3874 entries. Last updated May 23, 2013.

Religious Texts / Religion Timeline Outline

  • Eras
  • Themes

2,500,000 BCE – 8,000 BCE

'The Sorcerer' is one name for this cryptic painting found in the Trois Frères in France by Henri Breuil. Photocredit: Encyclopaedia Britannica(View Larger)
"The Sorcerer"
(Circa 12,000 BCE)

The Göbekli Tepe, Turkist for 'Potbelly Hill,' is the oldest discovered structure for religious worship. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Human-Made Place of Worship
(Circa 9,500 BCE)

8,000 BCE – 1,000 BCE

Pyramid texts located in Teti I's pyramid. (View Larger)
The Oldest Known Religious Texts
(Circa 2,400 BCE – 2,300 BCE)

The Rigveda
(Circa 1,700 BCE – 1,100 BCE)

In Ancient Egypt Only the "Book of the Dead" Papyri Were Commercially Produced
(Circa 1,550 BCE – 50 BCE)

<p>Papyrus from the <em>Book of the Dead</em> of Ani.</p>
The Papyrus of Ani
(Circa 1,275 BCE – 1,250 BCE)

The Earliest Chinese Inscriptions that are Indisputably Writing
(Circa 1,200 BCE – 1,050 BCE)

1,000 BCE – 300 BCE

The God of Writing. . . .
(Circa 646 BCE)

The larger of the two silver scrolls, discovered in 1979 at Ketef Hinnom, which have been deemed the oldest suriving texts from the Hebrew bible. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Texts from the Hebrew Bible
(Circa 600 BCE)

Destruction of Solomon's Temple
(586 BCE)

The front side of the Cyrus Cylinder. (View Larger)
The Earliest Known Document in the History of Religious Toleration
(537 BCE)

Ezra the Scribe
Ezra Introduces Public Reading of the Torah
(Circa 536 BCE)

Disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments
(535 BCE)

300 BCE – 30 CE

A column of the Copper Scroll found in Cave Three.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
(300 BCE – 68 CE)

The Septuagint
(Circa 250 BCE – 50 CE)

The Archive or Library in the Temple of Edfu
(237 BCE – 57 BCE)

The Very Long Process of Canonization of the Hebrew Bible
(Circa 200 BCE – 200 CE)

The Nash Papyrus. (View Larger)
The Ten Commandments: The Oldest Hebrew Manuscript Fragment before the…
(Circa 150 BCE – 100 BCE)

The Isaiah Scroll. (View Larger)
The Great Isaiah Scroll
(Circa 100 BCE)

30 CE – 500 CE

A mosaic of Jesus Christ, located in the Hagia Sophia.
Christianity Emerges
(30 CE – 100 CE)

Hero of Alexandria
Automata Invented by Hero of Alexandria
(Circa 30 CE – 70 CE)

The Oldest Surviving Substantial Collection of Buddhist Manuscripts: The…
(Circa 50 CE)

The Alexamenos Grafitto. (View Larger)
Probably the Earliest Surviving Image of the Crucifixion: A Graffito
(Circa 50 CE – 250 CE)

The New Testament Was Probably Written over Less than a Century
(Circa 65 CE – 150 CE)

Destruction of the Second Temple
(66 CE – 73 CE)

The four authors.
Composition of the Four Gospels
(70 CE – 110 CE)

The Continuing Process of Canonization of the Hebrew Bible
(Circa 70 CE – 90 CE)

Process of Canonizing the Old Testament
(Circa 90 CE)

The Crosby-Schoyen codex, a Coptic bible circa 300, and the oldest book in private ownership. (View Larger)
Translation of the Bible From Greek into Coptic
(Circa 100 CE – 250 CE)

The recto side of the Saint John Fragment. (View Larger)
The Earliest Known Fragment of the New Testament
(Circa 100 CE – 150 CE)

Several of the leather-bound codices of the Nag Hammadi Library. (View Larger)
The Form of the Manuscript Book Gradually Shifts from the Roll to the Codex
(Circa 150 CE – 450 CE)

The oldest known image of the Virgin Mary, located in the Cacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria in Rome. (View Larger)
The Earliest Known Image of the Virgin Mary
(Circa 150 CE)

Fragment 75. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Fragment from the Gospel of Luke
(175 CE – 225 CE)

One of the Oldest Papyrus Codices of the New Testament
(Circa 175 CE – 250 CE)

Irenaeus
Insisting on Only Four Gospels
(Circa 185 CE)

The front side of the first Egerton papyrus fragment.
One of the Earliest Known Fragments of Any Gospel
(Circa 200 CE)

The Making of a Gospel Book
(Circa 200 CE – 300 CE)

The First Important Work of Rabbinic Judaism
(Circa 220 CE)

The Earliest Christian House Church, With the Most Ancient Christian Paintings
(Circa 232 CE)

Origen's Hexapla: Made Possible by the Codex Form, and the First Codices to Display Information in Tabular Form
(Circa 234 CE – 253 CE)

A Frescoe found in Dura Europos depicting scenes from the Book of Ester. (View Larger)
Possibly the Earliest Record of Rabbinic Texts & the Earliest Continuous…
(244 CE – 256 CE)

