Timeline from Adam to the Present

 Notes: a. = after... b. = before... c. = circa, about... IT-1 and IT-2 refer to the 2 volumes of the Bible encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures at jw.org.

4026 B.C.E. Adam created, see IT-1 pgs. 44-6.

3896 B.C.E. Seth born, see IT-2 pg. 899.

3791 B.C.E. Enosh born, see IT-1 pgs. 729-30

3701 B.C.E. Kenan born, see IT-2 pg. 145.

3631 B.C.E. Mahalalel born, see IT-2 pg. 295.

3566 B.C.E. Jared born, see IT-1 pg. 1256.

3404 B.C.E. Enoch born, see IT-1 pg. 729.

3339 B.C.E. Methuselah born, see IT-2 pg. 389.

3152 B.C.E. Lamech born, see IT-2 pg. 192.

3096 B.C.E. Adam dies. (Gen. 5:4)

3039 B.C.E. Enoch dies. [Instantly 'transferred' from living to non-living, to avoid painful death. John 3:13]

2984 B.C.E. Seth dies.

2970 B.C.E. Noah born, see IT-2 pgs. 506-8.

2886 B.C.E. Enosh dies.

2791 B.C.E. Kenan dies.

2736 B.C.E. Mahalalel dies.

2604 B.C.E. Jared dies.

2490 B.C.E. Jehovah’s edict that His tolerance will end in 120 years, Gen. 6:3

2468 B.C.E. Shem born, see IT-2 pgs. 919-20.

2375 B.C.E. Lamech dies.

2370 B.C.E. Methuselah dies.

2370 B.C.E. GLOBAL FLOOD begins [c. November 1], see IT-1 p. 609-12.

2368 B.C.E. Arpachshad born, see IT-1 pg. 179.

2333 B.C.E. Shelah born, see IT-2 pg. 918.

2303 B.C.E. Eber born, see IT-1 pg 673.

2269 B.C.E. Peleg born, see IT-2 pg. 595.

c. 2269 B.C.E. Tower of Babel [“Earth divided in the days of Peleg…” Gen. 10:25] 

2030 B.C.E Peleg dies.

2239 B.C.E. Reu born, see IT-2 pg. 795.

2177 B.C.E. Nahor born, see IT-2 pg. 462.

2148 B.C.E. Terah born, see IT-2 pg. 1087.

2029 B.C.E. Nahor dies.

2020 B.C.E. Noah dies.

2018 B.C.E. Abraham born, see IT-1 pgs. 28-32.

2000 B.C.E. Reu dies.

2207 B.C.E. Serug born, see IT-2 pgs. 898-9.

1977 B.C.E. Serug dies.

1943 B.C.E. Terah dies.

1943 B.C.E. Abrahamic Covenant begins, Gen. 12:1-3, IT-1 p. 520-5.

c.1931 B.C.E. Abraham rescues Lot from Chedorlaomer.

b.1918 B.C.E. Sodom destroyed. 

1918 B.C.E. Isaac born. Covenant of Circumcision, Gen. 17:9, Acts 10:44,45. Beginning of 'about 450 years until the judges' (Acts 13:20). IT-1 p. 1216-8.

1913 B.C.E. Isaac persecuted by Ishmael, beginning of 400 years of affliction (Acts 7:6)

1900 B.C.E. Shelah dies.

1868 B.C.E. Shem dies.

1858 B.C.E. Jacob born, see IT-1 p. 1242-7.

1843 B.C.E. Abraham dies.

1839 B.C.E. Eber dies.

1774 B.C.E. Jacob weds Leah and Rachel.

1767 B.C.E. Birth of Joseph.

1750 B.C.E. Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt, See IT-2 p. 106-11.

1739 B.C.E. Joseph interprets dreams for a pharaoh.

1738 B.C.E. Isaac dies.

1728 B.C.E. Jacob moves family to Egypt.

1711 B.C.E. Jacob dies.

1657 B.C.E. Joseph dies. 

b. 1613 B.C.E. Job's trials  IT-2 pg. 81. (Job 1:8; Job 42:16)

a. 1600 B.C.E. Egypt attains prominence as First World Power. IT-1 p. 686-99

1593 B.C.E. Birth of Moses.

1560 B.C.E. Birth of Joshua.

1553 B.C.E. Moses flees to Midian.

1526 B.C.E. Start of reign of pharaoh Thutmose I according to some scholars. (Others say 1506.)

1513 B.C.E. Israelite Exodus from Egypt. (IT-1 p.776-784) Death of pharaoh Thutmose I per some scholars. (Others say 1493.)

1512 B.C.E. Books of Genesis, Exodus & Leviticus written down by Moses.

c.1500 B.C.E Claimed start of Hinduism.

1474 B.C.E. Amorites conquered. 

1473 B.C.E. Numbers, Deuteronomy and Job written by Moses. Moses dies. End of 40 years of wandering. Conquest of Canaan begins.

