Year |
Historical Events |
Saul/Paul's Life
|
Undisputed Letters |
Disputed Letters |
References
and Notes |
9 B.C.E.
-40 C.E. |
Aretas rules
Nabataea |
|
|
|
|
14-37 C.E. |
Tiberius emperor |
|
|
|
|
ca. 5-15?
|
|
1) Birth of Saul/Paul in
Tarsus 2) His double name. |
|
|
1)
If Saul was a young man when Stephen was stoned, then based on the
dating adopted below, ca. 10-15 C.E. might be preferable to the often
guessed 5-10.
2)
Many Jews from the Diaspora had both a Hebrew and Greco-Roman name, so
Saul probably had both names from birth. He certainly did not
receive a new Latin name, Paul, when he joined the church!
Acts continues to call him Saul for quite some time after that. Then, without the slightest explanation, Acts says that
Saul is "also known as" Paul and switches (Acts 13:9). It is
possible that Saul always used the name Paul in Greek-speaking
contexts because Saul sounds like a Greek adjective used to describe a
funny or seductive way of walking. |
ca. 21-29? |
|
Education in Tarsus? |
|
|
Acts 21:39; 22:3. It is quite possible that Saul
learned good Greek and basic rhetoric in Jerusalem, but it seems more
likely in Tarsus. On being "brought up" in Jerusalem,
see below. |
30 |
Death of Jesus
|
|
|
|
Some
prefer 33 C.E., but 30 is the majority dating. |
31? |
|
1) Arrival in Jerusalem
2)
Student of
Gamaliel, a famous Pharisee |
|
|
1) 1 Cor
15:8 is usually taken to mean that Saul only met Jesus "in an
abnormal way," i.e., after his death; 2) Even with this late
arrival in Jerusalem, Saul could still have been "brought
up" in the sense of "trained" (Acts 22:3) by Gamaliel for
as much as 5
years before his "conversion." |
ca. 34 |
Gamaliel,
a revered Pharisee, advises
the Sanhedrin not to persecute the Apostles |
|
|
|
Acts
5:33-39. Later in Acts, we find out that some Pharisees are also
Nazarenes. According to Luke, Jesus had friends among the Pharisees (e.g., Luke
13:31). |
36 |
Pilate resigns procuratorship
Jonathan is High Priest
1) Trial and stoning of Stephen;
persecution of Hellenist believers |
Saul
witnesses and approves of Stephen's execution.
2)
Saul "converted" while pursuing Hellenists to Damascus
|
|
|
1) Acts 6:8-8:3.
Reicke suggests that the interregnum of the procurators in 36 gave the newly appointed high
priest Jonathan the opportunity to execute Stephen. Perhaps Saul agreed
with Gamaliel on tolerating the "Hebrews." The "Hellenists" were another
matter. Note
that "youth" (neanias;
7:58) can bear the connotation of impetuous or headstrong. 2) Acts 9:1-22; Gal 1:12,15-17 |
36-38 |
|
Brief trip to Arabia and
return to Damascus |
|
|
Acts 9:20-22; Gal 1:17; 2
Cor 11:32-33 |
37-41
|
Caligula emperor
Marullus procurator of Judea |
|
|
|
Click
here for a list of the procurators of Judea and their coins. |
39 |
Herod Antipas exiled by Caligula
|
First trip to Jerusalem to
meet the Apostles
Return to Tarsus (in Cilicia)
|
|
|
Acts 9:23-29; Gal 1:18-24; 2
Cor 11:32-33. |
41-44 |
Herod
Agrippa I rules Judea |
|
|
|
|
41-54 |
Claudius emperor |
|
|
|
|
42-43 |
Founding of Church at
Antioch (disciples called Christians for the first time) |
|
|
|
Acts 11:19-24 |
44 |
1) Herod Agrippa I's
persecution of the church in Jerusalem 2) Death of Herod Agrippa I
(Judea again a procuratorial province) |
Assistant to Barnabas at Antioch
in Syria |
|
|
1) Acts 12:1-19.
2)
Acts 11:25-26 |
46-48 |
Tiberius
Alexander procurator of Judea |
|
|
|
|
46-47 |
Famine in Judea |
Second trip to Jerusalem;
this time for famine relief |
|
|
Acts 11:27-30.
Barnabas and Saul take a famine relief offering to Jerusalem.
According to the "traditional" way of coordinating the chronology of
Acts and the letters, Paul simply omitted this trip in Gal 2. |
First Journey (47-48 C.E.) and Aftermath
Acts 13-14
Click here
for Map
|
47-48 |
|
From
Antioch to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia,
Lycaonia, and back to Antioch with
Barnabas |
|
|
Acts 13-14 |
48-53 |
Herod Agrippa II
rules parts of Judea (also Cumanus procurator of Judea 48-52) |
|
|
|
|
49 |
Expulsion of Jews from Rome
by Claudius |
Third
trip to Jerusalem for "the Jerusalem
conference" |
|
|
Acts 15; Gal 2:1-10. The Acts version of the
conference resulted in the
"apostolic decree" that circumcision not be required of Gentiles, but
that they were to abstain from idol meat, food not properly drained of
blood, and immorality. The absence, and, on the subject of food, clear
defiance of
the decree in Paul's letters is important. |
50 |
|
"The Antioch incident" |
|
|
Recounted
later by Paul in Gal
2:11-21. Paul's heated confrontation with Peter ("the Antioch
incident") could conceivably have happened in 54 as Reicke
prefers, but the absence
of Barnabas in 1 Thess, and especially Paul's breaking of the
agreement that he would go to the Gentiles and Peter to the Jews on
the second journey favors 50. See item 3 at the bottom for more on this. |
Second
Journey
(50-54 C.E.)
