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 Classroom Forum
Topic B:
Authorship
 Biblical Timeline
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A Biblical Timeline
If you are like me, you probably don't have more than a passing
familiarity with biblical events and history. So, here in a nutshell,
is a timeline of what was happening in the biblical world. Remember,
that although the (historical) books often relate stories (more
or less) chronologically), the books themselves were not necessarily
written at the time or in that same order! Note also, of course
that many events spanned many years, and many dates cannot be
fixed with any certainty. However, it is still helpful to get
a sense of the order of events. (As the dates become more recent,
or have external archeological corroboration, they become more
accurate).
|
Date |
Event |
Described in |
| 1250 BCE ?? |
Exodus from Egypt |
Exodus |
| 1200 BCE |
Conquest of Canaan |
Joshua |
| 1200-1000 BCE |
Formation of Israel as ethnic-national entity (Israelites a tribal
confederacy)
Period of Judges |
Judges |
|
Samuel and the beginning of the monarchy, the United Kingdom under
King Saul |
Samuel |
| ca 1000 BCE |
King David replaces Saul as King.
David chooses (central) Jerusalem as capital |
|
| 960 BCE |
King Solomon builds Temple |
|
| 925 BCE |
After Solomon's death, the kingdom splits:
Rehoboam (Solomon's son) maintains control of the south: land
of Judah and Benjamin
Jeroboam crowned as king for remaining 10 Northern tribes of 'Israel'
and rules from Shechem, capital of new kingdom. Sets up cultic
centers in Dan and Bethel |
|
| 922-722 BCE |
Period of instability |
book of E authored by (Northern) Israelite |
| 848-722 BCE |
King Jehoram of Judah |
book of J authored by Judean |
| 722 BCE |
Assyrians destroy northern Kingdom; Israelites flee to south as
refugees.
King Hezekiah of Judah.
|
II Kings 18
?? JE combined
P probably composed during Hezekiah's reign |
|
King Hezekiah dynasty
Menashe
Amnon |
|
| 622 BCE |
Josiah
Book of Deuteronomy 'found' written by Jeremiah, or his scribe:
Baruch ben Neriyah. |
II Kings 22 |
| 587 BCE |
Fall of Judah under Babylonians; Temple destroyed. (Nebuchadnezzar) |
|
| 539 BCE |
Babylonion empire conquered by Persia |
|
| 538 BCE |
Jews return under Cyrus |
|
| 515 BCE |
Temple rededicated |
|
| 444 BCE |
Ezra redacts Torah |
Nehemiah 8 |
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