1467 B.C.E., Major conquest of Canaan completed. Period of the judges begins. (Acts 13:20)

c. 1450 B.C.E. Book of Joshua written. Joshua's death at 110.

1424 B.C.E. First Jubilee. IT-2 p.123

c. 1173 B.C.E. Jephthah's judgeship begins. 

a. 1173 B.C.E. Jephthah's daughter (late teens or early 20s?), dedicated to tabernacle life. 

c. 1169 B.C.E. Birth of Samuel.

c. 1167 B.C.E. Jephthah's judgeship ends.

c. 1157 B.C.E. 12-year-old (according to Josephus) Samuel prophesies Eli's death. (1 Samuel 3:10-14)

b. 1140 B.C.E. Philistines capture the ark.

c.1140 B.C.E. Ark returned and kept at Kiriath-Jearim.

1117 B.C.E. Saul begins his rule.

1107 B.C.E. David born.

c. 1100 B.C.E. Samuel completes book of Judges.

c. 1090 B.C.E. Samuel anoints David, completes book of Ruth.

c. 1078 B.C.E. Death of Saul. Death of Samuel. Book of 1Samuel completed by Gad, Nathan.

1077 B.C.E. David becomes king. (IT-1 p. 585-591)

c. 1070 B.C.E. David brings the ark to Jerusalem.

c. 1040 B.C.E.  Gad & Nathan complete writing 2nd Samuel.

1037 B.C.E. Solomon begins his rule. 

1034 B.C.E Construction of temple begins (IT-2 p. 1076-83.)

1026 B.C.E. Temple Inaugurated.

c. 1020 B.C.E., Song of Solomon written.

b. 1000 B.C.E. Ecclesiastes written.

997 B.C.E. Death of Solomon.

Judean (two-tribe, southern) Kingdom:	Prophets serving both kingdoms:	Israelite (ten-tribe, northern) Kingdom:
997 B.C.E. Rehoboam begins his rule [17-yrs]	Shemaiah, Iddo; Ahijah	997 B.C.E. Jeroboam begins his rule [22 years]
993 B.C.E. Shishak of Egypt invades, takes treasures from the temple.	993 B.C.E. Shemaiah advised Rehoboam that Jehovah has allowed the invasion but prevented destruction.
980 B.C.E. Abijah begins his rule [3-yrs.] Attacks Northern kingdom for their apostasy.		c. 977 B.C.E. Nadab begins his rule [2 yrs.]
977 B.CE. Asa begins his rule [41-yrs.]	c.977 Ahijah foretells the northern kingdom will be ripped away from Jeroboam’s line.	c. 975 B.C.E. Baasha assassinates Nadab, last of Jeroboam’s line, begins his rule [24 yrs.]
967 B.C.E. Zerah the Ethiopian comes against Judah in war.	963 B.C.E. Azariah son of Oded strengthens Asa to search for Jehovah.
	941 B.C.E. Hanani warns Asa about forming an alliance with Syria, but is not heeded.
936 B.C.E. Jehoshaphat begins his rule [25-yrs.]
	Jehu (son of Hanani?) rebukes Baasha (northern) and Jehoshaphat (southern)	953 B.C.E. Elah begins his rule [2-yrs.]
		951 B.C.E. Zimri begins his rule [7-days]
		951 B.C.E. Omri begins his rule [12-yrs.]
		c. 947 B.C.E., Samaria became Omri's capitol.
	Elijah prophesies from 940 B.C.E. to  919 B.C.E. Micaiah also prophesies against Ahab.	940 B.C.E. Ahab begins his rule [22-yrs.]
	Elisha begins to prophesy, c. 925 B.C.E.	922 B.C.E. Ahaziah begins his rule [2-yrs.] (Ahaziah's years may count from c. 919 B.C.E.)
913 B.C.E. Jehoram begins his rule [8-yrs.]		921 B.C.E. Jehoram begins his rule [12-yrs.]
906 B.C.E. Ahaziah begins his rule [1-yr.] High Priest: Jehoiada,		909 B.C.E. Jehu begins his rule [28-yrs.]
904 B.C.E. Queen Athaliah usurps the throne [6-yrs.]
898 B.C.E. Jehoash begins his rule		881 B.C.E. Jehoahaz begins his rule [17-yrs.]
858 B.C.E. Amaziah begins his rule		867 B.C.E. Jehoash begins his rule[16-yrs.]
829 B.C.E. Uzziah begins his rule [52-yrs.]	c. 844 B.C.E. Book of Jonah written	852 B.C.E. Jeroboam II begins his rule [41-yrs.]
	c 829 B.C.E. Isaiah begins to prophesy. c. 820 B.C.E. (perhaps) Book of Joel written.
	b. 804 B.C.E. Hosea begins to warn northern kingdom of coming destruction. c. 804 B.C.E. Book of Amos written.
		789 B.C.E. Zechariah begins his rule [6-mos.] 788 B.C.E. Shallum begins his rule [1-mo.] Menahem begins his rule [10-yrs.]
777 B.C.E. Jotham begins his rule [16-yrs.]		777 B.C.E. Pekahiah begins his rule [2-yrs.]
762 B.C.E. Ahaz begins his rule [16-yrs.]		775 B.C.E. Pekah begins his rule [20-yrs.]
746 B.C.E. Hezekiah begins his rule [29-yrs.]	b. 745 B.C.E. Book of Hosea completed	748 B.C.E. Hoshea begins his rule [9-yrs.]
732 B.C.E. Sennacherib invades Judah.	c.732 B.C.E. Book of Isaiah completed.	740 B.C.E. Ten-tribe kingdom of Israel destroyed by the Assyrian Empire.
716 B.C.E. Manasseh begins his rule [55-yrs.]	c. 716 B.C.E. Book of Proverbs compiled; Book of Micah written.
661 B.C.E. Amon begins his rule [2-yrs.]
659 B.C.E. Josiah begins his rule [31-yrs.]	b. 648 B.C.E. Book of Zephaniah written. 647 B.C.E. Jeremiah begins to prophesy.	c. 633 B.C.E. Nineveh falls to Medes and Chaldeans
628 B.C.E. Jehoahaz begins his rule [3-mos.]	b.632 B.C.E. Book of Nahum written.
628 B.C.E. Jehoikim begins his rule [tributary to Egypt for 11-yrs, tributary to Babylon from 620 B.C.E.]	c.628 B.C.E. Book of Habakkuk written.	624 B.C.E. Nebuchadnezzar begins to rule in Babylon.
618 B.C.E. Jehoiachin begins his rule [3-mos., 10-days]
617 B.C.E. Nebuchadnezzar takes Jewish captives and temple treasures to Babylon.	617 B.C.E. Daniel taken to Babylon, begins to prophesy.
617 B.C.E. Zedekiah begins his rule [11-yrs.]
609 B.C.E. Nebuchadnezzar re-invades Judah, siege of Jerusalem begins.	613 B.C.E. Ezekiel begins to prophesy from Babylon.
607 B.C.E. Walls of Jerusalem breached on the 9th day of the 4th month.
607 B.C.E., Jerusalem and its temple burned on the 10th day of the 5th month.
607 B.C.E., Last of Jews abandon Judah about the middle of the 7th month, starting the foretold 70 years of desolation. (2 Chron. 36:21) Start of "Seven Times" of Daniel 4:16,17
	a. 607 B.C.E. Book of Lamentations written. Book of Obadiah written.

