God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. The traditional Ussher chronology dates this to 4004 BCE; the Jewish calendar calculates 3761 BCE. Most scholars treat these as theological rather than chronological claims.
God judged the earth with a global flood, saving Noah and his family in the ark along with representatives of every kind of animal. Traditional dating places this around 2348 BCE (Ussher), though the date is debated.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God pronounced curses on the serpent, the woman, and the man, and drove them from the Garden of Eden, placing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. This is the event that introduces sin and death into the biblical narrative.
Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve, brought offerings to God. God accepted Abel's animal sacrifice but rejected Cain's offering of fruit. Cain rose up and killed his brother Abel — the first murder recorded in scripture. When God asked where Abel was, Cain replied: 'Am I my brother's keeper?' God cursed Cain to be a wanderer but placed a mark on him for protection.
After the flood, humanity gathered on the plain of Shinar and began building a city with a tower reaching to heaven. God confused their language so they could not understand each other, and scattered them across the earth. This account explains the origin of diverse languages and the name 'Babel' — from the Hebrew word meaning 'to confuse.'
God called Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to the land He would show him, promising to make him a great nation and bless all families of the earth through him. This covenant is foundational to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. At the last moment, God provided a ram as a substitute. This event prefigures the sacrifice of Christ in Christian theology.
Jacob (Israel) and his entire family of 70 persons moved to Egypt during a severe famine, settling in the land of Goshen at the invitation of Joseph, who had risen to become Pharaoh's second-in-command.
Exodus & Conquest
~1446-1200 BCE (debated)
1446 BCE (early) or ~1250 BCE (late)Debated
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, culminating in the tenth plague (death of the firstborn) and the crossing of the Red Sea. The date is debated: the early date of ~1446 BCE is based on 1 Kings 6:1 ("480 years before Solomon's Temple"); the late date of ~1250 BCE is based on archaeological evidence at sites like Jericho and the Merneptah Stele (1208 BCE).
Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the Torah. This covenant between God and Israel established the legal and moral foundation of the nation.
When the people of Israel demanded a king "like all the nations," God directed the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin as Israel's first king. This marked the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy.
After seven years ruling only Judah from Hebron, David was anointed king over all twelve tribes of Israel at age 37 and established Jerusalem as his capital. His reign is considered the golden age of ancient Israel.
After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam refused to lighten the people's tax burden. Ten northern tribes seceded under Jeroboam, forming the Kingdom of Israel. Only Judah and Benjamin remained under Rehoboam, forming the Kingdom of Judah.
The prophet Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. When Baal's prophets failed and Elijah's sacrifice was consumed by fire from the LORD, the people declared: "The LORD, he is the God."
Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and took the first group of captives to Babylon, including the young Daniel and his companions. This began the Babylonian exile prophesied by Jeremiah.
Nebuchadnezzar's army breached the walls of Jerusalem after an 18-month siege, destroyed Solomon's Temple, and deported most of the surviving population to Babylon. The Lachish Letters preserve correspondence from Judah's final days. Jeremiah had warned of this destruction for decades.
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon and issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. The Cyrus Cylinder confirms his policy of restoring displaced peoples. Isaiah had prophesied Cyrus by name approximately 150 years earlier (Isaiah 44:28).
Under the leadership of Zerubbabel and the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the returning exiles completed the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Though smaller than Solomon's Temple, it became the center of Jewish worship for the next 585 years.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod the Great, who died in 4 BCE — placing Jesus's birth at approximately 6-4 BCE. Mary and Joseph had traveled to Bethlehem for a Roman census. Shepherds and later Magi visited the newborn.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, marking the beginning of his public ministry. The Spirit descended like a dove and a voice from heaven said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Luke 3:1 dates this to the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (~26-29 AD).
Jesus delivered his most extensive recorded teaching, including the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, the Golden Rule, and the call to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." This sermon defines the ethical foundation of Christianity.
The Early Church
~30-70 CE
30 or 33 ADApproximate
Day of Pentecost
The Holy Spirit descended on the gathered believers "like a rushing mighty wind" with "cloven tongues like as of fire." Peter preached to the crowd in Jerusalem and about 3,000 people were baptized — the birth of the Christian church.
