Timeline of the Tradition

The authors of the corpus on one axis, from the prophets and kings of Israel through the apostles, fathers, and later saints. Click any name to open that life and its works. Old Testament dates are traditional and approximate; figures whose dates are not fixed are gathered above.

Old TestamentApostolic AgeAnte-NiceneNicene & Post-Nicene FathersLater Saints

Old Testament — dates not fixed

Moses

1000 BC800 BC600 BC400 BC200 BCAD 200AD 400AD 600AD 800AD 1000AD 1200AD 1400AD 1600AD 1800AD

King David King Solomon Prophet Joel Prophet Jonah Prophet Amos Prophet Hosea Prophet Isaiah Prophet Micah Prophet Nahum Prophet Zephaniah Prophet Habakkuk Prophet Jeremiah Prophet Obadiah Prophet Ezekiel Prophet Daniel Prophet Haggai Prophet Zechariah Prophet Malachi Ignatius the God-bearer of Antioch John the Theologian Luke Mark Matthew James the Brother of God Jude Paul Peter Papias of Hierapolis Polycarp of Smyrna Quadratus Clement of Rome Martyr Justin the Philosopher Melito of Sardis Hegesippus Theophilus of Antioch Pantaenus of Alexandria Tatian the Assyrian Irenaeus of Lyons Polycrates of Ephesus Athenagoras of Athens Clement of Alexandria Tertullian of Carthage Hippolytus of Rome Origen of Alexandria Dionysius the Great of Alexandria Cyprian of Carthage Lactantius Alexander of Alexandria Methodius of Olympus Peter of Alexandria Eusebius of Caesarea Aphrahat the Persian Sage Athanasius the Great of Alexandria The Apostolic Tradition (anonymous Ephraim the Syrian Hilary of Poitiers Cyril of Jerusalem The Seven Holy Ecumenical Councils Basil the Great Gregory the Theologian Gregory of Nyssa Ambrose of Milan Rufinus of Aquileia Jerome John Chrysostom Augustine of Hippo John Cassian Sulpitius Severus Cyril of Alexandria Socrates Scholasticus Theodoret of Cyrus Leo the Great Vincent of Lérins Sozomen (Salaminius Hermias Sozomenus)Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite Gregory the Great (the Dialogist)John of Damascus Philaret of Moscow

Old Testament figures are shown as points at their traditional approximate dates (diamonds); AD authors as lifespan bars. Dates are approximate where the sources are uncertain. Built from the 79 authors in the corpus.