Era 13 of 13

The apostolic church

AD 33–10067 years

Acts – Revelation

Pentecost, the spread of the gospel, the letters, and Revelation (written about AD 95).

How the dates are set: From Pentecost, 24 May AD 33 (Ussher), to about AD 100, after the death of John, the last apostle. Dates to AD 44 are Ussher’s; from Paul’s first journey on, the conventional chronology anchored by the Gallio inscription (AD 51–52) is plotted, with Ussher’s dates in the notes. Revelation is shown by its writing, about AD 95; the future events it foretells are not placed on the timeline.

Events 54

• Pentecost: the Holy Spirit is poured out Sunday, 24 May AD 33
  On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came on the believers with a sound like a rushing wind and tongues like fire. They spoke in the languages of Jews gathered from across the world, Peter preached Christ crucified and risen, and about three thousand were baptized.
• Peter and John heal a man lame from birth AD 33
  At the temple's Beautiful Gate, Peter told a man lame from birth to walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and he leaped up praising God. Arrested and questioned by the council, Peter and John refused to stop speaking about Jesus.
• The believers share everything; Ananias and Sapphira AD 33
  The believers were of one heart and soul, sharing their possessions so that no one among them was in need. Barnabas sold a field and gave the money; Ananias and Sapphira lied about theirs and died.
• The apostles are flogged; Gamaliel's advice AD 33
  As the apostles healed the sick in Solomon's porch, the high priest had them jailed. An angel released them, and brought again before the council they answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
• Seven men chosen to serve AD 33
  When Greek-speaking believers complained that their widows were overlooked in the daily distribution of food, the apostles had the church choose seven men full of the Spirit and wisdom, including Stephen and Philip, to oversee it.
• Stephen, the first martyr AD 33
  Stephen, full of grace and power, was accused of speaking against the temple and the Law. After tracing Israel's history before the council, he saw the heavens opened and was stoned to death, praying for his killers. A young man named Saul approved.
• Philip preaches in Samaria AD 34
  Scattered by persecution, Philip proclaimed Christ in Samaria. Crowds believed and were baptized, and when Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them, the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit.
• Philip baptizes an Ethiopian official AD 34
  On the desert road to Gaza, Philip met a court official of the queen of Ethiopia reading Isaiah 53 in his chariot. Philip told him the good news about Jesus, and the official asked to be baptized.
• Saul meets the risen Jesus on the Damascus road AD 35
  On his way to arrest believers in Damascus, Saul was struck down by a light from heaven and heard Jesus ask why he was persecuting him. Blinded, he was led into the city, where Ananias laid hands on him; he regained his sight, was baptized, and began preaching Jesus.
• Saul escapes Damascus and visits Jerusalem AD 37
  When the Jews of Damascus plotted to kill him, the disciples let Saul down through an opening in the wall in a basket. In Jerusalem Barnabas vouched for him, and he stayed with Peter fifteen days before being sent home to Tarsus.
• Peter heals Aeneas and raises Dorcas AD 38
  Visiting the believers along the coast, Peter healed Aeneas, paralyzed for eight years, at Lydda, and at Joppa raised Tabitha (Dorcas), a disciple known for her good works, from the dead.
• Peter and Cornelius: the gospel to the Gentiles AD 40
  A vision of unclean animals taught Peter not to call unclean what God had cleansed. Sent for by Cornelius, a Roman centurion at Caesarea, Peter preached to his household, and the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentiles as he spoke.
• Disciples first called Christians at Antioch AD 43
  At Antioch in Syria, believers began preaching to Greeks as well as Jews, and a great number believed. Barnabas came from Jerusalem, brought Saul from Tarsus, and they taught there a whole year.
• Herod Agrippa kills James; an angel frees Peter AD 44
  King Herod Agrippa I had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. Seeing that it pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but the night before his trial an angel led Peter out of prison.
• Herod Agrippa I dies at Caesarea AD 44
  At Caesarea, Herod Agrippa appeared in royal robes and gave a speech; the crowd shouted that it was the voice of a god. Because he did not give God the glory, he was struck down and died.
• Antioch sends famine relief to Jerusalem AD 44
  The prophet Agabus foretold a great famine, which came in the reign of Claudius. The believers at Antioch sent relief to the brothers in Judea by Barnabas and Saul.
• Paul's first missionary journey: Cyprus and Galatia AD 46–48
  Sent out by the church at Antioch, Barnabas and Saul (now called Paul) preached across Cyprus and into the interior of Asia Minor, founding churches at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
• James writes his letter AD 46
  James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote to Jewish believers scattered abroad: genuine faith shows itself in works, controlled speech, care for the poor, and patience in trials.
