Questions tagged [chronology]
The timing/ordering of biblical events, which are not always described in sequence. What happened when?
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Why is Genesis careful to record the exact dates of the flood?
Genesis 7:11 (NIV, emphasis mine)
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates ...
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Why did Jesus begin his ministry at age 30?
Luke 3:23 (ESV)
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Why did Jesus begin his ministry when he was about 30 ...
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Why is there a difference of 100 (or 50) years in the age of the patriarchs at their first sons' dates of birth between the LXX, SP and MT?
The Septuagint (along with the Samaritan Pentateuch) and Flavius Josephus in his Jewish Antiquities allow for about 6 to 7 hundred more years from our days back to the Flood (which accordingly would ...
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Can John's Passion chronology be reconciled with that of the Synoptics?
Background:
Over the centuries, many readers of the four Gospels have seen significant discrepancies between John and the Synoptics, particularly with regards to chronology. This has led many to ...
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Is Paul's visit to Jerusalem detailed in Galatians 2 the Jerusalem Council?
Paul details a meeting with Peter, James and John in Galatians 2:1-10 (ESV):
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a ...
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Revelation: Before or after AD70?
My question is about how the Book of Revelation is dated. Some say it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and others say it was written later (maybe around AD 96.)
Obviously the ...
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How old was David when he fought Goliath?
1 Samuel 17:33 (NRSV) says:
Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to
fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from
his youth.”
I have taken ...
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How Is the Date of Composition of the Gospels Estimated?
So considering that the oldest copies of the gospels are dated to around 400 AD (I'm thinking of the Codex Sinaiticus), how do scholars go about estimating the date of composition of the gospels? I ...
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Why does Acts not mention the deaths of Peter and Paul?
As far as we know, Peter and Paul died in Rome in the mid 60s. According to most scholars the Book of Acts is dated to 80+, sometimes as late as 120.
Given how often the book mentions Peter and ...
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When did God create the waters in Genesis 1:2?
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface
of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering ...
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“You are my Son, today I have begotten you” - what are the meaning and implications of the word "today" in the context of Hebrews 1:5?
Hebrews 1:5 (ESV):
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
It's clear that ...
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When did Joseph, Jesus's father, die?
I heard someone claim that Joseph, Jesus's father, died a very short time after Jesus was born.
But we know from Luke 2:41-52, that when Jesus was twelve years old he went with his parents (οἱ γονεῖς ...
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How could King Herod have killed John the baptist in Matthew 14?
According to Matthew's narrative King Herod is said to have died whilst Christ was still a child in Egypt with his parents.It is said King Herod had been succeeded by his son Archelaus when Joseph ...
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When was Jesus made both Lord and Christ?
Acts 2:36 (ESV):
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. When ...
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Did Abraham leave Haran before or after his father died?
Genesis 11:31-12-1 appears to indicate that Abram left Haran after his father Terah had died. (The author of the New Testament book of Acts certainly saw it that way.)
Terah took his son Abram and ...
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When was the book of Joel written?
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear
this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath
this been in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell ye ...
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When did, "Satan fall from Heaven like lightning." Luke 10:18?
A couple of recent questions regarding Satan/devil on this site, has prompted me to ask a related question.
In Luke 10:17 after the seventy-two returned,they say to Jesus (NIV),
"Lord,even the ...
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Ancient Hebrew Calendar(s) and Modern Translations of "Years"
When we read Genesis or Samuel/Kings/Chronicles (or any OT book that attempts any sort of reliable chronology), what are reasonable meanings of the word (translated) "year?"
Suppose I wanted to ...
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Luke 3:1-3 was Luke mistaken about the year in which John the Baptist's preaching began?
Luke goes into detail concerning the beginning of Christ’s ministry. To quote:
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea, and Herod being ...
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“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” - Is John 3:3 a universal statement, O.T. Saints included?
John 3:1-7 (ESV):
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, ...
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What is an "anachronism" in Biblical Hermeneutics?
I have run across several definitions as it relates to "anachronism" in Biblical Hermeneutics and I am confused:
An anachronism in word studies takes place when we read a definition
of a word ...
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The confusing order of Laban's tent raids in Genesis 31:33
In Genesis 31:33 we read of Laban's search of the tents of Jacob's party:
וַיָּבֹא לָבָן בְּאֹהֶל יַעֲקֹב וּבְאֹהֶל לֵאָה וּבְאֹהֶל שְׁתֵּי
הָאֲמָהֹת וְלֹא מָצָא וַיֵּצֵא מֵאֹהֶל לֵאָה וַיָּבֹא ...
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How long were the Children of Israel enslaved in Egypt, according to the Bible?
In Genesis 15:13 God told Abram that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. This number is also mentioned in Acts 7:6.
Exodus 12:41 says that the Israelites were in Egypt ...
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What is the context in Mark and Luke as regards the buying and preparing of the spices?
I have a question about the context of Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 as they relate to the buying and preparing of the burial spices for Jesus of Nazareth.
Mark 16:1 (ESV) states:
When the Sabbath was ...
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Why did John write in this seemingly time-bending way?
John 11:1-2 (NLT)
11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and ...
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When was Ruth written?