Stephen, one of the first seven deacons, became the first Christian martyr after delivering a speech before the Sanhedrin recounting Israel's history of rejecting God's messengers. Saul of Tarsus (later Paul) was present and "consenting unto his death."
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven after Abraham interceded and God agreed to spare the cities if even ten righteous people could be found there. Lot and his two daughters escaped. Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Jesus later referenced this destruction as a warning (Luke 17:29).
On the night before meeting his brother Esau, Jacob wrestled with a man until daybreak. The man touched Jacob's hip socket, putting it out of joint, but Jacob refused to let go without a blessing. The man said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.' The name Israel means 'he struggles with God.'
Joseph's brothers, jealous of their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, sold him to Midianite traders for twenty pieces of silver. They dipped his coat of many colors in goat's blood and told Jacob his son was dead. Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Joseph later said to his brothers: 'ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good' (Genesis 50:20).
After years of imprisonment on false charges, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams of seven fat and seven lean cows, predicting seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh appointed Joseph as second-in-command over all Egypt at age 30. Joseph's administration saved Egypt and the surrounding nations — including his own family — from starvation.
The first city conquered by the Israelites under Joshua's command. The walls collapsed after the Israelites marched around the city for seven days. Archaeological dating is debated: Garstang dated destruction to ~1400 BCE, Kenyon redated to ~1550 BCE, Wood argued for ~1400 BCE.
While tending his father-in-law's flock near Mount Horeb, Moses saw a bush that burned with fire but was not consumed. God spoke from the bush, revealing His name as 'I AM THAT I AM' and commissioning Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. Moses objected five times, and God provided signs and appointed Aaron as his spokesman. The date depends on the early (1446 BCE) or late (1270 BCE) Exodus chronology.
God sent ten plagues upon Egypt to compel Pharaoh to release Israel: water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of every firstborn. Each plague demonstrated God's power over specific Egyptian gods. The final plague — the death of the firstborn — was the event that broke Pharaoh's resistance and established the Passover.
While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law for forty days, the people grew impatient and asked Aaron to make them gods. Aaron collected gold earrings and fashioned a golden calf. Moses descended, saw the idolatry, broke the tablets of the Law in anger, ground the calf to powder, and scattered it on water which the people were forced to drink. About three thousand men died that day.
Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan. Ten returned with a fearful report saying the inhabitants were giants and the land could not be conquered. Only Joshua and Caleb urged the people to trust God. The people rebelled and wanted to return to Egypt. God decreed that the entire generation over twenty years old — except Joshua and Caleb — would die in the wilderness over forty years.
God told Moses to ascend Mount Nebo and view the Promised Land he would never enter — because Moses had struck the rock at Meribah instead of speaking to it as commanded. Moses saw the land from Dan to the Negev, from the western sea to the Jordan Valley. He died there at age 120 with his eyesight undiminished. God buried him in an unknown location. No prophet like Moses arose again in Israel until Jesus.
King Solomon completed the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem, fulfilling his father David's dream. Built over seven years, the Temple became the center of Israelite worship and the dwelling place of God's presence on earth.
The Philistine champion Goliath of Gath — over nine feet tall and armored in bronze — challenged Israel's army for forty days. The young shepherd David volunteered, refused Saul's armor, and faced Goliath with five smooth stones and a sling. David struck Goliath in the forehead with a single stone and killed him. David declared: 'the battle is the LORD's.'
David captured the Jebusite fortress of Zion, which became the City of David and the capital of the united kingdom of Israel. The Jebusites had taunted David that even the blind and lame could defend the city. David took it by sending men through the water shaft. Jerusalem has been the center of the biblical narrative ever since — the city where the Temple stood and where Jesus was crucified.
God made an unconditional covenant with David through the prophet Nathan: David's descendant would build a house for God's name, and God would establish that descendant's throne forever. This covenant is the foundation for the messianic expectation — the promise that a son of David would reign eternally. Both Matthew and Luke trace Jesus's genealogy to David to demonstrate this fulfillment.
God appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered him anything he desired. Solomon asked for wisdom to govern God's people. God was pleased and gave him wisdom surpassing all men, along with riches and honor he had not asked for. Solomon's wisdom was demonstrated when two women claimed the same baby and Solomon ordered the child divided — the true mother revealed herself by offering to give up the child to save his life.
