Timeline

Click on a headline below to read more about that event:

2100 BC: God promises Abraham many descendants

2000 BC: Jacob (Israel) is born

1910 BC: Joseph sold into slavery

1446 BC: Exodus begins

1406 BC: Israel begins establishing itself as a country

1400 BC: Israel is ruled by judges - not kings

1050 BC: Saul becomes Israel's first king

1010 BC: David becomes King of Israel

970 BC: Solomon becomes king; builds Temple

926 BC: Israel becomes a divided kingdom

721 BC: Assyrians conquer northern kingdom of Israel

612 BC: Babylon conquers Nineveh (Assyrian Empire)

605 BC: Babylon exerts influence over Judah

597 BC: Babylon attacks Judah

586 BC: Babylon destroys Jerusalem and Temple

586-573 BC: Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar attacks Tyre

539 BC: Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon

538 BC: Cyrus releases Jews from Babylonian Captivity

536 BC: Work begins to rebuild Temple

516 BC: Second Temple is dedicated

333 BC: Greeks begin rule over land of Israel

331 BC: Alexander conquers Tyre (Phoenician Empire)

250 BC: The Old Testament is translated into Greek

175 BC: Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes torments the Jews

164-63 BC: Jews regain independence for part of their homeland

63 BC: Romans take over land of Israel

About 5 BC: Jesus is born in Bethlehem

About 26 AD: Jesus begins his ministry

About 27 AD: Jesus explains what people need to do to be saved

About 26-30 AD: Jesus performs miracles

About 30 AD: Jesus is executed and resurrected

70 AD: Romans destroy Jerusalem and Temple

135 AD: Romans destroy and plow Jerusalem

1291: Tyre attacked and destroyed again

Late 1800s: Zionist Movement begins

1882-1903: Jews begin returning to homeland

1896: 'The Jewish State' is published; Zionism grows

1897: Jews unite in effort to regain homeland Israel

1917: The British gain control of Palestine

1933 - 1944: 6 million Jews killed by Nazis

1948 (May 14): Israel declares independence

1948 (May 15): Surrounding countries invade Israel

1949: The first Arab-Israeli war ends

1967: Six-Day War: Israelis capture the city of Jerusalem

1982: Hebrew becomes an official language of Israel