Acts & Paul

Dated lines on the chart

Jerusalem council²⁶⁷ — c. AD 49 (Acts 15:1–35)

Temple destroyed²⁰ — AD 70 (Matt 24:1–2; Luke 21:5–6)

How the dates were worked out

Dates follow the series' System A: the crucifixion on Friday 3 April AD 33 (14 Nisan). Pentecost (Sunday 24 May AD 33) and the forty days before the Ascension are computed from it. Acts gives no years, so Paul's dates are worked out from outside anchors, each read in the ancient text: Aretas IV died c. AD 40; Herod Agrippa I died in AD 44; the famine came under the governors of AD 44–48; Orosius dates Claudius' expulsion of the Jews from Rome to AD 49 (some prefer AD 41); Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from about mid-51 to mid-52 (the Delphi inscription); Felix was sent about AD 52; Festus came about AD 59 (coins of Nero's fifth year); Festus was dead and Albinus on his way in AD 62; Rome burned from 19 July AD 64. Between these anchors the numbers given by Paul and by Luke set the order and the lengths (Gal 1:18; 2:1; Acts 18:11; 19:10; 20:31; 24:27; 28:30). Most of Paul's dates are therefore "about" (c.) and grade D; the Pastoral letters and the deaths of Peter and Paul rest on tradition (grade E). If Festus came in AD 60, everything from Paul's arrest to his two years in Rome moves one year later. Calendar days are Julian. One chronology for the whole series: the Bible's own numbers with the main ancient records. "c." = about; a range (e.g. 6–4 BC) = some time in that range.

Notes

1Claudius's letter at Delphi (late January – 1 August AD 52) names Gallio proconsul: he probably came in spring or summer AD 51 and left by mid-52; some allow 52–53.

2after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room (Acts 24:27). Many date this AD 59 (coins of Nero's 5th year); dates from AD 54 to 60 are argued.

3System A: crucifixion Friday 3 April AD 33. If it was Friday 7 April AD 30, Pentecost was 28 May AD 30 and the undated events of Acts 1–9 may be earlier.

4Pentecost = the 50th day from the sheaf waved on the morrow after the sabbath (Lev 23:11, 15–16): Sunday 5 April AD 33 = day 1 → Sunday 24 May AD 33.

5Not recorded in the Bible. Tradition (1 Clement 5; Eusebius; Jerome) has Peter and Paul die at Rome under Nero, Paul by the sword. Dates given: AD 64–68.

6Worked back from Gal 1:18; 2:1 and the council (c. AD 49): c. AD 34–35 (36 on one counting) if the crucifixion was AD 33. Charts print AD 35–37; "c. AD 44" is impossible.

7Is Gal 2:1–10 the famine visit (Acts 11:30), the council (Acts 15) or Acts 18:22? All three are held: the council is c. AD 48–49 on the first two views, c. AD 47–51 on the third.

81–2 Timothy and Titus fit no point in Acts. Tradition says Paul was freed c. AD 62, travelled, was re-arrested and died in Rome. Many think a later follower wrote them.

9Galatians names no place or year. Early date: c. AD 48–49, before the council, to the churches of Acts 13–14. Later: c. AD 53 (Ramsay) or AD 57–58, between 2 Corinthians and Romans (Lightfoot).

10Damascus was guarded by the governor under Aretas the king (2 Cor 11:32): Aretas IV of Nabataea, who died c. AD 40 — so Paul escaped before AD 40.

11Suetonius: Tiberius died 16 March AD 37; Gaius was killed 24 January AD 41; Claudius died 13 October AD 54. Nero died in June AD 68 (Suetonius, Dio).

12Josephus: Pilate "tarried ten years in Judea"; Vitellius sent him to Rome, but Tiberius died (16 March AD 37) before he arrived. So Pilate governed AD 26–36.

13Josephus: Agrippa I died at Caesarea after reigning "three years over all Judea" (given him in AD 41) → AD 44. James's death and Peter's arrest came before (AD 42–44).

14in the days of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28). Josephus: a great famine in Judea under the governors Fadus and Tiberius Alexander (AD 44–48), at its worst c. 45–48.

15Acts 18:2; Suetonius: Jews expelled for riots "at the instigation of Chrestus". Orosius (AD 417) dates it to Claudius's 9th year = AD 49; some prefer AD 41 (Dio).