Solomon completed the Temple in Jerusalem after seven years of construction. At the dedication, the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Most Holy Place. Solomon prayed a dedication prayer asking God to hear prayers made toward this house. When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering, and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple so that the priests could not enter.
The Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser V and Sargon II conquered Samaria, the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, after a three-year siege. The population was deported and replaced with foreign settlers — the origin of the Samaritans. The Merneptah Stele (1208 BCE) provides the earliest reference to "Israel" outside the Bible.
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. The Taylor Prism (Sennacherib's own record) states he shut Hezekiah up "like a caged bird" but never claims to have taken the city — consistent with the biblical account of miraculous deliverance. Hezekiah prepared by building the Siloam Tunnel to secure Jerusalem's water supply.
King Josiah initiated sweeping religious reforms after the Book of the Law was discovered during Temple renovations. He destroyed pagan altars, centralized worship in Jerusalem, and celebrated a Passover "such as was not kept from the days of the judges."
The Egyptian army under Pharaoh Necho was decisively defeated by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. This battle established Babylon as the dominant power in the ancient Near East and sealed Judah's fate.
God set Ezekiel down in a valley full of dry bones and asked: 'Son of man, can these bones live?' Ezekiel prophesied as commanded. The bones came together, sinew and flesh covered them, and breath entered them — they stood as a vast army. God explained: these bones represent the whole house of Israel who say 'our hope is lost.' God would open their graves and bring them back to their land.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace
King Nebuchadnezzar erected a golden image and commanded all to bow before it. Three Jewish exiles — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — refused. They told the king: 'our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace... But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods.' They were thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking unharmed in the fire.
Under King Darius, Daniel's rivals conspired to make prayer to anyone but the king punishable by death. Daniel continued praying three times daily toward Jerusalem. He was thrown into a den of lions. The king spent a sleepless night and rushed to the den at dawn. Daniel was unharmed: 'My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths.' His accusers were then thrown in and immediately killed.
King Belshazzar of Babylon held a great feast using the sacred vessels taken from the Jerusalem Temple. A hand appeared and wrote on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Daniel interpreted: God had numbered Belshazzar's kingdom and finished it; he had been weighed and found wanting; his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took the kingdom.
The priest and scribe Ezra led a second wave of returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, carrying authorization from the Persian king Artaxerxes to teach the Law of God and establish judges.
Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, received permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. Despite opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, the walls were completed in just 52 days.
The only miracle (besides the Resurrection) recorded in all four Gospels. Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish, with twelve baskets of fragments remaining.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain where his appearance was transformed — "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." Moses and Elijah appeared with him, and God's voice declared: "This is my beloved Son; hear him."
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as crowds spread palm branches and cloaks on the road, crying "Hosanna to the son of David!" This fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 and marked the beginning of Passion Week.
Jesus was crucified at Golgotha under the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. Most scholars date this to either April 7, 30 AD or April 3, 33 AD, based on astronomical calculations of Passover dates and the 15th year of Tiberius (Luke 3:1). Darkness covered the land from the sixth to the ninth hour.
On the third day after crucifixion, women found Jesus's tomb empty. The risen Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and over 500 people over a period of 40 days (1 Corinthians 15:6). This event is the foundation of Christian faith.
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus led his disciples to the Mount of Olives and "was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Two angels told the disciples he would return "in like manner."
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth, announcing she would conceive and bear the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary responded with submission: 'let it be to me according to your word.' This event marks the beginning of the Incarnation.
Elizabeth, Mary's relative and wife of the priest Zechariah, gave birth to John six months before Jesus. Zechariah had been struck mute for doubting the angel's announcement. At the child's circumcision Zechariah's speech was restored and he prophesied over John.
Wise men from the East followed a star to find the young Jesus, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Scripture does not specify their number or names — only that they brought three types of gifts. They visited a 'house' not a manger, suggesting Jesus may have been up to two years old.
Warned in a dream, Joseph took Mary and the infant Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's massacre of children in Bethlehem. Matthew records this as fulfilling Hosea 11:1: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.' The family remained until Herod's death.
Herod the Great, realizing the Magi had not returned, ordered the killing of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Matthew records this as fulfilling Jeremiah 31:15. Josephus does not mention this specific event but records numerous atrocities by Herod in his final years.
