The Origins of Christianity and the Bible by Andrew D. Benson
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A Chronological Outline of the Book:
A Timeline of beliefs, events, persons, landmarks, and other facts, which are mentioned or discussed in this book, and relate to the development of the Judeo-Christian beliefs.
You can get an idea of what this book is about by examining this Timeline.
BCE:
(Year Before Common Era)
4004: Origin of Mankind, according to
Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh (1650 to 1654); based on the Old Testament -
this date is accepted by Protestants.
4000: Civilization artifacts in Kish, Sumeria (unearthed by Professor Stephen
Langdon). / Belief in eternal life is widespread among Egyptians and other
cultures.
3950-1700: Yang-Shao Culture in China (a Neolithic culture).
3761: Origin of Mankind, according to the Jewish Calendar, established ca.
360 CE (based on the Old Testament- this date is accepted by Jews).
3561: Origin of Mankind, according to the Scholarly Calendar (based
on the Old Testament and accepted by modern scholarship).
3200: Civilization in Ur, Mesopotamia (unearthed by Professor Leonard Wooley).
3000: The first Aegean-Greek civilization in Crete.
2400: City of Ai (in Palestine – mentioned in the books of Joshua) demolished (centuries before the times of Joshua) and never inhabited again, except
by a few Israelites at about 1000 BCE.
2371-2316: Reign of King Sargon I of Akkad (or Agade). (His life story inspired the story of Moses.)
2332-2283 ca.: Reign of King Pepi I, of Egypt.
After his death, his spirit rose to the sky and became a star, that is, a god;
(the Egyptians believed that
stars are gods).
2300: Egyptian religion: Osiris, the god of the underworld, his wife Isis, and their son Horus formed the Trinity of Abydos.
23rd century: An Egyptian stele describes the ritual of circumcision (many centuries before God instructed Abraham to circumcise himself).
22nd century: In the Egyptian document The Instruction of Ptahhotep appears the doctrine of predestination:
2200: The Instruction of King Merikare (a creation text, which influence the creation accounts of Genesis).
2000: Ebla Tablets (cuneiform script: the oldest known written language); they are useful for dating the age of the Hebrew language.
2nd millennium: The term “son of God” is applied to Sumerian and Egyptian kings. This practice continued into the Roman Era.
1990-1785: The Egyptian document The
Admonitions of Ipuwer is written. It describes the water of the river Nile
as bloody. (It inspired one of the ten plagues
mentioned in Exodus.)
1905: Date of Noah’s Flood, as per Scholarly Calendar.
1900 or earlier: The Texts of Mari mention prophets and prophetesses. The Israelite prophets appeared a millennium later.
1800: The Epic of Gilgamesh is written. It inspired the story of Noah.
1800-1700: The Law of Hammurabi is chiseled on basalt stone. It inspired the Law of Moses.
1750: A Sumerian tablet belonging to the era of the Kassites (the Kassite dynasty was founded at about 1750 BCE) mentions judgment after death.
1615: Date of Abraham’s birth, as per Scholarly Calendar.
1600-1050: Mycenaeans and the Achaeans first visit and then settle in Cyprus. They influenced the Phoenicians, who influenced the Israelites.
1555: Date of Noah’s death, as per Scholarly Calendar.
1550: Jericho is demolished (centuries before the times of Joshua). At a later period Jericho was probably minimally restored.
1540: Date Abraham moved to Canaan, as per Scholarly Calendar.
1516: Date Abraham is circumcised (as per Scholarly Calendar): beginning of Judaism.
1515: Date Isaac was born (as per Scholarly Calendar).
14th century: The Trinity of
Thebes. (It predates the Christian Trinity.) Egyptian text reads, “All gods are
three: Amon, Re, and Ptah, and there is no
second to them.”
1479 to 1426: Reign of the Egyptian king Thutmose III. He was a “son of god” (the son of the god Amen-Re). (Egyptian kings were considered sons of gods).
1400-1200: Ugaritic civilization in Palestine/Canaan. Ugaritic texts inspired parts of the Pentateuch.
1400-1300: Tell el-Amarna tablets (in
Egypt) – a valuable source of information for the political life of that era. /
Hittite Law is written. It inspired a few
Mosaic laws.
13th century: Egyptian fable The Tale of Two Brothers is written. This fable inspired the story of Joseph.
1365 ca.: The date of Moses’ birth, as per Scholarly Calendar.
1350-1334: Reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, a.k.a. Akhenaton (or Akhenaten). He was a henotheist. He inspired certain beliefs of Moses. / The Egyptians called
King Akhenaton “son of God.”
1346 ca. – 1320: Reign of Hittite King Mursilis II. A prayer of Mursilis II reads, “So the sin of my father has also fallen upon me.” Compare to Deuteronomy 5:9.
1325: Jacob and his family enters Egypt (date, as per Scholarly Calendar).
1279-1213/1212: Reign of King of Ramesses II, of Egypt. He is the pharaoh of the Exodus.
1250: Israelites leave Egypt (date, as per Professor G. Ernest Wright and Scholarly Consensus). This date is important for dating the genealogies of Genesis.
1245 ca.: Date Moses died (as per Scholarly Calendar). Based on the contents of Genesis, Moses did not believe in Heaven, Hell, Satan, and Judgment day.
1244-1240: The Israelites captured and destroyed
the city of Ai (date, as per Scholarly Calendar); (see Joshua cha. 8). According
to archaeologists, Ai was
destroyed (and remained as a ruin) more than 1000 years, before the time of
Joshua.
1213-1203: Co-reign and reign of King Merneptah of Egypt.
1209: King Merneptah of Egypt raids Israel (his raid is recorded on a stele). This stele is the earliest non-biblical record of Israelites living in Palestine.
1200: Philistines are established in Gerar, on the coast of Palestine. Phoenicians are established in Sidon and Tyre.
1115-1077: The Middle Assyrian Law is written. It influenced certain Mosaic laws.
1090-1080: In the Egyptian document The Report of Wenamun appears the doctrine of predestination. (Abraham and Moses did not believe in predestination.)
1000: The Akkadian text Ludlul Bel Nemeqi, and
the Babylonian text Babylonian Theodicity were written
sometime before 1000 BCE. They inspired the book of Job.
1000-900: Israelites acquire their alphabet from the Phoenicians.
1000-800: Chaldeans establish in Babylon.
10th-6th century: The sayings of Amen-em-opet, (a literary source for the book of Proverbs) are written.
970/960 to 930/920: Solomon’s reign. According to the Old Testament, Solomon was a “son of God.” He built the first Temple of Jerusalem.
933 ca.: The writing of the Old Testament begins: Exodus 34, the earliest chapter of the Old Testament is written. (Before that, portions of the Old Testament existed as oral tradition.)
930-800: The legendary Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey.
929-919: After the death of King Solomon Israel splits from Judah. Jeroboam becomes the first king of Israel (the northern kingdom).
900-800: Phoenicians settle in Cyprus, make contact with the Mycenaeans and Achaeans, borrow religious myths, bring them to Canaan, and pass them
to the Israelites.
8th century: Zoroaster’s god Ahura Mazda appears in an Assyrian cuneiform text.
886-875 (?): King Omri of Israel initiates coalition and intermarriage with the royal house of Sidon, Phoenicia. This coalition triggers the transfer of religious myths
and customs to Israel.
870-852: Reign of King Ahab of Israel. He marries the Sidonian Jezebel. This marriage triggers the transfer of Sidonian customs to Israel.
750:
The book of Amos is written. It says, there is no life after death: “They that
swear by the sin of Samaria ... will fall, and never rise up
again.”
