Home · When · The Apostles and the Early Church · Letters to the seven churches of Asia Teaching · The Apostles and the Early Church c. AD 96
Letters to the seven churches of Asia Range across sources: AD 96–98
True span 4004 BC – AD 100
Beginnings · 4004 BC – 1996 BC · 12 events Beginnings 4004 BC – 1996 BC The Patriarchs · 1996 BC – 1635 BC · 34 events Patriarchs 1996 BC – 1635 BC Egypt and the Exodus · 1635 BC – 1451 BC · 19 events Exodus 1635 BC – 1451 BC Conquest and Settlement · 1451 BC – 1400 BC · 7 events Conquest 1451 BC – 1400 BC The Judges · 1405 BC – 1095 BC · 13 events Judges 1405 BC – 1095 BC The United Kingdom · 1095 BC – 975 BC · 38 events United Kgdm 1095 BC – 975 BC Israel and Judah · 933 BC – 721 BC · 27 events Israel & Judah 933 BC – 721 BC Judah Alone · 721 BC – 586 BC · 22 events Judah alone 721 BC – 586 BC The Exile · 586 BC – 538 BC · 7 events Exile 586 BC – 538 BC Return and Restoration · 538 BC – 400 BC · 13 events Return 538 BC – 400 BC Between the Testaments · 400 BC – 4 BC · 8 events Between 400 BC – 4 BC The Life of Jesus · 6 BC – AD 33 · 42 events Jesus 6 BC – AD 33 The Apostles and the Early Church · AD 30 – AD 100 · 29 events The Church AD 30 – AD 100 AD 30 — The Spirit comes at Pentecost AD 35 — Saul is met on the road to Damascus AD 37 — Paul's first visit to Jerusalem as a believer AD 44 — Herod Agrippa kills James and imprisons Peter AD 50 — The council at Jerusalem frees the Gentiles from the law AD 51 — The second journey: Macedonia and Philippi AD 52 — Eighteen months at Corinth; Paul before Gallio AD 54 — Three years at Ephesus; the riot of the silversmiths AD 55 — Paul writes to Corinth, Galatia and Rome AD 58 — Paul is seized in the temple courts AD 60 — Two years at Caesarea; Paul appeals to Caesar AD 61 — The voyage to Rome and the wreck at Malta AD 63 — Two years in Rome, preaching without hindrance AD 66 — James the Lord's brother is martyred in Jerusalem AD 67 — Paul is put to death in Rome AD 95 — John sees the Revelation on Patmos AD 96 — Letters to the seven churches of Asia Peter and John heal the lame man at the temple gate — placed by its order in the narrative Ananias and Sapphira — placed by its order in the narrative Stephen is stoned; Saul consents — placed by its order in the narrative Philip and the Ethiopian official — placed by its order in the narrative Peter is sent to Cornelius at Caesarea — placed by its order in the narrative The disciples are first called Christians at Antioch — placed by its order in the narrative Relief is carried from Antioch to Judea — placed by its order in the narrative Paul and Barnabas sail to Cyprus and Galatia — placed by its order in the narrative Paul at the Areopagus in Athens — placed by its order in the narrative Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus — placed by its order in the narrative Peter is martyred at Rome — placed by its order in the narrative Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by the Romans — placed by its order in the narrative the whole thread → Told in Opening words from the World English Bible (public domain); the passage list is in-house
Who and where Names and references: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · coordinates: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0
How we know the date The letters are written to the churches of Asia from Patmos; ISBE's dates here are for John's exile and his death, which bracket them. ISBE's article “Patmos” (1915) gives AD 96; ISBE's article “John, The Apostle” (1915) gives AD 98. The sources differ by 2 years; the year shown (AD 96) is the one this timeline follows through this stretch, from ISBE (1915).
Written in-house from the sources below · every year is a quotation
The sources, word for word “In 95 AD, according to a tradition preserved by Irenaeus, Eusebius, Jerome and others, John was exiled here--in the 14th year of the reign of Domitian--whence he returned to Ephesus under Nerva (96 AD).”
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · PATMOS · gives AD 96 “According to the tradition universally accepted in the church, John survived till the time of Trajan (98 AD).”
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · JOHN, THE APOSTLE · gives AD 98 Sources