 580 B.C.E. Book of Jeremiah completed; Books of 1st & 2nd Kings completed. 

c. 700 B.C.E. Origin of the Shinto religion in Japan.

c. 550 B.C.E. Origin of Confucianism, Taoism in China.

543 B.C.E. Origin of Buddhism in India. 

539 B.C.E. Babylon captured by Cyrus of Medo-Persia.

538 B.C.E. First year of Darius as king of Babylon. (Daniel 9:1) Cyrus installed Darius on Babylon's throne and continued to fight elsewhere.

537 B.C.E. First year of Cyrus as king of Babylon. Jews sent home to rebuild the temple, ending 70 years of Judah's desolation. (2 Chron. 36:22)

c. 536 B.C.E. Book of Daniel written.

530 B.C.E. Cyrus dies. His son Cambyses succeeds him.

522 B.C.E. Work on the temple banned after letter from troublemakers to Artaxerxes. (Ezra 4:17)

520 B.C.E. Haggai and Zechariah stir up the Jews to continue work authorized by Cyrus.

515 B.C.E. Temple inaugurated.  

496 B.C.E. Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) begins co-regency with his father, Darius I.

490 B.C.E. Darius I defeated by Greeks at Marathon.

488 B.C.E. Esther becomes queen to Ahasuerus.

486 B.C.E Darius I dies, his son Xerxes (Ahasuerus, husband to Queen Esther) becomes sole ruler. 

c. 483 B.C.E. Haman plots to exterminate the Jews.

480 B.C.E. Xerxes launches massive force against the Greek mainland but is defeated. 

475 B.C.E. Artaxerxes Longimanus succeeds Xerxes; makes a large contribution to support the temple rebuilding project in 468 B.C.E.

474 B.C.E. Book of Esther written.

468 B.C.E. Ezra leads 6000 Jews back to Jerusalem. Dismisses foreign wives. (Later, returns to Persia?)

c. 460 B.C.E. Books of 1st & 2nd Chronicles and Ezra written. Book of Psalms compiled.

455 B.C.E. Artaxerxes Longimanus authorizes Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city.(Neh. 2:1) Jerusalem's walls are rebuilt in 54 days. Beginning of 70 weeks of years prophesied at Daniel 9:1-27.

a. 443 B.C.E Book of Nehemiah written.

a. 443 B.C.E. Book of Malachi written. 

332 B.C.E. Alexander the Great defeats the Persian Empire to make Greece the 5th World Power. 

323 B.C.E. Alexander dies, kingdom divided between his 4 generals. (Daniel 8:8)

a. 312 B.C.E. Ptolemy I captures Jerusalem. He persuades many of the Jews to come to Egypt to establish a Jewish colony in Alexandria. 

a. 280 B.C.E. A group of approx. 70 Hebrew scholars in Alexandria translate the Hebrew Bible into koine Greek on orders from Ptolemy II. 