(Amos 8:14 KJV)
740 (ca.) - 681 (ca.): Lifetime of Isaiah. He wrote at about 700 BCE.
735-715: King Ahaz, of Judah, designs the altar of the Temple after the Assyrian altar in Damascus. (The Assyrians influence the Kingdom of Judah.)
722: Sargon II of Assyria conquers Israel (the northern kingdom) and exiles the Israelites to Assyria.
716 (ca.) - 687 (ca.): Reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah. He reforms Judaism. He separates Judaism from the Canaanite religions.
700 (ca.): Hesiod writes Works and Days.
He writes the myth of Prometheus, which influenced the writer of the Book of
Watchers (part of 1 Enoch). Hesiod
mentions the three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos (the doctrine of
Predestination). He also mentions the myth of god Dionysus.
700 ?: The legendary Homer writes the Iliad and Odyssey and mentions that after death, mortals go to Hades and exist as ghosts/spirits.
Homer’s Hades was similar to the underworld of the Canaanites; it was an active place. There were no punishments or rewards in Hades.
/ Homer, in the Iliad, mentions Asclepius as a skillful physician, not a miracle worker. Centuries later, the Greeks worship Asclepius as a god, who
performs miracles. / Homer mentions the semi-god
Dionysus, born of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele. In later times, Dionysus was
worshipped as a
god.
(The myth of Dionysus and other similar myths inspired the birth accounts of
Matthew and Luke.)
700 (ca.): Isaiah writes the original book of First Isaiah: chapters 1-13, 15-23, 28-35.
687-642: Reign of King Manasseh (son of King Hezekiah) king of Judah. Manasseh worships several gods in the Temple.
650 ca.: Deuteronomy is written by a scribe (some scholars suspect Baruch).
640- to ?: Lifetime of Jeremiah. He leaves for Egypt in 586 BCE (where he finished his book, ca. 580).
640-609: Reign of King Josiah.
628 ca. - 551 (?): Lifetime of Zoroaster, the
first true monotheist, who changed the course of Judaism and the Greek religion.
He claimed that his god, Ahura
Mazda, was
merely a spirit: not anthropomorphic and without a physical body. Ahura Mazda
was the first omniscient god. Zoroaster influenced Plato.
621: Deuteronomy is introduced by high priest Hilkiah as the lost book of Moses, which Hilkiah accidentally discovered in a room of the Temple.
609 ca. - ca. 598: Reign of Jehoiakim, King of Judah
605 ca. - 562: Reign of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II.
605: Book of Jeremiah originates – finished ca. 580 BCE.
604: First occupation of Judah by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Palestine remains occupied by Babylonians and then Persians until 331 BCE.
600: Zoroaster composes the
Gathas (hymns to god Ahura Mazda). He introduces the doctrine of dualism in
Babylon (evil vs. good … Destructive Spirit vs.
Beneficent Spirit … which later came to be known as Satan vs. God). Satan, the
adversary of God, is absent from the original text of the Old Testament.
6th century: The mystery religion of Orphism originates.
597: King Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah. The Babylonian god Tammuz is worshipped in the Temple. Judaism is transformed by the Babylonian influence.
Most of the inhabitants of Judah, along with Ezekiel, are taken captive to Babylon; beginning of the exile. End of Pre-exilic Judaism.
593-570: Ezekiel writes his book in Babylon, in captivity.
588 ca.: King Vishtaspa is officially converted by Zoroaster to Zoroastrianism. Soon after this date, Zoroastrianism spreads in Babylon.
586 ca.: Destruction of the first Temple. Most citizens of the Kingdom of Judah are exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. During the exile the Israelites
are influenced by the Babylonian/Persian religion, Zoroastrianism, and adopt the Babylonian language: Aramaic.
580-500: Lifetime of Pythagoras. He traveled to Persia and Egypt and studied their religious ideas. He was influenced by
Zoroastrianism. He taught the immortality and transmigration of the soul.
562-556: Reign of Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar II.
560-478: The lifetime of the Ionian poet and religious philosopher Xenophanes (born in Colophon, Ionia). He was the first Greek to reject the anthropomorphic gods.
He was influenced by Zoroaster. He insisted that the creator of the universe was an omniscient god (like Ahura Mazda) and had a form and a mind
unlike that of men.
560-500: Several Old Testament books are written
or edited during the Babylonian exile and exhibit Babylonian influence. The
books Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel,
1 and 2 King receive their final editing. Isaiah’s chapters 36-39 are copied
form 2 Kings. The “lying spirit” appears in 1 Kings and the “evil spirit”
appears in Judges and 1 Samuel; both these spirits obeyed God’s commands and are
the precursors of Satan.
556-539: Reign of Nabonidus the last king of Babylon. From 545 to 539 BCE, he co-reigns with his son Belshazzar.
551: Sometime after 551 BCE, appear the Zurvanites, a Zoroastrian denomination. The Zurvanites explain the origin of evil: the origins of Satan.
545-539: Reign of Belshazzar, surrogate king of Babylon under Nabonidus.
540-480: Lifetime of the philosopher Heraclitus, who designed the doctrine of the Word (the Logos doctrine). He coined the terms “Logos” (Word)
as the creative power of God.
539-530: In 539 Cyrus II the Great, king of Persia (since 559 BCE) conquers Babylon. He reigns over Babylon for 19 years. Cyrus becomes a Zoroastrian.
Zoroastrianism becomes the prime
religion of Persia. Cyrus, the Zoroastrian, speaks highly of the god of the
Jews, and favors the Jews. His love for the
Jews
facilitates the transfer of Zoroastrian influence into Judaism. Sometime after
this date, the first two chapters are added to the book of Job.
In these chapters the
Adversary (haśśāṭān)
makes his first appearance in Jewish
literature. He makes a wager with God and looses. God argues with the
Adversary, but the Adversary is not a sinner. He is part of the Assembly of God.
The Adversary is the precursor to Satan.
538: Cyrus II issues a decree allowing
the Jews to return to Palestine and rebuild the Temple. First, Zerubbabel in 537
BCE, and then Nehemiah, lead the Jews
back to
Palestine. Monotheism becomes firmly established in Judaism.
530-522: Reign of Cambyses II, son of Cyrus II. He finishes conquering Ionia. The Greeks of Ionia fall under the Persian/Zoroastrian influence.
525/524-456: Lifetime of the tragedian Aeshylus. He wrote about Hades and Typhon, the adversary of Zeus. Typhon is another precursor of Satan.
522 or 521 -486: Reign of Darius the Great (Persian Empire). He officially recognizes Zoroastrianism as the religion of the Persian Empire.
522/518 to 443/38: The lifetime of the lyric
poet Pindar. He mentions Eleusis, as the famous precinct of Demeter. The
Eleusinian mysteries influenced
Christianity. / Pindar mentions Asclepius performing healings miracles and
raising people from the dead. In the fifth century Asclepius was
worshipped as a god. (The story Asclepius influenced the gospel writers.)
520: The book of Zechariah is written. It mentions “the accuser” (later identified as Satan), who is part of the Assembly of God, and not adversarial to God.
516: The second Temple of Jerusalem is rebuilt and rituals are resumed.
5th century: The physician Asclepius is turned into a healing god. The cult of god Asclepius originated in Epidaurus, Greece. / Socrates flourished in the last half
of the 5th century BCE. He was the first to propose that the earth is a sphere and that it is suspended in space.
496-406: The lifetime of the tragedian Sophocles. He mentions the rites of the Greek mystery religions.
