|
Chronology of Events Master
File: Compiled and researched by Roger Snook, Clute, Texas Congregation of
Jehovah's Witnesses
File Revision Date: February 17, 1999
File Revision No. 60 4026 B.C.E. Adam created,
see Adam #1 IT-1 pgs. 44-6. 3096 B.C.E. Adam dies 3896 B.C.E. Seth born, see IT-2 pg. 899. 2984 B.C.E. Seth dies 3791 B.C.E. Enosh born, see
IT-1 pgs. 729-30. 2886 B.C.E. Enosh dies 3701 B.C.E. Kenan born, see
IT-2 pg. 145. 2791 B.C.E. Kenan dies 3631 B.C.E. Mahalalel born, see
Mahalalel #1 IT-2 pg. 295. 2736 B.C.E. Mahalalel dies 3566 B.C.E. Jared born, see
IT-1 pg. 1256. 2604 B.C.E. Jared dies 3404 B.C.E. Enoch born, see
Enoch #2 IT-1 pg. 729. 3039 B.C.E. Enoch ~ [transferred so as
not to experience the pangs of death] 3339 B.C.E. Methuselah born, see
IT-2 pg. 389. 2370 B.C.E. Methuselah dies ~ [global
flood begins in November] 3152 B.C.E. Lamech born, see
Lamech #2 IT-2 pg. 192. 2375 B.C.E. Lamech dies 2970 B.C.E. Noah born, see Noah #1 IT-2 pgs.
506-8. 2020 B.C.E. Noah dies 2468 B.C.E. Shem born, see IT-2 pgs.
919-20. 1868 B.C.E. Shem dies 2370 B.C.E. GLOBAL FLOOD ~ [begins
in November], see Deluge IT-1 pgs. 609- 12. 2368 B.C.E. Arpachshad born,
see IT-1 pg. 179. 1930 B.C.E. Arpachshad dies 2333 B.C.E. Shelah born, see
Shelah #1 IT-2 pg. 918. 1900 B.C.E. Shelah dies 2303 B.C.E. Eber born, see Eber #1 IT-1 pg
673. 1839 B.C.E. Eber dies 2269 B.C.E. Peleg born, see
IT-2 pg. 595. a. 2239 B.C.E. Tower of Babel [During
the days of Peleg, Jehovah God confused the language of the people working
on the Tower of Babel and the building of a mighty city in opposition to
Jehovah, the people were scattered taking their god-defying, false
religious practices with them. Thus was the beginning of Babylon the
Great, the mother of (spiritual) harlots and of the disgusting things of
the earth.] See IT-1 pgs. 234-5, also bf pgs. 11-45. 2030 B.C.E Peleg dies 2239 B.C.E. Reu born, see IT-2 pg. 795. 2000 B.C.E. Reu dies 2207 B.C.E. Serug born, see
IT-2 pgs. 898-9. 1977 B.C.E. Serug dies 2177 B.C.E. Nahor born, see
Nahor #1 IT-2 pg. 462. 2029 B.C.E. Nahor dies 2148 B.C.E. Terah born, see
Terah #1 IT-2 pg. 1087. 1943 B.C.E. Terah dies 2018 B.C.E. Abraham born, see
IT-1 pgs. 28-32. 1943 B.C.E. ABRAHAMIC COVENANT, see
IT-1 pgs. 520-5. 1843 B.C.E. Abraham dies 1918 B.C.E. Isaac born, see
IT-1 pgs. 1216-8. 1738 B.C.E. Isaac dies 1858 B.C.E. Jacob born, see
Jacob #1 IT-1 pgs. 1242-7. 1711 B.C.E. Jacob dies 1750 B.C.E. Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt, See
IT-2 pgs. 106-11. b. 1613 B.C.E. Job's trial [Job
tested by Satan when Chaldeans raid Job's 3,000 camels] See IT-2 pg. 81. a. 1600 B.C.E. Egypt attains prominence as
FIRST WORLD POWER. See IT-1 pgs. 686-99, also bf pg. 60. 1513 B.C.E. EXODUS FROM EGYPT Book
of Genesis written by Moses 1513 B.C.E.; Books of Exodus & Leviticus
written by Moses 1512 B.C.E. c. 1500 B.C.E. [Hinduism originates in the Indus River Valley (now part of
Pakistan) had its beginnings when an Indo-European people known as the
Aryans moved into this area about 1500 B.C.E.] See g89 4/8 pgs. 24-27,
also See sh pgs. 95-128. 1473 B.C.E. Conquest of Canaan [Israel
is ruled by Jehovah, 13-judges i.e. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Gideon,
Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, and Eli. Total
356-years] Books of Numbers & Deuteronomy written by Moses 1473 B.C.E.;
Book of Joshua written by Joshua c. 1450 B.C.E.; Book of Job written by
Moses c. 1473 B.C.E. ~ See IT-2 pgs. 134-6. Book of Ruth c. 1090 B.C.E.; Book of 1-Samuel completed c. 1078
B.C.E.] For detail of the kings, see IT-2 pgs. 170-4. 1077 B.C.E. David begins his rule [40-yrs.] Prophets:
Nathan, Gad, Zadok / High Priest: Abiathar [Gad & Nathan complete
writing 2-Samuel c. 1040 B.C.E.] See IT-1 pgs. 585-91. 1037 B.C.E. Solomon begins his rule [40-yrs.] Prophets:
Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo / High Priest: Abiathar, Zadok [Construction of
temple begins 1034 B.C.E., construction completed 1027 B.C.E., Song of
Solomon complete c. 1020 B.C.E., Book of Ecclesiastes complete b. 1000
B.C.E.] See IT-2 pgs. 986-93. 1034 B.C.E. BEGINNING OF TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION See
IT-2 pgs. 1076-83. 997 B.C.E. Rehoboam begins his rule [17-yrs.] Prophets:
Shemeiah, Iddo [Shishak of Egypt invaded Judah and took treasures from the
temple in Jerusalem]. See IT-2 pgs. 767-8. 997 B.C.E. KINGDOM DIVIDED TWO-TRIBE KINGDOM OF JUDAH [exist
390-years] TEN-TRIBE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL [exist
257-years] 980 B.C.E. Abijah begins his rule [3-yrs.] Prophet:
Iddo, see IT-1 pgs. 22-3. 977 B.CE. Asa begins his rule [41-yrs.] Prophets:
Azariah, Oded, Hanani [Zerah the Ethiopian
came against Judah in war 967 B.C.E.] See IT-1 pgs. 183-5. 936 B.C.E. Jehoshaphat begins his rule [25-yrs.] Prophets:
Jehu (son of Hanani), Eliezer, Jahaziel / High Priest: Amariah, see
Jehoshaphat #3, IT-1 pgs. 1271-2. 913 B.C.E. Jehoram begins his rule [8-yrs.] Prophet:
Elijah, see Jehoram #3, IT-1 pgs. 1270-1. 906 B.C.E. Ahaziah begins his rule [1-yr.] High
Priest: Jehoiada, see IT-1 pgs. 62-3. 904 B.C.E. Queen Athaliah usurped the throne and ruled [6-yrs.] See
IT-1 pg. 209. 898 B.C.E. Jehoash begins his rule [40-yrs.] High
Priest: Jehoiada, see Jehoash #1, IT-1 pgs. 1265-6. 858 B.C.E. Amaziah begins his rule [29-yrs.] Jehoash
of Israel captured Amaziah, breached the walls of Jerusalem, and took
treasure from the temple, Book of Jonah written c. 844 B.C.E. See
Amaziah #2 IT-1 pg. 88. 829 B.C.E. Uzziah begins his rule [52-yrs.] Prophets:
Hosea, Joel (?), Isaiah / High Priest: Azariah (II) [Book of Joel perhaps
written c. 820 B.C.E.; Book of Amos written c. 803 B.C.E.] See
Uzziah #3 IT-2 pg. 1146. 777 B.C.E. Jotham begins his rule [16-yrs.] Prophets:
Micah, Hosea, Isaiah, see Jotham #3 IT-2 pgs.
