27, 1 Tim 6:13)
45 AD
BiblePaul begins writing epistlesBefore 50
47 AD
New TestamentFirst Missionary Journey (-48)Acts 13:1-5Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their attendant.
48 AD
BibleGalatians
49 AD
New TestamentJerusalem CouncilActs 15:1-6Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.” Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul, Barnabas, and some others of them to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. They, being sent on their way by the assembly, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They caused great joy to all the brothers. When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.
49 AD
New TestamentSecond Missionary Journey (-51)Acts 16:6-10When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.
49 AD
BibleThessalonian Letters (-51)Acts 18:12But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgement seat,
49 AD
ChristianityClaudius expels Jews from Rome because of the Christian controversyActs 18:1-3After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, and because he practised the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. Or 52
52 AD
New TestamentThird Missionary Journey (-55)Acts 19:1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples.
52 AD
Bible1 Corinthians2 Corinthians 2:4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
54 AD
ChristianityEvidence of The Nazareth Decree by Emperor Claudius (Matt. 28:12-13)
55 AD
Bible2 Corinthians2 Corinthians 13:1-2This is the third time I am coming to you. “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” I have warned previously, and I warn again, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, I write to those who have sinned before now and to all the rest that if I come again, I will not spare,
55 AD
BibleRomansRomans 16:1-2I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae, that you receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self.
55 AD
New TestamentPaul arrested at JerusalemActs 21:1When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
55 AD
New TestamentPaul before Felix, Festus and Agrippa (-57)Acts 24:1After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with certain elders and an orator, one Tertullus. They informed the governor against Paul.
55 AD
BiblePaul records an early creed detailing the good news as he received it at his conversion (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
55 AD
BiblePaul writes in Colossians (1:15) that Christ is Creator and the Son
57 AD
New TestamentPaul journeys to Rome, via Malta (-58)Acts 27:1When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.
58 AD
New TestamentPaul's first imprisonment at Rome (-60)Acts 28:11-30After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose figurehead was “The Twin Brothers.” Touching at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. From there we circled around and arrived at Rhegium. After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli, where we found brothers, and were entreated to stay with them for seven days. So we came to Rome. From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him. After three days Paul called together those who were the leaders of the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, “I, brothers, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, still was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, desired to set me free, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything about which to accuse my nation. For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” They said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you. But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.” When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about God’s Kingdom, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until evening. Some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. When they didn’t agree amongst themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one message: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see, but will in no way perceive. For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, then I would heal them.’ “Be it known therefore to you that the salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will listen.” When he had said these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute amongst themselves. Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house and received all who were coming to him,
58 AD
BiblePrison Epistles (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians)
60 AD
New TestamentPaul's release, and further travels (-66)
61 AD
ChristianityJames, brother of Jesus, is martyred
63 AD
BibleHebrews describes the eternal Christ, our Creator and 'the mediator of a new covenant'
64 AD
ChristianityGreat Fire of Rome
64 AD
ChristianityPaul and Peter MartyredBefore 68
65 AD
BibleMark's Gospel
66 AD
New TestamentPaul's second imprisonment at Rome
66 AD
ChristianityPaul and Peter martyred
66 AD
ChristianityJewish revolt in Judaea sparks the Roman-Jewish War
70 AD
BibleActs of the Apostles
70 AD
ChristianityDestruction of Jerusalem
70 AD
ChristianityFlight to PellaAccording to Eusebius' Church History 3, 5, 3
70 AD
BibleGospels of Matthew and Luke/Acts
85 AD
BibleJohn writes of Jesus, "the only-begotten Son" (3:16)
90 AD
BibleRevelation is written
93 AD
ChristianityJewish-Roman historian Josephus writes of Jesus in his Antiquities 18When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. ... And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” 
93 AD
ChristianityJewish-Roman historian Josephus writes of Jesus in his Antiquities 20the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.