The Persecution, Imprisonment and Torture of Origen
(249 CE – 251 CE)

Certificates of Conformation to Pagan Religious Practice
(249 CE – 251 CE)

The Crosby-Schoyen Codex: One of the Earliest Extant Papyrus Codices
(Circa 250 CE)

The Earliest Known Greek Manuscript of the Four Gospels
(Circa 250 CE)

Warrant for the Arrest of a Christian: One of the Earliest Surviving Recorded Uses of the Word Christian
(February 28, 256 CE)

A map of Israel, with Caesarea Maritima highlightd in blue. (View Larger)
Pamphilus Establishes a Library and Scriptorium and is Executed During…
(275 CE – 309 CE)

A portrait of Eusebius of Caesarea. (View Larger)
One of the Earliest, Most Widely-Used Cross-Indexing Systems
(Circa 280 CE – 340 CE)

Reconstruction of the Contents of the Library of Eusebius
(Circa 280 CE – 339 CE)

Codex IV found at Nag Hammadi. (View Larger)
Early Christian Papyrus Codices in Coptic Bindings
(300 CE – 350 CE)

The Oldest State-Built Christian Church
(301 CE – 303 CE)

Diocletian
The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians
(February 24, 303 CE – 311 CE)

As a Result of Diocletian's Edict, Police Seize Thirty-Four Biblical Manuscripts in Africa
(May 19, 303 CE)

Eusebius's Tabular Timeline System
(Circa 308 CE – 326 CE)

The Emperor Constantine Converts to Christianity
(October 28, 312 CE – 315 CE)

Constantine
The Edict of Milan Proclaims "Religious Toleration"
(313 CE)

The First Full Length Historical Narrative Written from the Christian Point of View
(Circa 313 CE – 326 CE)

Constantine's Religious Toleration Does Not Apply to Jews
(October 18, 315 CE)

The Role of Books in the Rule of the Earliest Christian Monasteries
(318 CE – 348 CE)

Contantine Orders Fifty Luxurious Bibles for the Churches of Constantinople
(326 CE – 327 CE)

A page from the Codex Vaticanus. (View Larger)
The Codex Vaticanus
(Circa 350 CE)

The Codex Sinaiticus. (View Larger)
The Codex Sinaiticus
(Circa 350 CE)

Folio from Codex Vercellensis. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Manuscript of the Old Latin Gospels
(Circa 350 CE)

Origins of the Lateran Library
(Circa 350 CE – 650)

Biblical and Roman Law: Precursor of Footnotes; Early Uniform Pagination
(Circa 350 CE – 450 CE)

Possibly the World's First University
(Circa 350 CE)

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. (View Larger)
New Testament Canonization in Process
(367 CE)

A page from Codex Bezae Cantabridgensis. (View Larger)
Codex Bezae Cantabridgensis
(Circa 375 CE – 425 CE)

Vergilius Vaticanus
Herald of Christianity and Magus: One of the Oldest Surviving Illustrated…
(Circa 380 CE)

The Edict of Thessalonica makes Nicene Christianity the Official State Religion of the Roman Empire
(February 27, 380 CE)

Saint Jerome. (View Larger)
St. Jerome Criticizes Luxurious Manuscripts
(384 CE)

Early Christians May Have Destroyed What Remained of the Alexandrian Library Because of its Pagan Contents
(391 CE)

The First Collection of Bio-Bibliographies
(392 CE)

The First Western Autobiography
(397 CE – 398 CE)

The recto side of Folio Two of Quedlinburg Itala. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Illustrated Biblical Manuscript
(Circa 400 CE)

The "Architecture" of Early Latin Gospel Books
(400 CE – 800)

The City of God
(413 CE)

John Cassian Introduces Monastic Life to Europe
(Circa 415 CE)

A section of the Codex Ephraemi from the National Library in Paris, containing Matt. 20:16-23. (View Larger)
Early Fifth Century Palimpsest
(Circa 425 CE)

The Earliest Surviving Copy of the Vulgate Gospels
(Circa 425 CE)

The Earliest Image of Codices in a Book Cabinet and Possibly the Earliest Image of a Bookbinding in Wall Art
(426 CE – 450 CE)

The Introduction of Christianity to the Irish
(431 CE)

Fragment 26v of the Cotton Genesis, depicting Abraham. (View Larger)
Fragments of a Fifth or Sixth Century Codex
(Circa 450 CE – 550)

The Codex Alexandrinus
(Circa 450 CE)

The Church Replaces the Roman State as the Source of Order and Stability
(Circa 450 CE – 650)

The Smallest Codex Known from Antiquity
(Circa 450 CE)

Composition of the Babylonian Talmud
(Circa 490 CE – 542)

The Franks Convert to Christianity
(497 CE)

500 CE – 600

The theater at Bet She'an. (View Larger)
The Earliest, Most Significant Rabbinic Texts Are Preserved in Stone
(Circa 500 CE – 600)

The manuscript before and after restoration and repagination. Image from June 2010 edition of The Arts Newspaper. (View Larger)
Possibly the Earliest Surviving Illuminated Christian Manuscripts
(Circa 500 CE – 650)

