Text History
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World History
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4004 BC
The date of 4004BC is based upon an
unprecedented, but presently argued chronology developed by Archbishop
James Ussher of Dublin, Ireland. His Latin achievement entitled, Annals of
the World, has only recently become available in English. Though
disagreement is vast regarding this point in time, many of the TBT
pre-Christ dates will be built around a combination of Ussher’s respected
study and additional information that is accumulated.
4004-1445 BC
The Book of Job is written (language
unconfirmed).
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Controversy found agreement when the Septuagint
utilized a small postscript to associate Job with Jobab, the second king
of Edom (Genesis 36:33). Additionally, of Job’s three friends, each one
has a close genealogical tie to Abraham and Eliphaz the Temanite (Job
2:11) was a descendant of Esau. This having debatable truth could, in all
likelihood be the oldest known writing that history, along with the
undeniable hand of God, has been able to treasure.
3100 BC
Earliest cuneiform markings representing words of Sumer, first known language-based writing system. Sumer was the region of southern Mesopotamia and Babylon, or modern day Iraq.
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3000 BC
First known use of papyrus in ancient Egypt.
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Papyrus, or Papyrus Sedge, was a
flourishing plant along the Nile River Valley. This particular material
was the basis for the introduction of sea scrolls in the 1st centuries of
BC and AD, but arguably became the first method of documenting
history.
2800 BC
Egyptians introduce lunar calendar of 365 days as a civil calendar.
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2500 BC
Ink is used in both Egypt and China.
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2560 BC
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Completion of the Pyramid at Giza.
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As the oldest and last remaining of
the “seven wonders of the ancient world,” this pyramid stands as an
archeological mystery that could, by theory of many theologians, been
developed by the Nephilim (offspring from “sons of God” and “daughters of
men”) of Genesis 6:4. Thus, an action of such astronomical effort could
have been one of several significant reasons that God “repented” for the
creation of man on the earth (Genesis 6:6).
2348 BC
Date accuracy is calculated by using
the mathematical formula of Genesis 5 as 1,656 years from the creation of
man and then subtracting Ussher’s historical backdating of 4004 as the
origin. Result then becomes 4004 minus 1656, which equals 2348BC. This
tally is often disputed, but more frequently because of ecological and
scientific disagreements about the core of the earth’s beginning. With
mathematics being the only absolute language of perfection, counter
arguments tend to offer approximations and estimates rather than concretes
that Scripture specifically provides in the tedious text of genealogy
after genealogy.
1800 BC
Babylonians are using an early form of abacus. Abacus was a wooden calculating tool used with a series of beads.
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1500 BC
Earliest organization of Vedas, an orally-transmitted collection of sacred literature, chants and hymns in South Asia.
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Water clocks are used in Egypt.
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1491 BC
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The Great Exodus from Egypt begins.
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1445 BC
The Book of Genesis is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Age old historians classify this as
being a work written and/or handed down through generations to Moses.
Because it signifies the specific documentation of 10 different
bloodlines, such information is deemed by most traditional believers to be
authenticated and inspired of God in a way that could not have been
accomplished by any individual man. The debate exists as to whether the
entire book was penned by Moses over the opinion that he may have been the
keeper of Hebrew history and writing up to that point.
The Book of Exodus is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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The Book of Leviticus is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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1405 BC
The Book of Deuteronomy is written
in Ancient Hebrew.
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The Book of Numbers is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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From 1445-1405BC, the compilation of
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers would eventually
become known as “the Pentateuch,” or first five books of the Hebrew Old
Testament. While Genesis was significant for its history and dating of
man’s beginning and God’s creation, additionally important “text”
notations include Deuteronomy as being the “law a second time” and Numbers
as being the most numerically detailed information about any ancient
civilization. While these first five books are not necessarily a debate
among Jews or Christians, that they are a history of man’s creation is a
clear debate throughout the secular world.
1405-1385 BC
The Book of Joshua is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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In later Grecianized rendering, the
name Joshua would be equivalent with the name Jesus. This particular
Joshua, however, was given the handed down task of carrying the torch of
Moses both in leadership and in the documentation of God’s instruction.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8
From Joshua
until the unification of Israel as a kingdom, the Hebrews are led under
the “Judges” and civil infighting that continues to delay their future.
1400 BC
Linear B develops as a Mycenean Greek orthography (language of symbols), scratched with a stylus on sun-dried clay.
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1300 BC
Chinese are found to have been using primitive books made with wood or bamboo strips bound together with cords.
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1100 BC
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King Saul unifies the nation of Israel under one head for
what would be a very short lived kingdom.
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1075-1015 BC
The Book of Psalms is compiled by
David in Ancient Hebrew.
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The subdivisions of Psalms have
been thought by Hebrew and Greek writers to indicate and imitate the Five
Books of the Pentateuch. Psalm 118:8 is considered to be the “middle” of
the Bible.