198 B.C.E. Jerusalem comes under Seleucid Empire of Syria. 

168-165 B.C.E. Maccabees lead the Hasmonaean revolt against the Selucids after Antiochus Epiphanes offers a pig on Jerusalem's altar.

c. 160 B.C.E. Jews appeal to Rome for help against the Seleucid Empire.

146 B.C.E. Rome defeats Greek province of Macedonia to begin its rise to becoming the 6th World Power.

c. 86 B.C.E. Birth of the prophetess Anna. (Luke 2:37)

39 B.C.E. Edomite Herod the Great appointed as king of Judah by Rome, succeeding his father, Antipater. (Ezek. 25:12-14)

36 B.C.E. Herod the Great captures Jerusalem, ending Maccabean rule.

c. 21 B.C.E. Herod begins reconstruction of the temple. The temple itself was completed in 18 months, but the entire complex was under construction until 6 years before it was destroyed in 70 C.E.

2 B.C.E. John the Baptist born [about April], JESUS BORN [about October].

1 B.C.E. Death of Herod the Great. See IT-1 pg. 1094. 

 c. 10 C.E. Jesus at age 12 accidentally left in Jerusalem for 3 days.

14 C.E. (August 19th) Caesar Augustus, (Octavius) dies. Succeeded by his stepson Tiberius. 

29 C.E. Jesus' baptism and anointing as Messiah, marking the end of '69 weeks' from the order to rebuild Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:25)

33 C.E. Nisan 14, Jesus killed, cut off at 'half a week' as prophesied in Daniel 9:27.

33 C.E, Pentecost, Holy spirit is poured out upon 120 Christian disciples.

36 C.E. Roman centurion Cornelius, first uncircumcised gentile, baptized, marking the end of the 'covenant' and the 70th 'week' of Daniel 9:27.

37 C.E. Tiberius Caesar dies, succeeded by Caligula.

c. 41 C.E. Gospel of Matthew written, possibly first in Hebrew. Caligula, or Gaius, is succeeded by his uncle, Claudius.

43 C.E. Claudius annexes southern Britain. 

c.50 C.E. Paul's first letter, 1 Thessalonians.

c.51 C.E. 2 Thessalonians written.

c. 50-52 C.E. Galatians written.

c.55 C.E. 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians written.

c.56 C.E. Letter to the Romans written.

c.56-58 C.E. Gospel of Luke written.

c. 58-59 C.E. Paul's captive voyage to Rome, shipwreck in Malta.

c.60-61 C.E. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon written. 

c.60-65 C.E. Gospel of Mark written.

c.61 C.E. Hebrews written. Acts written by Luke.

c. 61-64 C.E. 1 Timothy, Titus written.

c.62 C.E. James written.

c.62-64 C.E. 1 Peter written.

c.63 C.E. Construction of the temple complex completed.

c.64 C.E. 2 Peter written.

c.65 C.E. Jude written.

66 C.E. Roman General Cestius Gallus surrounds Jerusalem with soldiers and even undermines the temple wall, then suddenly departs. Faithful Christians flee to Pella, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy at Luke 21:20.

70 C.E. Roman General Titus lays siege to Jerusalem, surrounding it with pointed stakes; 1,100,000 Jews perish, 97,000 taken captive, in fulfillment of Luke 19:44.

96 C.E. John writes Revelation.

98 C.E. John writes his gospel.

c. 98 C.E. John writes letters of 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd John.

a. 100 C.E. Apostate Christianity, ‘Man of Lawlessness’ becomes firmly established at the death of the last apostle, John. (2 Thess. 2:3 & 2:7; 1 John 2:18-22)

c. 125 C.E. Rylands Papyrus 457 (P52), fragments of the Gospel of John, written. 

150-170 C.E. Tatian, a student of the early Christian Justin Martyr, produces the Syriac "Diatessaron," a composite account of Jesus' life compiled from the four Gospels.

a. 170 C.E. The earliest found canon (catalog) of the New Testament books, the "Muratorian Fragment," is produced. It lists most of the books of the Greek Scriptures that Christians accepted as inspired. 

325 C.E. Emperor Constantine, (324-337), having adopted the title Pontifex Maximus, calls for a council of "his bishops" at Nicaea, Asia Minor, at which the trinity doctrine is adopted as "Christian Theology". This was the beginning of the Catholic Church.

382-405 C.E. At Pope Damasus' direction Jerome prepares an official Latin Bible. Work completed c. 405 C.E., translated from the original Hebrew and Greek, and using the Septuagint for reference. Jerome's work becomes known as the Vulgate or common version, replacing the Greek Septuagint version as the foundation for biblical studies.

