Here is an overall timeline of Paul’s ministry that seems quite possible:

  1. Jesus died on April 7, 30AD.
  2. Paul was converted in the year 33AD, and then spent 3 years in Arabia (Gal 1:17-18).
  3. Christians enjoyed a period of peace from 36-41AD (Acts 9:31) while Paul was in Tarsus (Acts 9:30).
  4. Herod started persecuting Christians (Acts 12:1-3) (41-44AD) and then died in 44AD (Acts 12:23).
  5. A plague hit Jerusalem in 46AD, prompting the Christians to send Paul from Antioch to Jerusalem (Acts 11:30).
  6. Paul returned to Antioch and was sent off on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3) in 47AD.
  7. Paul began congregations in the province of Galatia (Acts 13:14—14:23).
  8. The Council at Jerusalem settled the question about the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:1-35) in 49AD.
  9. Paul got sent out on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41) in 50AD.
  10. Paul takes on Timothy as his partner while at the Galatian congregation in Lystra (Acts 16:1-3). Paul then went into Europe and began congregations in Macedonia and Greece (Acts 16:9—18:18). While in Greece, he wrote his letter to the Galatians (51AD) and to the Thessalonians (51/52AD).
  11. Paul returned from his 2nd missionary journey after a stop in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-22).
  12. Paul began his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23) in 53AD.
  13. Paul spent about 3 years in Ephesus (Acts 19). While in Ephesus he wrote 1 Corinthians in 55AD.
  14. Paul then traveled to Macedonia (Acts 20:1-2) where he wrote 2 Corinthians in 56AD.
  15. He then went to Corinth (Acts 20:2-3) where he wrote Romans in 57AD.
  16. Paul returned to Jerusalem and was arrested and went through trial (Acts 20:3—26:32) from 58-60AD.
  17. Paul was taken to Rome since he appealed to Caesar (Acts 27-28). While in prison at Rome he wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon in 62AD; and Philippians in 63AD.
  18. As he was expecting (Philippians 1:25; 2:24), Paul was released from prison in Rome in the spring of 63AD.
  19. If everything went according to plan, Paul then traveled from Rome to Crete (Titus 1:5) to Ephesus to Colosse (Philemon 22) back to Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3) to Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3; Philip 1:26; 2:24) back to Ephesus (1 Tim 3:14) and then to Nicopolis for the winter (Titus 3:12). This took about a year.
  20. While in Macedonia, Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy and a letter to Titus (63AD) as he prepared to travel to Spain.
  21. If plans continued to work out for Paul, Paul left in the spring of 64AD and went to Spain (Romans 15:28) for more than a year.
  22. While Paul was in Spain, the burning of Rome during Nero’s emperorship (54-68AD) occurred in the summer of 64AD. While Nero is getting blamed, he avoids the blame by accusing the Christians, setting off a persecution of Christians.
  23. When Paul returned from Spain, he eventually sailed to Miletus (2 Tim 4:20) in order to visit Ephesus, then sailed north to Troas (2 Tim 4:13), then over to Corinth (2 Tim 4:20), and then went to Rome where he would be arrested.
  24. While awaiting his death, Paul wrote 2 Timothy (2 Tim 2:9; 4:6) (65AD).
  25. Paul was put to death in 65 or 66AD.