Acts 15:36-18:22
Click here
for Map
|
50 |
|
From
Antioch to Cilicia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Galatia, and Macedonia. |
|
|
"We" passages begin
in Acts 16:10, just after Paul passes through Galatia. In Gal
4:12-15, Paul says he preached to them because he was sick. Did
Doctor Luke join him at this point? |
51 |
|
In Greece at Athens
and Corinth. |
|
|
|
51-2 |
Gallio proconsul of
Greece |
|
1 Thessalonians (from Corinth) |
2 Thessalonians
(actual date late 60s or late 1st cent.?) |
Acts 18:12. Reicke thinks 2 Thess precedes 1 Thess. |
52-60 |
Felix procurator of Judea |
|
|
|
Acts 18:22 |
54 |
|
Return
to Antioch via Caesarea |
|
|
Acts
18:22-23 |
Third
Journey
(54-58 C.E.)
Acts 18:23-21:17
Click here
for Map
|
54 |
Nero emperor |
From
Antioch to Galatia and Phrygia |
|
|
|
55 |
|
In Ephesus |
1) Lost letter to the
Corinthians (from Ephesus)
2) Galatians (from
Ephesus)
|
|
Acts 19:1-20.
1) 1 Cor 5:9. A fragment may be preserved in 2 Cor 6:14-7:1. 2)
The dating of Galatians is very difficult. In
the chronology presented here it could be as early as 51, but
55 is more likely if 4:13 implies two prior visits. Using the South Galatian theory, some date
Galatians to ca. 48, right before the Jerusalem Council, but I find the
North Galatian theory more convincing. (See discussion at the bottom.)
Also, some date Galatians right before Romans. |
early-56 |
|
|
1 Corinthians (from
Ephesus) |
|
Note that Paul's advice on food offered to idols does not mention the Apostolic Decree
of Acts 15, and could be understood to differ from it (1 Cor
10:25-26). |
mid-56? |
|
Second
visit to Corinth |
|
|
2
Corinthians speaks of a painful visit to Corinth that
Acts does not include. This seems odd since the author appears to have
detailed information about this period of Paul's career. Given the author's tendency to omit or significantly alter events that
could
weaken his leading characters (e.g., his "revisions"
of Mark), perhaps he omitted this embarrassing episode intentionally. |
late-56 |
|
In
Ephesus; then Troas |
1) Lost "painful
letter" to the Corinthians (from Troas) |
2) 1 Timothy
(from Ephesus; actual date
early 2d cent.?) |
1) The lost
"painful letter" was in regard to the painful second visit
spoken of in 2 Cor 2:1-4. Paul says he was "testing"
their obedience with it (2 Cor 2:9). 2) Reicke makes an strong case
that the circumstances presupposed in 1 Timothy place it about
here. (So also Johnson.) |
mid-57 |
|
In
Macedonia |
2 Corinthians (from Macedonia) |
|
While a
majority of critical scholars regard 2 Corinthians to consist of two or
more letters of Paul combined by a scribe, strong
rhetorical-critical arguments can be made for
the essential unity of the
letter. |
57-58 |
|
1) Second visit to Corinth
in Acts, but third according to Paul
2) Trip
to Jerusalem via Troas and Miletus |
Romans (from Corinth) |
Titus
(from Corinth after Romans; actual date early 2d cent.?) |
Acts 20; 21:1-14; 2 Cor
13:1 |
58 |
|
1) Arrival in Jerusalem and
Temple Ritual
2) The Offering |
|
|
1) Acts 21:17-26
2) One of the curiosities of Acts is its silence
concerning the offering until after Paul is arrested and defending himself
(24:17), even
though the Paul of Acts speaks of the importance of generosity while on the way
to Jerusalem
(20:35). Is this another case of the author of Acts
modifying something that could make Paul look bad, i.e., that Paul might
appear to have been trying to buy the acceptance of the Jerusalem church?
|
Arrest, Imprisonment, Trials (58-62 C.E.)
(Acts 21:27-28:31)
Click here
for Map
|
58-59 |
|
Arrest in Jerusalem and imprisonment at Caesarea;
Trial before Felix |
Philemon (from Caesarea) |
Colossians
(actual date late 1st cent.?)
1) "Ephesians" (actual date late 1st cent.?) |
Acts 21:27-24:27
1) Some the earliest and best
manuscripts of Ephesians do not have Ephesus or any other place as the destination of
this letter.
|
60-61 |
Festus procurator of
Judea |
Trial before Festus;
Appeal to Caesar;
Appearance before Agrippa;
Departure for Rome;
Winter on Malta; arrival at Rome |
|
2 Timothy;
(shortly after arriving in Rome; actual date early 2d cent.?) |
Acts 25:1-28:15 |
61-2 |
|
Under house arrest in Rome |
Philippians (from Rome) |
|
Acts 28:16-31 |
62 |
1) Hanan becomes High Priest
Death of Festus
Execution of James the brother of Jesus
Albinus procurator of
Judea |
2) Paul
probably executed by Nero |
|
|
1) Hanan, a Sadducee, used
the time between procurators to execute James and some others. The
Pharisees were shocked and protested this action (Josephus,
Antiquities 20.199-201).
2) Note that contrary to
many fictional paintings of a very elderly Paul, he was probably less than
60 years old when executed.
|
64-7 |
Nero's persecution of Christians in Rome
|
Paul possibly
executed by Nero. |
|
|
Eusebius (4th cent.) claims to have information that
Paul was released after his first hearing, continued traveling, and was
later arrested and executed during the Neronian persecution. But
the only evidence he gives is a highly questionable interpretation of a
passage in 2 Timothy, a letter of highly questionable authenticity. Therefore,
many scholars suspect Paul was never released. |