395 C.E. Breakup of the Roman Empire begins. 

a. 550 C.E. Jewish Masoretes develop a copying method for preserving the Hebrew Scripture text. This involved counting the lines and even the individual letters, noting variations among manuscripts, all in an effort to preserve the authentic text. A comparison of modern Masoretic text with the Dead Sea Scrolls, written from 250 B.C.E. - 50 B.C.E., shows no significant changes in over 1,000 years. Masoretic Text preparation continued to a. 950 C.E. 

622 C.E. Mohammad flees from his enemies to Medina. (Islamic Era begins)

800 C.E. Pope Leo III crowns Frankish king Charlemagne as emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire."

863 C.E. Two Greek-speaking brothers, Cyril and Methodius, go to Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic) and begin to translate the Bible into Old Slavonic. To do so, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet, which was later superseded by the Cyrillic alphabet, (named after Cyril). This was the source of present-day Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian scripts.

962 C.E. February 2, Pope John XII crowns Otto the Great, (Otho I), emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire," which came to be known as the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" with its capitol in Germany.

1054, Eastern Orthodox Church breaks from Catholicism in a major schism. Final break between the Greek & Latin churches. From the Eastern Orthodox Church sprang the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church & others.

1056, Paper begins to become available in Spain, likely using Arabic techniques, paving the way for affordable written material and eventually, printing.

1096-9, First Crusade of Christendom against Islam, resulted in the recapture of Jerusalem. 

1147-9, Second Crusade, initiated by the loss of the municipality of Edessa to Syrian Muslims in 1144 C.E.; it ended when the Muslims successfully turned back Christendom's "infidels." 

1189-92, Third Crusade, undertaken after the Muslims retook Jerusalem, (had as one of its leaders Richard I, "the Lionhearted," of England.) 

1202-4, Fourth Crusade. "The pillage of Constantinople by the crusaders is something that the Orthodox East has never forgotten or forgiven," says the Encyclopedia of Religion, adding: "If any single date is to be cited for the firm establishment of the schism, the most appropriate at least from a psychological standpoint is the year 1204 C.E." 

1217-21, Fifth Crusade, the last under papal control.

1228-9, Sixth Crusade, led by Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, whom Pope Gregory IX had previously excommunicated.

1229, During the 12th century Pierre Valdes (Peter Waldo), of Lyons, concludes that Christians should live more like the apostles. He started a preaching movement that became known as the Waldenses. These rejected the Catholic priesthood and other traditional Catholic practices & beliefs. The Council of Toulouse tried to check them by banning the possession of Scriptural books. 

1248-54, Seventh Crusade, led by Louis IX of France. 

1252, Catholic Inquisition begins. Pope Innocent IV issued the Papal bull "Ad extirpanda" which allowed torture of suspected "heretics" up to and including being tied to a stake and burned, the usual method employed to put heretics to death; (the justification being that torture, as long as it didn't puncture the skin, kept the church free of guilt for shedding blood.) 

1270, Eighth Crusade, led by Louis IX of France, collapsed following his death in North Africa. This was the final crusade. 

1276, First European paper mill at Fabriano, Italy, makes affordable paper available to the masses.

1350, John Wycliffe (1330?-84) a Catholic priest, begins translating the whole Latin Vulgate Bible into English. Wycliffe's writings and handwritten portions of the Bible in English are distributed throughout England by a body of preachers called Lollards.

1382 C.E. Anne of Bohemia, possessing Wycliffe's translation, marries Richard II of England and studies the scriptures constantly. When she becomes Queen, her favorable attitude helps advance the cause of the Bible. 

1403, Jan Hus (1369?-1415), a Bohemian Catholic priest influenced by Wycliffe, preaches against corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and stresses the importance of reading the Bible. Church authorities order him to stop, publicly burning both his and Wycliffe's writings. Hus wrote some of the most stinging indictments against the practices of the church, including the sale of indulgences. Hus was condemned and in 1415 he was tried for heresy and burned at the stake.

1430, The Alba Bible is written, translating the Old Testament directly from Hebrew into Castilian Spanish.

1450, Johannes Gutenberg begins printing with movable type in Germany. His first great work was an edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible, completed a. 1455 C.E. By 1495, all or part of the Bible had been printed in German, Italian, French, Czech, Dutch, Hebrew, Catalan, Greek, Spanish, Slavonic, Portuguese, and Serbian.

1453, Constantinople is captured by Mohamet (Mohammad II). The Greek Patriarch of Constantinople is allowed to continue in office.

1483, Dominican inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada of Spain appointed. Ruled tyrannically for fifteen years. His victims numbered over 114,000, of whom 10,220 were burned at the stake.

1497, Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican monk, speaks out against corruption of both the Church and the State. The pope excommunicated him and ordered him arrested, tortured, and hanged.

1516, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus, after comparing multiple Greek manuscripts, produces the first complete printed edition of the Greek text that became a reference for centuries.

1517, Martin Luther (1483-1546) nails 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany to protest sale of indulgences and other Catholic non-biblical doctrines.

c. 1519, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), in Switzerland, begins to preach against indulgences, Mariolatry, clerical celibacy, and other doctrines of the Catholic Church. Zwingli advocated the removal of all vestiges of the Roman Church, including images, crucifixes, clerical garb and liturgical music.

