Timeline of the Early Church
I thought it would be helpful to give some more historical context to the writings of the Church Fathers in relation to when the books of the New Testament were approximately written, in the order that they were written, plus any relevant major historical events that may have influenced certain texts. I'm using the earlier dating method of the New Testament books, but have included some later dates for those texts which are disputed more heavily. Having said that, all dates here are approximate and could vary by a few years either way. There has been (and still is) much debate and speculation as to exact dates of when the manuscripts were originally penned, as the dating of surviving papyrus and manuscript fragments are only from the second century onwards. For an interactive, online timeline I've created, see the Maps & Timelines page.
On the Early Church Texts side, I've included all of the texts from this book, plus a few other notable and important early texts which weren't included in this reading plan. As an additional point of interest, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp and Papias were all disciples or companions of the apostle John. Irenaeus later became a disciple of Polycarp, and around 67AD Ignatius became bishop of Antioch and was appointed to the position by the apostle Peter himself. Thus these few men preserved some of the earliest links back to the Apostolic Age and the things which were taught to those who personally knew Jesus. There is also an ancient tradition that Ignatius was the child that Jesus held when he blessed the children (cf. Matthew 18:1-4).
Date of New Testament Book | Significant Historical Events | Date of Early Church Texts |
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| Jesus Crucified - 30-33AD |
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| Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - 33AD |
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| Stephen stoned; first martyr – approx. 34AD (cf. Acts 7:54-8:2) |
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| Jesus converts Paul on the Damascus Road – approx. 34-36AD |
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| Apostle James killed by Herod – approx. 42-44AD (cf. Acts 12:2) |
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James (early date), 45-50 AD |
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Galatians, 47-57AD |
| Didache (early date) - 50AD |
1 Thessalonians, 51-52AD |
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2 Thessalonians, 51-52AD |
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| Nero becomes emperor of Rome - 54AD |
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Gospel of Mark, 50-60AD |
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Gospel of Matthew, 50-60AD |
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1 Corinthians, 53-54AD |
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Romans, 55-57AD |
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2 Corinthians, 55-56AD |
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James (late date), 60-63AD |
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Gospel of Luke, 60AD |
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Acts of the Apostles, 61AD |
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Colossians, 61AD |
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Ephesians, 61AD |
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| James, brother of Jesus, martyred - 62AD |
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Philippians, 62-63AD |
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Philemon, 63AD |
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1 Peter, 63-64AD |
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1 Timothy, 63-66AD |
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Titus, 63-66AD |
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| Great Fire of Rome, Nero blames Christians - 64AD |
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| Persecution by Nero begins - 64-68AD |
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| Apostle Peter martyred - 64-68AD |
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| Apostle Paul martyred - 67-68AD |
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Hebrews, 64-68AD |
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Revelation (early date), 64-68AD |
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2 Peter, 66AD |
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| The Great Jewish Revolt against Rome - 66-73AD |
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2 Timothy, 67AD |
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Jude, 68-80AD |
| 1 Clement, 69-95AD |
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Siege of Jerusalem - 70AD |
Didache, 70-100AD |
| Temple Destroyed - 70AD |
Epistle of Barnabas, 70-79AD |
Gospel of John, 85-90AD |
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1, 2 & 3 John, 85-90AD |
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| Persecution by Emperor Domitian - 89-96AD |
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Revelation (late date), 95-96AD |
| Papias of Hierapolis, Expositions of the Lord, 95-120AD |
| Apostle John dies of old age – approx. 90-100AD | 2 Clement, c.100AD |
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| Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch, 107-108AD |
| Persecution by Emperor Trajan - 109-111AD | Polycarp: to the Philippians, 110-140AD |
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| Mathetes to Diognetus, 130-250AD |
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The Shepherd of Hermas, 140-154AD |
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| Justin Martyr, First Apology, c.156AD |
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| Irenaeus, Against Heresies (I-V), 175-185AD |
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| Muratorian Canon, 180-200AD |
| Persecution by Emperor Decius - 250AD | Cyprian: On The Unity Of The Church, 249-251AD |
| Persecution by Emperor Valerian - 257AD |
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| Persecution by Emperor Diocletian - 303AD | Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 300-313AD (possibly earlier) |
| Christianity legalised under the Edict of Milan - 313AD |
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| Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures, 348-350AD |
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| Athanasius: Life of Anthony, 356-362AD |
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| Ambrose of Milan: Concerning The Mysteries, c.387AD |
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| Leo the Great's Tome, 449AD |
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| Leo the Great, Sermons, 440-461AD |