In the Footsteps of St. Paul

Having an idea of the chronological order of events in St. Paul's ministry is a helpful tool for the study of the book of Acts and St. Paul's epistles, which tell us the length of time between one event and another. By studying the events in St. Paul's ministry, one will be able to identify some very valuable information especially knowing the years of the beginning or end of the reigns of political rulers that are mentioned in the text; such as, the death of King Aretas of Syria in 40 AD (after the death of Christ), the beginning of the reign of Claudius Caesar as Emperor of Rome in 41 AD, the death of Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD, or the succession of Felix's reign as Procurator in Judea by Porcius Festus in 60 AD.

In brief, here are the years and locations of St. Paul's journeys and his epistles:

At Damascus 37-40 AD
First Journey 45-47 AD
Second Journey 51-53 AD
Third Journey 54-58 AD
Imprisonment in Judea 58-60 AD
Voyage to Rome 60-61 AD
Imprisonment in Rome 61-63 AD
Post-Imprisonment Journeys 63-67 AD
First Thessalonians 52 AD
Second Thessalonians 52 AD
First Corinthians 57 AD
Second Corinthians 57 AD
Galatians 55-57 AD
Romans 57-58 AD
Ephesians 62 AD
Philippians 62 AD
Colossians 62 AD
Philemon 63 AD
Hebrews 64-65 AD
Titus 64-65 AD
First Timothy 64-65 AD
Second Timothy 66-67 AD

The chronology detailed:
In the spring of 32 AD: the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ occurred, then the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), after that the stoning of Stephen, in which St. Paul (Saul) participated before his conversion, took place (Acts 7:59).

In about 37 AD, Jesus Christ speaks to Saul (St. Paul) on the road to Damascus. St. Paul is led blind to Damascus (Acts 9:8). After the visit by Ananias St. Paul goes to Arabia and returns to Damascus, where he spends 3 years (Galatians 1:17-18 and Acts 9:22-23). In 37 AD, after the death of Emperor Tiberius Caesar, King Aretas takes control of Damascus. Being let down from the city wall in a basket, St. Paul departs from Damascus at night (Acts 9:25 and 2 Corinthians 11:32). This event could not have been after 40 AD, the year that King Aretas died.

St. Paul meets with Barnabus, Peter, and James in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26 and Galatians 1:18-19). He then goes to Caesarea and Tarsus (Acts 9:30) and St. Peter goes to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). Barnabus gets St. Paul and they stay in Antioch (Syria) for one year (Acts 11:26). This must have happened between 41 AD (beginning of Claudius Caesar's reign) and 44 AD (Acts 11:28). Then, for the first time at Antioch, disciples are called Christians (Acts 11:26). James, brother of John, is killed by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). Herod Agrippa I dies in 44 AD (Acts 12:23).

St. Paul's first journey begins when he, Barnabus, and St. Mark set out from Antioch (Acts 13:4). The journey started after 44 AD and ended a "long time" (Acts 14:28) before 50 AD. They leave Antioch for Seleucia and sail to Cyprus, where they go to Salamis and Paphos (the place St. Paul met Bar-Jesus, the sorcerer) (Acts 13:4-6). They then sail to Perga in Pamphylia- now southern Turkey, from where, St. Mark returns to Jerusalem. At Antioch in Pisidia (not to be confused with the one in Syria), St. Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). Then they move on to Iconium, where they abode a "long time" (Acts 14:3), Lystra, where St. Paul is stoned, but lives (Acts 14:19), and Derbe. They retrace their steps back through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (in Pisidia) (Acts 14:21). St. Paul and Barnabas go throughout Pisidia, Pamphylia, then to Perga, Attalia, and sail back to Antioch in Syria (Acts 14:24-26) The first journey of St. Paul ends in Antioch, Syria, where he and Barnabus stay there a long time (Acts 14:28).

The dates of the events from 50-60 AD are found by counting backwards from the succession of Felix's reign as Procurator in Judea by Porcius Festus in 60 AD.

