Canonical Timeline

Primeval History

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Creation	Creation	God creates the heavens, earth, humanity, and Sabbath rest.
Fall	Fall of Man	Sin and death enter the human story.
Flood	The Flood	Judgment and preservation through Noah.
Babel	Tower of Babel	Human pride scattered into nations and languages.

Patriarchs

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Abraham	Call of Abraham, Abrahamic Covenant	God calls Abraham and promises land, seed, and blessing.
Isaac	Birth of Isaac	The promised son continues the covenant line.
Jacob	Jacob’s Ladder, Jacob Wrestles with God	Jacob becomes Israel and fathers the tribes.
Joseph	Joseph Sold into Slavery, Joseph in Egypt	God preserves the family through famine in Egypt.

Exodus and Wilderness

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Deliverance	Passover, Red Sea Crossing	Israel is redeemed from Egypt.
Sinai	Ten Commandments Given, Tabernacle Constructed	Covenant law and sanctuary pattern are given.
Wilderness	Spy Mission and Rebellion, Death of Moses	The first generation falls in the wilderness; Moses dies outside the land.

Land, Kingdom, and Exile

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Conquest	Fall of Jericho	Joshua leads Israel into Canaan.
Judges	Judges	Cycles of apostasy, oppression, deliverance, and relapse.
United monarchy	Davidic Covenant, Temple Construction, Temple Dedication	David receives the kingdom promise; Solomon builds the temple.
Divided kingdom	1 Kings, 2 Kings	Israel and Judah divide and decline.
Assyrian crisis	Fall of Samaria	The northern kingdom falls to Assyria.
Babylonian exile	Fall of Jerusalem	Jerusalem and the temple fall to Babylon.

Return and Second Temple

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Return	First Return, Altar Rebuilt	Exiles return under Persian rule.
Rebuilding	Temple Completed, Ezra, Nehemiah	Temple, Torah, walls, and community life are restored.
Preservation	Esther	Jewish survival in Persia is remembered through Purim.

Christ and the Church

Era	Anchor Notes	Summary
Incarnation	Birth of Jesus	The promised Messiah enters Israel’s story.
Public ministry	Baptism of Jesus, Temptation of Jesus	Jesus is revealed, tested, and begins kingdom ministry.
Passion and resurrection	Crucifixion, Resurrection	Christ dies for sins and rises from the dead.
Church mission	Pentecost and the Birth of the Church, Conversion of Saul, Jerusalem Council, Paul in Rome	The gospel moves from Jerusalem toward the nations.
Consummation	New Jerusalem	The canon ends with judgment, victory, and new creation.

Notes

The canonical story moves from creation to covenant, from kingdom to exile, from Christ to church, and from resurrection to new creation.