490: Heracletus of Ephesus flourishes. He discusses the doctrine of predestination (fate).
486-465: Reign of Xerxes I, the son of Darius. Xerxes was a Zoroastrian, a worshipper of Ahura Mazda.
484 (ca.) - 425 (ca.): Lifetime of Herodotus (the “Father of history”). He wrote the book “Histories.” He wrote about Zoroastrianism. He wrote that the Egyptians
were the first to teach the immortality of the soul and reincarnation.
465-425: Reign of Artaxerxes I, a worshipper of god Ahura Mazda, the god of Zoroaster.
458: Second return of the Israelites from the Babylonian exile under Ezra.
450 (ca.): Third Isaiah (chapters
56-66) are added to Second Isaiah, by editors. In third Isaiah God condemned the
Jews who believed in fate: the god of
Fortune and the god of Destiny (see Isaiah 65:11). At that time predestination
was not a Judaic doctrine, because it conflicts with free will.
(Predestination renders God responsible for the creation of sin.)
450-350: The book of Job reaches its final form. It contains the doctrine of Pre-Exilic Judaism: the dead do not rise (the doctrine of the Sadducees). “… so mortals
lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep.” (Job 14:12 NRSV)
444-420: Ezra and Nehemiah reform Judaism.
432: The Samaritans religiously split from the Judeans.
429/428 – 348/347: Plato’s lifetime. He believed in reincarnation. He was strongly influenced by Zoroastrianism. His religious ideas about God and life after death,
influenced the New Testament writers. For example, they borrowed from him the expression “born again.” Plato advanced the doctrine of the
Word/Logos, the creative power of God. / Plato wrote about the Orphics, who by means of sacrifices and incantations expiated the
sins of the dead (likewise, today, the Catholics and the Tibetan Buddhists pray for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead).
409-358: Reign of Artaxerxes II, worshipper of
god Ahura Mazda. He venerates the gods Mithras and Anahita. Mithra is the
mediator between the god Ahura
Mazda and mankind. (Likewise, Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind.)
400-200: The book of Ecclesiastes is written and
reaches its final form. It contains Cynic, Stoic, and Epicurean influence. No
life after death: “For in respect of the
fate {destiny} of man and the fate {destiny} of beast, they have one and the
same fate {destiny}.” (Ecclesiastes 3:19a TANAKH) No Judgment day:
“… the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and
the evil, to the clean and the
unclean, to those who sacrifice and those
who do not sacrifice.” (Ecclesiastes 9:2 NRSV) No resurrection of the dead:
“Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.”
(Ecclesiastes 12:5 NIV) No eternal life in Heaven for the righteous: “... the
dead do not know anything nor have they any
longer reward ....” (Ecclesiastes 9:5 NASB)
4th century: The temple of Asclepius in Epidaurus was famous. At the time of Alexander the Great, there was a temple of Asclepius in Ecbatana (a city in Media).
Jesus performed several miracles which were very similar to the miracles of Asclepius.
387- 334: Zoroastrian ideas and Persian astrology come to Athens. The Greeks turn astrology into astronomy.
384-322: Lifetime of Aristotle. He wrote that
the Orphics believed that the soul comes from the universe and enters a baby the
moment it
is born (i.e. reincarnation).
371-286: Lifetime of Aristotle’s disciple,
Theophrastus of Eresus. He proposed ... that God is spirit. (this idea became
widespread in the 1st century CE before
the Gospel of John was written. “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:24 KJV)
341-270: Lifetime of the philosopher
Epicurus, who explains that the gods do not incarnate. They live in their own
world and make no contact with
humans. Epicurus advocated celibacy, a practice which in later times was
observed by the monks of Qumran (and later, by the Christians monks).
335-263: Lifetime of the Stoic philosopher Zeno. He discussed the philosophical problems of fate (predestination). Tertulian wrote that Zeno defines Logos/Word
as the maker who has formed and ordered the Universe.
331: Alexander conquers Israel and Egypt. After 266 years of Zoroastrian influence, the Jews come under the influence of the Greeks.
331-100: The Hellenistic Era. During this era,
Hellenistic Christianity emerged out of Hellenistic Diaspora Judaism (Paul was
Hellenistic Diaspora Jew). /
During this period the common method of producing inspired writings was
anonymously or pseudonymously. This is the great period of the Apocryphal
and Pseudepigraphal writings, and of the Septuagint (the Bible of
Christianity).
310 (ca.) - 230: Lifetime of Aristarchus "Aristarchus" of Samos, a Greek (Ionian) astronomer. He was the first to maintain that the earth rotates and that it revolves
around the sun. He claimed that the sun was a rock on fire. (He was punished, like Galileo, for speaking his mind.)
300: The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles receive
their final editing. For the first time in Judaic literature “the adversary,” a
satanic figure causes a man
(King David) to sin (see 1 Chronicles 21:1). (The Serpent in the Garden of Eden
caused Adam to commit the first sin, but the Jews did not consider the
serpent
a satanic figure, until late in the Hellenistic era, close to the times of
Jesus.)
300-250: The book of Proverbs is completed. The
Israelite proverbs were borrowed from various foreign sources, including the
sayings of
Amen-em-opet of Egypt.
300-260: Lifetime of Theocritus; he wrote how the semi-god Adonis rose from the dead.
3rd century: The Ptolemies, promote the syncretism of Greek and Egyptian religions. /The Stoics appear. Eusebius wrote that the Stoics “… argued the Logos,
that is Word and Reason, would seem to be the designer of the universe.” This doctrine appeared centuries later in the Gospel of John.
285-246: The reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the patron of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament).
280-207: Lifetime of the Stoic philosopher Chrisippus. He discussed the philosophical problems of fate (predestination).
276 (ca.) - 194: Lifetime of Eratosthenes, a
Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet. He was the first one to calculate
the earth’s circumference. (The Bible
describes the earth as a flat surface.)
250: The Samaritan Pentateuch is translated
in Alexandria into Greek: the Septuagint version. The Septuagint is the landmark
of the origins of Christianity.
It became the
Bible of most Hellenistic Diaspora Jews, who brought about Hellenistic
Christianity. The Judean Jews rejected it. It became the Bible of
Christianity.
250 BCE – 75 CE: The intertestamental Book of Enoch (which was part of the early Christian literature) is written. It is important in the study of the origins of
Hellenistic Christianity. The New Testament writers borrowed ideas and expressions from this book, more times than any single book of the Old
Testament. Some early Church Fathers quoted from it. It expounds on the Judgment Day and Hell. The book of Watchers, the earliest section of
1 Enoch, was written at about
250-200 BCE. It influenced Jewish and Christian angelology (such as, fallen
angels and mediating angels), demonology,
and the book of Daniel. In this book appears Semyaz, who in later times was
called Satan. This book was inspired by the Greek story of Prometheus.
225-75: The intertestamental book of Tobit
(which was part of the early Christian literature) is written. In this book
appears the ritual of exorcism for the first time
in
Judeo-Christian literature. In this book an angel intercedes to God (centuries
later, Paul views Jesus as an angel who intercedes to God).
221-205: Reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator in
Alexandria. He was a devotee of Dionysus (the mysteries of Dionysus). According
to 3 Maccabees 6:18-21, God
sent angels to fight against Prolemy’s army. Sometime after 217 BCE, Ptolemy IV
offered special citizenship rights to the Jews of Alexandria, who
accepted Dionysus as their god. Many Jews joined the mysteries of Dionysus (see
3 Maccabees 2:28-31). Most Jews of Alexandria became
Hellenized. Alexandrian Judaism became the forerunner of Hellenistic
Christianity (the religion of Paul, not the religion of Jesus).
