The Apostle Paul’s timeline

Posted on by Dave

For many years I have been fascinated with the Apostle Paul and his life. I love the way he was converted on the road to Damascus and then went from a persecutor of the church to a church leader.

While doing some research on Paul I came across this timeline of his life on GotQuestions.org. I found it really helpful in understanding Paul and his works.

Here is a chronological list of major events in Paul’s life (the dates are approximate):

  • Conversion on the road to Damascus, AD 34
  • Three years in Arabia, AD 34—37
  • First missionary trip, AD 46—48
  • Jerusalem Council, AD 49 or 50
  • Second missionary trip, AD 49—52
  • The epistle to the Galatians, AD 50
  • The epistles of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, AD 51 and 52
  • Third missionary trip, AD 53—57
  • The epistles of 1 and 2 Corinthians, AD 55 and 56
  • The epistle to the Romans, AD 57
  • Arrest in Jerusalem, AD 57
  • Imprisoned in Caesarea, AD 57—60
  • Appeal to Caesar and trip to Rome, AD 60—61
  • The epistle to the Ephesians, AD 61 or 62
  • The epistle to the Colossians, AD 61 or 62
  • The epistle to Philemon, AD 61 or 62
  • The epistle to the Philippians, AD 62 or 63
  • Release from the first Roman imprisonment, AD 63
  • Trip to Spain (?), AD 63 or 64 (see Romans 15:24, 28)
  • The epistle of 1 Timothy, AD 64
  • The epistle to Titus, AD 64
  • The epistle to the Hebrews (?), AD 65 or 66
  • Second Roman imprisonment, AD 66—67
  • The epistle of 2 Timothy, AD 67
  • Martyrdom, AD 67

I find his missionary trips and writings very interesting. I also find that from his conversion to his death was 33 years. The same amount of time Jesus lived on earth.

If you are interested there is an article that explains the timeline in a deeper way on GotQuestions.org.