118-9. 762 B.C.E. Ahaz begins his rule [16-yrs.] Prophets:
Micah, Hosea, Isaiah / High Priest: Urijah (?) [Ahaz evidently became
tributary to Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria.] See Ahaz #2 IT-1 pgs. 61-2. 746 B.C.E. Hezekiah begins his rule [29-yrs.] Prophets:
Micah, Hosea, Isaiah / High Priest: Azariah (II or III) [Book of Isaiah
written c. 732 B.C.E.] See Hezekiah #1 IT-1 pgs. 1102-5. 716 B.C.E. Manasseh begins his rule [55-yrs.] Book
of Proverbs completed c. 716 B.C.E.; Book of Micah written b. 716 B.C.E.
See Manasseh #4 IT-2 pg. 307. 661 B.C.E. Amon begins his rule [2-yrs.] See
Amon #2 IT-1 pg. 96. 659 B.C.E. Josiah begins his rule [31-yrs.] Prophets:
Zephaniah, Jeremiah, the prophetess Hulda / High Priest: Hilkiah [Book of
Zephaniah written b. 648 B.C.E.] See Josiah #1 IT-2 pgs. 117-8. c. 633 B.C.E. Nineveh falls to Medes and
Caldeans BABYLON now in line to become THIRD WORLD POWER. [Book of Nahum
written b.632 B.C.E.] See IT-2 pgs. 503-5, also IT-1 pgs. 235-9, also bf
pg. 295. 628 B.C.E. Jehoahaz begins his rule [3-mos.] See
Jehoahaz #3 IT-1 pg. 1265. 628 B.C.E. Jehoikim begins his rule [tributary to Egypt for 11-yrs.]
Prophets: Habakkuk (?), Jeremiah [Book of Habakkuk perhaps written
c.628 B.C.E.] See IT-1 pgs. 1268-9. 618 B.C.E. Jehoiachin begins his rule [3-mos., 10-days] Nebuchadnezzar
II took Jewish captives and temple treasures to Babylon. See IT-1 pg.
1267. 617 B.C.E. Zedekiah begins his rule [11-yrs.] Prophets:
Jeremiah, Ezekiel / High Priest: Seraiah [Nebuchadnezzar II invaded Judah
again, seige of Jerusalem began in 609 B.C.E., walls of Jerusalem were
breached on the 9th day of the 4th month of 607 B.C.E., Jerusalem and its
temple were burned on the 10th day of the 5th month of 607 B.C.E., lastly
Jews abandoned Judah about the middle of the 7th month of 607 B.C.E.] See
Zedekiah #4 IT-2 pgs. 1226-7. 607 B.C.E. Beginning of
the
"Gentile Times" or "The Appointed Times of the
Nations" [to last
2,520 years, as prophesied in Ezekiel 21:25-27. Jerusalem destroyed by
Babylon, land left desolate for 70-years] Book of Lamentations written
607B.C.E.; Book of Jeremiah written 580 B.C.E.; Books of 1st & 2nd
Kings completed in one roll 580 B.C.E. ~ See IT-1 pgs.132-5, also yw pgs.
104-127 & 264-307. 997 B.C.E. Jeroboam begins his rule [22-yrs.] Prophet:
Ahijah, See Jeroboam #1 IT-2 pgs. 37-8. 977 B.C.E. Nadab begins his rule [2-yrs.] See
Nadab #4 IT-2 pg. 460. 976 B.C.E. Baasha begins his rule [24-yrs.] Baasha
assassinated Nadab and then began to rule as king. See IT-1 pg. 234. 953 B.C.E. Elah begins his rule [2-yrs.]
See Elah #3 IT-1 pg. 701. 951 B.C.E. Zimri begins his rule [7-days] Zimri,
a military chief, assassinated Elah and then began to rule as king. See
Zimri #3 IT-2 pg. 1235. 951 B.C.E. Omri begins his rule [12-yrs.] Omri,
chief of the army, began to rule as king. Tibni became king over part of
the people, further dividing the nation c. 951 B.C.E., Omri overcame
Tibni's opposition and became sole ruler of Israel c. 947 B.C.E., Samaria
became Omri's capitol.
See Omri #3 IT-2 pg.554. 940 B.C.E. Ahab begins his rule [22-yrs.] Prophets:
Elijah, Micaiah [Ahab marries wicked Baal worshipper Jezabel] See Ahab #1
IT-1 pgs. 59-60. 922 B.C.E. Ahaziah begins his rule [2-yrs.] Prophet:
Elijah [Ahaziah, son of Ahab "became king" evidently his father
was still living, Ahaziah's years may count from c. 919 B.C.E.]
See Ahaziah #1 IT-1 pgs. 62-3. 921 B.C.E. Jehoram begins his rule [12-yrs.] Prophet:
Elisha [Jehoram, son of Ahab began to rule as king of Israel; but in at
least one text the brief reign of his brother Ahaziah who died sonless,
also may have been credited to Jehoram.] See Jehoram #2 IT-1 pg. 1270. 909 B.C.E. Jehu begins his rule [28-yrs.] Prophet:
Elisha [Jehu, a military chief, assassinated Jehoram and then began to
rule as king, however it seems that his years of kingship counted from c.
904 B.C.E.] See Jehu #3 IT-2 pgs. 22-5. 881 B.C.E. Jehoahaz begins his rule [17-yrs.] Jehoash
evidently became associated with his father, Jehoahaz in the kingship. See
Jehoahaz #2 IT-1 pg. 1265. 867 B.C.E. Jehoash begins his rule[16-yrs.] Prophet:
Elisha, see Jehoash #2 IT-1 pg. 1266. 852 B.C.E. Jeroboam II begins his rule [41-yrs.] Prophets:
Jonah, Hosea, Amos [Book of Jonah written c. 844 B.C.E.] See Jeroboam #2
IT-2 pg. 38. 789 B.C.E. Zechariah begins his rule [6-mos.] Zechariah,
"began to reign" in some sense, but evidently the kingship was
not fully confirmed as his until c.792 B.C.E. See
Zechariah #14 IT-2 pgs.1223-4. 788 B.C.E. Shallum begins his rule [1-mo.] Shallum
assassinated Zechariah and then ruled as king. See Shallum #5 IT-2 pg.
906. 788 B.C.E. Menahem begins his rule [10-yrs.] Menahem
assassinated Shallum, then began to rule, however, it seems that his years
of kingship counted from c. 790 B.C.E. See IT-2 pg. 371. 777 B.C.E. Pekahiah begins his rule [2-yrs.]
See IT-2 pg. 595. 775 B.C.E. Pekah begins his rule [20-yrs.]
Pekah assassinated Pekahiah and then began to rule as king. See IT-2 pgs.
594-5. 748 B.C.E. Hoshea begins his rule [9-yrs.] Hoshea
assassinated Pekah and then "began to reign" in place of him,
however, it seems that his control became fully established or possibly he
received the backing of the Assyrian monarch Tiglath-pileser III in c. 748
B.C.E. Book of Hosea written a. 745 B.C.E.
See Hoshea #4 IT-1 pgs. 1148-9. 740 B.C.E. Ten-tribe kingdom of Israel destroyed by the Assyrian
Empire. ASSYRIA attains prominence as the SECOND WORLD POWER. See IT-1 pgs.
200-5, also bf pg. 110. c. 700 B.C.E. During the 8th century B.C.E. the Shinto religion sprang up in
Japan. See sh pgs. 187-204 551 B.C.E. Confucian Era begins in China, Taoism in China begins in the 5th
or 6th century B.C.E. See sh pgs. 161-86. 543 B.C.E. Buddhist Era begins in India. See sh pgs. 129-60. 539 B.C.E. Babylon captured by Cyrus of Persia. MEDO-PERSIA
becomes the FOURTH WORLD POWER. See IT-2 pgs. 358-60, 611-17, also see yw
pgs. 104-27, also bf pg. 187. 537 B.C.E. Jews repatriated to their homeland, return from exile in
Babylon. Book of Daniel written c. 536 B.C.E. 530 B.C.E. Cyrus the Great dies his
son Cambyses succeeds him. 490 B.C.E. In a campaign against Greece at
Marathon, Darius I is defeated. Darius I dies in 486 B.C.E., his son
Xerxes (Ahasuerrus, husband to Queen Esther) succeeds his father. See
Ahasuerrus #3 IT-1 pg. 61. 480 B.C.E. Xerxes launched massive forces against
the Greek mainland in retaliation for the defeat suffered at Marathon,
following a costly victory at Thermopylae and the destruction of Athens,
Xerxes' forces met defeat at Salamis and later at Plataea, causing Xerxes
to return to Persia. Xerxes is assassinated by one of his courtiers. See
Ahasuerrus #3 IT-1 pg. 61. 475 B.C.E. Artaxerxes Longimanus, Xerxes'
successor, authorizes Ezra's return to Jerusalem with a large contribution
for the support of the temple in 468 B.C.E.; Books of 1st & 2nd
Chronicles completed in one roll c. 460 B.C.E.; Book of Ezra written c.
460 B.C.E.; Book of Psalms completed c. 460 B.C.E.; Book of Esther written
474 B.C.E. See Artaxerxes #2 IT-1 pg. 182. 455 B.C.E. Jerusalem's walls are rebuilt.
Beginning 70-weeks of years as prophesied at Daniel 9:1-27. Book of
Nehemiah written a. 443 B.C.E.; Book of Malachi written a. 443 B.C.E. 332 B.C.E. Alexander the Great defeats
the Persian Empire. GREECE becomes the FIFTH WORLD POWER. Alexander's
kingdom divided between his generals after his death in 323 B.C.E.
One-eyed General Antigonus, after attempting to set himself up as lord of
all Asia, and finally took the title of king after Alexander's death,
claiming to be his heir. (Seleucus Nicator taking Mesopotamia & Syria;
Cassander taking Macedonia & Greece; Ptolemy Lagus taking Egypt &
Palestine; Lysimachus taking Thrace & Asia Minor.) Daniel chapter 8,
Daniel chapter 11, Ezekiel chapter 26 & Jeremiah chapter 51 ~ See IT-1
pgs 70-1, also see yw pgs. 104-27, also bf pgs. 187, & 392. a. 312 B.C.E. Ptolemy I captures
Jerusalem on a sabbath day. He persuades the Jews to come south to Egypt
as colonist, and a colony of Jews was established in Alexandria. With his
son and successor he shared in founding the famous library and museum in
Alexandria. The Jewish province of Judea stayed under control of Ptolemaic
Egypt or the "KING OF THE SOUTH" until 198 B.C.E., when the
"KING OF THE NORTH" took over. See yw pg. 230. 306 B.C.E. Ptolemy I the
son of Lagus, (one of Alexander the Great's eight bodyguards), who was
made the satrap of Egypt but assumed the title of king in 306 B.C.E. in
imitation of one-eyed General Antigonus. Ptolemy I becomes the KING OF THE
SOUTH in Daniel's prophecy, at Daniel 11:5,
He was first of thirteen or fouteen Macedonian kings or Pharaohs of
Egypt. According to his name, he established the Ptolemaic line of rulers
over Egypt. See yw pg. 230. 301 B.C.E. One-eyed General Antigonus, is
killed and is defeated in battle after meeting
the confederacy of three other generals against him, Cassander,
Selecus, and Lysimachus. He fell in battle against them at the Ipsus in
Phyrgia, Asia Minor, in 301 B.C.E. The four Hellenistic empires that
resulted were (1.) that of General Cassander in Macedonia and Greece; (2.)
that of General Lysimachus in Asia Minor and European Thrace, including
Byzantium; (3.) that of General Seleucus Nicator (the Conqueror), who
secured Babylon, Media, Syria, Persia and the provinces east of the Indus
River; and (4.) that of Ptolemy Lagus, who secured Egypt, Libya, Arabia
and Palestine and Coele-Syria. In a few years the male line of General
Cassander died out, and in 285 B.C.E. General Lysimachus took possession
of the European part of the Macedonian Empire. See yw pg. 228. 285 B.C.E. General Lysimachus took
possession of the European part of the Macedonian Empire. However, in 277
B.C.E. Antigonus Gonatas, the grandson of one-eyed General Antigonus,
gained possession of the throne of Macedonia after General Lysimachus fell
in battle, (281 B.C.E.) before General Seleucus Nicator, reducing the
Hellenistic empires to three. See yw pg. 228. 281 B.C.E. General Lysimachus
dies and is defeated in battle before General Seleucus Nicator and thus
left Seleucus practically the master of all of the Asian territories. See
yw pg. 228. 280 B.C.E. Seleucus Nicator is
assassinated after transferring the capital from Babylon to Seleucia, a
new city he had built, the Seleucid dynasty of kings that he left to
succeed him continued in power until 64 B.C.E., Antiochus I, his son
succeeds him to the throne. Antiochus I dies in battle fighting the
Galatians in Asia Minor, he is succeeded by his son Antiochus II.