204: The goddess Cybele (the Great Mother of the gods) is formally welcomed into Rome.
2nd century: The Greek mystery
religions spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. / A temple of Isis
existed at the Greek city of Eretria on the island of
Euboea.Two inscribed dedications to Serapis, Isis, and Anubis found in Chaeronea
of Boetia, Greece. Isis is worshipped as a mother-god: the mother
of god Horus.
180: The original version of the book of
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) is written in Hebrew. The writer depicts the dead as
ones who do not exist. After 132 BCE,
the grandson of the author translated Sirach into Greek. It contains the
Word/Logos doctrine, which became the doctrine of Christianity: Jesus is the
Word of God.
175-164: Reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Antiochus appoints Jason, a Hellenistic Jew, in the position of the high priest.
Antiochus destroys the tradition where
the high priest’s position belonged to the descendants of Zadok.
172: Menelaus (his Hebrew name was Onias), an extreme Hellenist, displaces Jason by offering Antiochus IV more money for the position of the high priest.
169: While Antiochus is campaigning in
Egypt, Jason hears a false rumor that Antiochus had died and thus he gains
courage to attempt to overthrow
Menelaus, to
regain by force his former position of the high priest.
167: Antiochus IV Epiphanes returns from his
campaign and in retaliation abolishes Judaism in Judea and, with the support of
some Hellenistic Jews, establishes
the worship
of Zeus at the Temple. He orders all manuscripts of the Old Testament to be
destroyed (see 1 Maccabees 1:54-57). (The Essenes of Qumran
make new
manuscripts a few years later. The oldest manuscripts in existence are those of
Qumran.) The mystery of Dionysus becomes widespread in
Palestine. The Samaritans join
Antiochus IV and dedicate their temple in Gerizim to Zeus. The
priest Mattathias revolts against Antiochus IV, wins
independence
for Jerusalem, and rules until 166 BCE. Mattathias originated what in later
times was called the Zealot movement: an anti-Hellenistic,
Hassidic
movement, which advocated the strict enforcement of the Law. / The Essenes
borrowed from the Dionysians the ritual of baptism as a ritual
of
initiation. The baptism of the Essenes, was not a sign of conversion to a new
religion, but a sign of complete dedication to God. / The Qumran scroll
4Q246
addresses the Messiah as “son of God” and “son of the Most High.” These titles
appear in Luke and are applied to Jesus.
167-164: The book of Daniel is written. The word “mystery” (a truth that can be understood only trough revelation from God), a term borrowed from the
Greek mystery religions, appears for
the first time in the book of Daniel. From that point on, the Greek mystery
religions gradually transformed
Hellenistic
Judaism into Hellenistic Christianity. Consequently, the word “mystery” appears
27 times in the New Testament, as well as other terms of
the mystery religions.
166-160: Judas Maccabeus (Hasmonean dynasty), son of Mattathias, rules Judea.
164: Antiochus IV Ephiphanes dies.
160-142: Jonathan rules Judea after the death of his brother Judas.
160-150: The priest Onias (either III or IV),
after he is expelled from Jerusalem, goes to Egypt and builds a Jewish temple in
Leontopolis, with the help
of Ptolemy VI Philometor, the Greek king of Egypt. / The Hellenistic Judaism of
Alexandria becomes the forerunner of Hellenistic Christianity.
152: The Maccabean King Jonathan (the brother of Judas Maccabeus) manages to be appointed as the high priest of Judaism. This position belonged to
the descendants of Zadok,
the Essenes (they were Zadokites). They Essenes protest this appointment; they
depart from Jerusalem and form their own
community in Qumran. They begin to make new manuscripts of the Old Testament
(which, earlier, had been destroyed by the orders of Antiochus).
They reconstruct portions of the Old Testament text from Egyptian manuscripts.
They write new books until the destruction of the Temple, 70 CE.
150 (ca.): The early parts of the Sibylline
Oracles are written by Hellenistic Jews The Gentile priestess Sybil eulogizes
the Jewish people and their law.
The Hellenistic Diaspora Jews used these oracles as a propaganda tool to attract
Gentiles to their Diaspora synagogues.
150: The writer of The Testament of Simeon paraphrases the accounts of Genesis and retroactively fits Satan into the stories of Genesis.
150 (ca.): Aristobulus of Alexandria, the first Jewish “religious philosopher,” a Hellenist, attempts to reconcile the Old Testament to Hellenistic philosophy.
He prepares the way for Hellenistic Christianity.
150-50: The book of Jubilees is written. It mentions the Judgment Day.
142-135: Simon (the Maccabean, the brother of Judas and Jonathan,) rules Judea as King and High priest. He was murdered.
135-104: John Hyrcanus I, Simon’s son, rules
Judea. He ordered the Gentiles who lived in Jewish cities to circumcise
themselves or to leave the area. He even
forced the
Itureans (who dwelled north of Galilee) to circumcise themselves. / The
Apocryphal book of Judith is written.
132: Sometime before this date the Old
Testament prophetic books are translated in the Greek language, in Egypt. They
became part of the Septuagint. /
The book of
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) is written. It is a Hellenistic apologetic book meant to
compete with Stoic ideas. It expounds on the Logos doctrine.
125-50: The writer of the intertestamental book Jubilees paraphrases Genesis and retroactively fits in the stories of Genesis Satan (Mastema), the creation of
the angels, and their fall (how they
became fallen angels: demons). He wrote that Mastema (Satan) enticed Abraham to
sacrifice Isaac. He wrote that
God gave the
Law to Moses through “the mediating angel.” In the Hellenistic Christian
parallel, God gave grace and forgiveness of sins through the
mediation of his son Jesus.
106-43: Lifetime of philosopher/orator Cicero. He
commends about the Zoroastrian Magi and about the mysteries of Dionysus. He
wrote certain religious ideas
and motifs,
which appear in the New Testament.
104: Judas, the eldest son of John Hyrcanus I, rules Judea. He, like his brother Simon before him, forces the Itureans to circumcise.
Under his rule Zealous Judaism reaches another peak.
103-76: Alexander Janneus rules Judea as King and high priest.
104-63: Second Maccabees is written. In the 12
chapter, it mentions Jews praying for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation
of the dead (the Catholic concept
of
Purgatory). Maccabees 14:35 says that God lives in the Temple. Second Maccabees
7:14 says that only the righteous will rise from the dead.
(Jehovah Witnesses believe likewise.)
104-48: Lifetime of Pompey the Great. / Plutarch mentions that pirates in the coasts of Asia Minor instituted the mystery of Mithra.
100 –ca.: Artapanus of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jew, promotes Judaism to Gentiles using Greek ideas and motifs. He, too, prepared the way for Hellenistic
Christianity. / In the island of
Rheneia (near Delos) two Jewish synagogue inscriptions indicate that the
Septuagint was used there. / The Egyptian
religion of
Isis has spread in Greece (it is evident by an inscription found in Piraeus,
Athens).
1st century BCE: The historian Diodorus of Sicily mentions how god Dionysus went to Hades and returned. (Jesus did likewise, according to the gospels.)
Diodorus mentions the Eleusinian mysteries and the myth of Attis. / The mystery of Isis and Osiris (or Serapes) spreads to Rome. / The mystery of
Mithra spread in Asia Minor. It
became the official religion of Roman soldiers. The followers of Mithra were
“born again,” and practiced a primitive
ritual of
communion. / Asclepius was celebrated in
numerous temples across the Roman Empire as a miraculous healer god. /The
Hellenization of
Diaspora Jews
accelerates. / Toward the end of this century: the writer of the book Wisdom of
Solomon is the first to call Satan “the devil.” /
Neopythagoreanism spreads in the Mediterranean. / The zealous Jews of Judea
disliked the Samaritans. They considered them infidels.
70-19: Lifetime of the Roman poet/author Virgil,
who wrote the Aeneid. He mentions the Purgatory (a place for temporary
punishments and cleansing after
death). He wrote a poem about
and “infant boy,” the son of god Jove. His poem probably inspired some details
of the birth accounts of Matthew and Luke.
70 BCE
-10 CE: The lifetime of Hillel, the influential Jewish religious teacher, who
came from Babylon to Galilee. Hillel was influenced by the Zoroastrianism
of Babylon.
He immigrated to Galilee where important religious schools existed. He brought
his religious ideas from Babylon to Galilee.
65-8: Lifetime of Horace, the renowned Latin
lyric poet, who wrote, “Which of the gods now will the people summon
{from Heaven}... ?” His poem refers to
a god who
comes on earth and takes the shape of a young Roman, a prince, stays among the
Romans, and later returns to Heaven. The New Testament
writers
wrote similar details about Jesus.
64/59 BCE to 17 CE: The Roman historian Livy wrote that ceremonial washing (baptism) preceded initiation into the mysteries of Dionysus. He wrote that King
Romulus disappeared in a cloud and left this world, and the Romans declared him a god, the son of god. (About 100 years later, similar claims were made
about Jesus. - No one called Jesus “a god” before his death. -Romulus served as prototype for Jesus’ story.)
63: Pompeii captures Jerusalem. The Romans occupy Palestine. Israel becomes a client kingdom of Rome, paying tribute and enjoying a certain internal political
self rule and religious freedom. /
Caesar Augustus is born, September 23. The zealous Jews lost the power to
determine who can live in their land.
The Romans
stationed Gentile soldiers in the holy land. Gentile government auxiliaries and
merchants gradually moved there. The Maccabean achievements
were
undone: Hellenism began to flourish again in various areas of Palestine.
62: The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus goes to Rome, and mentions in his poem the existence of the temple of Serapis.
60: First Triumvirate in Rome: Gaius
Julius Caesar (the official Emperor), Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus
Pompeius Magnus. /The historian
Diodorus of
Cicily observes in Egypt the funerary custom of praying for the salvation of the
dead.
50-40: The Psalms of Solomon is written. “The
destruction of the sinner is forever … This is the share of the sinners forever,
but those who fear the Lord shall
rise up to
eternal life, and their life shall be in the Lord’s light, and it shall never
end.” (Psalms of Solomon 3:11-12)
50-30: Shammai and Hillel, the teachers of Judaism, flourish.
44: Julius Caesar is assassinated.
According to Virgil “he {the sun} hid his shining head in gloom and the impious
age feared eternal night.” (According to
the gospels,
the sun stopped shining the moment Jesus died.)
43: Second Triumvirate (in Rome).
42: Caesar Augustus Octavian and the Roman senate vote to build a temple to Serapes and Isis. Caesar Augustus is proclaimed a “god.”
37-4: Herod the Great rules Judea. He was a
Hellenist, and therefore, the zealous Jews hated him. The movement of the
Zealots began as a reaction to the
Hellenistic activities of Herod, just as the movement of the Hasidim/Maccabees
began as a reaction to Antiochus’ Hellenistic policies.
37 BCE to 66 CE: During this period there was a high turnover of high priests (a total of 28) who were appointed by the Roman kings or governors of Judea.
Unqualified people became high priests. Most of them were corrupt, and promoted the interests of the Romans.
This was one reason that the Jews in 66 CE revolted against the Romans.
34: The Roman General Mark Anthony enters triumphantly into Ephesus casting himself in the role of the savior god Dionysus.
27 BCE -14 CE: The reign of Augustus Caesar.
He became an initiate of the Eleusinian mysteries. During his reign almost every
city of the eastern
Mediterranean
(except Jerusalem) had a temple dedicated to a god or a goddess of a mystery
religion. (Hellenistic Christianity borrowed religious
ideas from
the mystery religions.) Augustus granted the Jews the privilege of not serving
in the Roman army.
25: The first Sicarii commando mission:
two zealous Jews, who carried daggers under their cloaks, attempt to assassinate
Herod the Great. This was the
first of a
series of religious revolts, which culminated with the Great Jewish War in 66
CE.
25: Eudorus of Alexandria, a Middle
Platonist and Hellenistic Jew refers to the “Word of God” (the breath that came
from God’s mouth) as “the essentially
transcendent god.” He advanced the Word/Logos doctrine. He laid some of the
foundations of Hellenistic Christianity (the religion of Paul).
25: BCE -50 CE Gamaliel the Elder’s lifetime.
He rejected the book of Job, which contains Sadducee beliefs, such as, the dead
will not rise from their graves,
there is no eternal life: “... he who goes down to the grave
will come up no more.” (Job 7:9 KJV)
20-15 BCE to 45-50 CE: Philo Judaeus’ lifetime,
(Philo of Alexandria): a Hellenist, a Greek-speaking Jewish theologian, an
apologist of Hellenistic Judaism,
a brilliant
allegorical interpreter of the Old Testament. He explained Hellenistic Judaism
to Gentile audiences. (He is the little-known founder of
Hellenistic
Christianity. He influenced several New Testament writers, and early Christian
Church Fathers. The New Testament writers often used
his religious
ideas or loosely quoted phrases from his books.) He invented several doctrines
of Christianity. He expounded on the Word/Logos doctrine.
He explained
that the number 3 is the perfect number, therefore God is a Trinity. He
formulated the doctrine of the Trinity, which the Christian Church
Fathers
adopted. He wrote that God miraculously impregnated several barren women of the
Old Testament (Mary was impregnated likewise.)/He
mentions that the
mystery religions practiced the ritual of baptism (as part of the initiation
process). He promoted Hellenistic Judaism as a mystery religion.
6 BCE –ca. to ca. 35 CE: Lifetime of Jesus. (He
lived about 41 years). His birth date is based on Herod’s year of death (4 BCE)
and Matthew’s account, which
says that Herod killed the children of Bethlehem 2 years after he learned
from the magi that Jesus was born. His death date is based on the
following: Jesus died during the Passover preceding the Pentecost, after which
Stephen was stoned and Paul was present. Later on in that year
Paul converted to Hellenistic Christianity. The year Paul converted to
Christianity, according to most scholars, was 35 CE. Paul went away to
Arabia for 14 years and in 49 CE he began his missionary journeys. / Jesus was
a conservative zealous Jew (anti-Hellenistic, like his
predecessors, the Maccabees, and his contemporaries, the Zealots), who founded a
sect (which had much in common with the Essenes and the
Pharisees) of
Judaism: the Jewish Christians. He joined the messianic movement of the zealous
Jews, who wanted to purify Jerusalem and the Temple
from foreign
impurity.He preached the overthrow of the Romans and the establishment of the
Kingdom of God in Israel. He attempted to become the
Messiah of
the Jews. The Jewish leaders and a number of common Jews rejected him because he
was not qualified. To prevent the Roman retaliation
and mass
bloodshed, the leaders turned him into the Romans, who crucified him as a rebel.
4 BCE: The first revolt of the zealous Jews
(Zealots): Before Herod’s death, two rabbis, Judas, the son of Sepphoris, and
Matthias, the son of Margalus, inspired
a group of
young men to destroy an idol (a golden eagle; i.e. an “abomination of
desolation”) which Herod had placed over the great gate of the Temple.
4 BCE: Herod the Great dies. Judas the son of
Ezekiah (a Zealot) leads a revolt in Galilee, robs and burns Herod’s palace. He
had an ambition to become
King of
Israel.
4 BCE -6/7 CE: King Archelaus –rules Judea, Samaria and Idumea.
4 BCE -33 CE: King Philip rules the area east of Galilee.
4 BCE-39 CE: King Antipas –rules Galilee & Perea.
4 BCE ca. – 65 CE: Lifetime of Lucius Anneus
Seneca, a Roman statesman (tutor and advisor of Nero), play writer, and Stoic
philosopher. He proposed a
“blended” or
“co-fated” version of predestination (free will and fate): “The Fates lead a
willing subject, but drag along the unwilling.” He wrote, “This
poor body,
the prison and fetter of the soul ...” Seneca influenced Paul.
CE:
(Year in Common Era)
1st century: The historian Philo of
Byblos writes the Phoenician History, which was presumably a translation
of the book of Sanchuniathon, an early
Phoenician historian (who lived in 14th to 13th BCE).
Philo traces the origins of the Canaanite god El Elyon, who later became the god
of Israel.
He also
quotes the Zoroastrian scriptures. /The Neopythagorean movement grows and
spreads in the areas of Eastern Mediterranean and influences
the Essenes.
/ To countervail the Septuagint, during the early Christian era, the Jews make
their own Greek translations (for the Greek speaking
Conservative
Diaspora Jews), such as the translation of Aquila, the Theodotion,
and perhaps the translation of Symmachus./
Gnosticism begins
with Philo of Alexandria. / Gnostic
Christianity appears, with Simon the Magus, sometime after the death of Jesus
(35 CE) in the area of Samaria and spreads
in Syria and Asia Minor. Paul is
influenced by Gnosticism. Gnosticism mixed certain aspects of Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, and Hellenism with the Christ.
The Gnostics were influenced by the writings of Philo of Alexandria.
1-80 CE: Lifetime of Yohanan ben Zakkai, the leader of the Rabbinic
group at Jamnia, who shared Jesus’ view concerning purity and defilement.
4-39: Herod Antipas is appointed by the Romans as king (tetrarch of the territory of Galilee and Perea), and serves the Roman interests. His job is to crush
insurrections. He executes John the Baptist ca. 29 CE because he anticipated that John’s preaching would bring about an insurrection.
6-7 CE: Judea becomes a Roman Imperial province.
The Roman governor Quirinius conducts a census for taxation (mentioned by Luke).
Judas the Galilean
revolts
and convinces the zealous Jews not to pay taxes to the Romans.
Judas establishes the revolutionary movement of
the Zealots. (The Zealots led
the Great War
of the Jews against the Romans from 66-73 CE.) /
Simon, a former slave of Herod the Great, leads a
revolt and burns Herod’s royal
palace in
Jericho and sets fire to several of Herod’s houses. From 7 CE on, the
privileges, which the Romans had granted to the Jews in the times of
Pompeii,
begin to erode.
8-9 CE (ca.): Some Samaritans desecrate the Temple of Jerusalem. After that, the Jews bar the Samaritans from the Temple.
14-37: Tiberius succeeds
Augustus and rules as the second Roman emperor. He destroys the temple of Isis
in Rome, to punish the priests of Isis, who
committed a
crime. Tiberius promotes Hellenism. / Hellenism was abhorred by the zealous Jews
of Jerusalem.
18-36 CE: Caiaphas serves as the high
priest and towards the end of his administration (which was exceptionally long),
in 35 CE, he turns Jesus over to
the Romans.
19: Dio Cassius wrote that the
(Hellenistic) Jews of Rome were converting Gentiles to Judaism. Tiberius
banishes the Jewish religion from Rome, and
punishes many
Jews. Tacitus wrote, “There was a debate too about expelling the Egyptian
and Jewish worship, and a resolution of the Senate was
passed that
four thousand of the freedmen class who were infected with those superstitions
{religious beliefs} and were of military age should be
transported
to the island of Sardinia … The rest were to quit Italy, unless before a certain
day they repudiated their impious rites.”
20-54: The book of Fourth Maccabees is written.
It was influenced by the Stoic philosophy and by the Septuagint. It influenced
to a limited extent the New
Testament
writers. It says that the death of certain martyrs was ransom for the sin of
Israel (likewise the death of Jesus was ransom of the sins
of the
world). “{Eleazar praying to God:} Be
merciful to your people {the Jews}, and let our punishment {martyrdom} suffice
for them. Make my
blood their
purification, and take my life in
exchange for theirs.’ And after he
said this, the holy man died nobly in his tortures ...”
(4 Maccabees
6:28-30 RSV) These verses made an impact on the writers of the New Testament.
23-79: Lifetime of Pliny the Elder. He
wrote that men became gods through their great deeds. The Romans deified
men before the Hellenistic Christians deified
Jesus.
26-36: Pontius Pilate serves as governor (procurator) of Judea. In 35 CE he condemns Jesus do death.
27: Josephus mentions that at this time (27 CE) there is a temple of Isis in Rome.
29: John the Baptist begins his mission in “15th
year of Tiberius,” (see Luke 3:1-2), but probably later, because this date does
not match the period of
Jesus’
ministry.
32-35: Jesus begins his 3 year ministry
(this date is based on the date of Stephen’s death and Paul’s conversion). After
his three year mission, Jesus is
executed by
the Romans, with the help of the Roman collaborators: the Sadducee high priests
Annas and Caiphas. (Based on the information in the
Gospel of
Luke Jesus died in ca. 32 CE. Based on the information of the Book of Acts,
Jesus died ca. 35 CE. The latter date is more correct, because
it ties into
Stephen’s death and the year of Paul’s conversion.)
35: The Hellenistic Christians, after the
Pentecost, speak insults against Judaism. The Jews kill Stephen, and chase the
rest of the Hellenistic Christians out
of Jerusalem.
/ Simon the Magus, the first known Gnostic Christian, a Jew in Samaria. He is
mentioned in Acts 8:9–25, where he is described as a
“magician.” He converted to Hellenistic Christianity and was baptized by the
Hellenist Christian Philip. / Paul persecutes the Hellenistic Christians and
later in this
year converts to Hellenistic Christianity himself. After 14 years, in 49 CE, he
goes to Jerusalem (see Galatians 2:1).
36: Tiberius Caesar removes Pilate from office on account of his cruelty to zealous Jews.
37-44: Reign of Agrippa I over Judea. He died at the end of his reign. He gives the high priesthood to Ishmael. His action stirs up the zealous Jews to revolt.
37-41: The reign of Gaius Caligula Caesar. He succeeds Tiberius. He gives the mysteries of Isis state recognition. He builds the Palace of Isis on Palatine Hill.
He persecutes the Jews because they
would not acknowledge him as a god. There is no record of Caligula’s persecution
of the Hellenistic Christians,
because at
that time the Hellenistic Christians were very few and they attended the
Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues. Caligula institutes his own
mystery
religion.
37-100 –ca.: Lifetime of Flavius Josephus. He is
the first secular writer to mention Jesus. His historical writings are very
important in understanding the Judaism
of 1st
century CE, the religious background of Palestine, and thus, are helpful
in deciphering the historical Jesus. He wrote from ca. 75 to ca. 95 CE.
