| Exilic and Post-Exilic History | ||
|---|---|---|
| 586 B.C. | Gedaliah is made governor of Jerusalem but is murdered; many Jews flee to Egypt against Jeremiah's warnings. | 2 Kgs 25:22-26; Jer 40:1-44:30 |
| 586 B.C. | Ezekiel's lament for Pharaoh. | Ezek 32:1-32 |
| c. 586 B.C. | the birth of Jehoiachin's sons Shealtiel in Babylon. | 1 Chr 3:17-18 |
| 585 B.C. | Ezekiel prophesies ultimate restoration. | Ezek 33:1-39:29 |
| 582 B.C. | the final deporation of Jews to Babylon. | Jer 52:30 |
| 573 B.C. | Ezekiel's vision of the temple. | Ezek 40:1-48:35 |
| 571 B.C. | Ezekiel's last prophecy. | Ezek 29:17-21 |
| 570 B.C. | Nebuchadnezzar erects an image, but three Hebrews refuse to worship it. | Dan. 3:1-30 |
| 570-562 B.C. | the madness and conversion of Nebuchadnezzar. | Dan 4:28-33 |
| c. 566 B.C. | the birth of Shealtiel's son Zerubbabel; later adopted by Pedaiah. | 1 Chr 3:19-24 |
| 562 B.C. | the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar. | Dan 4:1-17, 34-37 |
| 562-560 B.C. | Evil-Merodach reigns in Babylon. | |
| 562 B.C. | Jehoiachin is released from prison after 24 years. | 2 Kgs 25:27-30; Jer 52:31-34 |
| c. 560 B.C. | the death of Jeremiah. | |
| 560-556 B.C. | Neriglissar reigns in Babylon. | |
| 559-530 B.C. | Cyrus II creates the Persian Empire. | |
| c. 556 B.C. | the birth of Mordecai; Labashi-Marduk rules Babylon for a month. | |
| 555-539 B.C. | Nabonidus reigns in Babylon; captivity psalms. | Psa 74, 79 |
| 550 B.C. | Nabonidus retires and gives functional reign to Belshazzar; Daniel's vision of four beasts. | Dan 7:1-28 |
| 547 B.C. | Cyrus defeats Croesus of Lydia. | |
| 547 B.C. | Daniel's visons of the ram, the goat, and the horn. | Dan 8:1-27 |
| 539 B.C. | Babylon falls to Cyrus and Darius; Daniel's vision of 70 weeks | Dan 5:1-31; 9:1-27 |
| 538 B.C. | Cyrus orders the Jews to return to their land and rebuild the temple with Persian funds. | 2 Chr 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-11 |
| 537 B.C. | Daniel in the lions' den, and his final prophecies. | Dan 6:1-28; 10:1-12:13 |
| 536 B.C. | Jehoiachin's grandson Zerubbabel returns to Jerusalem and begins restoration. | Ezra 2:1-3:13; Neh 12:1-21; Psa 137 |
| 535 B.C. | Zerubbabel and high priest Jeshua face opposition; work ceases | Ezra 4:1-5; 7:24 |
| 530-522 B.C. | Cambyses II rules the Persian Empire. | |
| 526 B.C. | Cambyses conquers Egypt. | |
| 522 B.C. | Gaumata the impostor rules the Persian Empire. | |
| 522-486 B.C. | Darius Hystaspes rules the Persian Empire. | |
| 521 B.C. | Darius moves the Persian capital to Susa. | |
| 520 B.C. | the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah to rebuild the temple; work resumes. | Ezra 5:1-12; Hag 1:1-2:23; Zech 1:1-6:15; Psa 85 |
| 520-516 B.C. | the temple is rebuilt. | Ezra 5:13-14 |
| 518 B.C. | Zechariah's encouragements to Israel. | Zech 7:1-8:23 |
| 516 B.C. | the rededication of the temple. | Ezra 5:15-6:22; Neh 12:22-26 |
| 516 B.C. | post-exilic temple psalms: Psa 1, 49, 66, 67, 73, 111-118, 121, 125, 126, 134, 135, 136, 146-150. | |
| c. 510 B.C. | the birth of Zerubbabel's son Abiud. | Matt 1:13 |
| 509 B.C. | the Roman Republic is established. | |
| c. 500 B.C. | the birth of Ezra. | |
| 490 B.C. | Greeks defeat Persia at the Battle of Marathon. | |
| 486-465 B.C. | Xerxes (Ahasuerus) rules the Persian Empire. | |
| 485 B.C. | Israel's enemies send an accusatory letter to Ahasuerus. | Ezra 4:6 |
| 483 B.C. | Ahasuerus' queen rebels. | Est. 1:1-22 |
| 480 B.C. | Ahasuerus chooses the Jewish Hadassah, or Esther, as his queen. | Est. 2:1-18 |
| 479 B.C. | Esther's relative Mordecai saves the king's life. | Est. 2:19-23 |
| 478 B.C. | Greeks form the Delian League to defeat the Persians. | |
| 474 B.C. | Esther exposes Haman's plot to destroy the Jews. | Est. 3:1-9:32 |
| 473 B.C. | Ahasuerus exalts Mordecai. | Est. 10:1-3 |
| 470 B.C. | the birth of Socrates. | |
| 470? B.C. | the later prophecies of Zechariah. | Zech 9:1-14:21, Psa 87 |
| 464-424 B.C. | Artaxerxes I rules the Persian Empire. | |
| 460-429 B.C. | the Age of Pericles in Greece. | |
| 460? B.C. | the birth of Zerubbabel's grandson Eliakim. | Matt. 1:13 |
| 457 B.C. | Ezra returns to Jerusalem and begins rebuilding the city, but work on the walls is halted by a letter from Israel's enemies to Artaxerxes. | Ezra 4:7-23; 7:1-10:44; Psa 130 |
| 451-450 B.C. | the Roman Twelve Tables. | |
| 444 B.C. | Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem; Ezra reads the Torah, and the people pledge to follow it. | 1 Chr 9:1-34; Neh 1:1-5:13; 6:1-11:36; 12:27-13:3; Ps 105, 106, 107 |
| 444-433 B.C. | Nehemiah's governorship in Judah and return to Persia. | Neh 5:14-19 |
| 433 B.C. | the prophecy of Malachi. | Mal 1:1-4:6 |
| 432 B.C. | Nehemiah returns and reforms Judah's worship. | Neh 13:4-31 |
| c. 400 B.C. | Genealogy of God's people. | 1 Chr 2:1-8:40 |
| c. 400 B.C. | the completion of the Old Testament; the birth of Eliakim's son Azor. | Matt 1:13 |
| 399 B.C. | the death of Socrates. | |
| 384-322 B.C. | the life of Aristotle. | |
| 350? B.C. | the birth of Azor's son Zadok. | Matt 1:14 |
| c. 330 B.C. | Alexander the Great conquers Palestine. | |
| 300? B.C. | the birth of Zadok's son Achim. | Matt 1:14 |
| c. 250 B.C. | the Torah is translated into Greek. | |
| 240? B.C. | the birth of Achim's son Eliud. | Matt 1:14 |
| 190? B.C. | the birth of Eliud's son Eleazar. | Matt 1:15 |
| 168-167 B.C. | the persecution of Antiochus IV leads to the Maccabean revolt. | |
| 146 B.C. | Carthage is destroyed in the Third Punic Wars. | |
| 142 B.C. | the Jews gain independence from the Seleucids. | |
| c. 135 B.C. | the Pharisees emerge as a religious party; the birth of Eleazar's son Matthan | Matt 1:15 |
| Before Abraham | The Patriarchs | Exodus and Conquest | The Judges | United Monarchy |
| Divided Kingdom I | Divided Kingdom II | The Kingdom of Judah | The Exile and Return | The New Testament |
For a concise statement of my beliefs about history, see my Declaration of Faith.
