Biblical Timeline
Key events from Creation to the Early Church
Creation & Origins
Traditional dates
Creation of the World
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.
The Great Flood
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.
The Fall — Expulsion from Eden
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 — The First Murder
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.
The Tower of Babel
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.'
5 events · Sources: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts