Chronology of the Apostle Paul
The Apostle Paul was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus (Acts 22:3) as a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28). He was educated strictly according to Jewish law (Acts 22:3). Before his conversion to Christianity, he was a pious and loyal Pharisee who persecuted Christians (Acts 22:4; Acts 8.3). Paul was converted while traveling on the the road to Damascus when he met ther risen Christ (Acts 9:1-20).
| Approx Date | Scripture Reference | Description | Letters Written | Roman Emperor |
| 5 AD | Acts 22:3; Acts 22:28; Phil 3:4-6; | Born a Jew in the City of Tarsus; Roman citizen; studied at the school of Gamaliel in Jerusalem; a Pharisee | Augustus 27 BC- 14 AD | |
| 32 AD | Acts 7:58; | Present at Stephen’s stoning | ||
| 33-34 AD | Acts 8:1-3; | Persecutor of the church | ||
| 34 AD | Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:3-21; Acts 27:12-18; | Paul converted on the road to Damascus | Tiberius (14-37 AD) | |
| 34-37 AD | Gal 1:15-17; Acts 9:20-25; 2 Cor 11:32-33; | Travels to Arabia and remains there Returns to Damascus | Caligula (37-41 AD) | |
| 37 AD | Acts 9:26-30; Gal 1:18 | Goes to Jerusalem with Barnabas Returns to Tarsus | ||
| 46 AD | Acts 11:19-29 | Barnabas brings Paul to Antioch Barnabas & Paul take famine relief to Jerusalem | Claudius (41-54 AD) Famine in Rome (42 AD) | |
| 46-48 AD | Acts 13-14 | First Journey Travels with Barnabas and John Mark | Galatians (48 AD after journey) | |
| 49 AD | Acts 15:1-35 | Jerusalem council | Claudius expels Jews from Rome (49 AD) | |
| 49-52 AD | Acts 15:36-18:22 | Second Journey Travels with Silas and later Timothy | 1&2 Thessalonians (50ish) | Rise of the Zealots (50 AD) |
| 53-57 AD | Acts 18:23-21:16 | Third Journey | 1 Corinthians (55) 2 Corthinians (56) Romans (57) | Nero (54-68 AD) |
| 57-59 AD | Acts 21:17-26:32 | Roman arrest in Jerusalem Taken to Felix at Caesarea | ||
| 59 AD | Acts 27:1-28:16 | Journey to Rome | ||
| 60-62 AD | Acts 28:17-31 | 1st Roman imprisonment | Colossians Philemon Ephesians Philippians | |
| 63 AD | Released from prison | 1 Timothy Titus | ||
| 65-66 AD | 2nd Roman imprisonment & execution | 2 Timothy | Fire at Rome (64 AD) Persecution under Nero |
Paul’s authority
- Paul’s authority rests on his divine calling from Jesus Christ.
- Paul received divine revelation from Jesus (Gal 1:12).
- Paul received traditional training in and knowledge of the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-5).
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Paul
Paul, the Apostle – Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Paul – Holman Bible Dictionary
Paul, the Apostle – Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Paul – Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Paul, the Apostle – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Paul- Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
Other references:
Blue Letter Bible Chronology of Paul
Chronology of Roman Emperors (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Copyright 2017 Krisan Marotta. http://www.WednesdayintheWord.com
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