A page from the Codex Argenteus. (View Larger)
The Codex Argenteus, The Primary Surviving Example of the Gothic Language
(Circa 520)

St. Benedict. (Click to view larger.)
St. Benedict Founds the Abbey at Monte Cassino and Later Formulates his…
(529)

The Vienna Genesis. (Click to view larger.)
Considered the Oldest, Well-Preserved Illustrated Biblical Codex
(Circa – 540)

Canon tables from Codex Brixianus. (View Larger)
Codex Brixianus
(Circa 550)

Folios 23v and 24r of the Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus. (View Larger)
Written in the Imperial Scriptorum of Constantinople and Dismembered by…
(Circa 550)

Several pages from te Codex Climaci Rescriptus. (View Larger)
The Earliest Manuscript of the New Testament in Christian Palestinian Aramaic
(Circa 550)

A color plate from Bordier's paleographic study comparing the two separated portions of one of hte earliest suriviving European papyrus codices.
Among the Earliest Surviving European Papyrus Codices
(Circa 550)

The Codex Sinopensis or Sinope Gospels
(Circa 550)

An illumination of Christ found in the Rossano Gospels. (Click to view larger.)
One of the Oldest Surviving Illuminated Manuscripts of the New Testament
(Circa 555)

A page from the Cathach of St. Columba. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Manuscript Written in Ireland, the Oldest Surviving…
(Circa 560 – 600)

Saint Columba (View Larger)
From the Monastery on the Small Island of Iona, the Conversion of Pagan…
(Circa 563)

Birth of the Prophet Muhammad
(570)

A canon table from Harley 1775, from the British Library. (View Larger)
"Source Z" for the Latin New Testament
(Circa 575 – 599)

A folio from the Ashburnham Pentateuch depicting Cane and Abel. (View larger)
The Ashburnham Pentateuch
(Circa 580 – 620)

Saint Columbanus.
The Monastery and Library at Luxeuil is Founded and Subsequently Sacked,…
(585 – 590)

Folio 46r from the Syriac Bible, depicting Job. (View Larger)
The Syriac Bible of Paris
(Circa 585)

Folio 13v from the Rabula Gospels, depicting the ascension of Christ. (View larger)
Signed by the Scribe Rabbula in 586
(586)

The beginning of Regula pastoralis. The first three lines, in colored ink, have run or faded. (View Larger)
A Manuscript from Pope Gregory's Scriptorium
(590 – 604)

St. Augustine of Canterbury. (View Larger)
Augustine of Canterbury Preaches to the Anglo-Saxons
(597)

Folio 129v of the St. Augustine Gospels, depicting Luke. (View Larger)
A Volume Brought by St. Augustine to England in 597
(597)

600 – 700

(View Larger)
The Earliest Western Metalwork Bookcovers
(Circa 600)

Tablet 3v of the Springmount Bog Tablets. (National Museum. Dublin, 1914: 2) (View Larger)
The Springmount Bog Wax Tablets
(Circa 600)

The name of Mohammed written in classic calligraphy. (View Larger)
The Qur'an
(Circa 610 – 613)

During the Middle Ages Book Production is Concentrated in Monasteries
(Circa 610 – 1200)

Saint Columbanus (View larger)
Foundation of the Monastery and Library at Bobbio
(614)

(View Larger)
Muhammad's Hijra
(622)

Folio 149v of the Codex Usserianus Primus.
Possibly the Earliest Surviving Irish Codex
(Circa 625)

York Minster (View Larger)
The Illuminated Gospel Book as a Tool for Evangelization
(627)

<p>Common calligraphic representation of Muhammad's name.</p>
Death of Muhammad
(632)

Excepting the Bible, Probably the Most Widely Circulated Educational Work During the Middle Ages
(Circa 633)

Saint Aidan (View larger)
Foundation of the Monastery on Lindisfarne
(634)

One of the Qu'ran fragments found in the loft of the Great Mosque in 1972. (View Larger)
The San'a Manuscripts
(Circa 645 – 715)

This golden lion, folio 191v of the Book of Durrow, is the symbol of St. John. (View Larer)
The Book of Durrow
(Circa 650 – 750)

Folio 193 from the Book of Mulling. (View larger)
The Book of Mulling
(Circa 650)

The binding of the Stonyhurst Gospel. (View Larger)
The Earliest European Book that Survived Completely Intact in its Original…
(Circa 650)

Codification of the Qur'an
(Circa 650 – 656)

MS M.569 of the Pierpont Morgan Library, considered the finest surviving Coptic bookbinding. (View Larger)
The Finest Surviving Coptic Bookbinding
(Circa 650 – 750)

The Uthman Qur'an
(Circa 653)

The Abbey at Corbie. (View Larger)
Foundation of Corbie Abbey
(659 – 661)

King Oswiu (View Larger)
King Oswiu Causes Britain to Embrace the Mainstream of Christianity
(664)

Folio 5r of Codex Amiatinus, showing Ezra. (View Larger)
The Codex Amiatinus: the Earliest Surviving Complete Bible in the Latin…
(Circa 685)

A page from the Ceolfrid Bible. (View Larger)
The Ceolfrid Bible
(Circa 685 – 710)

The Oldest Surviving Block Printing from Korea?
(Circa 690 – 751)

