Events Affecting Early Jewish Thought and Movements
(Dates are approximate)
4000-3500 B.C. Sumerians in Babylon.
3000 B.C.– Semitic tribes occupy Assyria, Phoenicians on Syrian coast
2500 B.C.– Settlement of Aramean nomads from Euphrates, Semitic Canaanites in Palestine
2000 B.C.- Hittites become kingdom, attack Syria
2100 B.C.– Avraham leaves Ur in Chaldees (Babylon)
1500-1000- Jews leave Egypt with Moses. He receives 10 commandments
1400 B.C.- Founding of Rome
1100 B.C. – Founding of London by Brutus of Troy
1002-B.C.– Saul-king of Israel
1000-960 B.C.– David, king of Israel and Judah
800-701 B.C.– Celts move into England
753 B.C. Foundation of Rome
700 B.C. Isaiah’s teachings, Celt settlement in Austria
705-68 B.C.– King Sennacherib of Assyria defeats Egypt and Judah
722-586 B.C. Jewish Dispersions following Assyrian, Babylonian conquests
700-500 B.C.- Start of Babylonian Captivity. Zoroaster founds Persian religion
629 B.C. King Josiah revives Judaism, renovates temple, finds first written ms of Deuteronomy
600-500 B.C.– Nebuchadnezzar burns Jerusalem, Buddha is founder of Buddhism
600 B.C. – A.D. 421 Book of Mormon timeline- Early American civilizations, visit of the risen Christ
500-451 B.C.– Start of Greek civilization in Rome
450-401 B.C.– Torah becomes law of Jewish state
400-350 B.C.– Pentateuch codified
336-323 B.C. Alexander the Great conquests enabled Hellenization of Asiatic, Semitic peoples
300 B.C.–A.D. 200 Thriving North African Jewish communities-trade, agriculture
301 B.C.– Palestine reverts to Egyptian rule
285 B.C.– Old Testament translated into Greek at Alexandria
168 B.C.– Desecration of temple at Jerusalem, persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV
165 B.C.– Temple rededicated by Judas Macabeus-expels Syrians. Hasmonean siege
100 B.C.– Writings portion of Torah completed by Gamaliel III. New synagogue practices installed
33-62 B.C.– Paul’s missionary travels and death. Thousands of Jewish conversions to Christianity
5 B.C. Greek translation-Septuagint-Old Covenant. Compiled by 70 Jews
7 B.C. (approximate) Birth of Joshua (Yeshua), Jesus in Nazareth
4 B.C. Herod the Great died
27 30– Baptism, mission, death and resurrection of Jesus. Died in 22nd year of reign of Tiberius
36 Most followers of The Way had left Judea
66-73 Revolt of Zealots against Romans under Vespasian
70 Titus, son of Vespasian ruled -Fall of Jerusalem, start of Christian expulsions
70-132 Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, canonization of Jewish literature
72 Fall of Masada to Roman forces. Defenders committed mass suicide
79-81– Titus became emperor
170-219 Rabbi Judah Hanasi Ordered Mishneh of Talmud written
325- Council of Nicea
350– Roman Catholicism
383– Roman legions start to evacuate Britain
400 Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud finalized
500 Babylonian Talmud compiled for Diaspora Jewry
600– Modern Hebrew formulated
Major Changes in History of Israel
| Avram’s migration to Canaan from Ur (Gen 11:31.) Change begins with prophesying | |
| 1280 B.C. | Freed from Egypt and Moses taught. |
| 722 B.C. | Assyrians – under King Hezekiah destroyed kingdom of Israel, later Judah |
| 598-586 B.C. | Babylonians conquered Judah |
| 444 to 397 B.C. | Babylonians destroyed Temple from time of Ezra |
| 336-323 B.C. | Alexander – Greece – |
| 312-364 B.C. | Seleucids, part of Greek dynasty |
| 37-4 B.C. | Hasmonean domination through Roman conquerors, Pompey, Herod, Florus |
| 64 -70 | Christian persecutions, Vespasian |
| A.D. 70 | Fall of Jerusalem to Rome |
| 73 A.D. | Massacre at Masada – 967 Jews committed suicide |
| 570-632 A..D. | Arabs, Islam, Persian influences. |
| 5th century | Spanish Visigoth invasion. Massacre of Sephardic Jews |
| 12th century | British persecution of Jews relating to “blood libel” deaths |
| 14th + 15th century | Spanish inquisition: baptism or death |
| 15th century | Moors expelled, then rest of Spanish Jews – expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. |
| WW1 | Ottoman empire – Turks overruled Islamic Jews, destroying their culture |
| 1920 | British mandate in Jerusalem |
| 1940-44 | German 3rd Reich – Hitler |
| 1939-45 | Russian purges in Poland, Russia |
| 1970s | Arab-Palestinian wars |
| 1948 | State of Israel |
| 1948 – present | Palestinian uprisings and land grabbing |
| 1966 | 6 day war |
(See Timeline of Seminal Events in Modern Israel below.) Jews through history have endured pogroms, purges, slavery, famine, death and conquering, rebuke of their rituals and the hatred of their conquerors, war and subjugation, disgrace, murder, fear, hopelessness, every horror known to mankind. Why? Read Romans 11. Yet the Jewish people continue to be the covenant people of God who remembers them and will fulfill his prophesies of restoration to them in these latter days.
