Timeline of NT Events
323 BC Alexander the Great dies in India and is buried in Memphis, Egypt. General Ptolemy Ireceives control of Egypt and Judea. Fourteen Greek Ptolemies rule Egypt until the suicide of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC.
100 BC Birth of Julius Caesar.
70-71 BC Generals Pompey the Great andCrassus defeat uprising of slaves lead by Spartacus, andcrucify 6,000 slaves along the Appian Way. Body of Spartacusis never found.
60BCJulius Caesar with Pompey, and Crassus form the first triumvirate of Rome, rule by three men.
58-50 BC Caesar campaigns in Gaul (France, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Northern Italy). Crassus is killed by Parthians in Persia(Iran).Caesar appoints Mark Antony as his tribune to the senate.
49BC Civil war begins between Caesar and Pompey who flees to Egypt. Egypt is ruled jointly by Cleopatra VII and younger brother Ptolemy XIII. Pompey is beheaded by order ofPtolemy which insults Rome.Caesar battles the Egyptians who murdered Pompey. Ptolemydrowns in Battle of the Nile.Caesar is charmed by Cleopatra and makes her ruler of Egypt. They have a son, Caesarian, but he cannot rule Romesince he isn’t a Roman citizen. Caesar has three Roman wives, but no surviving children, and adopts Octavian, his grand nephew as heir.
47BC Herod Antipater is installed as governor of Judea byCaesar. He appoints his son Herod the Great as ruler of Judea.
44BC Julius Caesar isassassinated in Rome while Cleopatra is visiting.
43-31BCSecond triumvirate is formed of Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus. Lepidus over extends authority and is expelled.Antony and Octavian disagree over who rules parts of the RomanEmpire. Antony heads to Egypt and is also charmed byCleopatra.Antony returns to Rome. He and Octavian solve their disagreement and he marries Octavian’s sister, Octavia. He returns to Cleopatra.They have three children, twins a boy and girl, and another girl.Octavian declares war against Egypt.
No information on death of Herod Antipater.Herod the Great is crowned King of Judea by Rome. He marries 10 times and has 15 children.
31BCAnthony and Cleopatra aredefeated in battle of Actium. Antony commits suicide followed by Cleopatra. Octavian murders Caesar son,Caesarian and Antony’s son by Roman wife Fulvia. Octavian adoptsAntony and Cleopatra’s children as his own.
27BCOctavian/ Caesar Augustus becomes emperor.
1 BC Birth of Jesus Christ in reign of Caesar Augustus.
2 AD Herod the Great slaughters the innocents, hoping to kill the child born to be King of the Jews.
4ADHerod the Great dies. Four sons become tetrarch or receive one fourth of his kingdom: Herod Antipas 4BC- 39 AD,tetrarch of Galilee in life of Jesus, Herod Phillip 4BC-30AD,tetrarch northern part,Herod Aristobulus 4BC-6AD, tetrarch of Judea and Samaria. Herod Agrippa I,27 AD-44 AD takes over Antipas’ territory when he falls from favor.
14AD Emperor Caesar Augustus is poisoned by wife Livia. Her son Tiberius becomes emperor. He adopts Caligulahis great-nephew.Caligula andHerod Agrippa I are raised at court. Life of Jesus Christ teachings, crucifixion,resurrection and beginnings of early church takes place underTiberius.
18AD Caiaphas a Sadducee is appointed high priest of Israel.
26ADPontius Pilate rules as fifth Roman prefect of Judea.
33ADCaiaphas and his brother-in-law, Annas are high priests when John the Baptist begins teaching. Herod Phillip and Herodias are the parents of Salome.Antipas runs off withPhillips’ wife Herodias.The scandalous affair is condemned by John the Baptist.Antipas arrests John the Baptist for his preaching. Salome does her famous dance. Antipas beheads John the Baptist at urging of Herodias.Caiaphas and Annas have Jesus arrested and tried. Antipas can find no crime, butPontus Pilate sentences Jesus to death.
37AD Emperor Tiberius lapses into a coma, appears dead, revives and is murdered by thePraetorian Guard. Caligula becomes emperor.
41AD EmperorCaligula murdered by Praetorian Guard. Claudius becomes emperor. Gives HerodAgrippa I rule of Judea.
43AD Claudius conquers Britain and orders Jews out of Rome.
44ADHerod Agrippa I dies of worms.
50ADClaudius appoints Cuspius Fadis to rule Judea because Herod Agrippa II is too young.
52ADRoman Felix made governor of Judea.
53AD Herod Agrippa II isappointedgovernor of Judea. Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and appears before Felix and Ananias.Tutullus a Jewish lawyer accuses Paul of rebellion.Felix keeps Paul a prisoner for two years.Paul appeals to Rome as his right as a Roman citizen. Felix is removed and Festussucceeds him as governor. Paul is sent to Caesarea with a guard of 400 infantry and 70 cavalry.Agrippa II listens to Paul’s defense when in prison. Jews request Paul be removed to Jerusalem to be tried by the Jewish Sanhedrin. Festus refuses and tells theJews must meetPaul in Jerusalem. Herod Agrippa II with his sister Bernice arrives to visit Festus. The three met, andPaul is declared innocent, but since he appealed to Caesar/Claudius, Paul must go to Rome.
54 AD EmperorClaudius is poisoned by wife Agrippina mother of Nero. Nero becomes emperor. Paul spends two years in prison in Rome. Nothing is known of his death. It’s possible Nero may have had Paul murdered.
64AD Rome burns and Nero blames the Christians and beginspersecuting them He puts James to the sword, brother of John. Peter possibly murdered in Nero’s reign.
68AD Emperor Nero commits suicide.
Bibliography
Archaeological Study Bible, New International Version, Zondervan, 2005
, articles, Augustus, Caligula, Julius Caesar, Claudius, Cleopatra, Nero, Tacitus, Tiberius, 2016
Carter, Warren, The Roman Empire and the New Testament, Abingdon press, 2006
Clough, Arthur Pugh, Plutarch, Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans, Benediction Classics, 2015
eye witness history.com,Nero Persecutes the Christians, the Burning of Rome 64 AD
Grant, Michael, Tacitus, The annals of Imperial Rome, Penguin books, 1996
Kerrigan, Michael,A Dark History: the Roman Emperors., Metro books ,2008.
Lvick, Barbara, Claudius, Yale University Press, 1990.
New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson , 1995
New marked Reference Bible, King James version, Zondervan Bible Publishers,1978
Puntom, Anne, The World Jesus Knew, Monarch Books,2010
Scott-Kilvert, Cassius Dio, The Roman History. Penguin Books, 1987
Thomson, Alexander and Forester, T, Tranquillus, C. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Benediction Classics, 2014.
Whiston, William,The Complete Works, of Josephus, Thomas Nelson, 1998
Wilkipedia.org. List of Roman emperors