Here is an overall timeline of Paul’s ministry that seems quite possible:
- Jesus died on April 7, 30AD.
- Paul was converted in the year 33AD, and then spent 3 years in Arabia (Gal 1:17-18).
- Christians enjoyed a period of peace from 36-41AD (Acts 9:31) while Paul was in Tarsus (Acts 9:30).
- Herod started persecuting Christians (Acts 12:1-3) (41-44AD) and then died in 44AD (Acts 12:23).
- A plague hit Jerusalem in 46AD, prompting the Christians to send Paul from Antioch to Jerusalem (Acts 11:30).
- Paul returned to Antioch and was sent off on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3) in 47AD.
- Paul began congregations in the province of Galatia (Acts 13:14—14:23).
- The Council at Jerusalem settled the question about the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:1-35) in 49AD.
- Paul got sent out on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41) in 50AD.
- 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).
- Paul returned from his 2nd missionary journey after a stop in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-22).
- Paul began his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23) in 53AD.
- Paul spent about 3 years in Ephesus (Acts 19). While in Ephesus he wrote 1 Corinthians in 55AD.
- Paul then traveled to Macedonia (Acts 20:1-2) where he wrote 2 Corinthians in 56AD.
- He then went to Corinth (Acts 20:2-3) where he wrote Romans in 57AD.
- Paul returned to Jerusalem and was arrested and went through trial (Acts 20:3—26:32) from 58-60AD.
- 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.
- As he was expecting (Philippians 1:25; 2:24), Paul was released from prison in Rome in the spring of 63AD.
- 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.
- While in Macedonia, Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy and a letter to Titus (63AD) as he prepared to travel to Spain.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- While awaiting his death, Paul wrote 2 Timothy (2 Tim 2:9; 4:6) (65AD).
- Paul was put to death in 65 or 66AD.