“[It is] better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in man.” Psalms 118:8
1043 BC
The Book of Judges is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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1012 BC
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The Founding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
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1000 BC
The Book of Ruth is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Earliest surviving Phoenician inscriptions, in North Semitic Alphabet, probably an ancestor of the Greek alphabet and 22-later Phoenician Alphabet.
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First recorded use of pen by Chinese calligraphers.
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1000-900 BC
The Books of I & II Samuel are
written in Ancient Hebrew.
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960 BC
The Book of Song of Solomon is
written in Ancient Hebrew.
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950 BC
The Book of Proverbs is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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931 BC
The Book of Ecclesiastes is written
in Ancient Hebrew.
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928-922 BC
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The Nation of Israel, upon the death of Solomon and the
dissension between unconfirmed leaders, splits into two kingdoms. The
Northern Kingdom, to be soon identified as Israel, is ruled by Jeroboam
while the Southern Kingdom, soon to be identified as Judah, is ruled by
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.
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853 BC
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Assyrian Empire launches its first attack against the Northern Kingdom (Israel).
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845 BC
The Book of Obadiah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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830 BC
The Book of Joel is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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800 BC
Homer composes the Iliad ahd the Oddysey, two famed Greek works that would carry through the generations as text worth repeating.
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780 BC
The Book of Jonah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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760 BC
The Book of Amos is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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753 BC
750 BC
The Book of Hosea is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Earliest examples of Greek writing based on the Phonecian writing system.
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740 BC
The Book of Isaiah is begun in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Note that this particular date can
only be ascribed to Isaiah’s having “begun” to write. His lifetime spanned
several Judean kings and the eventual defeat of the Northern Kingdom
(722BC). The end of his life is not historical recorded, but the most
pressing debate by secular and a minority of Christians is that the 66
books of Isaiah were written by two authors (1-39 & 40-66). An
opposing viewpoint backing a single author is given from the use of John
12:38-40 in which Isaiah is given inspired credit for his passages of 6:10
and 53:1. When the fair-minded believer looks at this controversy, much
confidence can be placed in the uniqueness and development of a 66 chapter
book whose “two author” debate begins at the end of the 39th chapter
(Malachi) and the 40th chapter (Matthew) in a 66 chapter text (all of
Scripture is 66 books).
735 BC
The Book of Micah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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722 BC
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Assyrians conquer Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of
Israel. Isaiah comforts Hezekiah saying that Assyria is not a threat to
Judah amidst a hostile siege.
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710 BC
Egyptians invent the sundial as a means to keep time.
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700 BC
Date of the Praeneste Fibula, gold brooch containing the earliest example of a Latin alphabet.
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661-612 BC
The Book of Nahum is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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660 BC
Archives and library are organized by King Ashurbanipal of Nineveh, marking the first systematically organized library of the ancient Middle East. Some 20,000 tablets from it still survive today.
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635 BC
The Book of Zephaniah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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621 BC
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The Book of the Law is discovered in the Jerusalem Temple.
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609 BC
The Book of Habakkuk is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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597 BC
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Jerusalem is captured by Babylon.
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586 BC
The Book of Lamentations is written
in Ancient Hebrew.
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Jerusalem is destroyed by Babylon. So begins the “Babylonian
Captivity” of Judah and the Southern Kingdom.
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570 BC
The Book of Ezekiel is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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561-538 BC
The Books of I & II Kings are
written in Ancient Hebrew.
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561 BC
The Book of Jeremiah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Upon the beginning of Babylonian
Captivity (586BC), Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations (weeping the
state of Judah), Ezekiel wrote from a state of captivity in Babylon
(speaking of a future return to the land), and Jeremiah, having been one
of the few left in the land, wrote his passionate book of prophecy wrapped
in a summary of hope: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 What tends to be debated is not necessarily
these three aforementioned books, but the documentation of I and II Kings.
Until the Septuagint (300-100BC), it was considered in Hebrew to be one
book of the Kings. Its content implies that there was a necessity of
recording what followed Solomon’s death in the history of God’s chosen
nation. Traditional view holds that Jeremiah wrote this series after the
people were led into bondage, but he likely would have had to have the
work transcribed via much conjecture that he was without eyesight in later
years.
550 BC
First appearance of writing from left to right.
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546 BC
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Founding of the Persian Empire.
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539 BC
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Medes and Persians, under Cyrus, defeat Babylon.
Mede-Persian Kingdom begins.
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536 BC
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First group of Hebrews return from bondage.
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536 BC
The Book of Daniel is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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Few Old Testament books spark as
much controversy and implied understanding as the Book of Daniel. While
many of his contemporary and former peers tended to write in poetic, yet
undefined terms, Daniel himself lays out a timeline of kingdoms and future
events that would both be unprecedented and never again achieved by any
Biblical author. Not in much debate is that this famed prophet wrote his
text near the end of his life prior to having the opportunity to return to
Judah with the second group of Hebrews (458BC).
520-518 BC
The Book of Zechariah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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520 BC
The Book of Haggai is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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509 BC
470 BC
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Socrates is born in Athens.
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458 BC
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Second group of Hebrews return from bondage.