The setting of Ruth is in the time of the Judges:
Ruth 1:1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner ...
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From the time what came to be? - Isaiah 48:16
I'm just not sure what the it is referring to here, or is it implied? Is it connected to wherever there is?
Isaiah 48:16 (ESV)
Draw near to me, hear this:
from the beginning I have not spoken ...
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At what exact moment did Jesus transition from being rich to being poor according to 2 Corinthians 8:9?
I'm aware of the recently asked question When was Jesus rich? 2 Corinthian 8:9, and it's very likely that some readers will almost knee-jerkly react by voting to close this question as a duplicate. ...
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In Acts 20:7, why is the phrase τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων translated “the first day of the week” when it could mean “the first Sabbath”?
I noticed that the Greek phrase τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων in Acts 20:7 is often translated “the first day of the week.” However, I assert that it could also mean “the first Sabbath” because the noun ...
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In what month did Jesus fast according to Matthew?
Matthew 4:1 ►
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (NIV).
In what month did this happen?
For most other great (or maybe all) events in the life of Jesus,...
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Joshua 4:9 Until this day! What day is that?
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place
where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant
stood: and they are there unto this day. Joshua 4:9 King James
...
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1 Samuel 20:18: How was the First of the Month / New Moon Determined?
Closely Related:
• Judaism.SE/How was Rosh Chodesh determined, if a New Moon Cannot be Seen?
• Calculating months and weeks in the Mosaic Law
• Astronomy.SE/How Soon Could a Waxing Crescent Moon Be ...
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Is Psalm 51:11 proof that people in O.T. times could have the Holy Spirit indwelling them too, just like in the New Testament?
Psalm 51:11 (ESV):
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Does this mean that people in the Old Testament could have the Holy Spirit indwelling them too?
...
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At what exact moments did Jesus start and finish emptying himself in Philippians 2:5-8?
Philippians 2:5-8 (YLT):
5 For, let this mind be in you that [is] also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, thought [it] not robbery to be equal
to God,
7 but did empty himself, the form ...
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Chronology of Jesus' ministry: John and the Synoptics
I've heard that there is a recent trend to see the Fourth Gospel - despite its obvious theological purpose as compared to especially Luke - as actually more chronological than the Synoptics. Wikipedia ...
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Faith & Works - Is Paul responding to James or James responding to Paul?
James & Paul cite the same Old Testament story in their arguments about faith & works.
From James:
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the ...
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Did the Chief Priests change their minds about crucifying Christ during the festival?
Initial the Chief Priest had stated that Christ should not be killed during the festival as this would have caused a riot
Mark 14:1-2 NIV
Now the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread were two ...
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What does the Gesture of "uncovering feet" and "lying to Boas feet" mean?
In Ruth 3,4 it is written:
When he gets ready to go to sleep, take careful notice of the place where he lies down. Then go, uncover his legs, and lie down beside him. He will tell you what you should ...
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What is the order of events of Nahum and Jonah?
I was reading the book of Nahum and it was speaking about Nineveh. Is the book of Nahum foretelling the destruction of Nineveh, for which the people of Nineveh averted by repenting of their sins, or ...
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When shall we see "face to face"? 1 Corinthians 13:12
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (ESV):
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in ...
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Did Mary actually leave Elizabeth before John was born?
When Mary heard from the angel Gabriel that Elizabeth was in her 6th month of pregnancy, Mary quickly left to join her. As the two greeted and the baby John leaped for joy in her womb, Elizabeth was ...
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2 Timothy 4:3-4. Is Paul referring to the church in his day, or the church of today?
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (niv), it is written:
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 ...
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Calculation of date from Genesis 7:11
Does Genesis 7:11 say:
A) the floodwaters burst open in the 17th day, the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life,
or
B) the floodwaters burst open in the 17th day, the second month in the ...
user2027
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Hosanna — when?
From Wikipedia: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem:
In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the ...
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Is there a published version of the Bible, where the text is ordered chronologically in the order it was written?
Has there been a published version of the Bible where the text was ordered in the order it is best assumed that it was written?
I'm not interested in a version that is ordered in a chronological ...
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As Mary was too poor to offer a lamb after giving birth to Jesus, offering birds instead, does this prove the Magi had not yet pitched up with gold?
As Mary was too poor to offer a lamb after giving birth to Jesus, offering birds instead, does this prove the Magi had not yet pitched up with gold?
Otherwise, she could have afforded to buy a huge ...
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Is 2 Peter 2:4 talking about demons?
2 Peter 2:4 (ESV):
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
Are the angels that sinned ...
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How old was Ahaz when Hezekiah was born?
How old would Ahaz have been when his son, Hezekiah was born? A cursory look at 2 Kings 16:1 and 18:1 suggest he may have only been eleven. (Ahaz was 20 when he became king and he reigned 16 years. ...
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Assyrian Invasions of Israel
Previous to the fall of Samaria, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria made several excursions into Israel. The biblical records mention three:
The first was against Menahem (2 Kings 15:19-20) but he was ‘...
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How many days elapsed between Jesus's baptism and his return to Galilee?
Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that a period of at least forty days separated Jesus's baptism from his return to Galilee. Mark (1:9-15) writes,
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee ...
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