1526. William Tyndale produces 3,000 copies of his English New Testament, translated directly from Erasmus' Greek text in Worms, Germany. They are smuggled to England and begin to be distributed there. Some of these were bought by Bishop Tunstall and burned, which purchase allowed Tyndale and his followers to continue their work, translating the Old Testament directly from Hebrew.

1529, Protestant movement is established by Luther's supporters, and the following year the Protestant League of Schmalkald is entered into.

1531, King Henry VIII of England imposes royal supremacy on the English clergy.

1534, English Parliament passes acts declaring Henry VIII, rather than the pope, to be the supreme head of the Church of England with authority to redress errors, heresies, and abuses in the church

1534, John Calvin leaves Paris because of religious persecution, settles in Basel, Switzerland. In defense of Protestants he publishes "Institutes of Christian Religion".

1535, Miles Coverdale completes William Tyndale's work of translating the entire Bible into English while Tyndale is in prison.

1536, Tyndale is strangled at the stake and his body burned.

1537, Johann Eck's German Bible published with God's name, "Jehoua" in a marginal note on Ex. 6:3.

1538, King Henry VIII of England orders that Bibles be placed in every church in England. Though Tyndale is not credited, the translation that was chosen was essentially his. 

a. 1544 C.E. Francisco de Enzinas is imprisoned by the Catholic Inquisition for translating and publishing the Christian Greek Scriptures into Spanish.

1553, The Ferrara Bible in Spanish is published.

1559, Pope Paul IV rules that no Bible could be printed in the vernacular without church approval, (which wasn’t granted.)

1569, Reina-Valera Bible in Spanish is published.

1582, Our current calendar, called the Gregorian, went into effect. Implemented by Pope Gregory XIII, it replaced the less accurate Julian calendar that had been in use since 46 B.C.E. 

1587, Independent Russian Orthodox Church is established, with the Patriarch of Moscow as head.

1588, Spanish Armada defeated by England.

1763, Treaty of Paris creates common ground between Great Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Great Britain emerges as the naval and commercial World power, accompanied by the decline of the other three, fulfilling Daniel 7:8.

1775, American colonies of Britain begin to revolt, leading to the establishment of the United States of America.

1793, England as a seafaring and colonial power, begins spreading the Bible on their journeys. This laid the groundwork for an extended Bible campaign. Missionary William Carey sailed to India, eventually translated the entire Bible or parts of it into 35 Indian languages.

1804, Formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Its premise: to provide people with affordable Bibles in their own language, printed "without note or comment." 

1806, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, refuses to recognize the "Holy Roman Empire"  of his predecessor, effectively bringing it to its end. 

1807, Robert Morrison begins translating the Bible into Chinese. 

1813, Associates of the British and Foreign Bible Society formed in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Russia. In time, Bible societies in other countries were added. Most of the translators had no access to Hebrew or Greek and based their work on the English-language King James Version. 

1823, According to Mormon mythology, Joseph Smith, a 17-year old, told his family that an angel named Moroni had appeared to him and had shown him a set of golden plates. Four years later he claimed that he was given the plates and the exclusive divine power to translate them. In 1830 "The Book of Mormon" was published from Smith's manuscripts. 

1826, The Russian Bible Society placed under the management of the "Holy Synod" of the Russian Orthodox Church, which effectively suppressed its operations. Joseph Smith found guilty of disturbing the peace after a charge of being able to 'see' buried gold magically.

1833, Regency of Greece declares Orthodox Church of Greece to be independent from other Eastern Orthodox churches.

1856, The "Holy Synod" of the Russian Orthodox Church undertakes its own synod translation, crafted to insure that expressions used would conform to church views. 

1859, Konstantin von Tischendorf, a gifted German linguist, finds the oldest known complete copy of the Christian Greek Scriptures in a monastery at the base of Mount Sinai. It became known as the Codex Sinaiticus and was probably produced 50 years before Jerome completed the Latin Vulgate. Tischendorf published it, thus making it accessible to scholars. 

1868-1870, C.T. Russell and a group from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, begin a systematic study of the Bible 'using the Bible to explain the Bible', instead of church tradition.

1871, Germanic Empire established, with William I being declared Kaiser, 'Caesar'. Germany assumes role of King of the North. (Daniel 11:25) His interests began to clash with those of the King of the South, the British Empire. When the German Parliament opened in October of 1871, Emperor William I voiced the conviction that "the new German Empire will be a reliable shield for peace." 

1879, C.T. Russell publishes first issue of Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. Zion’s Watch Tower points to 1914 as a year of great significance in the outworking of God’s “sacred secret”.

1881, The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is formed by C.T. Russell. At first, the Society distributed Bibles produced by other Bible societies. By 1890 the Society entered directly into Bible publishing, sponsoring the first of a number of Bible editions. 

1884, Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society, now the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania, is legally chartered.

