It must be recognised that what is described here is tentative as neither Luke nor Paul were interested in specific dates, and while BC and AD would clearly have been relevant in their day such terms had not been ‘invented’ (i.e. they lived in AD and after BC but did not think of it like that). We have therefore to build up our chronology from such time notices as are provided, while recognising that many of the numbers given were round numbers and not exact. Thus ‘three years’ could be anywhere from one and three quarter years to three and a half years.

The Beginnings (c.34-48 AD).

Paul was converted in Damascus around 34/35 AD and proclaimed the Good News there for roughly two or so years (Acts 9.8-25; Galatians 1.16-17), apart from a short visit to Arabia. However, when things began to hot up he escaped from Damascus by means of a window in the wall, and made his first trip to Jerusalem in c. 37/38 AD (Acts 9.26-29; Galatians 1.18-20). From there, having reasoned in the synagogues, and being again in danger of his life, he returned to his home in Tarsus.

He appears to have ministered in the area around Tarsus (Cilicia) for a number of years until in around 41/43 AD Barnabas called him to the huge city of Syrian Antioch to aid him in building up the new church there (Acts 11.25-26). There Barnabas and he laboured together for a number of years.

His second visit to Jerusalem to take famine relief to them was made from Syrian Antioch and occurred in around 47/48 AD. This visit is described in Acts 11.30; Galatians 2.1-10. After that he returned to Syrian Antioch, which was now his home base.

The First Missionary Trip (c.48-49 AD: Covering Cyprus and the Roman Province of Galatia).

It was from Syrian Antioch that Paul was sent by the Spirit to accompany Barnabas on his first missionary trip, a trip which covered roughly 48-49 AD. On this trip they witnessed first in the island of Cyprus (Acts 13.4-12), where the sorcerer Bar-jesus was blinded and the proconsul ‘believed’, and then in Asia Minor (Turkey), mainly but not wholly in the Roman province of Galatia. There they ministered with great success, first in Pisidian Antioch, where he was so popular among the Gentiles that the antagonistic Jews had him thrown out (Acts 13.14-52), then in Iconium, where again there was great success, and from which they had to flee to escape stoning by the Jews (Acts 14.1-6). Arriving in Lystra they performed a miracle and were hailed as gods, but this soon turned to persecution when hostile Jews arrived from Iconium. Meanwhile, however the witness prospered and many believed. It was in Lystra that Paul was stoned and to the astonishment of everyone stood up and walked back into the city (Acts 14.7-19). But they knew then that it was time to move on and they went to the smaller city of Derbe where many believed and there was no trouble (Acts 14.20). All these cities were in the Roman province of Galatia. Having ministered in Derbe they then bravely turned on their tracks and visited each town again in order, and finally after witnessing in Perga in Pamphylia, returned to Syrian Antioch (Acts 14.21-27).

Ministry in Syrian Antioch and Correspondence with Galatia (c.49 AD)

It was while they were ministering together in Syrian Antioch after the first missionary journey that Judaising Christians arrived from Judaea seeking to have all the new Gentile Christians circumcised and brought within Jewish legal requirements (Acts 15.1-2). The attentions of these Judaisers also reached out to the Galatian churches, and this appears to have confused those churches and turned many of their members against Paul’s teaching. This resulted in his letter to the GALATIANS, in which he stressed that they had been saved by the work of the Spirit, not by works of law, and that Jesus had bought them from under the curse of the Law by His being made a curse for them. It also resulted in Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem, with a party from Syrian Antioch, in order to consult with the Apostles and the elders of the church in Jerusalem on the issues involved. This occurred in around 49/50 AD. From this consultation came the agreement that while Jewish Christians were expected to do so, Gentile Christians would not be expected to be circumcised or to observe Jewish legal traditions.

The Second Missionary Trip (c.50-52 AD: This Covered The Roman Province of Galatia and then Europe, including Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth).

Paul’s second missionary trip, along with Silas, began in around 50 AD and after ministering again to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia (not ethnic Galatia), where he called on Timothy to join his group of companions (Acts 16.1-3), and presented them with the decree of the Jerusalem church concerning the matters that had been bothering them, (a final seal on his own letter), he was forbidden by God to preach further in Asia Minor (Acts 16.6-8) and was called instead to minister in Europe. One in Europe he preached successfully in Philippi (Acts 16.9-40), establishing a church there including Lydia and the Philippian jailer and their households, until finally he was politely but firmly asked to leave in order to preserve the peace. Moving on to Thessalonica he had further success, especially among the Gentiles (Acts 17.1-10), but the result was that he barely escaped with his life when the street and dockland gangs, at the instigation of the Jews, roused up the populace against him, with the result that he, Silas and Timothy had to flee to Berea (Acts 17.10-14), leaving behind them a flourishing church.

But Berea proved even more successful evangelistically than Thessalonica, with many Jews and Gentiles believing. Eventually, however, news of what was happening filtered through to Thessalonica and soon the gangs had arrived from there to stir up the Berean populace. Thus Paul again had to make his escape. But as it appeared that they were only after him, he was able to leave Silas and Timothy behind to continue the successful ministry. He himself meanwhile went to the small but prestigious city of Athens.

