Biblical Timeline
Key events from Creation to the Early Church
Divided Monarchy
~930-605 BCE
Kingdom Divides
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.
Elijah's Contest on Mount Carmel
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."
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
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.
Sennacherib Besieges Jerusalem
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.
Josiah's Reforms
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."
Battle of Carchemish
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.
6 events · Sources: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts