This page is dedicated to all who are Baptized Christians. I will highlight some of the historical events that have occured through the ages beginning with the four Kingdoms mentioned in chapter two of the Book of Daniel to the birth of Christ and down to our present day. God Love yas, Tim

605 BC
Babylonian Captivity begins. Nabuchodonser II becomes Ruler of Babylon. During his 43-year reign (605-562 BC), Nabuchodonser II expanded the kingdom of Babylonia by conquering much of southwestern Asia. He also captured Jerusalem, taking many of the captive Jews to Babylon. Nabuchodonser is best known for his ambitious building projects, which made Babylon into one of the most magnificent cities of the ancient world.

587 BC
Nabuchodonsor destroys Jerusalem. Many Jews flee to what will be in the future, Alexandria, Egypt.

586 BC
Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the removal of the Jews to Babylon. This was the Babylonian Kingdom mentioned in chapter two of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. It was the first of the four successive Kingdoms. This one represented the gold. See Daniel 2:36-45.

559 BC
Cyrus the Great becomes Ruler of Anshan, a part of the Median Empire. This Empire was the second of the four successive Kingdoms mention in the Book of the Prophet Daniel. This one represents the silver. See Daniel 2:36-45.

550 BC
The Persian King Cyrus the Great overthrew the Medes and founded the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire.

545 BC
Cyrus the Great defeated King Croesus of Lydia.

539 BC
Cyrus conquered Babylonia, the regions of present day Iraq and Palestine.

538 BC
Cyrus the Great releases the Jews from their Babylonian captivity. Some of them returned to Israel and most of them went to the future city of Alexandria, Egypt. During their captivity, the Jews learned to speak Greek. Greek became the language for many of them, and this is why they went to Alexandria.

530 BC
Cyrus the Great was killed in Battle.

525 BC
Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, conquered Egypt. He died on his way back to Persia. Civil war broke out for control of this Empire.

522 BC
Darius I, a relative of Cambyses, became King of Persia. This Kingdom was the third mentioned in the Book of the prophet Daniel. This one represents the Bronze. See Daniel 2:36-45. Darius I, also known as Darius the Great, and his son and successor Xerxes I. Darius I ruled the Persian Empire from about 521 to 486 BC. He secured the outer borders of the empire and reformed its internal organization, built highways, encouraged commerce, and organized a postal system. Darius allowed freedom of worship among the many different ethnic groups in the vast empire, earning their respect and goodwill.

513 BC
Darius I invaded what is now the Soviet Union.

509 BC
The Romans drove out the Etruscans and established a Republic. The Romans are mentioned in the Book of the prophet Daniel under the cryptic name of Kittim. See Daniel 11:30.

490 BC
Darius I sent his army into Greece.

486 BC
Death of Darius I.

480 BC
The Persians burned the City of Athens. This event was never forgotten by the Greeks.

445 BC
The Book of Malachia was written.

It was in this century that the Romans came into increasing contact with Greek ideas. They began to worship Greek gods and goddesses. They gave them Roman names and went so far as to build temples and shrines in their honor. The Roman government controlled the religion of ancient Rome. Their so-called priests were either elected or appointed to office; they performed public ceremonies to please these so-called gods.

336 BC
Alexander the Great becomes King of Macedonia. He was the son of Philip, who conquered Greece. Macedonia is a region North of Greece. At this time it was viewed as barbarian by the Greeks. This is the fourth of the successive Kingdoms in the Book of the Prophet Daniel. This one represents the iron. See Daniel 2:36-45.

332 BC
Greek Period in Egypt begins. Alexander the Great entered Egypt and was received as the deliverer. He founded the City of Alexandria.

331 BC
Alexander the Great conquered the Archaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great burned the city of Persepolis in revenge for the Persian burning of Athens one hundred and forty-nine years earlier. (Talk about holding a grudge!)

323 BC
Death of Alexander the Great. In the division of his Empire, Ptolemy I, the son of Lagus, gained control of Egypt with the title Satrap. The other general in Alexander the Great’s army was Seleucus. His reign began the Seleucid Period. It is both the Ptolemies and Seleucids that represent the Iron mixed with Clay in the Book of the Prophet Daniel. See Daniel 2:44. “The stone hewn from the mountain,” Daniel 2:43, is the Messianic Kingdom awaited by the Jews. The Messianic Kingdom is the Catholic Church! Our Blessed Lord made this image personal to Himself. See Luke 20:17.

306 BC
Ptolemy Soter I took the title of King.

283 BC
Death of Ptolemy I. He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus. It was Ptolemy II that had the 72 Jewish Elders shut in cells until they produced the LXX, the Septuagint; the first known Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was this Old Testament, together with the Second Canon, the Deuterocanonicals, that was used by Our Blessed Lord. The Vatican Library presently houses the oldest known copy of the Greek Septuagint.

246 BC
Death of Ptolemy II Philadelphus; he was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy III.

221 BC
Death of Ptolemy III Euergetes. The Egypt of the Ptolemies achieved a brilliant civilization. It was during this period that the Pharaohs, the great lighthouse of Alexandria which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was built, and the great collection of the Alexandrian Library began. Ptolemy IV Philopator, the son of Ptolemy III Euergetes, succeeded his father as King. It was during his reign that war broke out between Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom of Syria. This war endured intermittently over one hundred years. The first attempt of Antiochus III to take Syria and Palestine from Egypt was successful, but the Egyptians defeated Antiochus and regained the territory.