(Daniel's prophecy of the KING OF THE NORTH & the KING OF THE SOUTH,
Dan. chap. 11, has its first & minor fulfillment between Seleucus
Nicator of Syria & Ptolemy Lagus of Egypt, for further information see
yw pgs. 221-63, in the year 191 B.C.E. Rome formally declared war on
Antiochus III, in 190 B.C.E., Antiochus III was decisively defeated by the
Roman commander Lucius Scipio Asiaticus.) ** See Josephus' Antiquities of
the Jews, Book 12 chapters 4&5, Polybius' Book 28 chapter 17, also see
yw pgs. 220-63. a. 280 B.C.E. A group of Hebrew scholars
are gathered to Alexandria, Egypt to translate the Hebrew Bible into the
popular Koine [or common] Greek language which came to be known as the
Greek Septuagint [Latin for "seventy," referring to the
approximate number of translators believed to be involved]. See w97 8/15
pgs. 8-11. 277 B.C.E. Antigonus Gonastas,
the grandson of one-eyed General Antigonas, gained possession of the
throne of Macedonia after General Lysimachus fell in battle before General
Seleucus Nicator. See yw pg. 228. 250 B.C.E. King Ptolemy II, "KING
OF THE SOUTH"
waged two wars with the
Syrian "KING OF THE NORTH," Antiochus II (Theos). The two kings
entered into a peace arrangement. As the price of this alliance or
"agreement" the Syrian KING OF THE NORTH must marry Bernice the
daughter of Ptolemy II. Antiochus II was already married to Laodice. So
this obliged him to divorce her in order to marry the Egyptian Bernice. By
Bernice, Antiochus II of Syria had a son, who became heir to the throne of
the "KING OF THE NORTH" to the exclusion of the sons of his
first wife Laodice. (Daniel 11:5, 6) See yw pg. 231. 247-6 B.C.E. Ptolemy II dies,
hence Bernice his daughter does not "retain the strength of her
arm" (Daniel 11:6) with her husband King Antiochus II of Syria. He
rejected her, and took back his first wife, Laodice, and named her first
son, Seleucus Callinicus, to be his successor to the Syrian throne.
Bernice and her infant son are murdered, along with her Egyptian
attendants by plans of Laodice. Laodice also poisoned her husband
Antiochus II who had taken her back. See yw pgs. 231-2. 242 B.C.E. Ptolemy III Bernice's
brother now became KING OF THE SOUTH, he came into the stronghold of the
KING OF THE NORTH and dealt out death to the queen mother Laodice for the
death of his sister. (Daniel 11:7) Ptolemy III overran Syria, captured the
fortified part of the capital city of Antioch and also its seaport,
Seleucia. Internal troubles in Egypt forced Ptolemy III to return, after
taking back spoils that had been robbed from Egypt by Persian King
Cambyses, (Daniel 11:8). Taking advantage of this situation Seleucus II
Callinicus, (the Gloriously Thriumphant) struck back in revenge only to
meet with defeat. He retreated to his Syrian capital of Antioch. He died
before his humiliator, Ptolemy III of Egypt. His son Seleucus III,
surnamed Ceraunus ("Thunderbolt") suceeded him only to be
assassinated after reigning less than three years. His brother Antiochus
III succeeds him and became called "the Great." See yw pgs.
233-4. 209 B.C.E. Antiochus III defeats
the Parthians. The following year 208 B.C.E.
He carries his conquest even further eastward, against the
Bactrians deep in Asia. See yw pg. 236. 198 B.C.E. Antiochus III proved
victorious. He drove Egypt's General Scopas and his 100,000 picked troops
or "chosen people" back into the Phoenician seaport of Sidon, a
"well-fortified city." Here he "cast up a mound" or
seigeworks. He took Sidon in 198 B.C.E., for the bottled-up General Scopas
was forced to surrender because of famine. Antiochus III pressed forward
"according to his own will," as the forces of the KING OF THE
SOUTH were unable to stand before him. He captured more cities and
proceeded against the capital of the "beautious land,"
Jerusalem, with its rebuilt santuary. (Daniel 11:15, 16) Jerusalem and
Judea passed from under the domination of the KING OF THE SOUTH to the
KING OF THE NORTH. See yw pg. 239. 196 B.C.E. Antiochus III aimed
to have Syria dominate Egypt. Ptolemy V Epiphanes, king of Egypt, was only
five years old, when Antiochus III and Philip V of Macedonia leagued
against the boy king to take over his territories and split them between
themselves, the guardians of Ptolemy V made a tragic mistake. They turned
to Rome and placed him under the protection of that aggressive power.
Under compulsion of Rome, Antiochus III brought terms of peace to the KING
OF THE SOUTH. For a selfish reason he decided to make the boy king his
son-in-law. Instead of making an outright surrender of his conqquered
territories in obedience to Rome, he would make a nominal transfer of
territory to King Ptolemy V by means of the "daughter of women,"
(Daniel 11:17), Cleopatra, the "daughter of his wife." In
consideration of this political marriage she was to receive as dowry from
her father the conquered provinces of Coele-Syria, Palestine
and Phoenicia. See yw pgs. 240-1. 193 B.C.E. Ptolemy V
is declared of legal age and is crowned KING OF THE SOUTH at the age of
eight. His marriage to Cleopatra is performed. Antiochus III did not
actually let the dowry of conquered territories pass over to his southern
son-in-law by way of his daughter Cleopatra, she became Queen Cleopatra I
of Egypt, (seven successive queens of Egypt also carried the name
Cleopatra), the intent of this political marriage was to "destroy
it," or to bring Egypt to ruin, making it subject to Syria. But this
scheme did not stand, and the advantage did not remain with Syrian King
Antiochus III. In the difficulties that followed, Cleopatra took the side
of her young husband rather than that of her Syrian father. In this way
she frustrated the selfish designs of her father Antochus III. When at
last war broke out between her father and Rome, Egypt took the side of her
protector, Rome. See yw pg. 241. 192 B.C.E. Antiochus III met
with reversals, it happened that war broke out in Greece in 192 B.C.E. and
King Antiochus III was induced to come to Greece, he landed there that
year. He captured Chalcis, gained a foothold in Boeotia and tried to take
over Thessaly but retreated before the Macedonian army. See yw pg. 242. 191 B.C.E. Rome declares
war on Antiochus III, who was then at Acarnania. He returned to Chalcis.
At Thermopylae he met the Romans and suffered defeat. He sailed back to
Asia Minor to his capital at Ephesus, The Romans purposed to oust the KING
OF THE NORTH from Asia, battles at sea were fought. Antiochus III was
defeated, he abandoned Lysimachia on the Chersonese peninsula. By giving
up Lysimachia he left the way for the Romans to cross the Hellespont into
Asia Minor. See yw pg. 242. 190 B.C.E. A decisive battle
took place at Magnesia, near Ephesus, and Antiochus III with 80,000 men
lost to the Roman "commander," Lucius Scipio Asiaticus. The KING
OF THE NORTH was now willing to make peace with Rome. See yw pg. 242. 189 B.C.E. Final peace arrangements
were made, Antiochus III was required to disown everything in Asia Minor,
everything west of the Taurus Mountains, as well as everything in Greece.
He must pay 15,000 talents to Rome and 500 talents to her ally, Eumenes,
king of Pergamum, who had helped defeat Antiochus III at Magnesia. As a
further reward King Eumenes received European territory and all the
possessions of Antiochus III in Asia Minor as far as the Taurus Mountains.
Rome thus established a dominion over the Syrian KING OF THE NORTH. One of
his sons, who became Antiochus IV, lived as a boy at Rome, as a hostage.
See yw pgs. 242-3. 187 B.C.E. After being driven from
Greece and losing Asia Minor and practically all of his fleet, Antiochus
III turned his face back towards the strongholds of his own land. The
Romans had turned back his reproach against themselves upon his own self.
He was pressed to pay the large fine to Rome. In 187 B.C.E., while trying
to rob the temple at Belus at Elymais in Persia, he was killed. He
staggered and fell in death. He left two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus, to
succeed him. See yw pg. 243. 175 B.C.E. Antiochus IV of
Syria, (KING OF THE NORTH of Daniel chapter 11), rules over the Jews,
Antiochus is not tolerant of the worship given to Jehovah. Hoping to unify
all peoples under his domain created one religion for all, with himself as
"god manifest." ** See yw pgs. 220-263. 168 B.C.E. Antiochus IV,
(KING OF THE NORTH of
Daniel chapter 11), erects an altar to the Greek god Zeus on top of
Jehovah's altar in the temple courtyard. Judas Maccabeus attacks Ashdod,
later in 148 B.C.E. Ashdod came under attack by Judas Maccabeus' brother
Johnathan, during this second attack the temple of Dagon was burned down.
Macedonia becomes dependent upon Rome in 168 B.C.E. and in 146 B.C.E.
becomes a Roman province further reducing the Hellenistic empires to two,
that of the KING OF THE NORTH and the KING OF THE SOUTH . See yw pgs.
220-263. 167 B.C.E. Judas Maccabeus, a
Levite priest, became leader of a resistance movement against the Syrian
rule of Antiochus IV. 166 B.C.E. Judas Maccabeus recaptures
Jerusalem from Syrian rule. 165 B.C.E. Temple rededicated to Jehovah. Jewish
celebration of Hanukkah begins in commemoration of this event. Beginning a
period of rule of Maccabean kings, in the order in which they ruled as
follows: Simon Maccabeus, John Hyrcanus I, Aristobulus I, Alexander
Jannaeus and his widow Salome Alexandra, Aristobulus II, John Hyrcanus II,
and the last Hasmonean king, Antigonus, who was deposed and executed by
the Romans under Mark Antony. Jewish political parties were formed such as
the pro-Hasmonean Sadducees
and the anti-Hasmonean Pharisees, these ruled until 63 B.C.E., when Rome
sent General Pompey to interfere with political party scwabbling. Rome
begins to come into the role of the KING OF THE NORTH, but not until 64
B.C.E. when Rome annexes Syria does this transition completely take place.
See Daniel's prophecy at Daniel 11:20-22. See yw pgs. 247, 249, & 251. 163 B.C.E. Antiochus IV won
his war with Egypt. He had himself crowned as king of Egypt. Then the
Roman fleet brought its ambassador Caius Popilius Laenas with orders from
the Roman Senate that Antiochus IV renounce his kingship of Egypt and quit
the country. The Syrian king did so, but kept his hold on Coele-Syria,
Palestine and Phoenicia. In 163 B.C.E. he
died as a temple looter
in Persia. After him there were many more independent kings of the
Seleucid dynasty in Syria. See yw pgs. 247-8. 161 B.C.E. The Maccabees made
a treaty with Rome, the first of theirs on record. See yw pg. 246. a. 150 B.C.E. Greek Septuagint version of
the Hebrew Bible is completed. See w97 pgs. 8-11. 139 B.C.E. Jews expelled from Rome for
proselytizing. The government of Rome according to tradition was founded
in the year 753 B.C.E., in 710 B.C.E., King Numa Pompillius set himself up
in the office of Pontifex Maximus at Rome, the very office occupied by the
head of the Catholic Church, he was a pagan Etruscan magic-practicing
priest. See sh pgs. 262, 271 & 268-72. 104 B.C.E. The Maccabees establish
a kingdom, when Aristobulus I assumed the title of king. See yw pg. 246. 65 B.C.E. Antiochus XIII the
last king of the Seleucid dynasty of kings is dethroned by Roman General
Gnaeus Pompey the Great. See yw pg. 248. 64 B.C.E. Roman General Gnaeus Pompey annexes
Syria as a Roman province, therefore Rome becomes the KING OF THE NORTH of
Daniel's prophecy at Daniel 11:20-22. See yw pg. 229. 63 B.C.E. Roman General Gnaeus Pompey lays
a three month seige to Jerusalem and captures it, the Egyptian KING OF THE
SOUTH was powerless to prevent it. Rome annexes Judea to the Roman Empire.
ROME becomes the SIXTH WORLD POWER. Herod the Great is appointed king of
the Jews in 40 or 39 B.C.E., and in 37 B.C.E. Herod effectively crushes
the Hasmonean [Sadducees] rule. See IT-2 pgs. 822-5, also see yw pgs.
104-27 & pgs. 220-63. 45 B.C.E. Julius Gaius Caesar is elected Pontifex Maximus, as such he is not
only the head of the Roman state, he is the head of the Roman religion,
all of the powers and funtions of the true Babylonian Pontiff were
supremely vested in him, and he found himself in a position to exert these
powers. ...Then, on certain occasions, in the exercise of his high
pontifical office, he appeared of course in all the pomp of the Babylonian
costume, as Belshazzar himself might have done, in robes of scarlet, with
the crozier of Nimrod in his hand, wearing the mitre of Dagon [the fish
god] and bearing the keys of Janus [the two-faced god] and Cybele [the
"mother" goddess]. Notice the similarities in false religion
today. See the book "The Two Babylons"
by Doctor Alexander Hyslop pgs. 241, 242, 247, 250, 252, & 255
Also see bf pg. 339. 39 B.C.E. Herod the Great succeeds
his father Antipater II to the throne, appointed king by Rome the SIXTH
WORLD POWER. See bf pg. 335. 37 B.C.E. Herod the Great captures
Jerusalem and establishes himself as king, to end Maccabean rule. See yw
pg. 246. 30 B.C.E. Queen Cleopatra VII of
Egypt the KING OF THE SOUTH commits suicide, Egypt becomes a Roman
province, subject to the KING OF THE NORTH. See yw pg. 248. 27 B.C.E. In the battle for
power Octavius finally came forth as the sole ruler of Rome and became the
first Roman emperor. He turned down the titles of rex ("king")
and dictator. Finally, in 27 B.C.E. by decree of the Roman Senate, he was
styled Augustus. The Greeks translated this title as Sebastos, which means
"Reverend One." See yw pg. 248. 2 B.C.E. John the Baptizer born [about
April], Jesus born [about October 1st.] 13 C.E. Caesar Augustus
sets
up the emperor's bodyguard known as the Praetorian Guards which are later
enlarged by his successor. These Guards had been seen only near Rome in
small detachments, later Tiberius changed this, he had the Guards encamp
permanently in full force close to the city walls of Rome. By this
arrangement he held in check any unruliness of the people. This attached
great importance to the commander of the Guards. The Guards came to to
enjoy special privileges and in time became so powerful that they were
able to put emperors in office or to dethrone them, according to their
will. See yw pg. 250 &
254. 14 C.E. (August 19th) Caesar
Augustus, (Octavius) dies leaving as successor his stepson Tiberius.