The Dome of the Rock at Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (View Larger)
Building the Dome of the Rock
(691)

700 – 800

One of the Oldest Hebrew Fragments Written in Europe
(Circa 700)

The First State Libraries in Japan
(702)

Folio 27r of the Lindisfarne Gospels. (View Larger)
Creation of the Lindisfarne Gospels
(715 – 720)

(View Larger)
The Earliest Image of a Scribe Using a Writing Table
(Circa 715 – 720)

The library in the Abbey of St. Gall. (View Larger)
One of the Oldest, Largest, and Most Signficant Medieval Libraries
(719)

Folio 30v of the Vespasian Psalter, depicting David with musicians. (View Larger)
The Oldest English Translation of Any Portion of the Bible
(725 – 750)

A painting of St. Benedict drafting the Benedictine Rules, by Herman Nieg, c. 1926. The painting resides in the church of Heiligenkreuz Abbey near Baden bei Wien, Lower Austria. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Copy of St. Benedict's Rules
(Circa 725)

Folio 5r of Codex Benevenatus, Jerome's letter. (View Larger)
From the Libraries of Richard Mead and Anthony Askew
(736 – 760)

A portrait of St. Mark the Evangelist from folio 30v of the Book of Dimma. (View Larger)
The Book of Dimma
(Circa 750)

Folio 11 of the Codex Aureus, inscribed in Old English. (View Larger)
The Stockholm Codex Aureus, Looted Twice by Vikings
(Circa 750)

The ornate cover on the Lindau Gospels, located in the Pierpont Morgan Library. (View Larger)
One of the Great Treasures of Early Carolingian Metalwork
(760)

One of one million pagodas commissioned by Empress Shotuku, containing Bhuddhist charms, or dhrani scrolls. (View Larger
One Million Copies Printed
(764 – 770)

The Earliest Surviving Document of the Christian Book Trade and Stichometry
(Circa 770 – 825)

The Earliest Datable Application of Carolingian Minuscule
(772 – 781)

A page fromt he 'Canones concillorum,' written in both unical and miniscule.(View Larger)
"The Oldest Western European Codex in Private Hands"
(Circa 775)

The Only Surviving Visigothic Manuscript Containing Figural Decoration
(Circa 775 – 825)

Folio 72v of the Codex Aureus of Lorsch, depicting Christ. (View Larger)
The Codex Aureus of Lorsch and its Dispersal
(778 – 820)

The Carolingian Revival
(779 – 814)

An example of the Carolingian minuscule, taken from the tenth century Freising manuscripts. (View Larger)
The Educator Alcuin and the Emperor Charlemagne
(780 – 796)

A Book of Psalms from the Late 8th Century Found in a Bog in 2006
(Circa 780)

About 7000 Manuscripts and Fragments Survive from the Late 8th and 9th Centuries
(Circa 780 – 875)

The Earliest Example of the Carolingian Illumination Style
(781 – 783)

A facsimile of the Dagulf Psalter, also known as the Golden Psalter. (View Larger)
The First Treasure Binding Associated with its Original Codex
(783 – 795)

An image depicting the crucifixion of Christ, found in the Gellone Sacramentary. (View Larger)
The Gellone Sacramentary: a Masterpiece of Carolingian Manuscript Illumination
(Circa 790)

The ruins of Lindisfarne Abbey. (View Larger)
Vikings Sack the Monastery and Library of Lindisfarne in the First Viking…
(January 6, 793)

800 – 900

<p>The Book of Kells.</p>
The Book of Kells
(Circa 800)

Charlemagne Renews Book and Library Culture
(800 – 877)

One of the most outsanding illumated manuscripts of De luadibus sanctae crucis, preserved in the Vatican Library, depicting Christ. (View Larger)
Carmina Figurata Word Pictures
(Circa 810)

A page from the Uspensky Gospels. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Dated Manuscript Written in Greek Minuscule
(815 – 835)

<p>Page from Utretch Psalter.</p>
The Utrecht Psalter
(Circa 816 – 850)

Leaf 2r of the Stuttgart Psalter (Folio Bible 23 in the Wurttenmbergische Landesbibliothek). (View Larger)
"A Perfect Relationship between Text and Picture"
(Circa 820 – 830)

The Plan of Saint Gall. (View Larger)
The Only Surviving Major Architectural Drawing from the Fall of the Roman…
(820 – 830)

St. Theodore, the Studite.
Rules for the Scriptorium and the Library
(Circa 825)

A Studio for Royal Mayan Scribes in the Ninth Century
(Circa 825)

An illustration of the psalms from the Vivian Bible. (View Larger)
Lavishly Illuminated for Charles the Bald
(846)

An icon depicting St. Photius. (View Larger)
The First Byzantine Encylopedia
(Circa 850)

The Oldest Surviving Fragments of the Babylonian Talmud May Date from the Ninth Century
(Circa 850)

A depiction of David from the Chludov Psalter. (View Larger)
A Byzantine Iconophile Psalter from the Time of the Iconoclasm
(Circa 850)

A portion of the Diamond Sutra. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Dated Complete Printed Book
(May 11, 868)

The Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram
(Circa 870)

