The Biblical Chronology of James Ussher

     The following is a summary of important dates found in Ussher, James. Annals of the World (1658). Revised and updated by Larry and Marion Pierce. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books, 2003.

     4004 BC: Sunday, October 23, in the middle of which God created light (Gen. 1:1-5; cf. Job 38:7 [angels singing]) (P1, 2). The first day of creation started at 6 pm the evening before. “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Gen. 1:5b, English Standard Version).

     Monday, October 24: second day (Gen. 1:6-8) (P3).

     Tuesday, October 25: third day (Gen. 1:9-13) (P4).

     Wednesday, October 26: fourth day (Gen. 1:14-19) (P5).

     Thursday, October 27: fifth day (Gen. 1:20-23) (P6).

     Friday, October 28: sixth day. On this day, God creates man, male and female, in his image (Gen. 1:24-31) (P7).

     Saturday, October 29: seventh day. God rests on this first Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3; cf. Ex. 31:13, 17; Heb. 4:4, 9, 10) (P8).

Daily Bible Readings

The importance of reading the Bible daily

Jesus tells us that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). One crucial way of doing this is by reading the Bible. The Bible is our normative witness to Jesus Christ. The words of the Bible are still the ones through which Jesus most prefers to speak to us. It remains our best antidote to the Olympian worldview of the Global Technological System.

There are many ways of developing the daily habit of reading the Bible
To begin with, set aside a regular time each day to read the Bible. First thing in the morning is best. Then:

Reading the Bible in 90 Days: Third Month

Day 1. Isaiah 1-11, Psalms 101-102

2. Isaiah 12-23, Psalm 103

3. Isaiah 24-33, Psalms 104-105, Proverbs 21

4. Isaiah 34-45, Psalm 106

5. Isaiah 46-56, Psalms 107-108

6. Isaiah 57-66, Psalm 109, Proverbs 22-23

Reading the Bible in 90 Days: Second Month

Day 1. 1 Samuel 16-26, Psalms 51-52

2. 1 Samuel 27-31, 2 Samuel 1-7, Psalm 53

3. 2 Samuel 8-17. Psalms 54-55, Proverbs 11

4. 2 Samuel 18-24, 1 Kings 1-5, Psalm 56

5. 1 Kings 6-17, Psalms 57-58

6. 1 Kings 18-22, 2 Kings 1-6, Psalm 59, Proverbs 12

7. 2 Kings 7-17, Psalms 60-61

8. 2 Kings 18-25, Mark 1-5, Psalm 62

Reading the Bible in 90 Days: First Month

Day 1. Genesis 1-11, Psalms 1-2

2. Genesis 12-23, Psalm 3

3. Genesis 24-33, Psalms 4-5, Proverbs 1

4. Genesis 34-45, Psalm 6

5. Genesis 46-50, Exodus 1-6, Psalms 7-8

6. Exodus 7-17, Psalm 9, Proverbs 2

7. Exodus 18-28, Psalms 10-11

8. Exodus 29-40, Psalm 12

Jewish Context AD 1

When Jesus was born, Jews in and around Jerusalem had divided themselves into three major groups.

Sadducees

The Sadducees were the Jewish high-priestly families controlling the Temple in Jerusalem. They accepted only the Law of Moses, the first five books of our Old Testament, as normative. For them, to be a Jew, to be a meaningful participant in Yahweh’s Chosen People, was to offer right sacrifices to Yahweh in the temple dedicated to Yahweh in Jerusalem.

The Geographic Expansion of Christianity (AD 33-100)

In AD 33, the geographic extent of Christianity was limited to one large room in Jerusalem.

By AD 100, Christianity had spread north and south from Jerusalem to other cities located mostly in eastern Olympia. Some were near the eastern Mediterranean coast. Other cities lay southwest in Egypt and northwest in Anatolia, Hellas, and finally Italia. In spreading, Christianity jumped from one city to another along coastal trade routes rather than moving from one city to the towns and villages surrounding it.