Caesar Augustus did not want Tiberius to be his successor, he hated his
stepson because of his bad qualities. Augustus was forced to accept
Tiberius as his successor only after every other hope had failed. Emperor
Augustus had no sons, his sister had a son Marcellus, but he died. His
daughter had two sons, Gaius and Lucius, and these Augustus appointed as
his successors. These also died, he loved his dear stepson Drusus, the
younger brother of Tiberius but again Drusus died on September 14, 9 C.E.
This left only Tiberius, who was a capable general of the top-ranking
soldier of the Roman Empire. In the year 12 C.E. Agrippa the great general
of the Emperor Augustus died at the age of fifty-one years, then Livia,
the mother of Tiberius, induced the emperor wih great difficulty, to
replace Agrippa with her son Tiberius. To replace Agrippa, though required
Tiberius to become the son-in-law of the emperor. So to his great grief,
Tiberius was compelled to exchange Agripina, the daughter of Agrippa, for
the emperor's daughter Julia. In 4 C.E. Emperor Augustus adopted Tiberius
and Agrippa Postumus. Nine years later, by special law, Tiberius was
raised to the coregency with emperor Augustus. When Augustus died the
following year, Tiberius was made emperor. No wonder that Jesus referred
to Tiberius as "that fox." See yw pgs. 250-2. 29-33 C.E. Jesus Christ earthly ministry. The
end of 69-weeks of years, when Jesus presents himself to John to be
baptised at the Jordan River, and is annointed with holy spirit as the
"Christ" or "Messiah," in 29 C.E. in fulfillment of
Daniel's prophecy at Daniel 9:1-27. For Jesus' life story and the Bible
prophesies that he fulfilled, see the book "The Greatest Man Who Ever
Lived," published by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of
Jehovah's Witnesses (1991). Also see IT-2 pgs. 54-72. 33 C.E. Nisan 14, Jesus impaled on torture stake.
Holy spirit is poured out upon 120-Christian disciples on the day of
Pentecost 33 C.E., in fulfillment of the prophecy at Joel 2:28, 29. 36 C.E. Roman centurion Cornilus, and
members of his household are baptized. End of the 70-weeks of years as
prophesied at Daniel 9:1-27. See IT-1 pgs. 439-442 & 496-500 & pg.
513. 37 C.E. Tiberius Caesar dies
in the latter half of March, 37 C.E. The historian Tacitus refers to him
as "one of studied dissimulation and hypocrisy from the
beginning." He is remembered as a "contemptible person."
Tiberius is succeeded by Gaius Caesar also known as Caligula. See yw pg.
256. 41 C.E. Caligula, or Gaius is
succeeded by his uncle, Claudius in the year 41 C.E. Claudius saw to the
further development of the empire along the lines that Augustus had in
mind. Says one authority: "Client-states were absorbed, southern
Britian was conquered, the Romanization of the West received powerful
impulse, public works were executed in Rome and Italy, and the
organization of the imperial bureaucracy made rapid strides." (See
The Encyclopedia Britanica, Volume 23, pg. 651b.) Says a history: "An
important extension of the state was made under Claudius, who sent a
sucessful expedition into Britian in 43 C.E. and added to the southern
portion of the island as the province of Britania. Later the British
frontier was pushed farther northward and secured by a line of defenses.
See "On the Road to Civilization," by Heckel and Sigman (1937),
pg. 198, par. 1., also see yw pg. 256. 66 C.E. Roman General Cestius Gallus surrounds
Jerusalem with soldiers and even undermines the temple wall, then for some
reason suddenly departs. This allows faithful Christians to flee to the
mountains, fulfillment of prophecy by Jesus Christ at Luke 21:20. 70 C.E. Roman General Titus returns
to Jerusalem and lays seige with pointed stakes, 1,100,000 Jews perish,
97,000 are taken captive, this is in fulfillment of the prophecy given by
Jesus Christ at Luke 19:44. 98-117 C.E. Emperor Trajan, ambitious
to build a great oriental empire, entered upon a war of aggression in
which he defeated the Parthians in Persia and added Armenia, Mesopotamia
and Assyria to the empire as provinces. This represents the expansion of
Rome to its greatest extent, but these conquest by Trajan in the east were
abandoned by his successor. See "On the Road to Civilization,"
by Heckel and Sigman (1937), pg.198, par. 1. also see yw pg. 256. c. 100 C.E. APOSTASY
firmly established at the death of the last apostle (John). "Man of
Lawlessness" is revealed in fulfillment of 2-Thess. 2:3 & 2:7 .
Christian Greek Scriptures completed c. 98 C.E. with the writing of the
Gospel John. See sh pgs. 260, 263-5 & 278, also see jv pgs. 33-41,
also see bf pgs. 472, 474, 479 & 480. c. 125 C.E. Rylands Papyrus 457 (P52),
are fragments of the Gospel John. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11, also see si pgs.
305-14. 150-170 C.E. Tatian, a student of the
early Christian, Justin Martyr, produces the "Diatessaron," a
composite account of Jesus' life, compiled from the same four Gospels
found in our present-day Bibles. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11. a. 170 C.E. The earliest known catalog of
the "New Testament" books, called the "Muratorian
Fragment," was produced, it list most of the Christian Greek
Scriptures. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11. 269 C.E. Zenobia of Palmyra, (Syria)
seizes opportunity to
expand her power and throne when a pretender disputing Roman rulership
appeared in Egypt, Zenobia's army marched into Egypt, crushed the rebel
and took possession of the country. Proclaiming herself queen of Egypt.
Her kingdom now stretched from the river Nile to the river Euphrates. At
this point she came to occupy the position of the "KING OF THE
SOUTH" spoken about in the book of Daniel, (Daniel 11:25, 26). She
also conquered most of Asia Minor. See w99 1/15 pgs. 28-31. 271 C.E. Roman Emperor Aurelian, (270-275)
now representing the
"KING OF THE NORTH" of Daniel's prophecy, Aurelian "aroused
his power and his heart against the king of the south," represented
by Zenobia. (Daniel 11:25a) Aurelian dispached some of his forces directly
to Egypt and led his main army eastward through Asia Minor. The "KING
OF THE SOUTH" or the ruling entity headed by Zenobia--"excited
himself" for warfare against Aurilian "with an exceedingly great
and mighty military force" under two generals, Zabdas and Zabbai.