The upper cover of the Lindau Gospels. (View Larger)
The Magnificent Upper Cover of the Lindau Gospels
(Circa 875)

900 – 1000

Jews Adopted the Codex Around 900
(Circa 900)

The Book of Judges, chapters 1:15 to 2:1, from the Aleppo Codex. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Manuscript of the Complete Hebrew Bible
(Circa 930)

A portrait of Luke on Folio 29v of the Book of Deer. (View Larger)
Possibly the Earliest Surviving Manuscript Produced in Scotland
(Circa 950)

A small sampling of Aldred's gloss of the Gospels. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Translation of the Gospels into English
(Circa 950 – 960)

The Oldest and Most Important Complete Manuscript of the Mishna
(Circa 950 – 1050)

The Oldest Documentation of Occidental Music
(960 – 970)

An artwork from the 'Biblia de Leon,' or the Bible of St. Isidore. (View Larger)
Possible Inspiration for Picasso's Guernica?
(June 19, 960)

Foundation of Al-Azhar University
(970 – 972)

Point A marks Chendu, or Ch'eng-tu, China. (View Larger)
5,048 Printed Volumes Containing 130,000 Pages
(972 – 983)

A portrait of Egbert, Archbishop of Trier, from the Codex Egberti. (View larger)
The Earliest Picture Cycle of the Life of Christ in Manuscript Illumination
(Circa 977 – 993)

The Golden Gospels of Henry VIII
(Circa 977 – 993)

A pair of facing paintings showing the peoples of the world adoring Otto III, from the Goespels of Otto III. (View Larger)
Possibly the Most Valuable Book in the World
(Circa 998 – 1001)

The Oldest Book in Rus', a "Hyper-Palimpsest" of Three Bound Wooden Wax Tablets
(998 – 1030)

1000 – 1100

Folio 1 recto of Halper 211, considred to be one of the oldest surviving haggadahs. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Haggadah(s)
(Circa 1000)

Cover page E, folio 474a, of the Leningrad Codex. (View Larger)
The Earliest Extant Complete Text of the Bible in Hebrew
(Circa 1010)

The front of the book-shaped reliquary. (View Larger)
Book-Shaped Reliquary from the Circle of the Master of the Registrum Gregorii
(Circa 1020)

One of the oldest Scottish books remaining in Scotland: a psalter nearly 1,000 years old. (View Larger
The Oldest Scottish Book Remaining in Scotland
(Circa 1025)

The Ostomir Gospels, the Second Earliest East Slavonic Book
(1056 – 1057)

A T-O design from Lambert's Liber Floridus. (View Larger)
A Medieval Encyclopedia, of which the Autograph Manuscript Survived
(Circa 1090 – 1125)

1100 – 1200

Peter the Venerable.
First Translation of the Qur'an into a Western Language
(1143)

The west exterior facade of the Abbey of Saint Denis, considered by historians to be the firs building in the Gothic style. (View Larger)
The First Building in the Gothic Style
(June 14, 1144)

A heavily glossed manuscript of Libri Quattuor Sententiarum by Peter Lombard, whose usage of margin notes for citations is considered by some to be the direct antecedent of modern scholarly footnotes. (View Larger)
"Ancestor of the Modern Scholarly Apparatus of Footnotes"
(Circa 1150)

An Illuminated Medieval Travel Guide and Music Compendium
(Circa 1150)

Origins of the Paris Book Trade
(Circa 1170)

Folio 7v of the Hungarian Psalter: a miniature depicting, on top, the creation of Adam, and, on bottom, the temptation of Adam by Eve. (View Larger)
The Hunterian Psalter
(Circa 1170)

Limoges Enamel Book Cover Plaque
(Circa 1185 – 1210)

Clifford's Tower. (View Larger)
Massacre of the Jewish Community of York, England Reflected in the Survival…
(March 16, 1190)

From one of the registers of Innocent III for the period between 1198 and 1120. ASV, Reg. Vat. 5, f. 84v (detail). (View Larger)
Foundation of the Vatican Registers
(1198)

1200 – 1300

Knowledge of Greek and Greek Texts During the Middle Ages
(Circa 1200 – 1450)

The Cover of Codex Gigas: 92cm tall, 50 cm wide. (View Larger)
The Largest Extant Medieval Manuscript- The Devil's Bible
(1229)

A portrait of Pope Gregory IX. (View Larger)
Gregory IX Condemns Jews to Inferior Status
(1234)

Pope Gregory IX Orders the Seizure and Burning of Jewish Books
(June 9 – June 20, 1239)

A portrait of Louis IX.
French Copies of the Talmud Seized
(June 3, 1240)

Louis IX Orders the Burning of 12,000 Manuscripts of the Talmud
(June 1242)

The Vatican Archives Follow the Movements of the Pope
(1245 – 1783)

Henry III, by an unknown artist. (View Larger)
The Domus Conversorum, Later the Public Record Office
(1253)

Folio 54r of the Worms Mahzor, upon which, in the interstices of the first word in the Prayer for Dew, is inscribed the oldest known Yiddish text: a small blessing in the form of a rhymed couplet, directed towards those who are charged with the seemingly onerous task of carrying the heavy Mahzor from the house of the owner to the synagogue. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Literary Document in Yiddish
(1272)