After Herod's death the family returned from Egypt. Joseph was warned in a dream not to return to Judea (where Herod's son Archelaus now ruled) and went instead to Galilee, settling in Nazareth. Matthew records this fulfilled: 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'
In accordance with the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for purification and presentation. Simeon, a righteous man to whom the Holy Spirit had promised he would see the Messiah, held Jesus and declared 'now you are letting your servant depart in peace.' The prophetess Anna also praised God.
The only recorded event from Jesus's childhood. During Passover in Jerusalem, the 12-year-old Jesus remained behind in the Temple after his parents departed. After three days they found him sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions. When Mary rebuked him he replied: 'Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?'
John the Baptist began his ministry in the wilderness of Judea preaching repentance and baptizing in the Jordan River. Luke dates the beginning of his ministry to the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (~26-29 AD depending on how the regnal year is calculated). He is identified as the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3: 'a voice crying in the wilderness.'
Immediately after his baptism Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted 40 days and was tempted three times by the devil — to turn stones to bread, to throw himself from the Temple pinnacle, and to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus answered each temptation with scripture from Deuteronomy.
Andrew and another disciple (traditionally identified as John) followed Jesus after John the Baptist pointed to him saying 'Behold, the Lamb of God.' Andrew then brought his brother Simon Peter. The next day Philip was called and brought Nathanael (likely Bartholomew). These were the first disciples.
At a wedding in Cana of Galilee, Jesus turned water into wine at his mother's prompting after the wine ran out. John records this as the first of Jesus's signs, noting it 'manifested his glory' and his disciples believed in him. Jesus told the servants to fill six stone water jars — the wine produced was of superior quality according to the master of the feast.
John records Jesus driving out money changers and animal sellers from the Temple in Jerusalem early in his ministry, overturning their tables and declaring: 'Do not make my Father's house a house of trade.' When asked for a sign Jesus replied: 'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up' — referring to his body. The synoptics record a similar event at the end of his ministry.
A Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council named Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Jesus told him: 'Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' When Nicodemus asked how this was possible, Jesus explained spiritual rebirth and spoke the words recorded in John 3:16.
Traveling through Samaria, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well in Sychar. He revealed knowledge of her five husbands and offered her 'living water.' She became the first person Jesus explicitly told he was the Messiah. Many Samaritans believed because of her testimony.
Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, declaring: 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.' The crowd initially marveled but turned hostile when Jesus implied Gentiles would receive what Israel rejected. They attempted to throw him from a cliff; he passed through their midst.
After a night of prayer Jesus chose twelve from his disciples and named them apostles: Simon (Peter), Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. They were given authority to preach and cast out demons.
A Roman centurion in Capernaum sent elders to ask Jesus to heal his dying servant. When Jesus came near the centurion said he was unworthy for Jesus to enter his house and that Jesus only needed to say the word. Jesus declared he had not found such faith in all Israel. The servant was healed at that hour.
Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead four days after burial in Bethany near Jerusalem. John records Jesus wept at the tomb. Jesus prayed aloud and then commanded: 'Lazarus, come out.' John records this miracle directly provoked the Sanhedrin's decision to seek Jesus's death, with the high priest Caiaphas prophesying unknowingly that one man should die for the people.
On the night before his crucifixion Jesus shared a final Passover meal with his twelve disciples. He instituted the Lord's Supper with bread and cup, washed the disciples' feet, predicted Judas's betrayal and Peter's denial, and gave the farewell discourse recorded in John 13-17. This meal is observed as communion/Eucharist across all Christian traditions.
After the Last Supper Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives with his disciples and prayed in great anguish: 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.' Luke records an angel strengthened him and his sweat became like great drops of blood. Judas then led the arrest party.
After his arrest Jesus was brought before the high priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. The high priest asked directly: 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?' Jesus replied: 'I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' The Sanhedrin condemned him for blasphemy and handed him to Pilate.
Pilate questioned Jesus and found no basis for charges. He attempted to release Jesus by offering the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas (a convicted insurrectionist), but the crowd demanded crucifixion. Pilate washed his hands publicly and handed Jesus over. This trial is confirmed by both Tacitus and Josephus as independent non-Christian sources.
During Jesus's trial Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed — exactly as Jesus had predicted. After the third denial Peter remembered Jesus's words and wept bitterly. This event is recorded in all four Gospels, notable for its honest portrayal of the chief apostle's failure.