200 BC
The Seleucids gained control of Palestine and outlawed Judaism.

200-145
The Book of Sirach was written. This Book was very much like the Catechism for the Jews.

189 BC
Antiochus IV was released from his Roman prison. He introduced the cult of Zeus Olympus.

181 BC
Death of Ptolemy V Epiphanes. He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy VI, Philometor. The family quarrels of the Ptolemies during his and his father’s reign weakened Egypt and permitted Antiochus once again to conquer Syria and Palestine.

170 BC
Antiochus IV conquered Egypt.

169-168 BC
Antiochus IV invaded Egypt for the second time.

168-165 BC
Antiochus IV’s military expedition against Jerusalem. The Holy Temple was desecrated and the cult of Zeus Olympus was prescribed; Jewish customs and Religion were forbidden. The Temple of Mount Garizim became a temple for Zeus. Sacrifice was enforced in all towns, followed by gruesome tortures and executions. The High Priest, Eleazer was in Jerusalem. The Maccabees may have been in Antioch. A Syrian garrison was posted on the citadel in Jerusalem.

167 BC
The Book of the Prophet Daniel was written.

166 BC
Death of Mathathia. Judas Maccabeus took over the leadership of the Jews. He was victorious over the garrison from Jerusalem and over the Samaritan troops led by Apollonius. This Jewish revolt drove the Seleucids out of Palestine.

165 BC
The Holy Temple of Jerusalem was re-dedicated. This was the first Hanukkah. It simply means the cleansing of the Temple. See 2 Maccabees chapter 10.

163 BC
The Jews obtain religious freedom.

163-160 BC
Holy Judas Maccabeus founds the Ruling Dynasty-Hasmoneans.

161 BC
Holy Judas Maccabeus defeated General Nicanor at Beth-Horan and Adasa. General Nicanor was killed in this battle. Judas was the head of the Jewish community and strove to obtain Roman intervention.

160 BC
Holy Judas Maccabeus is killed in battle at Berea and Elasa against a powerful army under Bacchides. Jonathon assumes leadership of the revolt.

143 BC
The Essenes of Qumran are mentioned for the first time in the era of Jonathon.

100 BC
The Book of Wisdom was composed.

44 BC
Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, (March 15).

Herod the Great rose to the Throne in Judea.

20 BC
Herod the Great began the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This construction project lasted until 64 AD, only to enjoy six years of peace and prosperity.

St. Joachim was reproached by the High Priest at the Feast of Dedication for offering gifts and not having any children. His offering he was told could never be acceptable to God because his wife was cursed for her barren womb. See Psalm 119:3. Ashamed of being reproached, he went to be with the shepherds in the pastures. After being there for sometime, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that his prayers had been heard by God and that he was to have a daughter. The Angel also told St. Joachim that his daughter’s name was to be Mary. The same Angel appeared to St. Ann and gave her the good news. She too had been reproached for her barrenness by her maid, Judith.

19 BC
The Immaculate Conception. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was conceived in St. Ann’s womb. Mary was exempt from Original Sin. The Church celebrates this Feast on December 8.

18 BC
Birth of Mary, daughter of Saints Joachim and Ann. The Church celebrates her birth on September 8, precisely nine months after the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

12 BC
P. Sulpicius Quirinius, a Roman senator, became governor of Crete and Cyrene. He was governor of Syria at the time of the census which was being taken when Jesus was born.

6 BC
The Archangel Gabriel visits the High Priest, Zachariah and brings him the news that he and his thought to be barren wife, Elizabeth, will have a son. Zachariah, did not believe the Angel and became mute. See St. Luke 1:5-25.

5 BC
The Annunciation and Visitation. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary greeting her with the words “Hail full of Grace, you have found favor with God.” The Angel told her that she will bear a Son and His name was to be Jesus. Mary was a virgin her entire life. All the early Church writings refer to her as Ever Virgin. See Luke 1:26-38. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, the wife of the High priest Zacharia, who wrote down at his son’s presentation, “His name is John.” See Luke 1:39-80. St. Joseph, after considering divorcing his betrothed, Mary, quietly, is visited by an Angel of the Lord who tells him Mary is pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit and he weds Mary, the Ever Virgin and Mother of Our Blessed Lord.

St. Joseph, a carpenter, was chosen by God to marry the Blessed Virgin. The Holy couple lived a chaste life. The story of “Joseph the Carpenter” was almost certainly written in Greek, though it is now known to us only through Coptic and Arabic translations. He is the Patron of the Universal Church

4 BC
Birth of St. John the Baptist.

Birth of Christ, in Bethleham, the City of David. See Luke 2:1-20; Matthew 1:18-25.(Some historians place this date at 6 BC, placing all events from the Immaculate Conception to the Passion of Christ back two years).

3 BC
The Magi bring gifts to the Christ Child in the stable where He was born. The Holy Innocents, all male babies, aged two years and under, were slaughtered by the order of King Herod the great. See Matthew 2:1.

Death of Herod the Great. He was succeeded by his son, Herod Archelaus.

The High Priest Zachariah, the father of St. John the Baptist was murdered in the Temple for not revealing the whereabouts of his wife and son. A great number of Levite priests were also put to death. The aged Simeon was named High Priest, succeeding Zachariah.

The Presentation of Baby Jesus to Simeon in the Temple, where Our Blessed Lord was circumcised. See Luke 2:21-38.

An Angel of the Lord appears to St. Joseph in a dream. The Holy Family flees to Egypt. See Matthew 2:13-18.

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