Are you teaching the New Testament Overview this year and want to add dates? But you don’t know where to get dates? Finding dates for biblical events can be challenging but that should not discourage us from looking into them to better understand the context of the Bible.

Today, I am opening my personal notes and sharing them with you. Unless noted, the dates I am using is coming from the book, Annals of World History by Bishop James Ussher.

BC or BCE – Before Christ or Before Common Era
AD or CE – Latin translation “In the year of our Lord” or Common Era

Let’s look at events from the birth of John to the start of Jesus’ ministry.

New Testament Dates Part 1

Birth of John

• 6 BC in the autumn (Ussher) to 2 BC (others)
• I believe John was conceived late in May/early June.
• I teach John was born on the first day of Passover and circumcised on the eighth day of that holiday.

Birth of Jesus

• 5  BC in the autumn (Ussher) to 1 BC (others)
• I believe Jesus was conceived during the Feast of Lights which is in December
• I teach Jesus was born on the first day of Feast of Tabernacles (late September to early October) and circumcised on the eighth day of that holiday.
• 4 BC in the winter, Jesus was circumcised (Ussher)

Egypt

• Flight to Egypt 4 BC
• I believe the family lived in Alexandria while in Egypt
• Herod died 3 BC in the winter, others say spring of the year
• Mary, baby Jesus and possibly two siblings returned to Nazareth 3 BC

Jesus in Jerusalem

• 8 AD in the Spring
• Age 12
• To celebrate Passover which was one of the 3 required feast for all Jewish men to attend
• This was the Second Temple remodeled by Herod the Great

 John Preached

• Beginning in 26 AD John began to preach repentance, preparing the way for Jesus
• John preached repentance
• John baptized those who repented

 Jesus was Baptized

• In the winter of 27 AD Jesus was baptized
• Celebrated on the Christian calendar on January 6 each year
• Jesus was 30 years old when he was baptized

Jesus was Tempted

• 27 AD
• After begin baptized the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness
• Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights
• At the end of the fast, Satan tempted Jesus

The 12 Apostles

• Between 30 and 31 AD, Jesus called 12 men to be His disciples
• Disciple = Learner who imitates his teacher
• The Disciples would later become Apostles
• Apostle = Eye witness, appointed, and sent

Jesus Taught

• 30-33 AD
• Love God (quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
• Love your neighbor (quoting Levites 19:18)

Jesus Prayed

• Throughout His life
• Throughout His day
• In different locations
• With others and alone

This brings us to the first few months of Jesus’ ministry. I will be posting more dates throughout the next few weeks, alternating between Old Testament and New Testament.

If you have other dates, I would appreciate you sharing them with me and their sources 🙂

May the Lord bless you as you teach the timeline to your students,
Dianna