Timeline of Seminal Events in Modern Israel
1918 British General Edmund Allenby defeats the Ottoman Turks and occupies all of Palestine
1920 Britain receives League of Nations mandate over Palestine at San Remo Conference and is told to facilitate creation of a Jewish homeland there.
1922 Church White Paper reduces British commitment to the Jewish people and gives 77 percent of area designated for them to Abdullah and the Arabs (Transjordan).
1929 Arabs riot in Jerusalem and massacre Jews in Hebron and Safed. Second White Paper further reneges on Britain’s Jewish commitment and limits Jewish immigration.
1934 To flee Hitler, Jews try to immigrate. Britain refuses them entry. During following two years, 65,000 Jews immigrate to Israel.
1937 Peel Commission recommends partitioning remaining 23 percent of land designated for Jews, into two countries: one Jewish, one Arab.
Between 1948 and 1951 almost 700,000 Jews migrated to Israel.
From 1955 to 1957 two-thirds of the almost 250,000 migrant Jews went to Israel (from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Poland and Hungary). Half of a further 450,000 migrant Jews went to Israel between 1961 and 1964. (Virtually all Jews left Algeria for France during 1961–62). In the 1980s in two campaigns, Operation Moses and Operation Solomon, virtually the entire Jewish community of Ethiopia was airlifted to Israel. From the area of the former Soviet Union, some 400,000 Jews went to Israel in 1989/91, and many others went elsewhere in the West. In 1992/93 most of the remnant of the Jews in Yemen left the country, many eventually reaching Israel. (From collected statistics of various sources)
1947 UN partitions Palestine into two states: Arab and Jewish. Arabs reject plan; Jews accept.
1948 Ben-Gurion declares independence. US President Harry Truman recognizes the new State of Israel. A year-long war of independence ensues when five Arab nations attack Israel.
Yom Ha-Atzmaut is the celebration of Israeli Independence Day, marking the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It is observed on the 5th of Iyar. Click the speaker to hear the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah. According to some views, the restrictions of the Omer period are lifted for this day. A few anti-Zionist Jews observe this day as a day of mourning for the sin of proclaiming the state of Israel without the Messiah.
1964 Fatah forms, with Yasser Arafat as its leader.
1967 Six Day War (June 5-10). Israel captures Sinai and Gaza Strip from Egypt, Golan Heights from Syria and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. Israel reunites Jerusalem and assumes control of the Temple Mount. UN adopts Resolution 242.
1973 On Yom Kippur Soviet-backed Egypt and Syria attack Israel. US airlifts supplies. UN passes Resolution 338.
1977 Menachim Begin becomes Israeli Prime Minister and supports keeping disputed territories.
1979 Camp David Accords signed between Egypt and Israel.
1988 PLO recognizes Israel, renouncing terrorism. Yitzhak Shamir elected Israel’s Prime Minister.
1991 Gulf War. Iraqui Scud missiles attack Israel. US deploys Patriot missiles to help Israel.
1992 Yitzhak Rabin becomes Israel’s Prime Minister.
1995 Rabin assassinated. Shimon Peres becomes acting Prime Minister. Expansion of Palestinian rule in West Bank.
1996 Palestinians elect Arafat president. Netanyahu elected Israeli Prime Minister. Hamas detonates bus bomb killing 19.
1999 Israel elects former General Ehud Barak as Prime Minister.
2000 Barak, Clinton and Arafat meet. Palestinians initiate riots after Ariel Sharon legally visits Temple Mount. Violence and terrorism mount and continue. Called the Oslo War after the Oslo water rights agreements.
2001 Ariel Sharon elected Prime Minister. Suicide bombers and Islamic Jihad bombs kill many.
2002 More suicide bombings. Israel mounts Operation Defensive Wall. Arafat signs PA transitional constitution to guarantee Palestinian rights. It contradicts Arafat’s “democratic, secular state” UN speech.
2003 Mahmoud Abbas elected Palestinian Prime Minister. Arafat maneuvers to maintain control. Violence continues. US releases Road Map peace plan.
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