A.D. 1
Christ is born at Bethlehem, Lk. 2.
He is circumcised, Lk. 2.
The wise men come and adore him. Mt. 2.
He is presented in the temple, Lk. 2. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin mother fly with the Child Jesus into Egypt, Mt. 2.
The massacre of the infants by Herod, Mt. 2. Joseph with the Blessed Virgin and her Son, return from Egypt, but for fear of Archelaus, go and live at Nazareth in Galilee, Mt. 2.
A.D. 12
Jesus is found in the Temple disputing with the doctors when he was twelve years of age, Lk. 2.
A.D. 30
St. John Baptist begins preaching penance, and to baptize. The chiefs of the Jews send messengers to ask if he was not the Messias, Jn. 1.
Jesus himself is baptized by John. A voice from heaven declares him the beloved Son of God; the Holy Ghost comes down like a dove. Mt. 3; Mk. 1; Lk. 3.
Christ is no sooner baptized, but he retires into a wilderness, where he fasts for forty days. The devil there tempts him. The angels come and minister to him, Mt. 4; Mk. 1; Lk. 4.
Christ's first miracle at Cana in Galilee. He turns water into wine, Jn. 2.
A.D. 31
St. John Baptist is cast into prison, and beheaded by Herod, Mt. 14; Mk. 6; Lk. 9.
Christ makes choice of twelve of his disciples, whom he calls Apostles. Peter is the first of them. Mt. 10; Mk. 3; Lk. 6.
Christ's Sermon, or his instructions on the mountain. Mt. 5, 6, and 7. He preaches in Judea and Galilee, casts out devils, cures all manner of diseases and sometimes on the Sabbath days, confutes and puts to confusion his adversaries, who blame him for it. Mt. 12; Lk. 14, etc.
He raises to life the daughter of Jairus, Mt. 9; Mk. 5; Lk. 8.
Also the son of the widow of Naim, Lk. 7.
He calms the sea by his word. Mt. 8; Mk. 4; Lk. 8.
He heals the man thirty-eight years ill of a palsy, Jn. 5.
He sends his twelve Apostles to preach, with power of doing miracles, Mt. 10; Mk. 6; Lk. 9.
He teacheth them to pray, Mt. 6; Lk. 11.
He makes choice of seventy-two disciples, Lk. 10.
A.D. 32
He promises to make Peter the head of his Church, to build his Church upon him, to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 16.
He declares himself the Messias in plain terms to the Samaritan woman, Jn. 4.
He excuseth his disciples for plucking the ears of corn on the second-first Sabbath, Mt. 12.
He feeds at one time five thousand men with five loaves. Mt. 14. At another time four thousand with seven loaves. Mt. 15.
He promises to give them his body to be truly meat, etc. Many even of his disciples leave him, looking upon that doctrine as hard and harsh, Jn. 6.
A.D. 33
His transfiguration, Mt. 17.
The Sunday, or first day of the week, in which he died on the cross, he came riding upon an ass into Jerusalem, Mt. 21.
In the beginning of that week he went daily into the Temple, and in the evenings retired to Bethania, to pray in the garden of Gethsemani, Lk. 21:38, etc.
On Wednesday Judas made a bargain with the chief priests, to deliver him up to them for a sum of money. Mt. 26:14.
On Thursday he sent his disciples in the afternoon to bring the paschal lamb, offered in the temple, which after sunset he ate with his twelve Apostles, Mt. 26.
He washed their feet, Jn. 13.
After supper he instituted the Blessed Sacrament and Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, Mt. 26.
He gave his Apostles those excellent instructions set down by St. Jn. 14–17.
Christ's prayer in the garden three times repeated.
He is there seized, being betrayed by Judas.
He is led away to Annas, and then to Caiaphas.
He is condemned as guilty of blasphemy to death for owning himself the Son of God. He is spit upon, buffeted, etc.
On Friday morning they deliver him up to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who sees and declares him innocent, yet fearing not to be thought a friend to Caesar, condemns him to the death of the Cross.
He dies on the Cross, and is buried. For the history of his Passion, see Mt. 26, 27, 28; Mk. 14, 15, 16; Lk. 22, 23, 24; Jn. 18, 19, 20.
The miracles at his death, ibid.
He riseth from the dead the third day, ibid.
His different apparitions that very day; and others afterwards, ibid.
He gives his Apostles power to forgive sins, Jn. 20:23.
He gives to St. Peter the charge over his whole Church, Jn. 21.
He promiseth to be with his Church to the end of the world, Mt. 28.
After forty days he ascends in their sight into heaven, Acts 1.
St. Matthias is chosen an Apostle in the place of Judas the traitor, Acts 1.
The day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon them, and upon all present with them, in a visible manner, Acts 2.
The wonderful change wrought in the Apostles by the coming of the Holy Ghost. Their undaunted courage, Acts 2, etc.
They preach the resurrection of Christ, the necessity of believing in him, of repenting and doing penance.