• Paul writes Galatians AD 48
  Hearing that teachers were persuading his Galatian converts that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved, Paul wrote in alarm: we are justified by faith in Christ, not by the works of the law.
• The council at Jerusalem AD 49
  When some insisted that Gentile believers must be circumcised, the apostles and elders met in Jerusalem. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas told of God's work among the Gentiles, and James proposed that they not be burdened with the Law, apart from a few requests.
• Paul's second journey: the gospel reaches Europe AD 49–52
  After a sharp disagreement with Barnabas over John Mark, Paul set out with Silas, was joined by Timothy and Luke, and, called by a vision of a man of Macedonia, crossed into Europe: Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth.
• Lydia, a slave girl, and a jailer: the church at Philippi AD 50
  At Philippi, Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, believed and opened her home. When Paul freed a slave girl from a spirit of divination, her owners had Paul and Silas beaten and jailed; at midnight an earthquake opened the doors, and the jailer and his household believed.
• Paul speaks at the Areopagus in Athens AD 50
  Distressed by the idols of Athens, Paul reasoned in the synagogue and the marketplace. Brought before the Areopagus, he proclaimed the unknown God whom they worshiped in ignorance, the Creator who now commands all people to repent.
• Eighteen months at Corinth; Gallio dismisses the charges AD 51
  At Corinth Paul worked as a tentmaker with Aquila and Priscilla, Jews recently expelled from Rome by Claudius. The Lord encouraged him in a vision, and he stayed a year and six months. When the Jews brought him before the proconsul Gallio, Gallio refused to hear the case.
• Paul writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians from Corinth AD 51
  Forced out of Thessalonica after only a few weeks, Paul wrote from Corinth to encourage the young church under persecution, to answer their questions about believers who had died, and to calm fears that the day of the Lord had already come.
• Paul's third journey: three years at Ephesus AD 52–57
  Paul revisited the churches of Galatia and Phrygia, then spent about three years at Ephesus, teaching daily in the hall of Tyrannus, so that all the province of Asia heard the word. He then traveled through Macedonia and Greece and set out for Jerusalem with a collection for its poor.
• The riot at Ephesus AD 55
  Demetrius, a silversmith who made shrines of Artemis, stirred up his fellow craftsmen: Paul's preaching was ruining their trade and the honor of the goddess. The city filled with confusion, and a crowd shouted for two hours in the theater.
• Paul writes 1 Corinthians from Ephesus AD 55
  Troubled by reports of divisions, immorality, lawsuits, and confusion over worship in the Corinthian church, Paul wrote to correct and teach them, including his great chapters on love (13) and on the resurrection (15).
• Paul writes 2 Corinthians from Macedonia AD 56
  Relieved by Titus's report that the Corinthians had repented, Paul wrote his most personal letter, defending his ministry against false apostles and describing both his sufferings and the comfort of God.
• Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus AD 57
  Hurrying to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost, Paul called the elders of Ephesus to meet him at Miletus. He reminded them of his example, warned them of wolves to come, and told them they would not see his face again.
• Paul is arrested in the temple AD 57
  In Jerusalem, a mob seized Paul in the temple, falsely accusing him of bringing Gentiles inside, and Roman soldiers rescued him. After a plot to kill him was uncovered, he was taken by night under heavy guard to the governor Felix at Caesarea.
• Paul writes Romans from Corinth AD 57
  During three winter months in Greece, Paul wrote to the church at Rome, which he had not yet visited, setting out the gospel most fully: all have sinned, and all are justified freely by God's grace through faith in Christ.
• Paul imprisoned at Caesarea: Felix, Festus, and Agrippa AD 57–59
  For two years Paul was held at Caesarea while Felix hoped for a bribe. When Festus succeeded Felix and proposed a trial in Jerusalem, Paul appealed to Caesar. Before Festus sent him to Rome, Paul told his story to King Agrippa II.
• Mark writes his Gospel AD 58
  John Mark, companion of Paul and Peter, wrote the shortest and probably earliest Gospel, a fast-moving account of Jesus as the Son of God who came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
• Voyage to Rome and shipwreck on Malta AD 59
  Sailing late in the season, Paul's ship was caught by a violent northeast wind and driven for two weeks before running aground on Malta. All 276 people aboard reached land safely, as God had promised Paul. In the spring they sailed on to Italy.
• Paul under house arrest in Rome AD 60–62
  In Rome Paul lived for two whole years in his own rented lodging, chained to a soldier, welcoming all who came to him and preaching the Kingdom of God boldly and without hindrance. Here the book of Acts ends.
• Matthew writes his Gospel AD 60