In about 50 AD, St. Paul and Barnabus go to the council in Jerusalem, 14 years after St. Paul's conversion (Galatians 2:1-9 and Acts 15:2). In the winter of 50-51 AD, possibly, Judas, Silas, Barnabus and St. Paul return to Antioch (Syria), where they continue some days (Acts 15:35-36).

The second journey of St. Paul begins possibly in the spring of 51 AD. St. Paul takes Silas through Syria and Cilicia (now southeastern Turkey). They came to Derbe and Lystra, where they find Timothy, who goes with St. Paul and Silas throughout Phrygia and Galatia. They are forbidden by the Spirit to go into Asia or Bithynia. So, they pass through Mysia to Troas; the island of Samothracia, and then to Neapolis in Macedonia (now northern Greece). At Philippi, God opens the heart of Lydia and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:14-34). Through passing from Amphipolis and Appolonia, they come to Thessalonica, where St. Paul teaches for 3 weeks. After teaching some in Berea, St. Paul departs, ahead of Silas and Timothy, southward into Achaia (now southern Greece), to Athens, possibly by winter of 51-52 AD (Acts 17:14- 15). St. Paul then stays a year and a half in Corinth, which he visits for the first time (Acts 18:5). This probably happened from the spring of 52 AD to the fall of 53 AD. It is in Corinth where St. Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, who has just come from Rome- from which Claudius Caesar had banished all Jews. Silas and Timothy rejoin St. Paul. And where first Thessalonians is written, in about 52 AD (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2, 6). One knows that it was written from Corinth, and not from Athens, because Silas and Timothy had already rejoined St. Paul (1 Thessalonians 1:1 and Acts 18:5). Second Thessalonians as well is written from Corinth. It is figured out that it was soon after the first letter because, like the first one, Silas was with St. Paul when second Thessalonians was written. After leaving Corinth, there is no further mention of Silas traveling with St. Paul. St. Paul leaves by boat with Aquila and Priscilla to Cenchrea, then across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus, where Aquila and Priscilla stay and later meet Apollos (Acts 18:19 and 26). St. Paul sails on to Caesarea and then goes up to Antioch in Syria, where the second journey ends. St. Paul stays a while (Acts 18:23). Probably in winter 53-54 AD.

St. Paul's third journey begins, possibly in the spring of 54 AD, with Galatia (central region of Turkey) and then Phrygia (Acts 18:23). St. Paul arrives at Ephesus, where he stays for 3 years (Acts 20:31) - probably from the fall of 54 AD to the fall of 57 AD. He meets disciples of John the Baptist. St. Paul preaches in the synagogue for 3 months (Acts 19:8), disputes daily in the school of Tyrannus for 2 years (Acts 19:9-10), so that all that dwelt in Asia heard the word. St. Paul sends Timothy and Erastus ahead into Macedonia, but he stays in Asia for a season (Acts 19:22). St. Paul writes 1 Corinthians near the end of this stay in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8, 19), probably in 57 AD. It was not written with Timothy, whom St. Paul had sent ahead into Macedonia (Acts 19:22). St. Paul foresaw his route of travel for the next four or so years in Acts 19:21-22. This agrees with his plans in 1 Corinthians 16:1, 3, 5, 8-10. Note how the "great door" opened to St. Paul and "many adversaries" in verse 9 compares with the events in the Ephesian amphitheater in Acts 19:23-41. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 St. Paul says "Apollos watered". This refers to Apollos teaching in Corinth when St. Paul was at Ephesus, (Acts 19:1).

St. Paul rejoins Timothy when Second Corinthians is written (2 Corinthians 1:1). St. Paul comes to Troas and continues to Macedonia (2 Corinthians 2:12-13 and 7:5), corresponding to Acts 20:1. St. Paul also talks of a third visit to Corinth in 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 12:14. Thus, Second Corinthians was most likely written in the fall of 57 AD from somewhere in Macedonia (northern Greece), possibly in Philippi. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, St. Paul says 14 years ago I ascended into heaven: from 57 going back 14 years to 43 AD puts us back before St. Paul's first journey; probably when he was at Antioch in Syria. After that, St. Paul comes to Achaia (southern Greece), where he stays 3 months (Acts 20:2-3). He makes a third visit to Corinth and spends there the winter of 57-58 AD (1 Corinthians 16:5-8). Romans is written at this time (Romans 15:23-26 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-3). Going back to Macedonia (Acts 20:1), they were at Philippi (northeastern Greece) in the spring of 58 AD in the "days of unleavened bread" (Acts 20:6).