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457-444 BC
The Book of Ezra is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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450-430 BC
The Books of I & II Chronicles are written in Ancient Hebrew.
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Seemingly any general reader who
opens I and II Kings would be unable to find much difference from the
above Chronicles. What is different, however, are the slightly more
specific details of King David, Solomon and the additional Kings of Judah.
As a result, many believe that this work was accomplished by Ezra (who allegedly came home from Babylon with a scroll of the Torah), whose
main task after returning to Judah was the reconstruction of the temple.
Documents would undoubtedly have existed from inside the broken walls of
Babylon’s destruction and as such, would have provided more detail than
perhaps Jeremiah initially provided through the Kings.
445-444 BC
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Walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt under the direction of Nehemiah.
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430 BC
The Book of Malachi is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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427 BC
425 BC
The Book of Nehemiah is written in
Ancient Hebrew.
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398 BC
Old Testament canon is completed
and thus begins a famed “400 year silence” (from the Hebrews) until the
birth of John the Baptist.
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387 BC
Plato founds the Academy at Athens, which later becomes the world's first university.
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384 BC
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Aristotle is born in Macedonia.
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350 BC
The Ionic alphabet of 24 letters is in use in Greece.
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347 BC
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Upon Plato's death, Aristotle takes over the Academy of Athens.
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345 BC
Speusippus writes first known fragments of an encyclopedia.
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335 BC
Aristotle's school, Lyceum, becomes a center of philosophical investigation.
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331 BC
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Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia. Greek
Kingdom begins.
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330 BC
The ancient world recognizes the emergence of a distinct Hebrew alphabet.
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322 BC
300-200 BC
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Alexandrian-native Euclid, the Father of Geometry, writes his famed work of the Elements.
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294-280 BC
The Library of Alexandria (Egypt) is founded and established
by King Ptolemy II as a center for scholarship.
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Prior to an eventual inclusion of the Septuagint, Alexandria's first librarian, Zenodotus of Ephesus, provides the basis and foundation for modern textual criticism by making the first critical edition of Homer from the manuscripts available.
250 BC
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament)
is written with 70 men in separate chambers arriving at the exact same
translation after 72 days. With Greek being the intellectual language of
the day, King of Egypt, Ptolemy II asks for this famed Hebrew canon to be
added and translated into the Library of Alexandria.
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200 BC
Rosetta Stone is carved in three languages. Its discovery helps modern scholars translate hieroglyphics.
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163 BC
Chinese adopt a dating system that defines divisions of time as "eras" until 1911.
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146 BC
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Romans conquest of Greece and the beginning of Roman Greece.
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134 BC
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The Hasmonean Dynasty begins its 71 year reign over an independent Jewish Kingdom.
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63 BC
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The Roman Empire begins its rule of Palestine and the adjacent territories.
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59 BC
Rome publishes its daily gazette called Acta Diurna ("Daily Events"). This marks the first diffusion of public news.
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50-46 BC
The Julian Calendar is perfected by the astronomer Sosigenes, who lengthens the Egyptian solar calendar of 365 days to 365.5.
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49-44 BC
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Julius Caesar wins civil war against Pompey, sets himself as
Roman dictator for life, and is quickly assassinated. Thus ends the Roman
Republic as it immediately becomes the Roman Empire under subsequent
Caesars.
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40 BC
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Herod the Great is appointed King of Judea.
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30 BC
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Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide.
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Egypt becomes a Roman province.
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27 BC
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Octavian begins a 41-year reign as Caesar Augustus, sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Octavian was the emperor mentioned in Luke's famous story of Jesus' birth in chapter two.
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20 BC
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Herod the Great begins construction on the temple of Jerusalem.
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15 BC
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Herodias is born to Aristobulus, the son of Herod the Great.
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Herodias was the Jewish princess of Herodian Dynasty who orchestrated the death of John the Baptist as noted in Mark 6:17-22. Most historians associate her influence on John's death as relating to his condemnation of her relationship and marriage to Herod Antipus after the divorce of Herod Philip.
7 BC
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Herod the Great executes his son, Aristobulus, father of Herodias.
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6-3 BC
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John the Baptist is born.
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Jesus, the Messiah, is born.
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Much of the reason for this dating is built around a notion that the Herod mentioned in Matthew 2:1-15 was deemed both "king" over Judea and died (Matthew 2:15) so as to allow Joseph and Mary to come out of Egypt with their Son. Scripture notes that upon hearing of Herod's death (5-4 BC), Joseph returned to Judea with the discovery that Herod Archelaus was reigning in Herod's place (Matthew 2:19-22). This significant passage indicates that if we know the date of Herod the Great's death, we can backtrack to the date of Jesus' birth.
5-4 BC
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Herod the Great dies and leaves his reign over Palestine to Herod Philip (Iturea and Trachonitis), Herod Archelaus (Samaria and Judea), and Herod Antipas (Galilee and Perea).
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3 BC
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Joseph returns from Egypt to Judea with Mary and Jesus.
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1 BC
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On July 17, a total eclipse of the moon was viewed from all Roman provinces surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
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