Edward I, portrayed in the stained glass of Westminster Abbey.
Edward I's Statute of the Jewry
(1275)

The infamous Edward I. (View Larger)
Edward I Expells the Jews from England
(1290)

1300 – 1400

The Bird's Head Haggadah. (View Larger)
The Oldest Surviving Ashkenazi Illuminated Manuscript
(Circa 1300)

Ivory Booklet with Scenes of the Passion
(Circa 1300 – 1320)

The effigy on pope Boniface VIII, carved into the white marble of his sarcophagus in Saint Peter's Basilica. (View Larger)
Origins of the Vatican Library in the Papal Library
(1303)

A portrait of Ramon Llull. (View Larger)
Logical Machines for the Production of Knowledge
(1305)

A photograph of the Canterbury Cathedral, within which resides the Library of Christ Church. (View Larger)
The Largest Library in England
(1331)

From the Sarajevo Haggadah: Moses upon Sinai, holding the Ten Commandments. (View Larger)
The Oldest Sephardic Haggadah
(Circa 1350)

The Papal Library Contains 2,059 Volumes
(1369)

The Earliest Surviving Book Printed from Movable Metal Type
(1377)

Saint Catherine in her Study with her Revolving Bookstand
(Circa 1399 – 1416)

1400 – 1450

Folio 64v of Les Très Riches Heures, for the month of June. (View Larger)
The Most Famous Late Medieval Illuminated Manuscript
(Circa 1413 – 1416)

The Earliest Dated European Woodblock Print
(1418)

A depiction of the Donation of Constantine in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City, by an artist of Raphael's studio. (View Larger)
Lorenzo Valla Proves that the Donation of Constantine is a Forgery
(1440)

"The Imitation of Christ"
(1441 – 1473)

The First Concordance of the Hebrew Bible
(1448)

1450 – 1500

The Giant Bible of Mainz, copied by hand in large characters as to be read from a lectern, shares many artistic characteristics with the Gutenberg Bible, and may haver served as a model for it. (View Larger)
The Giant Bible of Mainz: Possibly the Model for the Typography in the…
(April 4, 1452 – July 9, 1453)

Johannes Gutenburg.
The 42-Line Bible
(1454)

<p>The 31-line indulgence preserved in the Scheide Library at Princeton.</p>
The Earliest Dated European Document Printed by Movable Type
(October 22, 1454)

The 42-line Gutenberg Bible, completed in in 1456 by Johannes Gutenberg, Johann Fust & Peter Schöffer, is the earliest European book printed from movable type, by a process of Gutenberg's own invention. (View Larger)
Completion of the 42-Line Bible
(1455 – 1456)

An image of Pope Pius II in blessing, from a biographical fresco in the Cathedral Library of Siena. (View Larger)
"The Sale of a Printed Bible"
(March 12, 1455)

Pope Calixtus III.
Die Bulla widder die Turcken, also Printed by Gutenberg, of which One Copy Survives
(Circa July 1456)

The colophon of the 1457 Mainz Psalter, featuring the first printer's mark. (View Larger)
The Mainz Psalter. . . .without "Any Driving of the Pen"
(August 14, 1457)

The 36-line Bible, the second printed edition, was most likely published in Bamberg, Germany, around 1458-1460. No printers name appears in the book, but Johannes Gutenberg may have been involved in its publication. (View Larger)
The 36-Line Bible
(Circa 1459 – 1461)

An illuminated page from a copy of the 1459 Mainz Psalter preserved at the Bodelian Library. (View Larger)
The 1459 Mainz Psalter
(August 29, 1459)

The first page of Guillelmus Duranti's Rationale divinorum officiorum. (View Larger)
The First Book Set in Fere-Humanistica or Gotico-Antiqua Types
(October 6, 1459)

<p>The Latin Bible printed by Johannes Mentelin in Strassbourg before 27 June 1466. ISTC No.: ib00624000.</p> <p> </p>
The Second Printed Edition of the Bible
(1460)

Gutenberg's Last Production? An Early Form of Stereotyping?
(1460 – 1469)

The First Publication with a Separate Printed Title Page
(1463)

The panel painting by Hans Memling depicting the Annunciation.
Mary Reading from a Manuscript Book
(Circa 1465 – 1475)

The First Dated Book Printed in Italy Containing the First Printing in Greek
(October 29, 1465)

<p>Portrait of Augustine of Hippo by Philippe de Champaigne.</p>
The Value and Difficulty of Preparing an Accurate Manuscript for Printing
(1466)

The German Mentelin Bible, published by Johann Mentelin in 1466, was the first bible published in a modern language. (View Larger)
The First Edition of the Bible in a Modern Language
(June 1466)

Adolf Rusch's printing of the encyclopedia 'De Sermonum Propietate,
The First Printed Encyclopedia
(1467)

The first edition of St. Augustine's 'De Civitate Dei,' meaning City of God, is the oldest printed work for which the original manuscript remains. (View Larger)
Possibly the Earliest Printed Book for which the Printer's Manuscript Remains…
(June 12, 1467)

The 'Rome Incunabula,' a collection of six Jewish texts, are thought to be the oldest works printed in Hebrew. (View Larger)
The Earliest Books Printed in Hebrew
(1469 – 1472)