95 AD
ChristianityJohn dies
96 AD
ChristianityClement's first letter describes Jesus 'whose blood was given for us'Let us fear the Lord Jesus [Christ], whose blood was given for us. (1Clem 21:6)
96 AD
Christianity1 Clement
100 AD
ChristianityDidache
100 AD
BibleMara Bar Serapion, a pagan philosopher, writes of Jesus, Israel's 'wise king'What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samon gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea; the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in dispersion. But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given.
100 AD
BiblePapyrus 104, an extant NT manuscriptDated between 100-200
100 AD
BiblePapyrus 98Dated between 100-200
100 AD
ChristianityTacitus describes persecution of Christians after the Fire of Rome in AD 64But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. (Annals, 15.44)
100 AD
ChristianityThe Didache describes JesusWe thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of your son David, which you have made known to us through your son Jesus; to you be the glory forever.
107 AD
ChristianityIgnatius' letters
110 AD
BiblePapias writes of authority of the four gospels"And the elder used to say this, Mark became Peter’s interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord. For he had not heard the Lord, nor had followed him, but later on, followed Peter, who used to give teaching as necessity demanded but not making, as it were, an arrangement of the Lord’s oracles, so that Mark did nothing wrong in thus writing down single points as he remembered them. For to one thing he gave attention, to leave out nothing of what he had heard and to make no false statements in them." (Papias, “Interpretation of the Oracles of the Lord”)
110 AD
ChristianityIgnatius writes of the 'only-begotten Son' of God"But our Physician is the only true God, the unbegotten and unapproachable, the Lord of all, the Father and Begetter of the only-begotten Son. We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For 'the Word was made flesh.'" (To the Ephesians, ch.7)
111 AD
ChristianityPliny the Younger, a pagan Roman senator, writes to the Emperor Trajan about Jesus, and the Christians who sang "a hymn to Christ as to a god"“They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.” (Letters, 10.96)
121 AD
ChristianitySuetonius recalls Claudius' expulsion of Christian Jews from Rome in AD49Acts 18:1-3After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, and because he practised the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. "As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus [i.e. Christus/Christ], he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome." (Life of Claudius, 25.4)
130 AD
ChristianityConversion of Justin Martyr
140 AD
ChristianityMarcion arrives at Rome
145 AD
HeresiesInfancy Gospel of James
155 AD
ChristianityJustin Martyr writes of Jesus as God"Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judæa, in the times of Tiberius Cæsar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove. For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all; for they do not discern the mystery that is herein, to which, as we make it plain to you, we pray you to give heed." (First Apology, ch.13)
155 AD
ChristianityJustin Martyr's First Apology
155 AD
ChristianityPolycarp martyred
165 AD
ChristianityLucian of Samosata, a playwright, mocks the Christians"These deluded creatures, you see, have persuaded themselves that they are immortal and will live forever, which explains the contempt of death and willing self-sacrifice so common among them. It was impressed on them too by their lawgiver that from the moment they are converted, deny the gods of Greece, worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws, they are all brothers. They take his instructions completely on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods and hold them in common ownership." (Passing of Peregrinus)
165 AD
HeresiesMontanism emerges
169 AD
ChristianityTheophilus of Antioch speaks of the 'Trinity'In his Apologia to Autolycus, Theophilus of Antioch makes early use of the term ‘Trinity’: "the Trinity, of God, his Word, and his Wisdom" in a commentary on Genesis 1 (see Genesis 1:1-3, Genesis 1:26-27)
170 AD
New TestamentMuratorian Canon
175 AD
HeresiesInfancy Gospel of Thomas
175 AD
BiblePapyrus 46, an extant NT CodexDated between 175-225