(Daniel 11:25b) Aurelian conquered Egypt, then launched an expedition into
Asia Minor and Syria. Zenobia was defeated at Emesa (now Homs), she
retreated to Palmyra. See w99 1/15 pgs. 28-31. 272-4 C.E. Palmyrenes surrender their city. Aurelian, though he dealt
magnanimously with the inhabitants, collected an immense quantity of
plunder, including the idol from the Temple of the Sun, and departed for
Rome. The Roman emperor spared Zenobia, making her the prize feature of
his triumphal procession through Rome in 274 C.E. See w99 1/15 pgs. 28-31. 303 C.E. Emperor Diocletian
decrees that Christian meeting places be razed and their
"Scriptures be consumed with fire." See w97 10/1 pg. 11. 325 C.E. Christendom's early beginnings, Emperor
Constantine, (324-337), Pontifex Maximus, calls for a council of "his
bishops" at Nicaea, Asia Minor out of which the pagan trinity
doctrine was adopted as "Christian Theology" this was the early
beginnings of the Catholic Church. See sh pgs. 262, 271,
268-72 & 309-13. 330 C.E. May 11th Emperor Constantine moved
his imperial residence from Rome to Byzantium, he founded the new imperial
capital and dedicated it as New Rome or Constantinople. But there was
still one Roman Empire. See yw pg. 260. 366 C.E. Pope Damasus I succeeded Liberius as bishop of Rome, he was
opposed by Ursicinus, who claimed the election, and in their disgraceful
stifes many people were murdered ... The man [Pope Damasus I] that came
into the bishopric of Rome, as a thief and a robber, over dead bodies of
above a hundred of his opponents, could not hesitate as to the election he
should make. The results shows that he acted in character, that, in
assuming the Pagan title of Pontifex, he had set himself at whatever
sacrifice of truth to justify his claims to that title in the eyes of the
Pagans, as the legitimate representative of their long line of pontiffs..
See "Damasus I, pope," pg. 252b of Vol. 2 M'Clintock and
Strong's Cyclopedia. Also see the book "The Two Babylons" by
Doctor Alexander Hyslop pgs. 241, 242, 247, 250, 252, & 255. Also see
bf pg. 340. 378 C.E. Emperor Gratian conferred upon [Damasus], the right to pass
judgment upon those clergymen of the other party who had been expelled
from Rome, and at the request of a Roman synod held the same year,
instructed the secular authorities to give him the necessary support. ...
The Pope, as he is now, was at the close of the fourth century, the only
representative of Belshazzar, or Nimrod, on the earth, for the Pagans
manifestly accepted him as such. See "Damasus I, pope," pg. 252b
of Vol. 2 M'Clintock and Strong's Cyclopedia. Also see the book "The
Two Babylons by Doctor Alexander Hyslop pgs. 241, 242, 247, 250, 252,
& 255. Also see bf pg. 340. 382-405 C.E. Pope Damasus commisions his
secretary, Jerome, to prepare an authoritative Latin Bible. Jerome
completed his work a. 405 C.E., Jerome's work became known as the Vulgate,
or common version, rather than using the Greek Septuagint version which
proved to have many errors, (despite many criticisms from the church,
because of fears that not using the Greek Septuagint as the basis for
translation would further divide the western church from the Greek eastern
church), however, Jerome translated from the inspired Hebrew manuscripts
available to him at that time, and it benefited people for centuries. See
w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11, also see w99 1/1 pgs. 26-29. 395 C.E. January 17th at the death of
Roman emperor Theodosius, the Roman Empire was divided between his sons,
Honorius receiving the western section and Arcadius the eastern, with its
capital at Constantinople.Egypt fell to the lot of Constantinople and
became a province of the eastern division of the Roman Empire. See yw pg.
260. a. 550 C.E. A group of Jews known as the
Masoretes developed a systematic copying method for preserving the Hebrew
Scripture text. This involved counting the lines and even the individual
letters, noting variations among manuscripts, all in an effort to preserve
the authentic text. A comparison of modern Masoretic text with the Dead
Sea Scrolls, written between 250 B.C.E. & 50 B.C.E., shows no
doctrinal changes in over 1,000 years. This Masoretic Text preparation
continued to a. 950 C.E. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11, also see si pgs. 310-14. 622 C.E. Mohammed flees from his enemies to Medina. (Islam Era begins) See
sh pgs. 284-303 800 C.E. Pope Leo III crowns Frankish king Charlemagne as emperor of the
"Holy Roman Empire." For a thousand years, this empire
represented the union between Church & State, during this time the
clergy enjoyed varying degrees of power over secular authorities. See bf
pg. 484. 863 C.E. Two Greek-speaking brothers,
Cyril and Methodius, went to Moravia, (now part of the Czeck Republic),
they began to translate the Bible into Old Slavonic. To do so, they
devised the Glugolitic alphabet, which was later superseded by the
Cyrillic alphabet, (named after Cyril). This was the source of present-day
Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian scripts. The Slavic Bible
served people of that area for generations. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11. 962 C.E. February 2, Pope John XII crowns Otto the Great, (Otho I), emperor
of the "Holy Roman Empire," it came to be known as the
"Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" the capital was in
Germany, the emperors and the majority of the subjects were Germans. So
under Otho I Germany and Italy were brought into a close relationship, but
with Germany on top, for Italy was treated finally as a conquered
province, at this point the KING OF THE NORTH in Daniel's prophecy
effectively changes from Rome to Germany.** See yw pgs. 220-63. 1054 C.E. Eastern Orthodox church breaks in a major
schism. Final break
between the Greek & Latin churches, when the pope's legates
excommunicate Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople. When this
break occurred, this formed the Eastern Orthodox Church from which sprang
the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Romanian
Orthodox Church & others. See sh pg. 280. 1079 C.E. Pope Gregory VII issued the first of many medieval church edicts
banning the production and sometimes even the possession of vernacular
versions of the Bible. He revoked permission for mass to be celebrated in
the Slavonic language on the grounds that it would require portions of the
Holy Scripture to be translated, he wrote: "It [has] pleased Almighty
God that holy scripture should be secret in certain places." With
this as the official position of the church, promoters of Bible reading
were increasingly considered dangerous. See w97 8/15 pgs. 8-11. 1096-9 C.E. First Crusade, resulted
in the recapture of Jerusalem and the establisment of four Latin states in
the east: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa, the Principality
of Antioch, and the County of Tripoli. An authority quoted by H.G. Wells
says of the capture of Jerusalem: "The slaughter was terrible; the
blood of the conquered ran down the streets, until men splashed in the
blood as they rode. At nightfall, 'sobbing for excess of joy,' the
crusaders came to the Sepulchre from their treading of the winepress, and
put their blood-stained hands together in prayer." For more
information about the crusades see sh pgs. 281-2, w987 7/15 pg. 28, w90
2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1147-9 C.E. Second Crusade, was
initiated because of the loss of the County of Edessa to Syrian Muslims in
1144 C.E.; it ended when the Muslims successfully turned back
Christendom's "infidels." See w90 2/1 pgs.17-8, g89 8/8 pgs.
