c. 7000: Jericho is a walled settlement c. 5000-4000: Land of Canaan is occupied by Canaanites, then Amorites and Jebusites. c. 2000: Founding patriarch Abraham and his tribe settle in what becomes Judea. c. 1500: Abraham’s descendants, led by Joseph, settle in Egypt. c. 1260: Moses leads Israelites in Exodus from Egypt. c. 1200: Israelites under Joshua enter Promised Land. c. 1000: David captures Jebusite city of Jerusalem and makes it his capital. c. 970: Solomon builds First Temple. Two kingdoms c. 930: Israel splits into northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah (including Jerusalem). c. 720: Northern kingdom conquered by Assyria and its 10 tribes sent into exile. c. 700: Southern kingdom’s King Hezekiah cuts tunnel from Gihon Spring to Pool of Siloam. 701: Assyrians conquer much of southern kingdom; Jerusalem is besieged but survives. 597: Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon captures southern kingdom and Jerusalem. 587: Following rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and First Temple, deporting most of population to Babylon (in present-day Iraq). Persian rule 539: Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon and allows Jews to return from captivity. 515: Second Temple is completed. 444: Nehemiah rebuilds city walls of Jerusalem. Hellenistic rule 332: Alexander the Great conquers Persian Empire, including all of Palestine. 323: Alexander dies and his kingdom is divided into four parts; Palestine falls under Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt, then under Seleucid Empire of Syria. 175: King Antiochus IV of Syria bans traditional Jewish practices and desecrates Temple. 167: Judas Maccabeus leads successful revolt against Seleucid Empire, rededicates Temple and restores religious freedom. Hasmonean rule 140: Simon Maccabeus, a brother of Judas, establishes Hasmonean Dynasty, which rules an independent Jewish kingdom for 103 years. 63: Rivalry between Simon Maccabeus’ great-grandsons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, brings civil war that ends with Roman general Pompey controlling the kingdom. 37: Rome proclaims Herod as King of Israel, now a Roman client state, ending the Hasmonean Dynasty. Roman rule 20: Herod expands Temple Mount and rebuilds Temple. c. 6: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem. 4: Herod dies and his kingdom is divided among his sons, Philip, Antipas and Archelaus. __________________________________________________________________________ AD 26: Pontius Pilate becomes procurator of Roman province of Judea. c. 27: Jesus is baptised by his cousin John the Baptist and begins his public ministry. c. 30: Jesus is condemned to death and crucified. c. 32: Stephen, first Christian martyr, is stoned to death. c. 34: Paul is converted on the way to Damascus. 41-44: Jerusalem’s “Third Wall” is built by King Agrippa I. c. 50: Council of Jerusalem, first recorded council of Christian leaders, is held. c. 45-120: Books of the New Testament are written. 67: During First Jewish-Roman War, Christians in Palestine flee to Pella in Jordan. 70: Romans destroy Jerusalem and Second Temple. 73: Masada falls to Romans. 130: Emperor Hadrian rebuilds Jerusalem, renaming it Aelia Capitolina, and puts pagan temple over site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. 135: Hadrian crushes Second Jewish Revolt and expels Jews from Palestine. 301: Armenia becomes first nation to make Christianity its state religion. 313: Emperor Constantine I legalises Christianity. 325: At Council of Nicaea, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem asks Constantine to reclaim site of crucifixion and Resurrection and build a church there. 326-7: Constantine’s mother, Helena, visits Holy Land, finds True Cross and orders churches built on sacred sites; large-scale pilgrimages begin. Byzantine rule 330: Constantine moves his capital from Nicomedia to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople, now Istanbul). 335: Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated. 380: Emperor Theodosius I makes Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire. 386-420: Jerome produces Vulgate translation of Bible in his Bethlehem cave. 395: Roman Empire splits into East and West. c. 500: Jerusalem Talmud completed by rabbinic schools in Galilee. 570: Birth of Muhammad. 614: Persians capture Jerusalem, destroying many churches and burning Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 622: Muhammad escapes assassination in Mecca and flees to Medina, his flight marking first year of Islamic calendar. 629: Emperor Heraclius I re-establishes Byzantine rule in Jerusalem and recovers True Cross stolen by Persians. Islamic rule 638: Islamic forces conquer Jerusalem, beginning rule by succession of Arab dynasties. 661-1000: Palestine variously ruled by Arab caliphs in Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo. 692: Dome of the Rock completed on Temple Mount. 1009: Sultan al-Hakim destroys Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 1048: Church of the Holy Sepulchre restored by Emperor Constantine Monomachus. 1054: Great Schism splits Christian Church into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches. 1071: Seljuk Turks capture Jerusalem, persecuting Christians, desecrating churches and barring pilgrims. Crusader rule 1099: First Crusade captures Jerusalem and establishes Latin kingdom; Dome of the Rock becomes church called Templum Domini (Temple of the Lord). 