AD 33 – AD 70 · 603 passages
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Spring AD 30 – forty days between Jesus' resurrection and ascension (some date the crucifixion AD 33) Traditional date
Luke opens by tying this book to his earlier one, then recalls how the risen Jesus proved He was alive over forty days. He tells the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.
c. May AD 30 – on the Mount of Olives, the apostles ask about the kingdom (some date it AD 33) Traditional date
The apostles ask whether Jesus will now restore Israel's kingdom. He says the timing is the Father's business and instead promises Spirit-given power to be His witnesses, spreading outward from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
c. May AD 30 – Jesus ascends from the Mount of Olives, forty days after his resurrection (some: AD 33) Traditional date
Jesus is lifted up and hidden by a cloud while the apostles watch. Two men in white ask why they keep staring at the sky and say Jesus will return in the same way.
c. May AD 30 – in Jerusalem, in the ten days before Pentecost (some date it AD 33) Traditional date
The apostles return to Jerusalem and meet in an upper room, listing the eleven by name. They pray together with the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus' brothers.
c. May–June AD 30 – Peter proposes a replacement for Judas among about 120 believers (some: AD 33) Traditional date
Peter tells about 120 believers that Scripture foretold Judas's betrayal and his fate, including the purchase of a field. He says another eyewitness of Jesus' ministry must take Judas's place as a witness to the resurrection.
c. May–June AD 30 – Matthias chosen by lot to join the Twelve, before Pentecost (some: AD 33) Traditional date
The group puts forward two candidates and prays for God to show whom He has chosen. They cast lots, and Matthias is counted among the eleven apostles.
Pentecost, c. AD 30 – the Spirit comes in Jerusalem (some date it AD 33) Traditional date
On the day of Pentecost, a sound like rushing wind fills the house and flame-like tongues rest on each believer. All are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in other languages.
Pentecost, c. AD 30 – pilgrims from across the Roman and Parthian world hear the gospel in their own languages Traditional date
Jewish pilgrims from many nations gather, amazed to hear Galileans declaring God's wonders in each person's native language. Some are baffled and ask what it means, while others mock them as drunk.
Pentecost, c. AD 30 – Peter cites Joel to the crowd (some date it AD 33) Traditional date
Peter denies that the believers are drunk, since it is only morning. He says this is what the prophet Joel foretold: God pouring out His Spirit on all people, with salvation for everyone who calls on the Lord.
Pentecost, c. AD 30 – Peter proclaims the risen Jesus (some date it AD 33) Traditional date
Peter says God accredited Jesus by miracles, that they had Him crucified, and that God raised Him. Using Psalms of David, he argues Jesus is the exalted Lord and Christ.
Pentecost, c. AD 30 – about three thousand respond and are baptized (some: AD 33) Traditional date
Deeply moved, the listeners ask what they should do. Peter urges them to repent and be baptized, and about three thousand accept his message and are baptized that day.
c. AD 30–31 – the first months of the Jerusalem church (some date it AD 33–34) Traditional date
The new believers devote themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, shared meals and prayer. They share their possessions with those in need, worship in the temple and gain favor with the people as more join.
c. AD 30–31 – soon after Pentecost, the healing at the temple's Beautiful Gate (some date it AD 33–34) Traditional date
Going to the temple at the hour of prayer, Peter and John meet a man lame from birth who begs at the Beautiful Gate. Peter commands him to walk in Jesus' name, and he leaps and praises God while onlookers recognize him.
c. AD 30–31 – Peter speaks in Solomon's Colonnade at the temple (some date it AD 33–34) Traditional date
As a crowd gathers in Solomon's Colonnade, Peter says the healing came not from his own power but through the name of Jesus. He charges the people with rejecting Jesus, whom God raised.
c. AD 30–31 – Peter calls Jerusalem to repent (some date it AD 33–34) Traditional date
Peter says they acted in ignorance and that God foretold the Christ's suffering. He urges them to repent so their sins are wiped away, pointing to Moses and Abraham's promise as pointing to Jesus.