22-4. 1189-92 C.E. Third Crusade, was
undertaken after the Muslims retook Jerusalem, (had as one of its leaders
Richard I, "the Lionhearted," of England), this crusade soon
"disintegrated," says the Enclyclopedia of Religion,
"through attrition, quarreling and lack of cooperation." See w90
2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1202-4 C.E. Fourth Crusade, was
diverted for lack of funds from Egypt to Constantinople; material
assisstance was promised in return for helping enthrone Alexius, an exiled
Byzantine pretender to the crown. "The [resulting] pillage of
Constantinople by the crusaders is something that the Orthodox East has
never forgotten or forgiven," says the Encylopedia of Religion,
adding: "If any single date is to be cited for the firm establishment
of the schism, the most appropriate at least from a psychological
standpoint is the year 1204 C.E." See w90 2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs.
22-4. 1212 C.E. Children's Crusade, brought
death to thousands of German & French children before they even
reached their destination. See w90 2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1217-21 C.E. Fifth Crusade, the
last under papal control, failed because of flawed leadership & clergy
interference. See w90 2/1 pgs.17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1228-9 C.E. Sixth Crusade, was
led by Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, whom Pope Gregory IX had
previously excommunicated. See w90 2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1229 C.E. During the 12th century
Pierre Valdes (Peter Waldo), of Lyons, France engaged some scholars to
translate the Bible into a regional language of the south of France, he
studied the translation zealously, and concluded that Christians should
live like the apostles without individual property. He started a preaching
movement that became known as the Waldenses, these rejected the Catholic
priesthood, indulgences, purgatory, transubstantiation, and other
traditional Catholic practices & beliefs. In 1229 C.E. the Council of
Toulouse tried to check them by banning the possession of Scriptural
books. See sh pgs. 280-2, w87 7/15 28-9, g89 8/22 pg. 17.
1248-54 C.E. Seventh Crusade, led
by Louis IX of France. See w 90 2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. 1252 C.E. Infamous Catholic Inquisition begins, Pope
Innocent IV issued the Papal bull "Ad extirpanda" which allowed
torture of suspected "heretics" (being burned at the stake, the
usual method employed to put heretics to death by the 13th century, ...had
its symbolism, implying that by administering this kind of punishment, the
church was not guilty of shedding blood.) The Catholic Inquisition went on
for more than 600 years, in the pope's name [the inquisitors] were
responsible for for the most savage and sustained onslaught on human
decency in the history of mankind. Of Dominican inquisitor Tomas de
Torquemada in Spain, Peter De Rosa, in his book, "Vicars of
Christ--The Dark Side of the Papacy" states: "Appointed in 1483,
he ruled tyrannically for fifteen years. His victims numbered over 114,000
of whom 10,220 were burned at the stake." See sh pgs. 282-3, w90 2/1
pgs. 18-9, g89 8/8 pgs. 24-5, g86 4/22 pgs. 20-4. 1270-2 C.E. Eighth Crusade, led
by Louis IX of France, but collapsed following his death in North Africa.
This was the final crusade. See w90 2/1 pgs. 17-8, g89 8/8 pgs. 22-4. SEEDS OF RELIGIOUS REFORM. John
Wycliffe (1330?-84) a Catholic priest, translated the Latin Vulgate Bible
into English. Wycliffe's writings and portions of the Bible were
distribued throughout England by a body of preahers. See sh pgs. 310-2,
also w97 9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1382 C.E. Anne of Bohemia, possessed
Wycliffe's translation, she married Richard II of England in 1382 C.E.,
she studied the Scripture constantly. When she became Queen, her favorable
attitude helped to advance the cause of the Bible, not only in England,
she encouraged students from Prague University in Bohemia to come to
Oxford. There they studied the works of Wycliffe enthusiastically and some
took them back to Prague. See w97 9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1403 C.E. Jan Hus (1369?-1415), a
Bohemian Catholic priest preaches against corruption of the Roman Catholic
Church and stressed the importance of reading the Bible. In 1403 church
authorities ordered him to stop preaching the anti-papal ideas of Wycliffe,
whose books they also publicly burned. Hus wrote some of the most stinging
indictments against the practices of the church, including the sale of
indulgences. Hus was condemned and excommunicated in 1410 C.E., and in
1415 C.E. he was tried for heresy and burned at the stake. See sh pgs.
311-2, also w97 9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1450 C.E. Johannes Gutenberg began
printing with movable type in Germany. His first great work was an edition
of the Latin Vulgate Bible, completed a. 1455 C.E. By 1495 C.E. all or
part of the Bible had been printed in German, Italian, French, Czech,
Dutch, Hebrew, Catalan, Greek, Spanish, Slavonic, Portuguese, and
Serbian--in that order. See w97 9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1453 C.E. Constantinople is captured by Mohamet (Mohammed II), Greek
Patriarch of Constantinople is allowed to continue in office. 1497 C.E. Girolamo Savonarola
(1452-98), a Dominican monk spoke out against corruption of both the
Church and State, in 1497 C.E. the pope excommunicated him and the
following year, he was arrested, tortured, and hanged. See sh pgs. 312-3. 1516 C.E. Dutch scholar Desiderius
Erasmus produced the first complete printed edition of the Greek text.
Erasmus wished that the Scripture "were translated into all languages
of all people." However, he hesitated to risk his great popularity by
translating it himself. See w97
9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1517 C.E. Reformations beginning,
on October 31, Martin Luther (1483-1546) nails his 95-theses to the door
of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany adding more branches to the false
religious tree of Christendom. From which sprang the Lutheran Church i.e.
the German, Swedish, American, and others. Though Luther spoke of reform,
today's modern church is not much different from its predecessor. See sh
pgs. 21, 314-9. c. 1519 C.E. Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531),
in Switzerland, began to preach against indulgences, Mariolatry, clerical
celibacy, and other doctrines of the Catholic Church. Zwingli advocated
the removal of all vestiges of the Roman Church, including images,
crucifexes, clerical garb [sacerdotal vestments], even liturgical music.
See sh pgs. 319-20. 16th Century Reformation: Anglican
Episcopal from which sprang the Methodist Church, [from which sprang the
Salvation Army], the Baptist Church [from which sprang the Pentecostal
Church, and the Congregational Church]. See sh pgs. 320-1, & 326-7. 1526 C.E. William Tyndale produces
3,000 copies of his English New Testament, in Worms, Germany, these are
sent to England and began to be distributed there. Some of these were the
Bibles that Bishop Tunstall bought and burned, unknowingly he finantially
aided Tynsdale to continue his work. In 1536 C.E. Tyndale was betrayed in
Antwerp, Belgium, and strangled at the stake, then his body was burned.
See sh pg. 325, also see w97 9/15 pgs. 25-9. 1529 C.E. Protestant movement is established by Luther's supporters, and the
following year the Protestant League of Schmalkald is entered into. |