<p>Augustine, Confessiones, Manuscript on vellum, Germany, first half of 13th century (BPH Ms 83).</p>
The First Printed Edition of the Confessions of St. Augustine
(1470)

The First Printed Concordance of the Bible
(1470 – 1474)

Probably the First Printed Book with an Index
(November 10, 1470)

Probably the Best-Selling 15th Century Printed Book by a Living Author
(1474)

The First Dated Book Printed in Hebrew
(February 17 – February 18, 1475)

The Earliest Printing of Any Book of the Bible in Greek
(1481)

The Sultan Prohibits Turks from Printing
(1484)

An Early Depiction of a Child Wrecking a Book
(Circa 1485)

The First Printed Haggadah
(1486)

Handbook for Witch-Hunters and Inquisitors
(April 1487)

The Beginning of Prepublication Censorship
(November 17, 1487)

The First Complete Printed Hebrew Bible
(April 22, 1488)

Gershom Soncino Sells the First Copy of His First Book
(December 19 – December 29, 1488)

The First and Second Books Printed in Lisbon
(July 16 – November 25, 1489)

Departure of Columbus for the New World & the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain
(July 30 – October 12, 1492)

Sultan Bayezid II Wellcomes Jewish Refugees from Spain
(August 1492)

The First Book Printed in the Ottoman Empire
(December 13, 1493)

The Earliest Subject Bibliography
(1494)

The Persistence of Illuminated Manuscript Production
(Circa 1499)

1500 – 1550

Early Printing in Hebrew
(1500)

The Aberdeen Breviary, published in 1507 and the first major work to be printed in Scotland, briefly recounts the lives of various Scottish saints. (View Larger)
The Aberdeen Breviary, the First Major Book Printed in Scotland
(1509 – 1510)

Maximilain I, who greatly extended the House of Habsburg around the turn of the 16th century, decreed in 1509 the confiscation of Jewish books as a method of encouraging Jewish conversion to Christianity; however, he reversed his decision in 1510 and the texts were returned. (View Larger)
Maximilian I Orders the Confiscation of Jewish Books, but Eventually Rescinds…
(August 19, 1509 – June 6, 1510)

Gregorio de Gregorii, an Italian printer, published the first book in Arabic with moveable type in 1514, commissioned by Pope Julius II for delivery to Christians in the Middle East. (View Larger)
The First Book Printed in Arabic by Movable Type
(1514 – 1517)

Martin Luther begins the Protestant Reformation in Germany in 1517, the spread of which is largely due to the mass availability of Luther's 95 Theses in German, making the movement of the Reformation 'one of the first in history to be aided by the printing press.' (View Larger)
Launching the Protestant Reformation
(October 31, 1517)

The First Printed Edition of the Complete Babylonian Talmud
(1519 – 1523)

The title page of Pope Leo X's bull 'Exsurge Domine,' bearing the Papal coat of arms, was written to warn Martin Luther that he must recant his 95 Theses or risk excommunication. (View Larger)
The Pope Responds to the 95 Theses
(June 15, 1520)

Martin Luther's 'On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church,' in which he criticizes the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, was the second of three treatises published by Luther in 1520 which became manifestos for the Reformation. (View Larger)
The Manifesto of the Reformation
(August 1520)

Luther Burns the Papal Bull
(December 10, 1520)

Pope Leo X excommunicates Reformation leader Martin Luther after Luther refused to recant his 95 Theses criticizing the Church. (View Larger)
The Pope Excommunicates Luther
(January 3, 1521)

"The Law of Printing" Issued in Response to Exsurge Domine
(May 26, 1521)

The Sack of Rome Marks the End of the High Renaissance
(May 6, 1527 – February 1528)

In 1536, King Henry VIII formally disbands all monasteries in his realm and seizes their property, including thousands of books and manuscripts, most of which were subsequently lost or destroyed. (View Larger)
Dissolution of the Monasteries Brings Destruction and Dispersal of Libraries
(1536 – 1541)

First Printed Edition of the Qur'an in Arabic, of Which One Copy Survived
(August 9, 1537 – August 9, 1538)

The 'Casa de la Primera Imprenta de América,' where printer Juan Pablos printed what is likely the first book in the Western Hemisphere, still stands today in Mexico City. (View Larger)
The First Book Printed in the Western Hemisphere
(June 12, 1539)

First Printed Edition of the Latin Translation of the Qur'an
(1542 – 1543)

In 1543, Martin Luther publishes the first modern antisemitic work, going so far as to condone the enslavement and murder of Jews, writing that the public is 'at fault in not slaying them.' (View Larger)
The First Work of Modern Antisemitism
(1543)

Henry VIII Restricts the Reading of the Bible
(May 12, 1543)

Masterpiece of High Renaissance Manuscript Illumination
(1546)

Spiritual Exercises
(1548)

1550 – 1600

<p>Engraved portrait of Michael Servetus.</p>
Medical Discovery, Heresy, and Martyrdom
(1553)

The Inquistion Publishes its First List of Censored Works
(1554)

Concentrating the Entire Printing Business in the Members of the Stationers Company
(May 4, 1557)

Index Librorum Prohibitorum
(1559)

