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Main Events of the First Century

Before taking a look at the chronology of the writings of the New Testament, we need to establish a timeline with a few main events, in order to give us a background. We will put only four key events, with their estimated dates. Scholars disagree about these dates, especially for the birth and death of Christ, and the evidence is not sufficient to be dogmatic. Thus, we will give a range of possible dates for these two events. These dates are not essential to our faith; otherwise, we can be sure that the Bible would have given us more specific details.

1. The birth of Jesus, 5-6 B.C.

This date may surprise you, but it does not indicate any errors in the biblical accounts. It only shows that when historians started dividing history between B.C. and A.D., they didn't have all the proper information. Historians now know that Herod died in 4 B.C. Therefore, Jesus would have been born not long before that date.

2. The death and resurrection of Jesus, 30 or 33 A.D.

Luke 3:23 says that Jesus was "about 30 years old" when He began His public ministry. This could be several years older than 30. His ministry lasted two or three years, according to the number of Passovers suggested in the Gospel of John. Scholars try to coordinate statements in the gospels with the Jewish calendar, and suggest that his crucifixion was probably either in 30 A.D. or in 33 A.D. 

3. The Council of Jerusalem, 48 A.D.

4. The destruction of Jerusalem, 70 A.D.

QUESTION:

Match the event with the estimated date.