Bible dates

Question 1

Birth of Abraham, father of the Jews

Answer 1

c. 2000 BC

Question 2

Book of Job, possibly the oldest book, is written

Answer 2

c. 2000-1500 BC

Question 3

Stone tablets given to Moses at the top of Mount Sinai

Answer 3

c .1500-1400 BC

Question 4

David is king of Israel; Israel begins to record its history

Answer 4

c .1000 BC

Question 5

King David capture Jerusalem

Answer 5

c .955 BC

Question 6

Capital of northern kingdom of Israel falls to Assyrians; Israelites are dispersed

Answer 6

c .722 BC

Question 7

Book of the Law is discovered in the Jerusalem temple

Answer 7

c .621 BC

Question 8

Jerusalem temple destroyed; Israelites taken captive to Babylon, where they turn to their sacred writings

Answer 8

c. 587-586 BC

Question 9

Cyrus the Great of Persia defeats Babylonians and later allows Jews to return to Jerusalem

Answer 9

c. 539 BC

Question 10

Today’s Old Testament translated into Greek

Answer 10

c .250 BC

Question 11

Seleucids take over Palestine

Answer 11

c. 200 BC

Question 12

Judas Maccabeus leads revolt against Seleucid rule

Answer 12

c. 167 BC

Question 13

Rededication of temple

Answer 13

c.164 BC

Question 14

Essenes found community at Qumran

Answer 14

c. 140 BC

Question 15

Herod the Great appointed King of Judea

Answer 15

c. 40 BC

Question 16

Birth of Jesus

Answer 16

6-4

Question 17

Ministry of Jesus, later preserved in Gospels

Answer 17

30

Question 18

Paul writes first letter to Thessalonians, probably first book of New Testament to be written

Answer 18

50

Question 19

Mark writes his Gospel

Answer 19

69

Question 20

Romans destroy Jerusalem temple

Answer 20

70

Question 21

Old Testament finalized, most New Testament books complete

Answer 21

100

Question 22

Lists of New Testament books in church fathers; variety in book order continues

Answer 22

100-400

Question 23

Simon bar Kokba leads revolt against Rome: extensive dispersion of Jews

Answer 23

132-35

Question 24

Jewish oral law, Mishnah, first written down

Answer 24

200

Question 25

Origen compiles Hexapla

Answer 25

245

Question 26

Ulfilas creates Gothic alphabet and begins Bible translation

Answer 26

350

Question 27

First known listing of 27 New Testament books

Answer 27

367

Question 28

New Testament is translated from its original Greek into Latin

Answer 28

382

Question 29

Conversion of Augustine of Hippo

Answer 29

386

Question 30

Jerome translates Bible into Latin, which becomes church standard for centuries

Answer 30

405

Question 31

Bible has been translated into over 12 languages

Answer 31

500

Question 32

Catholic Church restricts Bible to only Latin (under threat of execution)

Answer 32

600

Question 33

Book of Kells completed in Ireland

Answer 33

775

Question 34

Alcuin perfects Carolingian miniscule

Answer 34

796

Question 35

Cyril and Methodius translate Bible into Slavic

Answer 35

865

Question 36

Bible stories acted out in church plays

Answer 36

900

Question 37

Anglo-Saxon translations of The New Testament produced

Answer 37

995

Question 38

Present system of chapter divisions added

Answer 38

1205

Question 39

Francis of Assisi gets pope's approval for his new order

Answer 39

1209

Question 40

Council of bishops decrees that only members of clergy may own a Bible

Answer 40

1229

Question 41

John Wycliffe's followers produce first English Bible

Answer 41

1382

Question 42

Gutenberg invents movable type, making first printed Bible

Answer 42

1455

Question 43

Erasmus publishes his Greek New Testament

Answer 43

1516

Question 44

Martin Luther starts Protestant movement

Answer 44

1517

Question 45

Robert Estienne publishes Bible with chapter and verse divisions

Answer 45

1555

Question 46

King James Version published

Answer 46

1611

Question 47

John Eliot publishes first complete Bible to be printed in North America

Answer 47

1663

Question 48

First survey of biblical sites: beginnings of archaeology

Answer 48

1838

Question 49

First complete one-volume Bible in Russian

Answer 49

1877

Question 50

Discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls

Answer 50

1946

Question 51

The New International Version is published

Answer 51

1973