A Space-Time Partitioning
[or:
More Reorganizing the Greek Scriptures]
/
Forum > TheologyOnLine - Bible Study / Date > 31 Dec 2000 / Newsgroups > alt.religion.christian.biblestudy,
alt.bible /
Timeline of Early Apostolic Period:
.
- c.250BCE! c.10CE ! c.50-60CE !c.60-70CE ! c.70-80 !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! !1&2Thes,Phil(2)! ! !
Aegean - ! !Gal,1&2Cor,Romans ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! ! ! ! !
AsiaMinor - ! ! ! First Peter !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! ! !Gospel of ! !
Syria - ! ! ! Mk&Peter ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Book of ! ! ! ! !
Palestine - Daniel ! ! ! ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- !Wisdom of! ! ! !
Egypt - LXX ! Solomon ! ! ! Hebrews !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Timeline of Late Apostolic Period:
.
. - c.80-90 ! c.90-100 !c.100-110 !c.110-120!c.120-130!c130-150
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! ! ! !1Timothy !
Italy - ! ! ! Lk-Acts ! & Titus ! 2Timothy
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! ! ! ! !
Aegean - !Colossians! Ephesians! ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! ! ! ! !
AsiaMinor - ! Revelation ! ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-Gospel of! ! ! ! !
Syria - Matthew ! ! ! ! !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- ! 1John & ! 1Clement ! ! !
Egypt - !GospelJohn! & James ! 2&3John ! Jude ! 2Peter
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
P.S. "Welcome to the strangest party, baby;
It's like we're staring at the sun ...
Everybody's got their invitations;
Hoping that you're gonna come ... Yeah!
These are the Times
These are the Crimes
What are we waiting for?
What are we waiting for?"
-- from 'The Strangest Party', INXS, 1994.
AN ALEXANDRIAN TIMELINE
/ Newsgroup > alt.religion.christian.biblestudy / Date > 20 Aug 1999 /
Dear CyberSaints, before we can continue our many adventuresome explorations into the 'Wild Age' of church-history (ie. second century CE), we must first have a basic notion of the key events, movements, persons, and documents that shaped the essential nature and primary characteristics of the early Greek churches. To that end I would like to present you with a tentative chronological timeline of the relevant period: [ Note: all dates are necessarily approximate ... ]
.
30-33CE Jesus of Nazareth / public ministry, crucifixion, resurrection.
.
33-40 The Aramaic churches of Judea and Galilee: conservative and pious, these believers are largely content to offer daily prayer unto the Lord at the Temple, and await the return of their Redeemer. Significantly, the leadership of this church falls not to Peter (as the Romish liars and deceivers claim), but to Jacob ben Joseph (ie. Joshua's brother in the flesh).
.
34-40 Hellenistic-Jewish church of Jerusalem: these Greek-speaking believers are composed mostly of Diaspora Jews not much tied to Torah and Temple. Their leaders are independent of the Aramaic Pillars; and their radical fervor and criticism, combined with outrageously outspoken ways, alienates them from their Aramaic brothers, and arouses the animosity of the entire populace of the Holy City. News of these trouble-makers reaches Paulos of Damascus; who comes to Jerusalem to investigate the new sect of heretics (with an eye to putting them down).
.
c.41? Persecution and violent hostility leads to the forced expulsion of the radical Hellenistic-Jewish believers; which installs colonies in various cities outside of Palestine (eg. Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria, etc). Paulos converts to the Way owing to his witnessing these violent events and the steadfast faith of the martyrs.
.
41-47 Paulos begins his Christian life as a neophyte among the Hellenistic-Jewish believers of Alexandria; after a couple of years he returns to Damascus, and then on to Jerusalem (meets with Peter and James) and Antioch.
.
c.47? The 'pillars' of Jerusalem attempt to assert their authority over Paulos and all the new churches in Asia Minor & Syria ...
.
48-50 Paulos, Silvanus, and Timothy instead bring the gospel to Greece. ->
The four Thessalonian letters result.
.
50-60 Paulos maintains and defends his churches around the Aegean Sea.
Other authentic epistles up to 'Romans' result.
.
60-65 Death of Paulos. His authentic letters slowly begin to be copied, edited, collected, and sent. Paul's fame and influence grow. The church in Antioch views these developments with some measure of dismay; and so ...
.
65-70 Mark and Peter (at Antioch) collaborate on the first gospel.
Violence between Jews and Romans leads to the Jewish Wars.
.
70CE Fall of Jerusalem. The end of the Apostolic Age.
.
70-85 Rise of the rabbis, and 'The Parting of the Ways' begins. Gospel of Matthew, Rev & 1Peter.
.
85-100 Canon of Hebrew scriptures created. Synagogue and church part company.
Letters/Gospel of John, Epistle to the Hebrews result.
.
100-115 Newly orphaned gentile churches adjust to the Greco-Roman world. The book of Luke-Acts results. Collections of edited copies of the gospels and Pauline (and post-pauline) epistles circulate. Rise of the bishops. Rise of Gnosticism. Miscellaneous Christian literature (apocryphal gospels and epistles, apologetics, etc).
.
115-140 The battle for the Book begins: Many churches reject the LXX, and create new scriptures and bibles (eg. Marcion). The prophetic tradition of the church in Alexandria retains and defends the LXX; and also resists the advancing Gnostic movements and priestly corruptions. -> 1Clement, James, Jude, and 2Peter result.
.
84-160 Marcion excommunicated in 144CE. Creates the first canonical list of Christian scriptures (Pauline epistles and Luke-Acts; no LXX); and also walks off with half the Roman church!
.
140-150 Valentinus expelled from Alexandria; and goes to Rome where his brand of gnosticism is (at first) well received. [Note: So much for the myth of Rome being the ever-faithful bastion of orthodoxy!]
.
170-190 Pantaenus and the first Christian (catechetical) school in Alexandria.
.
180-200 Irenaeus (in "France") writes 'Against Heresies'. The influence of Gnosticism dwindles and gradually dies under the relentless resistence of the 'traditionalists'.
.
150-215 Clement of Alexandria -> teacher, theologian, writer, martyr, saint, and prophet. Teacher and mentor of Origen.
.
185-254 Adamantius of Alexandria (aka Origen) -> The Father and Founder of the Biblical Sciences!
.
Now I freely admit that there are many problems with, and gaps in, this timeline chart of early church history; but I want to present the Reader with a "bare-bones" view of the first two Christian centuries
such that the primary elements are not obscured by pious anachronisms or fanciful speculations.
.
If the Reader studies this chart carefully, one may well begin to appreciate that there is a certain logic about the course of church history, and the formation of the Holy Bible. A logic, I daresay, that (hopefully) can guide us through the maze of (often bizarre) happenings within the turbulent and dynamic second century ...