175 AD
BiblePapyrus 90, an extant NT manuscriptLate second century
177 AD
ChristianityIrenaeus becomes bishop of Lyon
180 AD
ChristianityIrenaeus' Against Heresies identifies Christ as God, and the treasure of Scripture"...but the treasure hid in the Scriptures is Christ, since He was pointed out by means of types and parables. Hence His human nature could not be understood, prior to the consummation of those things which had been predicted, that is, the advent [incarnation] of Christ. And therefore it was said to Daniel the prophet: Shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of consummation, until many learn, and knowledge be completed. For at that time, when the dispersion shall be accomplished, they shall know all these things. Daniel 12:4, 7 But Jeremiah also says, In the last days they shall understand these things. Jeremiah 23:20 For every prophecy, before its fulfilment, is to men [full of] enigmas and ambiguities. But when the time has arrived, and the prediction has come to pass, then the prophecies have a clear and certain exposition. And for this reason, indeed, when at this present time the law is read to the Jews, it is like a fable; for they do not possess the explanation of all things pertaining to the advent of the Son of God, which took place in human nature; but when it is read by the Christians, it is a treasure, hid indeed in a field, but brought to light by the cross of Christ..." (Against Heresies, Book IV, ch.26)
197 AD
ChristianityTertullian converts
200 AD
BibleBodmer PapyriA collection of Christian and pagan writings, the oldest from around 200
202 AD
ChristianitySeverus forbids conversions
203 AD
ChristianityPerpetua and Felicitas martyred
225 AD
BibleChester Beatty PapyriLate second to early third century
230 AD
ChristianityMegiddo Mosaic includes inscribed worship of "God Jesus Christ."Luke 22:19He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” Discovered in 2005 and dated to 230 AD, this Greek inscription around a communion table in a prayer hall at Megiddo, Palestine, explicitly identifies Jesus as God. It reads: "The God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial."
230 AD
ChristianityOrigen moves to Palestine
235 AD
ChristianityDeath of Hippolytus
249 AD
ChristianityDecian persecution begins
254 AD
ChristianityDeath of Origen
257 AD
ChristianityValerian persecution
300 AD
BibleCodex BobiensisDated between 300-400
300 AD
BibleCodex Sinaiticus
300 AD
BibleCodex Vaticanus (the oldest intact Bible)
300 AD
BibleUncial 0171
303 AD
ChristianityDiocletian's Great Persecution begins
311 AD
ChristianityDiocletian's Great Persecution ends
313 AD
ChristianityChristianity legalised in the Roman Empire
325 AD
Christian CouncilsCouncil of Nicea
330 AD
BibleCodex Sinaiticus (the oldest intact New Testament)
336 AD
ChristianityFirst recorded celebration of Christmas Feast (and Sol Invictus) in Rome
379 AD
ChristianityFirst December Christmas feast at Constantinople
380 AD
ChristianityChristianity adopted as the Roman Imperial religion
381 AD
Christian CouncilsFirst Council of ConstantinopleAddressed Arianism, Apollinarism, Sabellianism, Pneumatology (Holy Spirit)
388 AD
ChristianityFirst December Christmas feast at Antioch
397 AD
ChristianityAugustine's Confessions
431 AD
Christian CouncilsCouncil of EphesusAddressed Nestorianism, Theotokos, Pelagianism
451 AD
Christian CouncilsCouncil of ChalcedonAddressed questions about the relationship between Christ's humanity and divinity
500 AD
HeresiesArabic infancy gospel
550 AD
HeresiesPseudo-Matthew
553 AD
Christian CouncilsSecond Council of ConstantinopleAddressed Nestorianism, Monophysitism, Origenism
570 AD
IslamMuhammad is born
595 AD
IslamMuhammad marries his first wife, KhadijaKhadija is 40, and Muhammad is 25.
596 AD
ChristianityGregory The Great launches a mission to Britain
600 AD
ChristianityEastern and Western Rome are largely 'Christianised'
610 AD
Qur'anMuhammad claims his first Quranic revelation
617 AD
IslamMuhammad engaged to Aisha
620 AD
IslamMuhammad marries AishaAisha is 9, and Muhammad is 50.
622 AD
IslamStart of the Islamic Calendar [1AH]The first year of the Islamic calendar, coinciding with when Muhammad migrated to Medina, and the Islamic community began to win significant victories.
624 AD
(2 AH)
IslamBattle of Badr
625 AD
(3 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries HafsaHafsa is 20, and Muhammad is 55.
