The following is a proposed timeline for the events that soon occurred after our Lord’s crucifixion. A few facts to keep in mind:
- Most theologians place Jesus’ birth-year as occurring between 6 to 4 BC.
- There is no year 0 (zero).
- Theologians debate the year of Jesus’ crucifixion to be somewhere between 28AD to 33AD.
DATE / EVENT
30AD – Opening Events; Day of Pentecost; Peter’s sermons, Acts 1-6.
31AD – Stoning of Stephen, Acts 7, following the “one year extension of mercy” found in Luke 13:6-9.
33AD – Disciples scattered; they preach in Judea and Samaria, Acts 8.
35AD – Conversion of Saul, Acts 9. He ministers in Damascus to the Jews who seek to kill him. After three years he escapes from the city and goes to Jerusalem. Sometime during those three years he went to Arabia and returned to Damascus (Gal 1:16-18).
38AD – Saul’s first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. He stays 15 days with Peter, according to Gal 1:18. This fact is not mentioned in Acts. After preaching boldly to the Greek-speaking jews, they seek to kill him. The disciples take him to Caesaria and send him back to Tarsus.
38-45AD – Saul preaches in Syria and Cilicia, (Gal 1:21). No record in Acts of his ministry during these years.
40AD – Peter goes on a preaching tour to Lydda, Joppa, and Caesaria, where Cornelius, Peter’s first Gentile convert, is saved, Acts 9:32 to Acts 10:48.
45AD – Reception of Gentile converts into the Jewish church at Antioch, Acts 11:19-21. Barnabas is sent to investigate the situation. He goes to Tarsus to find Saul; brings him back to minister at Antioch, Acts 11:22-26.
46AD – Barnabas and Saul sent to Jerusalem with famine-relief from the church at Antioch. This is Saul’s second visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, Acts 11:27-30; 12:25.
47-48AD – Saul and Barnabas sent on first missionary journey, Acts 13:1 to Acts 14:25. They went to Cyprus, where Saul’s name is changed to Paul; then to Perga, to Antioch in Pisidia, where Paul for the first time officially turns from the Jews to the Gentiles. They continue to Iconium and Lystra, and then retrace their steps to Antioch in Syria.
49AD – Paul goes to Jerusalem for his third visit, this time to settle the question of Gentile freedom from the Mosaic Law and Circumcision, Acts 15:1-29; Gal 2:1-10. He and Barnabas return to Antioch with a letter for the Gentiles, accompanied by Judas and Silas, Acts 15:30-35.
50-52AD – Paul’s second missionary journey. Going from Antioch he traveled through Cilicia, Lycaonia, Galatia, to Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth, Acts 15:36 to Acts 18:18.
51AD – Gallio becomes proconsul of Achaia in July, cf. Acts 18:12.
51AD – Paul writes the Thessalonian epistles from Corinth, 1Thes 3:1-2; cf. Acts 18:5.
52AD – After spending a year and a half in Corinth, he stopped briefly in Ephesus and then hasted to Jerusalem to keep the feast. This was his fourth visit since his conversion. He then returned to Antioch, Acts 18:18-22.
52AD – Paul begins his third missionary journey. He went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia, and having passed through the interior of Asia Minor, he came to Ephesus, where he labored for three years, cf. Acts 20:31.
54AD – Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, cf. 1 Cor 16:5-8.
55AD – Paul departed from Ephesus to go to Macedonia, and having gone over those parts he came into Greece. It is probable that he went as far as Illyricum, cf. Rom 15:19, which may have taken another year. While in Macedonia he wrote 2 Corinthians. He then went back to Corinth, cf. 2 Cor 2:12-13, from which place it is thought he wrote Galatians.
56AD – Paul wrote Romans, cf. Rom 15:25.
57AD – Leaving Corinth, Paul went through Macedonia to Philippi, and thence to Troas, Acts 20:3-6. Taking a ship from Troas he sailed for Judea in order to keep the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem.
57AD – Paul’s arrival and arrest in Jerusalem.
57-59AD – Paul kept in prison at Caesarea, Acts 24:27.
59AD – Paul begins his trip to Rome for his trial.
60AD – Paul arrives in Rome, after the shipwreck and the winter in Malta, Acts 28:1-11.
60-61AD – Paul writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while awaiting his trial.
61AD – Paul’s trial before Caesar and his acquittal and release from prison. This brings us to the end of the Book of Acts.
Post-Acts Chronology:
61-64AD – Paul’s final journeys. Acts does not state that Paul was acquitted, but there is strong evidence that he was. In Phil 1:19, 24, 25, written while awaiting his trial, Paul expresses great confidence that he will be delivered and spared for further ministry with them. And in Phile 22, written at the same time, Paul asks Philemon to arrange lodgings for him, as he expects to be given back to the believers through their prayers. Again, in Phil 2:19-24 Paul dispatches Timothy to Philippi and states: “But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.“
There is no record in Acts that Paul established a church in Crete, yet in Titus 1:5 he states that he had left Titus in charge of the work in Crete. This visit of Paul and Titus to Crete must have occurred after the end of the Acts. Likewise, in Titus 3:12 we learn that Paul had determined to spend the winter in Nicopolis and wanted Titus to meet him there. Again there is no mention of Nicopolis in the Book of Acts. 1 Timothy and Titus were written after Paul’s release from prison and tell of his subsequent ministry. Paul was not in prison when he wrote these two epistles.
2 Timothy was written when Paul was again in prison in Rome. He knows now that his execution is imminent. We don’t know where or why he was arrested, but some commentators think it might have been at Troas, for he had left his winter garment, along with his books and parchments there, and this suggests that he might have been unable to take these things with him when he was whisked away by the authorities. We do know that the terrible persecution of the Christians by Nero had scattered the believers from Rome and that at Paul’s first defense in court there was no one to witness in his behalf: all had forsaken him. Only Luke remained faithful to the very end. We can only hope that Timothy was able to reach Rome and cheer Paul’s heart before his execution.
65AD – Outbreak of the Jewish War.
70AD – Jerusalem sacked by Titus; thousands of Jews were slain, and the city was completely destroyed.
NOTE: Some of the dates in this chronology are only approximate, and may vary by as much as two or three years.