1888, The grandson of William I comes to the German imperial throne as William II, commonly called Kaiser Wilhelm. On numerous occasions he spoke of himself as 'the instrument of the Lord.' 

1891, April 19-25, first convention of International Bible Students.

1895, Kaiser Wilhelm declares "the German Empire has become a World Empire." After building a railroad across Asia Minor, he said: "Germany's future lies upon the water." The total tonnage of his navy became second only to that of Britain.

1903, Wright Brothers' first successful powered flight, opening the way for fulfilling Luke 21:11.

1909, Headquarters of the Watchtower Society transferred from Pittsburgh, PA., to Brooklyn, NY.

1914, End of the Gentile Times (Dan. 4:16) or "The Appointed Times of the Nations." (Luke 21:24) Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife assassinated on June 28th in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by a Serb nationalist. This action precipitated World War I, marking the beginning of the Last Days and the establishment of the heavenly kingdom. (Rev. 12:7-10)

1916, United States of America becomes the ally of Great Britain in World War I, effectively rescuing Great Britain that had received the "sword stroke" that could have been fatal. (Rev. 13:13) Britain and the United States become a two-headed Seventh World Power.

1916, Charles Russell dies.

1917, Russian clergy hold a General Council of Moscow and restore the Russian patriarchate abolished by Tsar Peter the Great. Subsequently, the Bolshevik Revolution disestablishes the Russian Orthodox as the State Church.

1918, [June] J.F. Rutherford, second president of the Watch Tower Society, along with seven associate officers, sentenced to long prison terms on false charges in fulfillment of Revelation 11:7-10.

1918, President Wilson proposes a league of nations to bring world peace. The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America hails the League of Nations as “the political expression of the Kingdom of God on Earth.” (Rev. 13:14)

1919, [March] J.F. Rutherford, and seven associate officers are exonerated of all charges; revival of “two witnesses” in fulfillment of Revelation 11:11, 12, and a major fall for Babylon the Great (Revelation 14:8).

1919, The League of Nations is ratified with support of Britain/America alliance, becoming an Eighth World Power (Revelation 17:11)

1922, Second International Assembly held at Cedar Point, Ohio U.S.A., Sept. 5-12. 

1926, An International Assembly is held in London, England, May 25-31 emphasizing the importance of using Jehovah’s name. The Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society begins printing Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott Bible on its own presses.

1931, The name "Jehovah's Witnesses” is adopted at the International Assembly held in Columbus, Ohio U.S.A.

1933, October 14th, Adolf Hitler pulls Germany out of the League of Nations. Earlier that year Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen negotiated in Hitler's behalf a concordat with Pope Pius XI that resulted in the Church’s support of Hitler’s regime.

1935, A General Assembly is held in Washington, D.C., emphasizing that the “great multitude”, until then called the ‘Jonadab class’, was a vast group with an earthly hope.

1939, [September], Germany as the King of the North begins World War II by invading Poland. 

1941, League of Nations virtually collapses. The United States allies with Great Britain in World War II, continuing the struggle between the King of the North and the King of the South.

1942, While the world is in the heat of battle during World War II the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society speaks on the subject "Peace- Can It Last?" He shows that WW II will end, and that the international 'peace beast' would ascend out of the abyss but that it would finally go off into destruction, fulfilling Revelation 17:8. Printed and distributed 700,000 copies of the King James Version.

1943, Theocratic Ministry Schools begin in congregations.  

1944, Watchtower Society begins printing the American Standard Version of the Bible. 250,000 copies were printed over the next 6 years.

1945, United Nations organization is ratified. The League of Nations is officially dissolved in 1946 when the first General Assembly of the United Nations opens in London, becoming the symbolic scarlet-colored beast rising out of the abyss, "the disgusting thing that causes desolation." (Daniel 11:31) 

1945, (August) U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japan, proving for the first time that mankind has the power to 'ruin the earth'. (Rev. 11:18)

1946, The Soviet Union announces "cold war" against U.S and its allies. Churchill accuses Soviet Union of building an "iron curtain". Oppression and persecution of God’s people identifies Soviet Union as the next King of the North.

1948, Secular state of Israel established.

1950, At the "Theocracy's Increase International Assembly" in Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y. U.S.A., the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures is released. Korean War begins.

1953, "New World Society International Assembly" held in the Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y.

1958, "Divine Will International Assembly" of Jehovah's Witnesses held in Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds simultaneously, setting an attendance record of 253,922. 

1959, First Kingdom Ministry School, one month deep-study course at Kingdom Farm in Ithaca, NY. Sisters added to the Theocratic Ministry School.

1961, At the "United Worshippers" District Assembly in Yankee Stadium, the president of the Watch Tower Society releases the revised single volume edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

1961, Third assembly of the World Council of Churches is held in New Delhi, India, Nov. 18-Dec. 6th. The Russian Orthodox Church applies and is made a member of the World Council. The council membership now includes 196-church bodies. 

1962, In Vatican City the second ecumenical Vatican Council is opened by Pope John XXIII, with many non-Roman Catholic delegate observers present.

