Timeline of the First Century

Paleo-Christian Press

Date	Event
27 BC	Augustus becomes first Roman emperor.
37 BC	Herod becomes king of Judea; begins rebuilding Second Temple.
c. 6–4 BC	Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
6 BC	Sentius Saturninus, governor of Syria, begins a census; Zealots revolt (cf. Acts 5:37).
c. 4 BC	Wise men visit Jesus; Herod massacres children; Judea divided among his sons, Antipas takes Galilee.
c. AD 6	Quirinius completes the census of Judea.
c. AD 7	Jesus celebrates his bar mitzvah at Second Temple in Jerusalem.
AD 14	Tiberius becomes the second Roman emperor.
AD 26	Pontius Pilate becomes governor of Judea.
c. AD 28	John the Baptist is executed by Herod Antipas.
c. AD 25–30	Jesus' ministry of teaching and healing.
AD 30	Jesus' trial, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; apostles begin preaching.
c. AD 35	Stephen martyred; Paul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus; followers first called "Christians" at Antioch (Acts 11:26).
AD 37	Caligula becomes third Roman emperor.
AD 40	Caligula orders a statue of himself to be placed at Second Temple.
AD 41	Caligula assassinated; Claudius becomes fourth Roman emperor.
AD 44	The Romans annex Judea after the death of Herod Agrippa.
c. AD 47–48	Paul's first missionary journey with Barnabas to Cyprus and Galatia.
AD 49	Claudius expels all Jews from Rome, including Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2).
c. AD 49–52	Paul's second missionary journey with Silas to Asia Minor and Greece.
c. AD 50	Council of Jerusalem decides Gentiles need not follow Jewish customs (Acts 15); Paul writes to the Thessalonians.
c. AD 50–70	Synoptic gospels written (Mark, Matthew, Luke); Didachē written in Syria.
c. AD 52	Paul begins his third journey after Jerusalem and Antioch.
c. AD 52–55	Paul stays in Ephesus and writes to the Galatians and Corinthians.
AD 54	Nero becomes fifth Roman emperor.
c. AD 55–57	Paul travels through Greece; writes Romans.
c. AD 57–64	Paul arrested in Jerusalem, imprisoned at Caesarea, appeals to Caesar, travels to Rome, writes Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Timothy, Titus, returns to Rome, and was martyred.
AD 64	Great Fire of Rome; Peter and Paul martyred; Nero blames Christians.
AD 66–70	First Judeo–Roman War; Christians flee to Pella (cf. Matt. 24:16–21); Romans sack Jerusalem and Second Temple; Josephus writes The Jewish War; Jews banned from Jerusalem.
AD 68	Essenes hide Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran; Nero dies.
AD 68–69	Year of the Four Emperors: Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius.
AD 70	Titus becomes tenth emperor; Romans destroy Jerusalem and Second Temple.
AD 79	Vespasian becomes ninth emperor; Mount Vesuvius erupts, destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum.
AD 80	Titus completes the Colosseum.
c. AD 80–90	Gospel of John written.
AD 81	Arch of Titus built; Domitian becomes eleventh emperor.
c. AD 85–90	Three letters of John written.
c. AD 90	John exiled to Patmos; writes Revelation; Council of Jamnia canonizes Hebrew Bible (start of Rabbinic Judaism).
AD 93–96	Domitian persecutes Christians.
c. AD 100	Death of apostle John; codex appears, replacing scrolls.
c. AD 110	Ignatius of Antioch becomes the first documented Christian martyr outside the Bible.
AD 130–135	Second Judeo–Roman War; Jews banned from Judea; Hadrian renames Judea "Palestina" and Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina;" builds shrine to Jupiter on Temple Mount.

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