c. AD 30–32 – Peter and John arrested by the temple authorities (Caiaphas high priest, AD 18–36) Traditional date
Temple authorities, upset that the apostles are preaching the resurrection, seize Peter and John and hold them overnight. Meanwhile many who heard the message believe, and the group grows to about five thousand men.
c. AD 30–32 – Peter before the Sanhedrin under Annas and Caiaphas Traditional date
Asked by what power the man was healed, Peter, filled with the Spirit, says it was by Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified and God raised. He declares there is salvation in no one else.
c. AD 30–32 – the council orders the apostles to stop preaching Traditional date
The leaders are struck by the boldness of these ordinary men and cannot deny the miracle. They forbid them to speak in Jesus' name, but Peter and John say they cannot stop speaking about what they have seen, and are released.
c. AD 30–32 – the Jerusalem church prays for boldness Traditional date
Freed, Peter and John report back, and the believers pray together to the Creator, quoting Psalm 2 about opposition to God's Anointed. They ask for boldness and healing signs; the place shakes and they speak God's word boldly.
c. AD 30–32 – believers share possessions; Barnabas introduced Traditional date
The believers are united and share their possessions so no one is in need, while the apostles preach the resurrection with power. Barnabas is highlighted as one who sold a field and gave the money to the apostles.
c. AD 31–33 – Ananias and Sapphira in the Jerusalem church Traditional date
Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell property but secretly keep back part of the money while presenting the rest as the full amount. Peter says Ananias has lied to God, and Ananias falls dead and is buried.
c. AD 31–33 – Sapphira dies; the church is gripped by fear Traditional date
About three hours later Sapphira arrives unaware, and Peter asks whether the price they reported was the real one. She repeats the lie and also dies, and great fear comes over the church.
c. AD 31–33 – signs and healings draw crowds to the apostles in Jerusalem Traditional date
The apostles perform many signs, and believers meet in Solomon's Colonnade. People are held in awe, more join, and crowds from surrounding towns bring the sick, all of whom are healed.
c. AD 31–33 – the high priest jails the apostles; an angel frees them Traditional date
The jealous high priest and his Sadducee colleagues arrest the apostles, but during the night an angel opens the jail and tells them to keep preaching in the temple. At daybreak they are teaching there.
c. AD 31–33 – the apostles answer the Sanhedrin: obey God rather than men Traditional date
The officers find the jail empty and the authorities are perplexed when the apostles are found teaching. Brought before the council, Peter says they must obey God rather than men and testifies to Jesus' resurrection.
c. AD 31–33 – Gamaliel counsels the Sanhedrin to wait; the apostles are flogged and released Traditional date
Enraged council members want the apostles killed, but the Pharisee Gamaliel argues that if this work is merely human it will fail, and if it is from God they cannot stop it. The apostles are flogged and released, and leave rejoicing and still teaching.
c. AD 32–34 – the Hellenist widows dispute; seven men appointed (dates approximate) Best estimate
Greek-speaking Jewish believers complain that their widows are overlooked in the daily food distribution. The Twelve have the community choose seven Spirit-filled men to handle it so they can focus on prayer and the word, and the church keeps growing.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen accused and brought before the Sanhedrin (dates approximate) Best estimate
Stephen does great wonders, but men from a synagogue debate him and lose. They persuade others to claim he blasphemed against Moses and the temple, and he is seized and taken before the Sanhedrin with a face like an angel's.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin begins with Abraham (retold history, c. 2000 BC) Best estimate
Asked if the charges are true, Stephen begins retelling Israel's story. He recounts God calling Abraham out of Mesopotamia, promising the land, and giving the covenant of circumcision.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen retells the Joseph story to the Sanhedrin (patriarchal era, c. 1900–1700 BC) Best estimate
Stephen recalls that the patriarchs sold Joseph into Egypt out of jealousy, yet God was with him and made him ruler. Joseph later saved his family from famine, and they settled in Egypt.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen retells Moses' birth and rejection (Egypt, early date c. 1500–1446 BC) Best estimate
Stephen describes the Israelites' oppression in Egypt and Moses' upbringing in Pharaoh's house. When Moses tried to help his people, they rejected him, and he fled to Midian.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen retells the burning bush and the Exodus to the Sanhedrin Best estimate
Stephen recounts God appearing to Moses in the burning bush and sending him back. He stresses that the very man Israel rejected was the one God sent to lead them out and give living words.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen retells Israel's idolatry and Solomon's temple Best estimate
Stephen says the ancestors refused to obey Moses, made a golden calf, and later worshiped other gods. He then notes the tabernacle and temple, insisting the Most High does not dwell in buildings made by human hands.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen accuses the council of resisting the Spirit Best estimate
Stephen turns directly on the council, saying they resist the Holy Spirit like their ancestors, who persecuted the prophets. He says they have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One and not kept the law.
c. AD 33–35 – Stephen stoned outside Jerusalem; Saul looks on (dates approximate) Best estimate
Enraged, the council members hear Stephen say he sees Jesus standing at God's right hand, and they drag him out and stone him. As he dies he prays for Jesus to receive his spirit and for his killers to be forgiven, while young Saul watches over the witnesses' coats.
c. AD 33–35 – persecution after Stephen's death scatters the church; Saul ravages it Best estimate
Saul approves of Stephen's death, and a great persecution scatters believers throughout Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Saul goes house to house dragging believers to prison, while those scattered preach wherever they go.
c. AD 33–36 – Saul struck down near Damascus (Paul's conversion; dated from his own chronology in Galatians) Traditional date
Saul sets out for Damascus with letters to arrest followers of the Way. A heavenly light stops him, and Jesus asks why he persecutes Him; Saul is left blind for three days.
c. AD 33–36 – Ananias restores Saul's sight in Damascus Traditional date
The Lord sends a reluctant disciple, Ananias, to Saul, explaining Saul is His chosen instrument to the Gentiles. Ananias lays hands on him, his sight returns, and he is baptized.
c. AD 33–36 – Paul's conversion near Damascus and time in Arabia, recalled in the letter (Acts 9) Traditional date
Paul says he received his gospel not from people but from a revelation of Jesus. He recalls his former zeal in Judaism and how God called him to preach Christ among the Gentiles.
c. AD 34–36 – Philip preaches in Samaria (dates approximate) Best estimate
Philip proclaims Christ in a Samaritan city, where healings and exorcisms bring great joy. Many are baptized, including Simon, a sorcerer who had long amazed the people.
c. AD 34–36 – Peter and John in Samaria; Simon the magician (dates approximate) Best estimate
Peter and John come from Jerusalem, pray, and the Samaritan believers receive the Holy Spirit. Simon offers money for this power, and Peter sharply rebukes him and urges him to repent.
c. AD 34–36 – Philip meets the Ethiopian official on the Gaza road (dates approximate) Best estimate
Guided by an angel and the Spirit, Philip meets an Ethiopian court official reading Isaiah. Philip explains that the passage points to Jesus and baptizes him, after which the Spirit takes Philip away and he preaches on toward Caesarea.
c. AD 60–62 – Paul recalls his Pharisee past and conversion on the Damascus road (c. AD 33–36), now written from prison Traditional date
Paul lists his own impressive background, then says he counts it all as loss compared with knowing Christ. He wants righteousness by faith in Christ, to know the power of His resurrection and share His sufferings.
c. AD 35–38 – Saul preaches in Damascus and escapes over the wall (Aretas IV's governor, cf. 2 Cor 11:32) Traditional date
Saul begins proclaiming in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, astonishing those who knew him as a persecutor. When Jews plot to kill him, his disciples lower him over the wall in a basket.
c. AD 35–40 – Peter's ministry on the coastal plain Best estimate
Traveling among the believers, Peter finds Aeneas, paralyzed for eight years, and tells him Jesus Christ heals him. He gets up, and many in the area turn to the Lord.
c. AD 35–40 – Peter's ministry on the coastal plain Best estimate
Tabitha, a disciple known for kindness to widows, dies in Joppa, and two men fetch Peter from nearby Lydda. He prays and tells her to get up, and she opens her eyes and is presented alive.
c. AD 35–44 – Greeks reached at Antioch; Barnabas fetches Saul from Tarsus; 'Christians' (dates approximate) Best estimate
Believers scattered after Stephen's death preach mostly to Jews, but some speak to Greeks in Antioch, and many believe. Jerusalem sends Barnabas, who fetches Saul, and the disciples are first called Christians there.
c. AD 35–37 – Paul's first Jerusalem visit, three years after conversion; he meets Peter and James Traditional date
After three years Paul visited Jerusalem for fifteen days and met Peter and James, then went to Syria and Cilicia, where churches in Judea only heard that their former persecutor was now preaching the faith.
c. AD 36–38 – Saul's first Jerusalem visit, about three years after his conversion (Gal 1:18) Traditional date
The disciples in Jerusalem fear Saul until Barnabas vouches for him. After hostile debates, believers send him to Tarsus, and the church enjoys peace and growth.
c. AD 36–37 – Paul's escape from Damascus (under King Aretas IV), recalled in a letter of c. AD 54–56 Traditional date
Paul says he will boast of what shows his weakness and swears he is not lying. He recounts being lowered in a basket through a wall window to escape arrest in Damascus.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
Cornelius, a devout Roman centurion in Caesarea, sees an angel who says his prayers and gifts to the poor are remembered by God. He is told to send for Peter in Joppa, and he sends three men.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
On a rooftop in Joppa, hungry Peter sees a sheet of all kinds of animals and hears a voice tell him to kill and eat. He refuses as they are unclean, but is told not to call impure what God has made clean, three times.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
While Peter ponders the vision, Cornelius's men arrive, and the Spirit tells him to go with them without hesitation. Peter welcomes them as guests, and next day sets out with some believers from Joppa.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
Cornelius greets Peter with a crowd gathered, and Peter declines his worship, explaining that God has shown him not to call anyone unclean. Cornelius retells his angelic vision and says they are ready to hear all Peter has been told.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
Peter says he now understands God accepts people from every nation. He summarizes Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection, and says everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (date uncertain) Best estimate
While Peter is still speaking, the Holy Spirit comes on the listeners, who speak in tongues and praise God. Astonished, Peter orders that they be baptized, since they received the Spirit just as the Jewish believers had.
c. AD 37–41 – Peter reports to Jerusalem Best estimate
Jewish believers criticize Peter for eating with uncircumcised men. Peter retells the vision, the Spirit's command and the Spirit coming on the Gentiles, asking who he was to hinder God, and the critics accept it and praise God.
AD 41–44 – Herod Agrippa I reigns; James killed and Peter jailed at Passover, most likely AD 44 Well established
King Herod has James the brother of John killed and, seeing it pleases people, arrests Peter during Passover week. Peter is heavily guarded while the church prays fervently for him.
AD 41–44 – Herod Agrippa I's reign; Peter's angelic rescue (Passover, most likely AD 44) Well established
The night before his trial, an angel wakes Peter, his chains fall off, and he is led past the guards through a gate that opens by itself. Once outside, Peter realizes the rescue was real.
AD 41–44 – Herod Agrippa I's reign; Peter at Mary's house after the escape Well established
Peter goes to the house where believers are praying, and the servant Rhoda is so happy she forgets to open the gate. The group doubts her until they see him, and he tells them what happened before leaving.