16Agrippa II, son of Agrippa I: king of Chalcis c. AD 50, then of Philip's former lands from AD 53 (Josephus); king through the revolt of AD 66–70 and after it; died c. AD 92/93 (or c. AD 100).

17Claudius sent Felix after Cumanus (c. AD 52; Josephus); Tacitus has him ruling Samaria already. Paul: of many years a judge unto this nation (Acts 24:10).

18Josephus (Antiquities 20.9.1): after Festus died and before Albinus arrived, Ananus had "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" stoned — AD 62.

19Tacitus (Annals 15.41, 15.44): the fire began on 19 July AD 64; Nero blamed the Christians and put many to death. Suetonius (Nero 16) records the punishment too.

20Josephus: the war began in AD 66 (Nero's 12th year); the Temple was burned on the 10th of the month Lous (Ab), AD 70 — as Jesus foretold (Luke 21:6).

21being seen of them forty days (Acts 1:3). Day 40 from Sunday 5 April is Thursday 14 May AD 33, the traditional Ascension Day; Acts gives no exact day.

22Acts 3–8 gives no years. These events fall between Pentecost (AD 33) and Saul's conversion (c. AD 34–35); their spacing on the chart is estimated.

23Acts does not date Stephen's death; it came before Saul's conversion (Acts 8:1; 22:20). With System A that means c. AD 34; with AD 30, c. AD 31–34.

24Acts 10 is not dated. It falls between Saul's first visit to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26, c. AD 37) and Agrippa I's persecution (Acts 12, c. AD 42–44); charts print c. AD 40.

25KJV intending after Easter (Acts 12:4) means after the Passover feast — verse 3: Then were the days of unleavened bread.

26The council (Acts 15) is dated c. AD 48–49 — after the 1st journey and before Paul reached Corinth on the 2nd journey (c. AD 50; Gallio AD 51–52).

27Acts does not number Paul's journeys or give their years. The years are worked out from the Gallio anchor and Acts' time words; charts differ by a year or two.

28Gal 1:18 after three years; Gal 2:1 fourteen years after. Counted from the conversion, or one after the other (3 + 14); ancient counting was often inclusive.

29Paul wrote to Corinth at least three times: an earlier letter (1 Cor 5:9), 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. Most scholars add a fourth, the letter written with many tears (2 Cor 2:4).

30Acts calls him Saul until Paphos: Saul, (who also is called Paul,) (Acts 13:9). The name Paul was not given at his conversion.

31Acts does not name its author. From the late 2nd century (Irenaeus) tradition names Luke, Paul's companion (Col 4:14; Phlm 24; 2 Tim 4:11), as the narrator of the we passages.

32Acts 18:11 a year and six months, then yet a good while (18:18). Aquila was lately come from Italy (18:2) → Paul in Corinth c. AD 50–52.

33Acts 19:8, 10: three months, then two years, and more (19:22). Paul calls it by the space of three years (Acts 20:31) — counted inclusively.

34Written in the three months in Greece (Acts 20:2–3) as Paul set out with the collection for Jerusalem (Rom 15:25–26) — winter AD 56/57, months before his arrest.

35Paul hurried to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost (Acts 20:16). Ramsay dated this trip AD 57 from the weekdays of Acts 20:6–7; Bruce agrees but calls it unproved.

36Sailing was dangerous because the fast was now already past (Acts 27:9) — the Day of Atonement (10 Tishri): about 5 October in AD 59 (computed; Ramsay, Bruce).

37Acts ends with Paul two whole years in Rome (28:30): c. AD 60–62 (61–63 if Festus came in AD 60). Acts does not say how his case ended.

38Paul, Silas and Timothy were together at Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1) → both letters c. AD 50–51. Many critical scholars date 2 Thess later.

39James, 1–2 Peter and Hebrews give no date. Scholars' dates for them range widely, so they are listed in the study notes, not drawn on the chart.

40Written in bonds (Eph 6:20; Col 4:3). Tradition and many scholars place these letters in Rome (c. AD 60–62); others in Caesarea (c. 57–59) or a possible imprisonment at Ephesus (c. 53–55).

Key

dashed = reconstructed date (scholars differ). Certainty: A Stated in Scripture · B Worked out from Scripture · C Ancient record or astronomy · D Scholarly reconstruction · E Tradition / uncertain — scholars differ.