Then they sail to Troas, where a young man falls out of a window, and St. Paul raises him from the dead (Acts 20:7-12). St. Paul then goes to Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Trogylium, and Miletus (now southwestern Turkey), from where St. Paul addresses Ephesian elders whom he called to meet (Acts 20:17-38) in the spring of 58 AD (Acts 20:16). Sailing to Coos, Rhodes, Patara, and passing on the south side of Cyprus, they arrive to Tyre (which is now in Lebanon), where they stay for a week. They go south to Ptolemais and to Caesarea, where they stay many days (Acts 21:10). Then St. Paul goes to Jerusalem, where the third journey ends in 58 AD.

St. Paul is beaten by the Jews, he preaches to them (Acts 22:1-21), and is brought before the Sanhedrin. Jesus Christ tells him that he will go to bear him witness in Rome. Many Jews vow to kill St. Paul (Acts 23:12). In 58 AD, St. Paul is taken at Caesarea to Governor Felix (reigned 53-60 AD), "many years" (Acts 24:10) after 53 AD and 2 years before the end of Felix's reign. St. Paul spends 2 years in prison in Caesarea, in Judea. In 60 AD, Governor Portius Festus's reign begins. St. Paul appeals to Caesar (Acts 25:11). Some days pass before Herod Agrippa II hears St. Paul.

A Pause:
One may wonder, though, when was Galatians written. Galatians was written when St. Paul was not in prison and when neither Silas nor Timothy was with him (Galatians 1:1). It was written after the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-32 and Galatians 2:1-10) and after St. Paul's second visit to the region; on his second journey in about 51 AD (Acts 16:1-6). Since they were "so soon removed" from grace (Galatians 1:6), it must have been before the prison years of 58-63 AD. So probably it was written when St. Paul was alone in Athens; in the winter of 51-52 AD. It is unlikely to be St. Paul's first letter because he was in Athens only a short time (Acts 17:15). It is also unlikely to have been written from Antioch between St. Paul's second and third journeys; in the winter of 53-54 AD (Acts 18:22-23) because St. Paul would have probably mentioned that he would be coming to them soon on his third journey. It could have been written, however, in the winter of 57-58, from Corinth, where St. Paul wrote Romans. But most likely is that it was written from Ephesus during St. Paul's three years stay there; from 54-57 AD. St. Paul had recently passed through the region of Galatia "... strengthening all the disciples ..." (Acts 18:23) and spent far more time in Ephesus, where he could have gotten the unfavorable report about the churches in Galatia (Galatians 1:6), which was relatively nearby at that time.

The voyage to Rome:
St. Paul, still a prisoner, sails to Sidon with Luke and Aristarchus (Acts 27:1-2) on the way to Italy. They sail to Myra (now southern Turkey) and on to Lasea: a large island of Crete, 50 miles southeast of Greece, where they spend a long time (Acts 27:7-13). In the fall of 60 AD, they reach Melita: a small island south of Sicily. St. Paul is bitten by a poisonous snake but survives. St. Paul heals the father of Publius and others. Still captive, St. Paul spends the winter of 60-61 AD (Acts 28:11) on the island with his captors. In the spring, they sail on to Syracuse (on the island of Sicily), then to Rhegium (on the southern tip of Italy), and finally to Puteoli (on the western coast of Italy). The voyage to Rome ends: St. Paul spends 2 years in his own hired house (Acts 28:30) as a prisoner in Rome from 61-63 AD. During this time he writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. In about 62 AD, while in prison in Rome (Ephesians 3:1, 4:1, and 6:20), St. Paul writes Ephesians before Timothy comes to him (Ephesians 1:1). In about 62 AD, St. Paul also writes Philippians, from prison (Philippians 1:7) in Rome (4:23) with Timothy (1:1). St. Paul writes Colossians from prison (Colossians 4:18) in Rome in about 62 AD with Timothy (1:1) and fellow prisoner, Aristarchus (4:10). St. Paul, with Timothy, writes Philemon from prison in 63 AD (Philemon 1:1).