626 AD
(4 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries Umm Salama
626 AD
(4 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries Rayhana
627 AD
(5 AH)
IslamBattle of the TrenchThis is followed shortly after by the massacre of Jewish prisoners of the Banu Quraysh.
627 AD
(5 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries ZaynabZaynab is 36, and Muhammad is 57.
627 AD
(5 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries JuwayriyyaJuwayriyya is 20, and Muhammad is 57.
628 AD
(6 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries Safiyya (19)Safiyya is 19, and Muhammad is 58.
629 AD
(7 AH)
IslamMuhammad's armies conquer the Jewish settlement of Khaybar
629 AD
(7 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries Umm Habiba (30)Umm Habiba is 30, and Muhammad is 59.
629 AD
(7 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries Maria
629 AD
(7 AH)
IslamMuhammad marries MaymunaMaymuna is 28, and Muhammad is 59.
630 AD
(8 AH)
IslamConquest of Mecca
632 AD
(10 AH)
IslamMuhammad dies
632 AD
(10 AH)
IslamAbu Bakr becomes Caliph
632 AD
(10 AH)
IslamRashidun Caliphate
632 AD
(10 AH)
IslamWars of Apostasy begin
634 AD
(12 AH)
IslamChristian and Jewish writers begin to write reports of the 'Saracen' conquests
634 AD
(12 AH)
IslamUmar al-Khattab becomes Caliph
636 AD
(14 AH)
IslamBattle of Yarmuk
636 AD
(14 AH)
IslamConquest of Iraq and Persia begins (-646)
637 AD
(15 AH)
IslamDamascus surrendered
638 AD
(16 AH)
IslamJerusalem surrendered
642 AD
(20 AH)
IslamAlexandria and Egypt surrender
644 AD
(22 AH)
IslamUthman becomes Caliph
647 AD
(25 AH)
IslamTunisia raided
650 AD
(28 AH)
Qur'anCaliph Uthman orders compilation of an 'authorised' Qur'an, with variant versions burned
656 AD
(34 AH)
IslamSunni-Shia split begins (-661)
656 AD
(34 AH)
IslamAli ibn Abi Talib becomes Caliph
661 AD
(39 AH)
IslamAli murdered
661 AD
(39 AH)
IslamMu'awiya of Damascus defeats Ali
661 AD
(39 AH)
IslamUmayyad Caliphate
669 AD
(47 AH)
Qur'anLower Sana'a manuscript (pre-Uthmanic) (earliest date)Earliest date: 632
669 AD
(47 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Birmingham manuscript 328(c)Earliest date: 578. 18 leaves, 2 of which were found in 2015.
670 AD
(48 AH)
IslamHassan ibn Ali mudered
675 AD
(53 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Tubingen FragmentEarliest date: 649 (Suras 17:36-36:56)
680 AD
(58 AH)
Christian CouncilsThird Council of Constantinople (-681)Addressed Monothelitism, concerned with the relationship of the human and divine will of Jesus (see Luke 22:42).
680 AD
(58 AH)
IslamHussain ibn Ali killed at Battle of Karbala
691 AD
(69 AH)
IslamJerusalem's Dome of the Rock completed under Caliph Abd Al-Malik
700 AD
(78 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Birmingham manuscript 328 (ab) - approximate date (C7-8)118 folios (45% of today's Qur'an). (Suras 10:35-11:95; 20:99-23:11, parts of suras 18-20)
700 AD
(78 AH)
Qur'anUpper Sana'a manuscript (mostly Uthmanic)82 folios, or about 50% of today's Qur'an. Contains 17 page variants which deviate from Cairo Qur'an. "Although the suras of the lower text do not follow the canonical order and have many additional words and phrases, nevertheless, with only two exceptions, within each sura, the surviving lower text presents the same verses as the standard Qur'an and in exactly the same order – the exceptions being in sura 20, where Sadeghi and Goudarzi find that verses 31 and 32 are transposed, and in sura 9, where Sadeghi and Goudarzi find that the whole of verse 85 is absent."
