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Peggy Cowan
Maryville College

Timeline

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The following timeline is designed to help students connect particular Old Testament writings with the historical context in which they were written.  It assumes the fundamental conclusions of the Documentary Hypothesis and dates the four sources J, E, D, and P according to broadly accepted scholarly consensus.  Students should recognize that these dates are debated and that a timeline cannot reflect the complexity of such issues.  

Events Dates
B.C.E.		 Writings OT Books
Ancestral period c. 1800-
 c.1300		 oral traditions regarding ancestors   
Hyksos invasion and control of Egypt
 c. 1700
c. 1600 		   
  c. 1500
c. 1400 		   
Seti I reigns in Egypt (c. 1305-c. 1290) c. 1300      
Ramses II reigns in Egypt
     (c. 1290-c. 1224)
Exodus of Hebrews from Egypt (?)
    		    

oral traditions/early poetic 
   accounts of Exodus
Decalogue (?)

  

Exodus
Period of Judges c. 1240-
 c. 1020		 oral traditions regarding 
   occupation and judges
early creedal traditions		 Joshua,
Judges
Philistines (Sea Peoples) invade
   eastern Mediterranean coast 
   (c. 1200) 		c. 1200     
  c. 1100    
Samuel 
Saul  (c. 1020- c. 1000)		  

oral traditions regarding Samuel, Saul & David


Samuel
United Monarchy c. 1000-
 c.  922		     
David (c. 1000- c. 961) 1000BCE some psalms Psalms
Solomon (c. 961-  c. 922)
    Yahwist Genesis 
Exodus 
Numbers
     Succession Narrative 2Samuel 
1-11&
1Kings 1-3
     Joseph Novella Genesis
    Early Proverbs Proverbs
Division of Kingdom into Judah &
   Israel  (c. 922) 		     
Divided Monarchy c. 922--
   c. 721		    
Judah Israel   Writings OT Books
Rehoboam (922-915) Jeroboam I (922-901)

  

    
      900 BCE     
  Omri (876-869)       
  Ahab (869-850)
     Elijah
     Elisha 		  oral traditions about 
   Elijah and Elisha
 1 & 2 Kings
       Elohist Genesis, Exodus,
   Numbers
  Jehu (842-815)       
     800 BCE      
 
Uzziah (783-742) 		Jeroboam II (786-746)
     Amos (c.  750)
     Hosea (c. 745)		  
prophecies of Amos
prophecies of Hosea
Amos
Hosea
   Isaiah begins work      early Isaiah materials  Isaiah
Ahaz (734-715)
Syro-Ephraimite War
     (735-734)		        
Immanuel prophecy
Isaiah
   Micah (before 722)        prophecies of Micah Micah
   Fall of Israel (c.  722)          
Events Dates Writings OT Books
The Nation of Judah c. 721- 
  c. 587		     
HezeKiah (715-687)
Siege of Jerusalem (701)
     Isaiah's ministry ends 		  later prophecies of Isaiah Isaiah
   700BCE       
Manasseh (687-642)        
Josiah (640-609)
     Jeremiah begins ministry

Deuteronomic Reform (621) 		 
Jeremiah's early 
   prophecies
Book of the Law
Jeremiah

Deuteronomy
      Jeremiah's Temple Sermon Jeremiah
     First edition of 
   Deuteronomistic History 		Joshua, 
Judges, 
1 & 2
Samuel, 
1 & 2 Kings
Fall of Nineveh (612)        
Battle of Har Megiddo and death of Josiah
     (609) 		     
Final defeat of Assyria by Babylonia
     (605) 		      
Nebuchadnezzar (605-562)   Jeremiah's later prophecies Jeremiah
  600BCE      
Conquest of Jerusalem and first
     deportation (598)
     Zedekiah (597-587)		   
Jeremiah's letter to the 
   exiles 		 
Jeremiah
   Ezekiel begins ministry (593)   Ezekiel's early prophecies Ezekiel

Fall of Jerusalem and destruction of
     Temple (587)

    Jeremiah's Little Book of
    Consolation 		Jeremiah
Exile 587-538      
Jewish community divided
     Ezekiel completes ministry 		    Ezekiel's later prophecies Ezekiel
      Final edition of 
   Deuteronomistic History 
   (c. 550) 		Deuteronomy, 
Joshua, 
Judges, 
1 & 2Samuel, 
1 & 2 Kings
     Priestly traditions begin to
   develop 		Genesis, 
Exodus, 
Numbers,
Leviticus
   Second Isaiah (c. 540)    Second Isaiah's prophecies Isaiah
     Job (550-500 ?) Job

Cyrus takes Babylon (539)
Edict of Cyrus (538)

      
Post-Exilic Period 538-164      
    Third Isaiah (525)   prophecies of 3rd Isaiah Isaiah
   Haggai and Zechariah (520)   prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah Haggai, 
Zechariah
Restoration of the Temple (515)   compilation of Psalms Psalms
  500BCE    
    completion of P (450?) Genesis, 
Exodus, 
Numbers,
Leviticus 
    Malachi (450) Malachi
    Ezra (date?)
     Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem (445)
Rebuilding of Jerusalem walls
     Ezra (?) 		     
    Jonah (450-350)
Ruth 		Jonah
Ruth
    Chronicler's history 
   (450-400) 		1 & 2 Chronicles, 
Ezra,
Nehemiah
  400BCE    
    Esther (400-200) Esther
Alexander the Great (333-323)      
  300BCE Ecclesiastes (300-200) Ecclesiastes
  200BCE     
Antiochus IV (175-163)
Desecration of the Temple (167)
Maccabean Revolt (167)
Rededication of the Temple (164) 		 
Daniel (168-164) 		 
Daniel
  100BCE
 		   
Pompey establishes Roman rule over 
   Palestine (63) 		     

Sources:   Anderson, Bernhard W.  Understanding the Old Testament.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.
                Humphreys, W. Lee.  Crisis and Story.  Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1990.
                Trager, James.  The People's Chronology.  New York: Henry Holt, 1992.
                
     
Home Teaching
Syllabus Schedule Resources
Study Guides Timeline Exercises Glossary Places Occupation Presentation Study Skills

       

Copyright 2000:  Margaret Parks Cowan
email:  peggy.cowan@maryvillecollege.edu
last updated:  October 13, 2006