The Bible is made up of sixty-six books spanning a period from creation to the early years of the Christian church, ending around 90AD. For most people, this adds to the complication of understanding Scripture and I am often asked to put what is being read into some sort of historical context. I have therefore added this short guide to Bible history.

If we read the dates given in the Old Testament literally, the first eleven chapters of Genesis take us through two millennia; from 4040BC to about 2000BC. God creates everything but then Adam and Eve usher in The Fall and are booted out of Eden. Humanity continues to decline and God floods the world, saving only Noah's family and the animals on the Ark. They begin to repopulate the earth, but mankind's arrogance in building the Tower of Babylon leads to their dispersion around the globe.

After this prologue, it is possible to trace a pretty orthodox history, starting with Terah who, sometime after 2000BC, leaves Ur in Babylonia (in modern southern Iraq) with his family, including his son Abram. Terah is intent on travelling to Canaan, at the other end of the fertile crescent, but he dies en route. Abram completes the journey, changing his name to Abraham.

Although Abraham settles in Canaan, he sends his servant back to Babylonia to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, Isaac's own son Jacob (Israel) returns east to find himself a wife and start a family. He has twelve sons by four women, founding the twelve tribes of Israel.¹ Although they return to Canaan, they are forced to flee to Egypt because of famine around 1700BC. This is where the book of Genesis ends.

¹ The twelve tribes are named after ten of Jacob's sons and two grandsons (Ephraiam and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph). Jacob's son Levi does not found a tribe: his family are set aside as priests.