After the imprisonment in Rome:
It is known that St. Paul had further journeys after he was released from the prison in Rome in 63 AD. After his release, he writes the epistles of Hebrews, Titus, First Timothy, and Second Timothy- apparently Second Timothy was his last. This takes place after the events recorded in the book of Acts, so all of the information comes from St. Paul's various statements in his letters. There are clues that St. Paul may have traveled to some or all of the following places: Colosse, Spain, Corinth, Miletus, Troas, Crete, Nicopolis, Philippi, Italy, Judea, Ephesus, and Macedonia.

This opens up for the possibilities that St. Paul traveled to more about as many diverse places as in all of his previous journeys combined. The sequence of St. Paul's travels is unknown and several ways can be reconstructed without disagreeing with the scripture.

The references below are not chronological but they all occurred after St. Paul's release from prison in 63 AD:

In Philemon 22, St. Paul foresees his release and tells those in Colosse to prepare him lodging. Philemon is known to be written to the Colossians because of, first, Archippus (Colossians 4:17 and Philemon 2), Onesimus (Colossians 4:9 and Philemon 9-10), and others (Colossians 4:10-14 and Philemon 23-25); and second, that while in prison in Rome St. Paul wrote to those in Philippi that he may be coming to visit them (Philippians 1:26). In Romans 1:10, 15:24 and 28, and 16:1, 3, and 5 St. Paul speaks of aspirations of eventually going to Spain. Though the Bible does not say whether he did or not do this in his final years, the account of the century author, St. Clement of Rome, exists regarding St. Paul: "After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects" (The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, Chapter 5). Spain might be the "extreme limit of the west", yet it is not for sure.

At some time after being released from the prison in Rome, St. Paul goes to Corinth, Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20), to Troas (2 Timothy 4:13), Crete (Titus 1:5), and Nicopolis for the winter (Titus 3:12). St. Paul must have left Titus in Crete during a period of liberty after St. Paul's imprisonment in Rome ended in 63 AD. St. Paul did not go there during the first 3 journeys since there is no mention of Titus or of any preaching on Crete in Acts 27:7-13, on the voyage to Rome. St. Paul says he will send Artemas or Tychicus to Titus. He tells Titus to come to Nicopolis, where he has determined to winter (Titus 3:12). The letter to Titus was probably written around 64-65 AD. It is important to note that there are three cities called Nicopolis: (1) in Achaia (southern Greece), most likely the one to which St. Paul was referring, (2) 15 miles west of Jerusalem, and (3) in the area that is now Romania. The book of Hebrews was apparently written from Italy (Hebrews 13:24). Timothy had been released from prison (Hebrews 13:23) and St. Paul was apparently free as well because they planned to go visit the Hebrews. This could have been in Judea, as St. Paul says, "... for you had compassion of me in my bonds ..." (Hebrews 10:34). This must have been in reference to St. Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea from 58-60 AD. So Hebrews was probably written around 64-65 AD.

When St. Paul goes to Macedonia, he tells Timothy to stay and teach in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). During the third journey, St. Paul stays in Ephesus himself sending Timothy with Erastus to Macedonia (Acts 19:22). So First Timothy was written around 64-65 AD; during a period after St. Paul's Roman imprisonment of 61-63 AD, when he was released. St. Paul says he is hoping to come to Timothy in Ephesus shortly, but may have to tarry long (1 Timothy 3:14-15). Timothy is in Ephesus, where he receives both First Timothy and Second Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, 4:14, 4:19, Acts 19:33, and 1 Timothy 1:20). Second Timothy probably is written from prison (2 Timothy 1:8), around 66 AD, when St. Paul is ready to die (2 Timothy 4:6-8). He asks Timothy to come to him before winter (2 Timothy 4:9 and 21). St. Paul is probably martyred sometime around 67 AD.