The Earliest Surviving Books Printed in India from Movable Type
(July 2, 1561 – April 10, 1563)

Destruction of the Maya Codices
(July 12, 1562)

The First Dated Book Printed in Russia
(March 1, 1564)

A Working Sixteenth Century Automaton of a Monk
(Circa 1565)

The First Book Printed in a Goidelic Language
(April 24, 1567)

The First Extended Series of Prints Attempting to Depict Great Events of the Recent Past
(1569 – 1570)

Book Collector Matthew Parker Donates his Library
(1574)

The First Book Printed in the Middle East
(1577)

First Complete Slavic Bible
(July 20, 1580 – August 12, 1581)

The Gregorian Calendar
(February 24, 1582)

The First Book Written by a European Printed in China
(1583 – 1584)

The Medici Press
(1584)

1600 – 1650

The First Bibliography Published in the New World
(1606)

The First Book Printed in the Arab World
(1610)

The Earliest Documented 15th Century Book in North America
(1635)

The First Institution of Higher Learning in the U.S.
(1636)

The First Book Printed in North America
(1640)

Sixty Printed Books and Three Newsbooks Ordered to be Burned
(1640 – 1660)

The First Book Printed on Malta
(1643)

1650 – 1700

Probably the Most Influential of Historical Chronologies: The World Was Created in 4004 BCE
(1650 – 2012)

The First Complete Bible Published in the Western Hemisphere
(1661 – 1663)

The First Hieroglyphic Bible for Children
(1684 – 1692)

1700 – 1750

The First Books Printed in Arabic in the Middle East
(1706)

The First Global View of Religion
(1723 – 1743)

To Protect the More than 4000 Manuscript Copyists of Constantinople
(1727)

Cruden's Concordance, Possibly the Largest Task of Compilation Ever Undertaken by One Man
(1738)

1750 – 1800

Early Archaeological Exploration of Fertility Rites
(1786)

Jews Receive Full Citizenship in France
(September 27, 1791)

The Rosetta Stone
(July 15, 1799)

1800 – 1850

The First Edition of the Qur'an Printed by Muslims
(1801)

A Press in Malta to Print Books in Arabic & Turkish
(1825 – 1842)

The First Lithographed Books Printed in Persia
(1832 – 1837)

The First Commercial Christmas Card
(May 1, 1843)

1850 – 1875

Constantin von Tischendorf Discovers the Codex Sinaiticus
(1859)

The First Printer Authorized to the Print the Qur'an in Constantinople
(1866)

1875 – 1900

The Caxton Quadricentennial Celebration: Probably the Largest Exhibition on the History of Printing Ever Held
(June 30 – September 1, 1877)

Prayerbook Woven by the Jacquard Loom
(1886 – 1887)

The Earliest Miniature Printed Editions of the Qur'an
(1892 – 1900)

The Largest and Most Diverse Collection of Medieval Manuscripts in the World
(1896 – 1902)

1920 – 1930

The Beginning of "Talk Radio"
(February 1924)

The Literature and Culture of Suicide
(1927)

1940 – 1950

Discovery of the "Dead Sea Scrolls"
(1947 – 1956)

Final Edition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
(1948)

The "Survivor's Talmud" Published by the U.S. Army
(1948)

Transposing a System from Commercial and Statistical Uses to the Sorting of Words in a Literary Text: The Origins of Humanities Computing
(1949 – 1951)

1950 – 1960

Pioneer Televangelist
(1951)

The First Computerized Concordance of the Bible
(1957)

1960 – 1970

Abolishing the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
(1966)

The Smallest Published Edition of the Bible, and the First to Reach the Moon
(1966)

1970 – 1980

Publication of the Index Thomisticus: Forty Years of Data Processing
(1974 – 1980)

Finding Additional Pages of the Codex Sinaiticus
(May 1979)

1990 – 2000

First Library of Digital Images on the Internet
(1993)

2005 – 2010

3.1 Billion Books
(Circa December 2006)

More than 4.7 Billion Bibles Were Been Printed Between 1455 and 2007
(2007)

28,578,000 Copies Printed Semi-Monthly
(November 2007)

The World's Oldest Oil Paintings Restored After Taliban Dynamite
(February 19, 2008)

Virtual Reunification of the Codex Sinaiticus
(July 6, 2009)

2011 – 2013

Confession: A Roman Catholic iPhone App
(February 2011)

The Saint John's Bible is Completed
(May 2011)

The Methodists' Handwritten Bible
(August 11, 2011)

The First Widely Accepted Index of the Talmud
(December 2011)

Surprisingly Active 21st Century Trade in Medieval Manuscript Books of Hours
(2012)

42,182,000 Copies Printed Semi-Monthly in 194 Languages
(January 2012)

Discovery of the Afghan Genizah
(January 23, 2012)

Using a Densitometer to Measure Usage of Medieval Books of Hours
(April 23, 2012)

Digitizing the Oldest Monastic Library
(May 2012)

@Pontifex Sends First Tweet
(December 12, 2012)

The Secret Race to Save Manuscripts in Timbuktu and Djenne
(December 27, 2012)

2013 – Present

Part of Library of the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu is Burned
(January 28 – January 30, 2013)