Timeline of Jewish History

The Beginning

1900 BCE

At this time, Abraham established a special relationship with God. God made a promise to Abraham and his people that he would give them a land of safety and well-being. Along with that promise, God also promised Abraham that he will be the father of descendants as numerous as the stars and that his wife, despite her age, will be gifted with an offspring that would later be named Isaac. (Source: Pg. 51-52 of the textbook)

Jewish History

Period: 1900 BCE to 30

The Story of Moses

1290 BCE

God calls upon Moses to rescue the Israelites from the reign of Pharaoh and slavery. At this time, Moses set his people free and led them to freedom. God chose Moses as the man that he will give to the 10 Commandments to renew his promise to Abraham and to prepare his people for the Promised Land. (Source: Pg. 53-55 of the textbook)

The Promised Land

1250 BCE

The Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land that God has promised them. Although God promised them a land of safety and well-being, the next 100 years that they experienced were brutal. These 100 years consisted of many wars and endless turmoils as the Israelites try to settle into a land already occupied by other people. (Pg. 57 of the textbook)

Young Shepherd turned King

1000 BCE

At this time, David, who went from being a shepherd to being an army leader, was the only one people turned to as the successor of King Saul after his death. David led Israel to defeat the Philistines and named Jerusalem as the center of the political and religious lives. He also chose Jerusalem as the city where he'd build the temple for the Ark of the Covenant so it could be kept and honoured. (Source: Pg. 58 of the textbook)

Kingdom of Israel and Judah

1000 BCE

At this time, Saul, the first king of Israel, separated the twelve tribes of Israel into 2 groups; the tribe of Israel and the tribe of Judah. Both groups recognized Saul as their King but disagreed on who his successor would be. The 10 tribes of Israel believed it would be one of Saul's sons but the 2 tribes of Judah believed it would David, the leader of one of Saul's army. (Pg. 58 in the textbook)

Destruction after the Split

721 BCE

After the division into the northern and southern kingdoms in 922 B.C.E, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. Due to the loyalty of the Judah's leaders towards the Covenant, the southern kingdom was able to survive a century longer. The destruction of these 2 kingdoms led to the event called the Babylonian Exile.

The Babylonian Exile

597 BCE

This is the time when Jerusalem was overrun by Babylonians and were taking citizens of the kingdom of Judah as captives and bringing them to Babylon. At the time, a prophet by the name of Jeremiah wrote to the captives telling them to settle in Babylon because God would someday return them to their home. (Source: Pg. 60 of the textbook.)

Destruction of Jerusalem

587 BCE

At this time, the city of Jerusalem, along with the Temple was destroyed. Thousands more captives where taken and led into the Babylonian Exile. Many people who weren't captured and held captive, escaped the city and left for places along the Mediterranean Sea. (Source: Pg 60 of the textbook)

The Promise of a Prophet

538 BCE

At this time, the Persians overcame the Babylonians, who were taking in captives and taking them to Babylon. The leader of the Persians allowed all of the exiles to return to their native homes with freedom of worship. This event was predicted by an unnamed prophet who wrote passages on the "suffering servant" that said that told a story of a great servant of God that will save his people through the servant's own death and sacrifice instead of military conquest. (Source: Pg. 62 of the textbook)

The Roman Procurator

6

The third son of Herod the Great was the worst leader of the three sons. He was so bad that the Romans decided to replace him with a Roman official that would also be called a procurator or a governor. At this time, the first procurator was put into place. By the time of Jesus' public ministry, Pontius Pilate, the fifth procurator just began his rule in the year 26. As we all know, Pontius Pilate would play a huge role in the trial and execution of Jesus Christ. (Source: Pg. 71 of the textbook.)

Sources of Pictures

30

Young Shepard: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/49/62/40/4962401e55ac0b84a86c7aa50a772342.jpg
Destruction after the Split: http://www.bibleodyssey.org/~/media/Images/Places/K/
Babylonian Exile: https://graceofourlord.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/
Destruction of Jerusalem: http://www.bible-history.com/map_fall_of_judah/
Cyrus the Great: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/8d/58/8d/8d588db39659b943a0a12095e07314e3.jpg

Sources for Pictures

30

Pontius Pilate: http://runholy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Pontius-Pilate.jpg

Sources for Pictures

30

Abraham: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/magazine/en2006lp.nfo:o:6d.jpg
Moses: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IM9Blz0yVvc/TF4UGG2w4MI/AAAAAAAAArE/iyDqm9CbGAg/s1600/Moses
Promised Land: http://sdrministries.org/sermon/images/journey/
Kingdom of Israel and Judah: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Kingdoms_of_Israel_and_Judah_map_830.svg/502px-Kingdoms_of_Israel_and_Judah_map_830.svg.png