Timeline From Abraham to Birth of Christ

¶ … Abraham to Jesus with other Major Historical Events

2100 BC: Abraham moves to Canaan under a direct order from God. Canaan later becomes Israel.

2000 BC: Jacob, grandson of Abraham, is born in Canaan. Jacob is later renamed Israel. His 12 sons become the heads of the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Hammurabi builds up Babylon in the Fertile Crescent.

The Minoan Bronze Age in Crete.

1900 BC: One of Jacob's sons (Joseph) is sold into slavery. Joseph rises to power in Egypt.

1500 BC: The Indian Hindu Scriptures the Rig-Veda are completed.

1400 BC: The Israelites (after being enslaved for four centuries by Pharaoh) are led by Moses out of Egypt. Joshua takes the lead after Moses dies. It is to Moses that the first five books of the Old Testament are attributed.

1200 BC: The Trojan War.

1000 BC: Saul becomes king of the Israelites. David is anointed. David slays Goliath, wins the love of the Israelites but rouses the envy of Saul. Saul persecutes David. David writes the Psalms. David becomes king and returns the Ark of the Covenant to Israel.

900 BC: David's son Solomon becomes king, completes the Temple. Israel becomes divided between Judah and Israel.

800 BC: The Greek city-states begin to emerge. Homer composes The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The first Olympic Games are held.

Rome is founded.

700 BC: The Assyrians conquer Israel. Isaiah prophecies the coming of the Redeemer.

600 BC: Babylon conquers the capital of Assyria, Nineveh. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, begins to attack Judah. Ezekiel preaches that the attacks are a punishment from God. Babylonians destroy the Temple

Siddhartha founds Buddhism.

500 BC: Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and allows the Jews to return to Judah. The Temple is rebuilt.

490-80 BC: Persia invades Greece. The Battle of Marathon. Greeks repel Persians. Xerxes leads the Persians in a second invasion. The Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis. Greeks defeat the Persians at sea and then at land.

478 BC: Esther is made queen of Persia and saves the Jews from persecution.

460-400 BC: The Peloponnesian Wars: Athens and Sparta at war.

Sophocles pens Oedipus Rex. Socrates begins teaching. The Parthenon is built in commemoration of the Greek victory over Persia.

333-2 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Persia and Phoenicia.

260 BC: The Punic Wars begin: Rome against Carthage.

250 BC: The Old Testament is translated into Greek (and becomes known as the Septuagint).

200 BC: Scipio defeats Hannibal.

175 BC: Antiochus attempts to abolish the Jewish religion, desecrates the Temple.