Later at his request Silas and Timothy joined him in Athens (Acts 17), but when he recognised that a small city like Athens only offered limited opportunity, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to oversee the work there and Silas to see to the remainder of ‘Macedonia’, which would presumably involve both Berea and Philippi. After relatively minor success in Athens, the smallness of which should not surprise us, for compared with the other cities Athens at that time was very small indeed (a mere 10,000), he moved on to Corinth (population 200,000), and there Silas and Timothy joined him. This would be in around 51 AD. This visit proved extremely successful, and it was from there that, on hearing Timothy’s news about the progress of the Thessalonian church, he wrote I & II THESSALONIANS, expressing his admiration for their steadfastness in the face of persecution and assuring them about those who died in the Lord. It was probably some time around this, or a little earlier, that GALATIANS was also written. He remained ministering successfully in Corinth for around eighteen months (Acts 18.1-18) until in around 52 AD he returned via Caesarea and Jerusalem (fourth visit) to Syrian Antioch, after the briefest of visits to Ephesus (Acts 18.19-21).

The Third Missionary Trip (53-57 AD).

Having again ministered in Syrian Antioch for some time (Acts 18.23), in around 53 AD he paid return visits to the churches in the Roman Province of Galatia (Acts 18.23). From there he moved on to Ephesus where he spent nearly three years in a hugely successful ministry that resulted in the founding of churches throughout Asia Minor (Acts 19.1-20.1). These would include the remaining six of the seven churches of Asia (of Revelation), together with Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea.

It was while in Ephesus that he was visited by leaders from the Corinthian church, and it was from Ephesus that he wrote 1 CORINTHIANS, advising the church on various matters, seeking to regulate their meetings and the use of the gifts of the Spirit, and rebuking them for their party spirit and for allowing loose living among them. At some stage after that he then paid them a short visit but was received with such hostility that he hastily left again. The result was that he wrote a very strong letter, of which we do not have a copy, sending Titus with it in order to try to set things right.

Leaving Ephesus in around 56 AD he went to Troas, but although an opportunity was opening there he left it in the hands of others (2 Corinthians 2.12-13) and went by sea to Macedonia to visit the churches there, and to await news from Titus about how the Corinthians had responded to his strong letter. On receiving heartening news, he wrote 2 CORINTHIANS, and followed it up with a three month visit to Corinth (Acts 20.2-3), which possibly also included Athens (he speaks of visiting ‘Greece’ not just Corinth). It was during this visit to Corinth that he wrote ROMANS to the Roman church in anticipation of his coming visit. This letter was in order to introduce himself and was written with the positive hope of benefiting that church and enabling them to grow stronger in the faith. In it he explained in some detail the whole doctrine of how to be right with God. He knew something of the problems that they had been facing as a result of the expulsion of Jews by the emperor Claudius, and was confident that his teaching would be of some benefit to them. He had also possibly learned from Priscilla and Aquila of their weak doctrinal understanding and antipathy to the Jews. Thus he dealt with both of these subjects in the letter.

His Fifth Visit To Jerusalem

Then in around 57 AD he began a journey from Corinth on his fifth visit to Jerusalem, with the purpose of taking there the Collection monies gathered by the Gentile churches for the assistance of their poorer brethren in Judaea. But in order to avoid the murderous intent of some Jews, who had planned to murder him on the pilgrim ship from Corinth to Syria, he had to divert through Macedonia, and taking with him his compatriots who were accompanying him with the Collection (1 Corinthians 16.1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9) he travelled through Macedonia to Philippi from where he sailed for Troas. From there he gradually made his way by ship to Caesarea from where he went to Jerusalem. This journey is detailed in Acts 20.3-21.17. He arrived in Jerusalem just before Pentecost in around 57 AD.

His Arrest and Journey To Rome (c.57-60 AD).

His visit to Jerusalem resulted in his being arrested, and eventually over a period of two to three years in his being taken to Rome, spending two years in Caesarea where he had considerable freedom (Acts 24.22-27) which he no doubt made full use of. Some, although not the majority, consider that a few of his later letters may have been written from here. As people had ready access to him these would not be barren years (57-59 AD). Arriving in Rome in around 60 AD he spent two years under arrest but was able freely to proclaim the Kingly Rule of God in Rome (Acts 28.30-31). This brings us up to 62 AD. During this period he probably wrote EPHESIANS in 60 AD, COLOSSIANS and PHILEMON in 61 AD and PHILIPPIANS in 62 AD.

As the Jews in Jerusalem made clear that as far as they were aware no charges had come through as levied against Paul (Acts 28.21) it would appear probable that he was then at some stage probably released on the grounds of no case against him. But this is merely a surmise..

Subsequent Ministry (c.60-68 AD).

Having come to the end of Acts we have no further detailed information concerning Paul’s movements. What follows is therefore tentative (as gleaned from later writings), and some would argue that it did not happen.

It is possible that he visited Ephesus and Colossae in late 62 AD following it with a visit to Macedonia from where he wrote 1 TIMOTHY (1 Timothy 1.3), before returning to Asia Minor in 63/64 AD. Subsequently he may have gone to Spain until 66 AD from where he sailed to Crete (Titus 1.5) and then returned to Asia Minor (2 Timothy 4.13-14), leaving Titus in Crete. From Asia Minor he wrote TITUS (Titus 1.5). Possibly he then went to Nicopolis, north west of Corinth (Titus 3.12). It may well have been while visiting Greece and Macedonia that he was again arrested and taken to Rome in 67 AD. It was from prison in Rome that he then wrote 2 TIMOTHY. Tradition says that he was martyred in Rome in around 68 AD.

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