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K Chronology of Paul's Life

May all the cell groups work together, each cell group searches for a part about Paul, which information should be able to help you understand Paul and the book of Colossians. I have provided you with some information too. But if you try on your own to search for them, you could learn how to do this type of research, which is very profitable. Some information can be found in the Bible handbooks, Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias; for other information, you need to go to the Christian, Bible, History (antiquity), Archaeology departments of some libraries.

Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, in about AD 5. Tarsus had a population of about half a million at the time. There were many ethnic groups in Tarsus. The goat skin of Cilicia, and the tents of Tarsus, were both renowned. Though the rabbis in the land of Judea had insinuated that weaving and tanning were not good occupations for Jews, but Paul had acquired the skill of tent making since Tarsus was an independent city.

Paul was a Jew, and yet born a Roman citizen; that would be because his father was a citizen as well. Some Jews spent great amount of money for acquiring the Roman citizenship. The citizenship was the privilege of very few, only the citizens were protected by the federal laws.

Paul's family belonged to the Benjamin tribe, and they were probably quite Jewish in customs. Paul grew up in Tarsus; but when he was a teenager, probably when thirteen, he went to Jerusalem to sit under the feet of rabbi Gamaliel - grandson of the well known Hillel.

Chronology of Paul's Life Accuracy: ± 1 year;

Pauline epistles;

single ? denotes an uncertain dating;
double ?? denotes an uncertain event

Time Place Event

AD~5 City of Tarsus Born

AD30 Spring City of Jerusalem The crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ

AD30 Summer City of Jerusalem The church start during Pentecost

AD37 Winter on the way to Damascus Paul converted

AD37 Winter to AD40 Summer City of Damascus;
Arabia;
City of Damascus
Many days after conversion;
Long period in Arabia;
Back to Damascus, then escaped from the Jew's plots of killing him

AD40 Summer City of Jerusalem Immediately went to Jerusalem,
Stayed there for 15 days;
But some plotted to kill him, the believers sent him to Tarsus

AD40 Fall to AD43 City of Tarsus

AD43 City of Antioch, Syria Barnabas brought him to Antioch

AD44 City of Antioch, Syria Angabas came Antioch to prophecy about a famine under the heaven

AD44 City of Jerusalem Barnabas and Paul brought relief for the famine to Jerusalem

AD44-48 Famine in one of these years


1^st Journey

AD47 Fall to AD49 Fall Province of Galatia In 4 towns of Galatia, 4-6 months in each town

AD49-50 Winter City of Antioch, Syria

AD50 Spring City of Jerusalem The Jerusalem Council

AD50 Spring City of Antioch, Syria

Wrote the epistle to the Galatians


2^nd Journey

AD50 Summer to AD51 Spring 1 month in Galatia;
3 weeks in the city of Philipi;
3 months in the city of Thessalonica;
3 months in the city of Berea

AD51 Spring to AD52 Fall City of Corinth 1.5 years in Corinth;

Wrote the 1^st epistle to the Thessalonians;

6 months later, the 2^nd epistle to the Thessalonians

AD52 Winter City of Antioch, Syria


3^rd Journey

AD53 Spring to AD56 Summer City of Ephesus 2 months in Galatia;
* 3.5 years in Ephesus;

During the last year in Ephesus, he wrote the 1^st epistle to the Corinthians

AD56 Fall Troas

AD56-57 Winter In the area of Greece

Wrote the 2^nd epistle to the Corinthians in Macedonia, Greece

AD57 Spring City of Corinth

Wrote the epistle to the Romans;

After leaving Corinth, passed by Troas and Miletus

AD57 Summer City of Jerusalem Arrived in Jerusalem before Pentecost




AD57 Summer to AD59 Summer City of Caesarea Kept in custody

AD60 Spring to AD62 Spring City of Rome Confined to his own rented space

* wrote the epistle to the Colossians?

* the epistle to Philemon

* the epistle to the Ephesians (or called 2^nd Colossians)?

Wrote the epistle to the Philippians;

and the book of Hebrews??

AD62 Spring to AD64 ?? Should be released then

Wrote the 1^st letter to Timothy;

2^nd letter to Timothy;

and the letter to Titus

AD64 City of Rome Executed by Nero, together with the believers in Rome??

*
Some favor the theory that some of the prison epistles were written in Ephesus. Paul said, "If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it?" (1Cor 15:32) Had Paul been imprisoned in Ephesus? And he also said, "...of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself." (2Cor 1:8) After Paul left Ephesus, before he was arrested in Jerusalem, he said, "...I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death." (2Cor 11:23)

Another supporting point for the Ephesus theory is concerning the person Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave owned by Philemon the believer, they both lived in Colossae. Paul wrote to Philemon, saying, "I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment." (Phile 10) (Most scholars favor the theory that all prison epistles were written in Rome.) Colossae was about 100 miles from Ephesus; but 1000 miles from Rome, and two oceans were between. For an escaped slave to travel such a distance, was not quite likely.

Also, When Paul was going to Jerusalem for the last time (AD57), he wanted to meet the elders of Ephesus. But why did he skip going to Ephesus, but met the elders in Miletus? (Acts 20:16-17) (Charles Ludwig) Of course, we can have different answers to this: maybe he did not want to spend too much time in Ephesus; or maybe he did not want to stir up something in Ephesus. Was he not welcome in the city of Ephesus? Was he ever banished by Ephesus?

In Rome, Paul was not imprisoned, he was merely confined to his own rented space. There might not even be chains. There should not be any fellow-chained, or fellow-prisoners. (Eph 6:20) (Col 4:3,10,18) (Phile 10,23)

If Paul was ever imprisoned in Ephesus, then the books of Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were very likely to be written during those 3.5 years in Ephesus.

At this point, some may ask, "why wrote a letter to Ephesus from Ephesus?" The name of this book as "the epistle to the Ephesians", had not appear until the fourth century. Eph 1:1, "...To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus...," older manuscripts read, "...To the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus...," where the "in Ephesus" was a blank space. The smart heretic Marcion said that it was the letter written to the Laodiceans, which was mentioned in Col 4:16. (Also see Eph 6:21.) This epistle should have been written to the small towns in Asia, like Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. I would call it either Laodiceans or 2^nd Colossians.

The most popular point to support the Rome theory is about the person Aristarchus (Col 4:10). In Acts 27:2, Aristarchus, Luke, etc, were accompanying Paul on his trip to Rome (AD59). Some thus said that Aristarchus became a fellow prisoner with Paul in Rome, so Paul wrote the book of Colossians in Rome. But in Acts 27:2, they were still in Caesarea. And Aristarchus had a great chance of being a fellow prisoner in Ephesus (Acts 19:29).

Another popular point to support the Rome theory was that those 2 years in Rome was a good opportunity to write. But I don't think we can thus ignore the 3.5 years in Ephesus, the 2 years in Caesarea, and the 2^nd imprisonment in Rome.

I consider the crux for the Rome theory is concerning the person Epaphras/Epaphroditus. If the Epaphras from Colossae was the same Epaphroditus in Philipi, probably he traveled from Colossae, and passed by Philipi. Then Epaphras received the material support from Philipi, and took the material to Paul in Rome. If this was the case, then those three books to Asia could well be written in Rome.

Paul's afflictions as an apostle

Please read 2Cor 11:23-33.

For a laugh: The following content is not profitable for Bible study, but it might be good for a laugh.

There was a book in the late 2^nd century, called The Acts of Paul and Thecla, it described Paul as "small of stature, with a bald head, bow-legged, vigorous, having beetling eyebrows, and with a slightly hooked nose."

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