After Jesus was condemned Judas returned the 30 silver pieces to the chief priests, declared 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,' and went out and hanged himself. Matthew records the priests used the money to buy a potter's field called the Field of Blood. Acts 1:18-19 describes him falling headlong and his body bursting open — different in detail but recording the same death.
Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin who had not consented to Jesus's death, requested the body from Pilate and buried Jesus in his own new tomb hewn from rock, sealed with a large stone. Nicodemus brought myrrh and aloes for burial preparation. Matthew records Pilate assigned guards to the tomb at the request of the chief priests.
Acts 1:3 records Jesus appearing to the apostles over a period of 40 days speaking about the kingdom of God. Paul's early creed in 1 Corinthians 15 lists: Cephas, then the twelve, then more than 500 at once (most still living when Paul wrote), then James, then all the apostles, then Paul himself. The Great Commission was given during this period.
Saul of Tarsus, while traveling to Damascus to arrest Christians, was struck down by a blinding light and heard the voice of Jesus: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" This conversion transformed Christianity's greatest persecutor into its greatest missionary.
Herod Agrippa I "killed James the brother of John with the sword" — making James the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred. Peter was arrested next but miraculously escaped prison.
Paul and Barnabas traveled through Cyprus and southern Asia Minor (modern Turkey), preaching in synagogues and establishing churches in Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. This journey established the pattern of bringing the gospel to Gentiles.
The apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem to resolve whether Gentile converts must follow the Jewish law. Peter, Paul, and James spoke, and the council decided that Gentiles need not be circumcised — a defining moment for Christianity's identity as distinct from Judaism.
The Roman general Titus besieged and destroyed Jerusalem after the Jewish revolt that began in 66 AD. The Temple was burned and demolished, fulfilling Jesus's prophecy that "there shall not be left here one stone upon another." The Arch of Titus in Rome depicts soldiers carrying the Temple menorah.
Peter and John healed a man who had been lame from birth at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. Peter declared: 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.' The man entered the Temple walking and leaping. This led to Peter's second major sermon and their first arrest by the Sanhedrin.
Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold property but kept back part of the proceeds while claiming to give the full amount. Peter confronted each separately saying they had lied not to men but to God. Each fell dead immediately. This event is described as causing great fear throughout the church and beyond.
As the Jerusalem church grew a dispute arose over the daily distribution of food to Hellenistic Jewish widows. The apostles proposed appointing seven men of good repute to oversee this practical ministry. Seven were chosen including Stephen and Philip. This is widely regarded as the institution of the diaconate.
An angel directed Philip to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza where he encountered an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah 53. Philip asked: 'Do you understand what you are reading?' and explained that the passage described Jesus. The official believed and was baptized. He then went on his way rejoicing — carrying the gospel to Africa. Philip was then transported by the Spirit to Azotus.
A Roman centurion named Cornelius had a vision directing him to send for Peter. Peter simultaneously received a vision of clean and unclean animals with the command: 'What God has made clean, do not call common.' Peter went to Cornelius's house and preached. The Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles as Peter spoke, and they were baptized. This event opened the church formally to Gentile believers.
Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church from Corinth during his third missionary journey, likely ~57 AD — one of the most precisely dateable Pauline letters because of references to Gallio's proconsulship in Acts 18. Romans is Paul's most systematic theological statement, addressing justification by faith, Israel's place in God's plan, and Christian ethics. It became foundational to Reformation theology.
Paul went to Jerusalem despite warnings from the prophet Agabus that he would be bound there. He was arrested in the Temple when a mob accused him of bringing Gentiles past the Court of Gentiles. Roman soldiers rescued him from the crowd. He was held in Caesarea for two years under Felix and Festus before appealing to Caesar and being sent to Rome.
After surviving a shipwreck on Malta, Paul arrived in Rome under house arrest. Acts records he lived there two full years at his own expense, welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus Christ. Acts ends here — whether Paul was released and continued ministry (suggested by the Pastoral Epistles) or was executed is not recorded in Acts.
The apostle John received and recorded the visions of Revelation while exiled on the island of Patmos 'on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.' Early church tradition (Irenaeus, Eusebius) dates this to the reign of Emperor Domitian (~81-96 AD). John addresses seven churches in Asia Minor before recording the visions.