1962, Clarification of understanding of the Superior Authorities. (Romans 13:1)

1963, Pope John XXIII published his encyclical entitled "Pacem in Terris" in which he praised the United Nations Organization. (Revelation 17:8)

1963, "Everlasting Good News" Assemblies held, a world tour of 24 cities. 920,920 publishers in 189 countries reporting in 1962, and a peak of 1 million.

1966, "God's Sons of Liberty" District Assembly releases the book “Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God” containing a chart that labels 1975 as the end of 6000 years of mankind’s existence.

1966, August, first mass shooting on a school campus, at University of Texas. Gunman in the clock tower killed 14 random people and wounded 31 others. 

1968, "Good News for All Nations" District Assembly releases the book, “The Truth that Leads to Everlasting Life.”

1969, Kingdom Interlinear of the Greek Scriptures released. 

1971, Clarification of 'Directors of the Watchtower Society' versus "Governing Body of the Christian Congregation". The leadership of the spiritual organization changed from ‘president/vice president/secretary’ to “Governing body”.

1972, "Divine Rulership" Assembly outlines change from ‘presiding overseer’ to elder arrangement, to commence October 1.

1973, Use of tobacco is judged as inconsistent with Christian principles. Tobacco users are given six months to free themselves of the habit. Printery completed at Watchtower Farms in Wallkill, NY.

1976, Employment in the gambling industry shown to be incompatible with Christian values.

1977, Pioneer school begins.

1982, Westerners are allowed to attend a convention in Poland, indicating the thawing of the rigid control from the Soviet Union.

1989, Fall of the Berlin Wall. 

1990, Suggesting contributions for literature stops. Release of the first video cassette, "Jehovah's Witnesses - the Organization Behind the Name."

1991, Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia lifted. (Daniel 11:34)

1992, "Light Bearers" international Convention in St. Petersburg, Russia, is the first convention held in the former Soviet Union, allowing international visitors from the west. 

1993,  "Divine Teaching" convention in Ukraine sees largest Christian baptism event ever at a single convention, 7,402 new ministers. Also, the internet becomes publicly accessible.

1995, Gilead School moves to Patterson Educational Center.

1997, Watchtower.org begins. 

2001, Twin Towers destroyed.

2009, Congregation weekly meetings reduced from 3 to 2.

2011, Trial program for public cart witnessing begins. 

2012, Jw.org begins publishing the good news.

2013, Revised edition of New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Jw.org reaches 50 languages. Clarified understanding of Faithful Slave, Evil Slave, Great Tribulation, gathering of the chosen ones prior to Armageddon, wheat and weeds, "coming" versus "arrival", inspection & cleansing of the temple. Webcast of the Annual Meeting to 31 lands.

2014, JW Broadcasting begins. Appointments of elders and ministerial servants made by circuit overseers.(Titus 1:5) "Two witnesses" of Rev. 11 shown to be those taking the lead, not all anointed. Gog of Magog shown to be a conglomerate of nations attacking Jehovah's people, not Satan.

2015, Clarification of the parable of the Talents and parable of the 10 virgins. Type/antitype explanations of scriptures are shown to be valid only where the Bible itself uses 'this means that' wording. (Matthew 12:40) We look for lessons, not types and antitypes.

2016, Clarification that captivity to Babylon the Great began shortly after apostle John died, not in 1914.

2017, Watchtower headquarters move from Brooklyn to Warwick, NY, completed.

2018, Clarification that Ezekiel's temple vision had a spiritual fulfillment when the Jews returned from Babylon, not when the Christian congregation was established. Paul's spiritual temple explanation applies to Christ's being anointed as high priest.

2020, Covid pandemic. Russia and her allies identified as the current King of the North. Clarification that the locusts of Joel 2 are not the same as those of Revelation 9. Joel's prophecy is about the attack of Babylon to come against Israel, Revelation's locusts symbolize the modern preaching work.

2021, Clarification that 'every brother is not the head of every sister' in the congregation, and elders are not 'fathers' with the right to make rules for their congregations. (1 Cor. 4:6)

2022, World's first complete Bible in American Sign Language. Daniel 12:3 explained to apply to great teaching program after Armageddon; Clarification of the resurrection of the unrighteous, resurrection to judgement.

2023, Publishers no longer report monthly hours or placements.

2024, Clarification of beliefs regarding not making statements about the 'door closing' at the destruction of Babylon, who might or might not survive Armageddon, who will or won't be resurrected. Moderation of direction about beards, ties, dresses, treatment of disfellowshipped persons.

• a. = after...
• b. = before...
• c. = circa, about...
• IT-1 and IT-2 refer to the 2 volumes of the Bible encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures at jw.org.

Started from an initial compilation in 1992 by Roger Snook, Clute, Texas, congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Updated and expanded by Bill Underwood. You can help support this site by clicking on my link to Amazon.

This list is not and never will be perfect. Feel free to copy it as a starting point for a timeline project of your own. Please reach out with comments about corrections or omissions.