10. The Times of Paul |
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Further information is found in Galatians 2:1-10 where Paul describes his visit to Jerusalem in A.D. 46 (see below). He describes it as "fourteen years later", but doesn't make it clear what is the beginning of this fourteen years. From the context, the fourteen years may be dated from Paul's conversion or from his first visit to Jerusalem three years after his conversion. Given the Jewish method of including part of year in such time periods, he is referring to an event in A.D. 33. However, Paul's first visit to Jerusalem took place after his escape from Damascus (Gal 1:18), and therefore after A.D. 33 (see above). Thus, the fourteen years must be dated from Paul's conversion. This gives A.D. 33 as the date of the conversion and A.D. 36 as the date of the first visit to Jerusalem.
The next we hear of Paul is when he and Barnabas went to Antioch and taught for "a whole year". After this they travelled to Jerusalem to help the famine victims (Acts 11:25-30). Now the famine occurred in Judea in A.D. 45 and 46 during the reign of Claudius as prophesied (Acts 11:28). It is assumed that the Antioch trip was shortly before this in about 44 and they travelled to Jerusalem in 46.
Luke tells us that "about this time" Herod persecuted the church and then died (Acts 12:1-23). It is known that Herod died in A.D. 44, so the above dates seem to be at least approximately correct.
The next date we can establish is during the second journey, where Paul met Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. They had been expelled from Rome along with all the other Jews by Claudius (Acts 18:2). One ancient historian, Orosius, dates this edict to the ninth year of Claudius or A.D. 49. Hence, it is probable that Paul arrived in Corinth in about A.D. 50.
They stayed in Corinth for "a year and a half" (Acts 18:11). Towards the end of their stay, Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18:12). An inscription found at Delphi indicates that Gallio was proconsul of Achaia in A.D. 51-52. So the second journey probably finished in late 51 or early 52. The events between the start of the first journey and the end of the second journey are fitted in accordingly.
Two years after the third journey, Festus was made proconsul (Acts 24:27). There is some uncertainty about when this occurred although most commentators place it in about A.D. 60. Thus, the third journey finished in about A.D. 58.
Paul was then arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27 - 23:22), and taken to Caesarea (Acts 23:23 - 26:32). After Festus became proconsul, Paul was taken to Rome, arriving there in the spring of A.D. 61 and staying in the city for two years (Acts 27; 28).
It seems Paul was released in early A.D. 63 and went on further journeys. He probably went to Spain (Rom 15:24,28) as many early writers record. It appears he also went to Crete (Tit 1:5), Miletus (2Tim 4:20), Colosse (Phm 22), Ephesus (1Tim 1:3; 2Tim 1:4), Troas (2Tim 4:13), Philippi (Php 2:23-24; 1Tim 1:3), Corinth (2Tim 4:20), Nicopolis (Tit 3:12) and back to Rome where he was imprisoned (2Tim 1:16,17; 2:9; 4:16). All this must have taken several years.
According to early church historians (Eusebius and Jerome), Paul was beheaded in A.D. 67 or 68 by the cruel and crazy emperor Nero (cf. 2Tim 4:6-8). Peter is said to have been crucified about the same time. In June 68, Nero suicided, ending one of the most difficult times Christians have ever endured.