711 AD
(89 AH)
IslamArmies reach Indus River (Sindh, Pakistan)
711 AD
(89 AH)
IslamMoors cross into Spain
711 AD
(89 AH)
IslamTariq crosses from Gibraltar into Spain
732 AD
(110 AH)
IslamBattle of Tours
750 AD
(128 AH)
IslamAbbasid Caliphate
750 AD
(128 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Topkapi manuscript (Kufic) - approximate date
765 AD
(143 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesIbn Ishaq's writes Life of Muhammad (biography)
787 AD
(165 AH)
Christian CouncilsSecond Council of NiceaAddressed Iconoclasm
795 AD
(173 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesMuwatta Malik hadith (Kutub al Sittah - disputed)
833 AD
(211 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesIbn Hisham writes Sirat Rasul Allah (biography)
855 AD
(233 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Samarkand (Kufic)Earliest date: 795
870 AD
(248 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAl Bukhari hadith (Kutub al Sittah)
875 AD
(253 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAl Muslim hadith (Kutub al Sittah)
883 AD
(261 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesTafsir al Tabari
887 AD
(265 AH)
Hadith and Biographiesibn Majah hadith (Kutub al Sittah - disputed)
888 AD
(266 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAbu Dawud hadith (Kutub al Sittah)
892 AD
(270 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAl Tirmidhi hadith (Kutub al Sittah)
900 AD
(278 AH)
IslamTraders crossing into West Africa and settling in coastal East Africa
909 AD
(287 AH)
IslamFatimid Caliphate
915 AD
(293 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAl Sughra [Al Nasa'i's] hadith (Kutub al Sittah)
923 AD
(301 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesAl Tabari, Baidawi and Zamakshari write tafsir
929 AD
(307 AH)
IslamUmayyad Caliphate of Cordoba
969 AD
(347 AH)
IslamCairo founded as centre of Fatimid dynasty and Islam
971 AD
(349 AH)
Old TestamentSolomon reigns (-931)1 Kings 11:42The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
1009 AD
(387 AH)
IslamAl-Hakim destroys the Holy Sepulchre
1023 AD
(401 AH)
CrusadesKnights of St John
1054 AD
(432 AH)
IslamAlmoravids of Mauritania conquer Ghana north of the river Niger
1060 AD
(438 AH)
IslamReconquista begins
1071 AD
(449 AH)
IslamBattle of Manzikert
1077 AD
(455 AH)
CrusadesSeljuk Turks control the Holy Land
1095 AD
(473 AH)
CrusadesUrban II calls for Crusade at Clermont
1096 AD
(474 AH)
CrusadesCrusaders capture Jerusalem
1096 AD
(474 AH)
CrusadesThe First Crusade begins
1145 AD
(523 AH)
CrusadesSecond Crusade begins1149
1147 AD
(525 AH)
IslamAlmohad Caliphate
1169 AD
(547 AH)
IslamSaladin takes Jerusalem
1187 AD
(565 AH)
IslamSaladin takes Jerusalem
1189 AD
(567 AH)
CrusadesThird Crusade begins1192
1200 AD
(578 AH)
IslamIndonesia and Java come under Islam (-1300)
1202 AD
(580 AH)
CrusadesFourth Crusade
1206 AD
(584 AH)
IslamSultanate of Delhi established
1212 AD
(590 AH)
CrusadesChildren's Crusade
1217 AD
(595 AH)
CrusadesFifth, Sixth and Seventh Crusade1250
1220 AD
(598 AH)
IslamGenghis Khan and Mughals invade Persia
1250 AD
(628 AH)
IslamNorth India conquered under Mahmud of Ghazna
1258 AD
(636 AH)
IslamBaghdad destroyed