1149: New Church of the Holy Sepulchre completed. 1187: Sultan Saladin defeats Crusaders at Horns of Hattin above Sea of Galilee, then takes Jerusalem. Islamic rule again 1219: St Francis of Assisi visits Egypt and meets Sultan Melek al-Kamil. 1229: During Sixth Crusade, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II negotiates return of Jerusalem and other Christian sites to Crusader kingdom. 1229: Franciscans establish themselves in Jerusalem near Fifth Station of Via Dolorosa. 1244: Jerusalem is sacked by Khwarezmian Tartars; control quickly passes to Egyptian Ayyubids and then Mamluks, who rule until 1517. 1291: Crusaders’ last foothold, Acre, falls to Mamluks. 1342: Pope Clement VI formally establishes Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Ottoman rule 1517: Ottoman Turks take control of Palestine from Mamluks. 1517: Martin Luther begins Protestant Reformation in Europe. 1538: Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent builds present walls of Old City of Jerusalem. 1757: Ottoman Turkish edicts give Greek Orthodox major possession of Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy places. 1808: Fire rages in Church of the Holy Sepulchre; Tomb of Christ is severely damaged when dome falls in. 1812: Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovers Nabatean city of Petra. 1839: British Jew Sir Moses Montefiore proposes idea of a modern Jewish state. 1842: First Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, Michael Solomon Alexander, a converted Jewish rabbi, arrives. 1849: Christ Church in Jerusalem, oldest Protestant church in Middle East, is built. 1852: Under pressure from Russia, Ottoman Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid directs that possession of holy places remains according to 1757 edict. 1853-56: Possession of holy places is one cause of Crimean War between Russia and major European powers. 1860: First Jewish immigrant neighbourhood outside Old City of Jerusalem is established, funded by Sir Moses Montefiore. 1878: “Status Quo” defining possession of holy places is incorporated into international law by Treaty of Berlin. 1883: General Charles Gordon proposes Skull Hill as Calvary and Garden Tomb as place where Christ was buried. 1884: Mosaic map of Holy Land discovered in floor of 6th-century church at Madaba, Jordan. 1909: Joseph Baratz and 11 others establish first kibbutz in Palestine, called Kvutzat Degania (“Wheat of God”), at southern end of Sea of Galilee. 1917: British government’s Balfour Declaration backs establishing Jewish homeland in Palestine, without prejudice to “civil and religious rights” of non-Jewish population. British mandate 1917: British forces under General E. H. Allenby capture Palestine from Ottoman Turks. 1922: League of Nations approves British mandate of Palestine. 1946: Jordan gains independence from Britain. 1947: United Nations Partition Plan calls for a Jewish state and an Arab state in Palestine, with Greater Jerusalem (including Bethlehem) under international control; most Jewish groups accept plan but Arabs reject it. 1947: Dead Sea Scrolls are discovered at Qumran. 1948: Amid civil unrest and violence, Britain withdraws from mandate. Israel and Palestinian Territories 1948: After Jewish provisional government declares Israel an independent state, Arab forces invade. 1949: Israel prevails in Arab-Israeli War, though Egypt holds Gaza, and Jordan the West Bank and East Jerusalem; more than 700,000 Palestinians become refugees. 1967: In Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria, Israel occupies Sinai, Gaza, Golan Heights, West Bank and East Jerusalem. 1969: Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, largest Christian church in Middle East, is completed. 1973: In Yom Kippur War against Egypt and Syria, Israel makes further territorial gains. 1979: Israel and Egypt sign peace treaty; Israel agrees to return Sinai to Egypt. 1986: Remains of fishing boat from time of Jesus found in Sea of Galilee. 1987-93: Palestinians carry out First Intifada (uprising) against Israeli occupation. 1993: Israel gives Palestinian National Authority limited autonomy in West Bank and Gaza. 1994: Jordan and Israel sign peace treaty. 1996: Excavations begin at likely site of Christ’s baptism, in former minefield at Bethany Beyond the Jordan. 1997: Interchurch co-operation completes 36-year restoration of Church of the Holy Sepulchre; reconstruction of Tomb of Christ edicule remains to be done. 2000-05: Second Intifada follows controversial visit by Israeli politician Ariel Sharon to Temple Mount. 2002: Israel Defence Forces besiege Palestinian militants in Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, for 39 days. 2002: Israel begins building 700-km West Bank separation wall. 2005: Remains of early 3rd-century church found at Megiddo. 2005: Israel withdraws settlers and military from Gaza. 2007: Archaeologist Ehud Netzer discovers Herod the Great’s long-lost tomb at Herodium. 2008: Responding to rocket attacks, Israel launches 22-day war against Gaza. 2009: Archaeologists in Nazareth uncover residential building from time of Jesus. 2013: City of David excavators find clay seal inscribed with name of Bethlehem, first reference to the city outside the Bible. 2014: Discovery of nine previously unknown Dead Sea scrolls announced; the tiny texts were inside unopened tefillin (prayer cases) found at Qumran in 1952.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 21:18:32 +0000
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