He was a
Hellenist, who betrayed his country and opposed the zealous Jews, who fought
against the Romans during the Great War. For this reason, he
moved to Rome
and lived there (under the protection of Caesar) for the rest of his life.
38: Paul goes to Jerusalem, where he meets
Peter and James (see Galatians 1:15-22). This is his first trip to Jerusalem. /
Paul, throughout his career and for
the most
part, taught in Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues. Hellenistic Diaspora Jews,
Hellenistic Christians and Gnostic Christians met in Hellenistic
Diaspora
synagogues on the Sabbath. The
Gospel of Thomas (which contains some Gnostic beliefs) reads: “If you do not
observe the Sabbath as a
Sabbath, you
will not see the Father.” (Gospel of Thomas, 27:2)
/ The Jews are persecuted in Alexandria, because
they refuse to sacrifice to Caligula.
The right of
the Alexandrian Jews to full citizenship is repealed.
38-50: The Wisdom of Solomon, an
intertestamental book is finished in Alexandria, Egypt. Its second chapter
alludes to the persecution of Jesus by
the
Sadducees. In a sense, this is the earliest record of Jesus’ story. That it was
written in Alexandria is very important. Alexandria is the birth place
of
Hellenistic Christianity.
39: The Alexandrian Jews chose Philo to head a delegation to Emperor Gaius Caligula in Rome, on account of the pogrom of the Jews.
40: Some men of Doris (a coastal town
close to Samaria) desecrate the Jewish synagogue of Doris (there was an
anti-Jewish sentiment around the Roman
Empire,
because of the Jewish revolts against the Romans). / Some zealous Jews of the
town of Jamnia (a city close to the coast of Judea) destroy an
altar set up
in honor of Caligula. Caligula responds by issuing a decree with potentially
devastating consequences to all Jews. A series of similar
disturbances
lead to the Great War of the Jews in 66 CE. /Philo writes that the only people
who refused to worship Caligula were the Jews. Philo was
not aware of the
Hellenistic Christians because at that time they attended Hellenistic Diaspora
synagogues and blended with the Hellenistic Diaspora Jews.
41-54: The reign of Claudius Caesar. He succeeds Caligula, who was murdered. Claudius prohibits the Jews of Rome from holding meetings. Suetonius wrote,
“Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at
the instigation of Chresto, he {Claudius} expelled them from Rome.” Suetonius
referred to riots that
took place
around 54 CE.
44: King Agrippa I kills James (the brother of John) and arrests Peter, to disband the Jewish Christian messianic movement. Peter escapes. Agrippa dies.
44-47: Governorhip of Cuspius Fadus. During
that time a certain magician named Theudas, a Messiahninc candidate for King of
Israel, persuades many Jews
that he would
free them from the Romans. Fadus’ soldiers cut off Theudas’ head and carry it to
Jerusalem.
46–ca. to 120: Lifetime of Plutarch the historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. He describes the Greek mystery religions. His writings are important
in tracing the origins of certain Hellenistic Christian ideas.
46-48: Paul’s first missionary journey: he goes from Antioch, to Cyprus, to various cities of Minor Asia, and back to Antioch (see Acts 13:4-14:28). /A severe famine
takes place in Judea./ Tiberius Alexander (the nephew of Philo Judaeus: Philo of Alexandria) serves a prefect (governor of Judea).
48-52: Cumanus serves as governor of Palestine.
49: Paul goes for the second time to Jerusalem (see Galatians 2:1-2) to the so called “Apostolic Council” in Jerusalem; before his second missionary journey.
/ Claudius Caesar expels Jews from
Rome because of religious/political unrest in Rome and in Palestine. Caudius
Caesar condemns the Jewish Christians
for causing
riots in Rome; Gaius Suetonius wrote that the Jews of Rome rioted: “Iudaeos
impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma {Claudius} expulit.”
Literally translated, “Jews instigation Chresto assiduous made disturbance Rome
he {Claudius} expelled.” Liberally translated, “Since the Jews constantly
made
disturbances at the instigation of Chresto, he {Claudius} expelled them from
Rome.” “Cresto” probably means “Christ.” As a punishment Claudius
orders
all the Jews to leave Rome: “… Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave
Rome. …” (Acts 18:2 NRSV) Along with those Jews is Aquila and
Priscilla, whom Paul meets in Corinth in 51 CE.
49-52: Paul’s second missionary journey: he goes
through cities of minor Asia, to Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica), to Athens,
to Corinth, to Ephesus, to
Caesarea (see
Acts 15:39-18:22). / The vast majority of Paul’s converts were Hellenistic
Diaspora Jews.
50: The Jewish merchant Ananias
proselytizes King Izates of Adiabene to Hellenistic Judaism, and turns him into
a God-fearer: a Jewish God worshipper,
who does not
undergo circumcision. / Paul warns against the Gnostic Christians in his letters
to the Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 Corinthians. The Gnostic
Christians interpreted Jesus allegorically./ The manuscript Codex D says that
Apollos was “instructed in his own country {i.e. Alexandria} in the word of
the Lord.”
(Acts 18:25) This suggests that Hellenistic Christianity had reached Alexandria
by 50 CE. / At about 50 CE Jews were
accused of setting on
fire part of
Antioch
50-75: The latest section of the book of 1 Enoch
(cha. 45-57), the book of Parables a.k.a. Similitudes, is written. It formulates
several Christian ideas concerning
the Messiah,
which appear in the New Testament books, which were written a few years later.
50-93: The reign of Herod Agrippa II in Judea (50-53 CE, he was Tetrarch of Chalcis). From 66 to 73 CE he helps the Romans fight the Zealots.
He died in Rome ca. 100 CE.
51: Paul arrives to Corinth and links with
Aquila and Priscilla. / Gallio (mentioned in Acts 8:12) the proconsul of Achaia,
dismisses the case of the Jews
against Paul. Paul
writes his first (known) letter: 1 Thessalonians /The Roman governor of Syria,
Ummidius Quadratus, puts a temporary stop to the feuds
between the
Judeans and the Samaritans.
52: Paul brings Aquila and Priscilla to
Ephesus (see Acts 18:19). / The Judean
Jews are accused of burning the villages of Caesarea. They are persecuted by
Cumanus,
the Roman governor that preceded Felix. This is another prelude to the Great War
of the Jews.
52-60: Antonius Felix, governs of Palestine.
53-57: Paul’s third missionary journey: From
Antioch he goes through cities of Minor Asia, to Ephesus, up the coast of Ionia,
to Macedonia, to Athens, returns to Macedonia and crosses over to
Asia Minor, down the coast of Ionia, to Rhodes, to Tyre, Ptolemais, to Jerusalem
(see Acts 18:23-21:17) /Paul went to
Ephesus, where Isis was worshipped.
54-68: Reign of Nero: he became Emperor after Claudius was poisoned by his wife.
55: Paul writes the “church letter” (part
of today’s letter to the Romans) addressed, probably, to Laodicea. He also
writes 1 Corinthians. / The Sicarii, take
revenge for what Ananus Sr. (known
as Annas in the New Testament) did to Jesus: turned him over to the Romans. They
slaughter Jonathan, the son of
Ananus
Sr.
56-57: Paul writes the “synagogue letter”: part of today’s letter to the Romans.
57: Paul goes to Jerusalem and is arrested (Acts 21:15-36). He is imprisoned by Governor Felix for two years (Acts 24:27). Felix, in effect, rescues Paul from the Zealots by placing him in prison for his own protection. / Felix responds to sporadic Sicarii and Zealot assaults.