St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles, converts on one day three thousand, on another five thousand, Acts 2:41, and 4:4.
He, with St. John, cures the lame beggar that sat at the gate of the temple, Acts 3:6.
The new Christians have all things in common. Everyone's necessities are supplied out of the common stock, Acts 4:32.
Ananias and Saphira, for reserving some part of the money of a field sold, and for lying to the Holy Ghost, fall dead at St. Peter's feet, Acts 5.
The election of the seven deacons, Acts 6.
Saul, by virtue of a commission from the chief priests, persecutes the Christians, Acts 9.
St. Stephen is stoned to death, Acts 7:58.
The ministers of the gospel, being dispersed, preach in Judea and Samaria, etc.
St. Philip, in Samaria, baptizeth Simon the Magician. He offers money to St. Peter to have the power of giving the Holy Ghost, Acts 8.
A.D. 34
St. Paul is miraculously converted going to persecute the Christians at Damascus, Acts 9. He presently preacheth Jesus.
St. Peter cures Eneas at Lydda, and raiseth to life Tabitha at Joppa, Acts 9.
The very shadow of his body cures all diseases, Acts 5, 15.
A.D. 39
He receives Cornelius the Centurion, and other Gentiles with him into the Church, Acts 10.
He is thought to have gone about this time to Antioch in Syria, and to have founded the episcopal See.
A.D. 41
He preaches in Pontus, Galatia, etc.
St. Barnabas and St. Paul preach at Antioch, where the believers were first called Christians, Acts 11, 26.
A.D. 42
Herod Agrippa puts to death St. James, the brother of St. John, and imprisons St. Peter, who is miraculously delivered, Acts 12.
St. Matthew, and afterwards St. Mk., wrote their Gospels.
A.D. 43
St. Paul and Barnabas sent to preach in Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia. Afterwards in Pontus, Thracia, etc. Acts 13:14.
A.D. 48
St. Peter about this time wrote his first Epistle.
A.D. 49
A dispute between St. Paul and some zealous converts that had been Jews, about the obligation of making even the Gentiles observe the Jewish laws, Acts 15.
St. Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem, to have this question decided by the Apostles, etc.
A council of the Apostles and Bishops decides the question. St. Peter speaking first, and St. James joining with him. The letter of the council to their brethren the converted Gentiles, Acts 15.
A.D. 51
St. Paul and St. Barnabas separate, Acts 15.
A.D. 52
St. Paul with Silas goes to Asia. St. Timothy and also St. Luke become his companions. He goes to Philippi in Macedonia, to Thessalonica, to Berea, to Athens. Finds there an altar dedicated to the unknown God, Acts 17:23.
He writes his first Epistle to the Thessalonians, and the second soon after.
He stays eighteen months at Corinth, Acts 18:11.
A.D. 55
He goes to Ephesus. After a short visit to the brethren at Jerusalem, he goes to Antioch; and from thence again into Galatia and Phrygia, and stays three years at Ephesus, and thereabouts, Acts 19.
A.D. 56
He writes to the Galatians.
A.D. 57
He writes his first, and soon after his second Epistle to the Corinthians.
He prepares to go to Jerusalem with alms he had gathered. Acts 20 and 21.
He writes to the Romans.
A.D. 58
He comes to Jerusalem, Acts 21.
The Jews seize St. Paul in the Temple; being beaten and in danger of being murdered by them, he is rescued by Lysias, the tribune, and his soldiers, Acts 21.
Lysias sends him to Felix, the governor of Judea, then at Caesarea, where he was two years a prisoner.
His discourse before King Agrippa, Felix, etc., Acts 25.
A.D. 60
Having appealed to the tribunal of Caesar, he is sent to Rome with other prisoners. Acts 27.
A.D. 61
A description of his voyage and shipwreck on the coast of Malta. Everyone in the ship is saved, being two hundred and seventy-six persons, Acts 27:37.
St. James about this time wrote his catholic Epistle.
St. Paul's arrival at Rome. He is kept under custody for two years, with a soldier to guard him, Acts 28.
A.D. 62
He converts Onesimus, and sends him with his letter to Philemon. He writes to the Philippians and Colossians.
St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, there martyred.
A.D. 66
St. Paul, being set at liberty, writes to the Hebrews.
Goes again into Asia. Makes St. Timothy Bishop in Asia, and goes into Macedonia, from whence he writes his first Epistle to Timothy.
A.D. 68
St. Peter about this time wrote his second Epistle.
About this time St. Peter and St. Paul came to Rome. See Tillemont, etc.
Not long after they were both put in prison, and suffered martyrdom.
St. John about this time came to live in Asia, and governed all those churches for many years.
A.D. 96
St. John was put into a caldron of boiling oil at Rome, under Domitian, and banished to the island of Patmos, where he had those wonderful visions of his Apocalypse.
He returns to Ephesus, under the Emperor Nerva.
He writes his Gospel.
He dies at Ephesus, under Trajan, about the year 100.