1261 AD
(639 AH)
IslamMamluk Sultanate
1291 AD
(669 AH)
CrusadesThe Crusades end
1291 AD
(669 AH)
IslamThe fall of Acre and end of Crusader rule
1373 AD
(751 AH)
Hadith and BiographiesIbn Kathir writes of Jesus' 'volunteer' on the cross
1396 AD
(774 AH)
CrusadesThe Last Crusade
1396 AD
(774 AH)
IslamTurks enter Eastern Europe
1453 AD
(831 AH)
IslamConstantinople falls to Ottoman Turks
1453 AD
(831 AH)
IslamTurks capture Constantinople
1492 AD
(870 AH)
IslamFall of Granada marks end of Muslim rule in Spain
1503 AD
(881 AH)
IslamPersia becomes Shi'ite
1517 AD
(895 AH)
IslamOttoman Caliphate
1518 AD
(896 AH)
Other HistoryMartin Luther posts the 95 theses
1526 AD
(904 AH)
IslamMughal Empire in North India
1529 AD
(907 AH)
IslamSiege of Vienna
1550 AD
(928 AH)
HeresiesThe Gospel of Barnabas
1565 AD
(943 AH)
IslamMalta repels Turkish attack
1683 AD
(1061 AH)
IslamVienna repels Turkish attack
1700 AD
(1078 AH)
IslamMuslim states in sub-Sahara
1702 AD
(1080 AH)
IslamShah Wali Allah born
1703 AD
(1081 AH)
IslamMuhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab born
1755 AD
(1133 AH)
IslamYogyakarta Caliphate
1757 AD
(1135 AH)
Other HistoryBritish expansion in India begins
1780 AD
(1158 AH)
HeresiesKarl Friedrich Bahrdt develops an early 'swoon theory'
1792 AD
(1170 AH)
Other HistoryWilliam Carey begins ministry in India
1798 AD
(1176 AH)
Other HistoryNapoleon occupies Egypt
1800 AD
(1178 AH)
IslamJihad Wars bring West African Muslims into more strict adherence (-1880)
1804 AD
(1182 AH)
IslamSokoto Caliphate
1817 AD
(1195 AH)
IslamSayyid Ahmad Khan born
1833 AD
(1211 AH)
HeresiesOxford Movement begins (Tractarianism)
1839 AD
(1217 AH)
IslamJamal al-Din al Afghani born
1849 AD
(1227 AH)
IslamMuhammad 'Abduh born
1854 AD
(1232 AH)
ChristianityPfander debates at Agra, India
1857 AD
(1235 AH)
IslamIndian Mutiny and War of Independence
1873 AD
(1251 AH)
IslamMuhammad Iqbal born
1881 AD
(1259 AH)
Other HistoryBritain seizes Egypt after Urabi Revolution
1887 AD
(1265 AH)
HeresiesFriedrich Nietzsche mocks the idea of 'God on a cross'
1889 AD
(1267 AH)
IslamAhmadiyya sect founded
1900 AD
(1278 AH)
IslamAyatollah Khomeini born
1903 AD
(1281 AH)
IslamMawlana Abul A'la Mawdudi born
1906 AD
(1284 AH)
IslamHasan al-Banna born
1906 AD
(1284 AH)
IslamSayyid Qutb born
1910 AD
(1288 AH)
ChristianityEdinburgh Missionary Conference
1917 AD
(1295 AH)
Other HistoryGeneral Allenby enters Jerusalem
1918 AD
(1296 AH)
Other HistoryDefeat of Ottoman Turks
1919 AD
(1297 AH)
IslamKhilafat Movement
1924 AD
(1302 AH)
IslamOttoman Caliphate abolished
1924 AD
(1302 AH)
Qur'anQur'an: Cairo Edition
1924 AD
(1302 AH)
IslamSharifian Caliphate
1947 AD
(1325 AH)
BibleFirst dead sea scrolls discovered at Qumran
1948 AD
(1326 AH)
Other HistoryState of Israel established
1961 AD
(1339 AH)
ChristianityPilate Stone discovered
1990 AD
(1368 AH)
ChristianityCaiaphas' ossuary discovered
2003 AD
(1381 AH)
ChristianityOssuary of James, brother of Jesus, discoveredAlthough this ossuary dates to the first century, the Israeli Antiquities Authority questions the inscription, which some consider a later forgery
2015 AD
(1393 AH)
Qur'anDiscovery of 2 oldest leaves of Birmingham manuscript Qur'an