A chronological anchor is a point in history whose date can be established with reasonable confidence through sources outside of the New Testament. Connecting a person or event to a securely dated historical event outside the text helps to anchor the narrative because it functions like a fixed point in time. From that fixed point, we can move forward or backward in time to date other events. Incidental references to the passage of time within the text can help us map out the movements of individuals, connect the people within the text to one another, and narrow the time frame in which events took place within the narrative.
Here are some chronological anchors from the New Testament:
| Date | Chronological Anchor / Source | NT Dating Connection |
|---|---|---|
| 41–54 CE | Reign of Claudius \ Suetonius, Claudius 25.4; Tacitus, Annals | Acts; Pauline chronology |
| 51–52 CE | Gallio’s proconsulship \ Delphi (Gallio) Inscription; Acts 18:12–17 | Acts 18; 1 Thessalonians |
| 62 CE | Death of James the Just \ Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.197–203 | James |
| 64 CE | Great Fire of Rome \ Tacitus, Annals 15.38–44 | 1 Peter; Acts |
| 70 CE | Destruction of the Second Temple \ Josephus, Jewish War 6–7; Tacitus, Histories | Gospels; Acts; Hebrews |
As you can see, the chronological anchors mentioned above function like a fixed point in time. If Peter died during Nero’s reign, as early Christian tradition indicates, his death could help us narrow the possible time frame of the writing of the book of 1 Peter, if Peter wrote that book. If we can date James the Just’s death reasonably securely to 62 CE, then we can also narrow the time frame in which he could have written the book of James. These chronological anchors help us to benefit from what other historians know about the context of the historical event, creating a fuller picture of what was happening around the apostles as New Testament books were being written.
Probably the best chronological anchor we have in the New Testament is Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia in the mid-first century. In the early twentieth century, a French excavation team discovered an inscription at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi containing a letter from Emperor Claudius that mentions him. This inscription contained information that historians could correlate with other well-established facts about the reign of Claudius, allowing scholars to date Gallio’s governorship to approximately 51-52 CE. By using this chronological anchor, scholars were able to establish the approximate time for the trial of Paul before Gallio described in Acts 18.
Narrowing the date of the trial to 51-52 CE created a domino effect that helped scholars determine when and from where Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. Paul states in 1 Thessalonians that he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians together with Silvanus and Timothy (1:1). Paul also states that, at the time of writing the letter, Timothy has just returned from Thessalonica with his report (1 Thess. 3:6). When we look back at Acts, we can see that Corinth is the first place within that book when Paul, Silvanus and Timothy reunite after Timothy’s mission in Thessalonica (Acts 18:5). This strongly suggests that Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians from Corinth at the end of his second journey, in around 50-51 CE.
Here is a visual of what I mean:
Gallio Inscription
(Discovered 1905)
│
▼
Gallio serves as
Proconsul of Achaia
(c. 51–52 CE)
│
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Paul appears before
Gallio in Acts 18
│
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Acts places Paul in
Corinth with Silvanus
and Timothy (Acts 18:5)
│
▼
1 Thessalonians
mentions Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy
together (1 Thess. 1:1)
The Early Christians: Christians, Jews or Both? 
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