  Matthew, the tax collector who became an apostle, wrote especially for Jewish readers, showing Jesus as the Messiah and Son of David who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, and gathering his teaching into five great discourses.
• Paul writes Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon AD 61
  From prison Paul sent Tychicus to Asia with three letters: Colossians, warning against a false teaching that belittled Christ; Ephesians, on the church as Christ's body; and Philemon, asking a master to welcome back his runaway slave Onesimus as a brother.
• Paul writes Philippians AD 62
  Thanking the Philippians for a gift brought by Epaphroditus, Paul wrote from prison a letter full of joy, urging them to have the mind of Christ, who humbled himself to death on a cross and was highly exalted.
• Luke writes his Gospel and the Acts AD 62
  Luke, the beloved physician and Paul's traveling companion, wrote an orderly account in two volumes for Theophilus: the life of Jesus and the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome.
• James, the Lord's brother, is stoned in Jerusalem AD 62
  James, the brother of Jesus, who had not believed during Jesus' ministry but saw the risen Lord, became the leader of the Jerusalem church. When the governor Festus died, the high priest Ananus had James stoned before the new governor arrived.
• Paul writes 1 Timothy and Titus AD 63
  After his release, Paul left Timothy to lead the church at Ephesus and Titus to set things in order on Crete, and wrote to guide them: sound teaching, qualified elders, godly living, and the grace that saves.
• Peter writes his first letter from “Babylon” AD 64
  Peter wrote to believers scattered through Asia Minor, strangers in a hostile world, encouraging them to endure suffering with hope, following the example of Christ, who suffered for them.
• Nero blames the Christians for the fire of Rome AD 64
  A great fire burned much of Rome. To quiet rumors that he had started it, the emperor Nero blamed the Christians and had many of them put to death with terrible cruelty.
• The letter to the Hebrews is written AD 65
  An unnamed teacher wrote to Jewish believers tempted to turn back, showing that Jesus is greater than the angels, Moses, and the priests of Aaron, and that his one sacrifice has fulfilled the whole sacrificial system.
• Peter's second letter and the letter of Jude AD 66
  Knowing his death was near, Peter wrote to remind believers of the truth and to warn against false teachers. Jude, the brother of James, wrote a short, urgent letter against similar false teachers, urging believers to contend for the faith.
• The Jewish revolt begins; Christians flee Jerusalem AD 66
  Provoked by the governor Florus, Judea rose against Rome. Remembering Jesus' warning to flee when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the Christians of Jerusalem left the city.
• Paul writes 2 Timothy, his last letter AD 67
  Imprisoned again in Rome and expecting death, Paul wrote to Timothy, urging him to guard the gospel, endure hardship, and preach the word, and asking him to come quickly and bring Mark, his cloak, and the scrolls.
• Peter and Paul are martyred in Rome AD 67
  Under Nero, both apostles were put to death in Rome: Paul, a Roman citizen, by the sword, and Peter by crucifixion, as Jesus had foretold.
• Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed AD 70
  After a five-month siege, the Roman army under Titus took Jerusalem, burned the temple, and leveled the city, just as Jesus had foretold forty years earlier. The sacrifices of the Law came to an end.
• John writes his Gospel AD 90
  Late in life, the apostle John wrote a Gospel so that readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in his name. It records the “I am” sayings and Jesus' long teaching to his disciples on the night he was betrayed.
• John writes 1, 2, and 3 John AD 92
  John wrote to churches in Asia shaken by false teachers who denied that Christ had come in the flesh, assuring believers that they could know they had eternal life, and calling them to love one another.
• John on Patmos writes Revelation AD 95
  Exiled to the island of Patmos for the word of God, John saw the risen Christ in glory and received the visions of Revelation, beginning with letters to seven churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
• John, the last apostle, dies at Ephesus AD 98
  According to early church writers, John returned from Patmos to Ephesus after Domitian's death and lived into the reign of Trajan, the last of the Twelve to die. With him the apostolic age came to a close.

People alive in these years 22

Mary, mother of JesusJesusSimon PeterJames, the Lord's brotherAndrewJames, son of ZebedeePhilipBartholomew (Nathanael)ThomasMatthew (Levi)James, son of AlphaeusThaddaeus (Judas, son of James)Simon the ZealotJudas IscariotStephenBarnabasPaul (Saul of Tarsus)Silas (Silvanus)John, son of ZebedeeLukeJohn MarkTimothy

Kings and rulers 24

Herod AntipasPhilip the tetrarchTiberiusPontius PilateRoman prefects of Judea (AD 36-41)CaligulaHerod Agrippa IHerod Agrippa IClaudiusHerod Agrippa IRoman procurators of Judea (AD 44-52)FelixHerod Agrippa IINeroHerod Agrippa IIPorcius FestusAlbinus and FlorusGalba, Otho, VitelliusVespasianRoman legates of JudeaTitus the Roman emperorDomitianNervaTrajan

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