59-62: Porcius Festus serves as Roman governor/procurator of Palestine. Festus, too, responds to sporadic Sicarii and Zealot assaults.
59: Festus and Agrippa II try Paul (Acts 25:1-26:32) and then send him to Rome to be tried by Nero. Paul was not
persecuted by the Romans because he preached respect toward the Roman authorities, submission, and paying taxes.
60: Paul arrives to Rome and preaches for
two years in a rented house (Acts 28:30-31). He establishes the Hellenistic
Christian Church of Rome. (When Paul
went to
Rome, there were no Christians there to welcome him.) That the Romans allowed
Paul to conduct religious meetings while he was imprisoned
shows
that the Romans did not persecute Hellenistic Christianity.
61: Paul wrote Philippians after 61 CE
from his prison house in Rome. He mentions that his gospel was spread to “the
whole imperial guard” of Nero: “I want
you to
know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the
gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial
guard
{of Nero} …” (Philippians 1:12-13) This shows that Nero was not against
Hellenistic Christianity.
62: Paul exonerated by Nero and released from imprisonment (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
62: Annas/Ananus Jr., probably avenges the
death of his brother Jonathan (who was killed by the Sicarii in 55 CE), by
bringing an unreasonable condemnation
charge
on James, the brother of Jesus. Ananus Jr. (a Sadducee) has James stoned to
death. A few years later, the Zealots, probably, avenge the death of
James:
they kill Ananus Jr. in plain sight.
62-64: Lucceius Albinus, Roman governor/procurator of Palestine.
63: The Jews rebel, again, against the
Romans in Palestine. Albinus, the Roman governor of Judea, arrests and sends to
Rome a Jewish priest and the captain
of the Temple
to be tried by Nero. Josephus, comes to Rome and pleads for the release of the
priest and the captain of the Temple. He did not meet any
Hellenistic Christians in Rome neither did he hear about them because during the
first century Hellenistic Christians were not discernible from the
Hellenistic
Diaspora Jews. First century Christians were predominantly Jews by birth
(Diaspora Jews). They attended Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues
(along with
the Gnostic Christians), and worshipped the god of the Jews, and used the Bible
of the Hellenistic Diaspora Jews: the Septuagint. (In the first
century, the
letters of Paul were not considered scripture.) At that time, Hellenistic
Christians, Gnostic Christians, and Hellenistic Diaspora Jews (along
with Jewish
proselytes and God-fearers) worshiped together the god of the Jews in
Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues. They did not worship Jesus. The
Hellenistic
Christians viewed Jesus as the divine mediator of God, the spiritual High Priest
of God. Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues were theological
“melting pots.”
64: Nero accuses the Jewish Christians of
Rome of setting Rome on fire and persecutes them. (Nero was not after the
Hellenistic Christians: the followers of
Paul.
They were law abiding, like Paul. Paul preached total obedience to authorities.
Hellenistic Christians served Nero in his household.)
64-68: Crucifixion of Peter. Eusebius’ claim
that Peter was crucified by Nero is historically plausible because Nero
crucified Jewish Christians. The Jewish
Christians were revolutionaries. Jesus was crucified for teaching people to
revolt against the Romans. Peter carried a sword and used it when Jesus was
arrested. Peter’s crucifixion probably took place after the beginning of the
Great Jewish War (66 CE) against the Romans.
64-66: Governorship of Gessius Florus (Roman
governor/procurator of Palestine). He attempts to seize money from the Temple
treasury to cover the Jewish
tribute, which the zealous Jews
refused to pay. Florus’ action triggers the Great War of the Jews.
66-73: The Great War of the Jews against the
Romans begins. The zealous Jews fight Florus’ soldiers hand-to-hand and force
them out of Jerusalem.
Menahem and the Sicarii assault
Masada and take control of it. The Zealots put a stop to Roman sacrifices at the
Temple and revolt against the corrupt
high priests, the Sadducees, and
cleanse the Temple. Manahem {or Menahem} the Galilean, the son to Judas of
Galilee (the founder of the Zealots), raids
Herod’s arsenal at Masada and
distributes the weapons “to his own people” (the Zealots). He comes to Jerusalem
as a king of the Jews. The Jews oust him.
Soon after Manahem, there arose Simon
bar Giora. He became the foremost messianic candidate of the Jews. Eventually,
he was killed by the Romans.
The zealous Jews were expecting the
Messiah, the King of the Jews, to liberate them. / The mystery of Mithras was
the religion of the Roman soldiers who
besieged Jerusalem. During the siege
they prayed to Mithras.
67: Josephus defects to the Romans.
68: Nero commits suicide.
69-79: Reign of Vespasian: he becomes the Roman Emperor while fighting the Great Jewish War. He was a devotee of god Serapis.
70: Titus, the Roman General (son of
Vespasian), crushes the Jewish rebellion, destroys the Temple and demolishes
Jerusalem. He leaves a city wall and
some towers standing. He leaves the
tenth legion of the Roman army to guard the ruins and to prevent Jews from
returning to the area of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem remains destroyed for
several decades. When Hadrian first became the Roman emperor in 117 CE, he
became sympathetic to the Jews and
stated publicly that the Jews could
return to Jerusalem and granted them permission to rebuild their Temple. /
Synagogues replaced the Temple as houses
of worship. / Vespasian becomes a
devotee of god Serapes (a god associated with Isis) after he performed a miracle
(the healing of a lame hand and
a vision problem) in Alexandria (at 70 CE). He wins the reputation of miracle worker. Isis appears on Roman coins.
73: Romans pursue the remaining Zealots (those who escaped from Jerusalem) to Masada. After a siege, some Zealots escape and the rest commit suicide.
74:
The Sicarii who escaped Masada go to Alexandria and preach to the
Alexandrian Jews “to look upon God as their only Lord and Master.” Just as the
Sadducees convinced the crowds
of Jerusalem to turn Jesus over to the Romans, the leading Jews
of Alexandria convince the Jews of Alexandria to turn
the Sicarii over to the
Romans to save themselves from destruction. /The Romans shut down the
Jewish Temple in Leontopolis, Egypt; their policy was
to shut down
Judaism and put an end to all Jewish revolts.
75:
The Parables, a.k.a. Similitudes, (a section of 1 Enoch) is written.
Evidence within this book shows that at that time, the word “satan” was not the
exclusive name of Satan.
79:
or soon thereafter: the Sibylline Oracles, book 4, are expanded by Hellenistic
Christians. They “predict” (retroactively) the destruction of the Temple
and the
explosion of Vesuvius. These Oracles were considered by early Christians as
inspired by God. They were propagandistic tools to win Gentiles
to Christ.
79-81: Reign of Titus, emperor of Rome.
80-100: The book of Acts is written.
81-96: Reign of Domitian, emperor of
Rome. He builds a huge temple for Isis (the mystery religion of Isis). Towards
the end of his reign Domitian persecutes all
“atheists”: anyone who taught “inappropriate doctrines”: philosophers and
Diaspora Jews. Along with the Hellenistic Diaspora Jews he unwittingly
persecutes Hellenistic Christians. To
the pagans the latter were not discernible from Hellenistic Diaspora Jews. Most
Hellenistic Christians held services in
Hellenistic Diaspora synagogues until
the end of the 1st century CE.
90: Jewish religious leaders meet in
Jamnia (Jabneh) to canonize the books of the Old Testament. There is no record
that they agreed. They debated over
Daniel, Ecclesiastes, and Song of
Songs. / 90-100 CE: Revelation is written. / 90 CE: the epistle to the Hebrews
is written. The writer of Hebrews advises
t