As a map helps one see the course of a river, a time line may help delineate some major turning points in Jewish history before we start our journey, which begins 2,000 years before the common era (B.C.E., often known as B.C.) and extends into the common era (C.E., often known as A.D.).
| 2000-1280 B.C.E. | The Patriarchs, slavery in Egypt |
| ca. 1280 B.C.E. | Exodus from Egypt |
| 1020-1004 B.C.E. | King Saul, first king of Israel |
| 1004-965 B.C.E. | King David |
| 965-928 B.C.E. | King Solomon; First Temple constructed |
| 928 B.C.E. | Divided kingdoms: Judea (South) and Israel (North) |
| 928-722 B.C.E. | Prophecies of Elijah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah |
| 722 B.C.E. | Israel conquered by Assyria and Israelites deported |
| 627-585 B.C.E. | Prophecies of Jeremiah |
| 621 B.C.E. | King Josiah's reforms begin |
| 586 B.C.E. | Destruction of the First Temple; Jerusalem destroyed; Jews exiled to Babylonia |
| 593-571 B.C.E. | Prophecies of Ezekiel |
| 6th c. B.C.E. | Torah canonized in Babylonian exile |
| 538 B.C.E. | Jews return to Israel |
| 520-515 B.C.E. | Second Temple built |
| 4th c. B.C.E. | Prophets section of Tanach canonized |
| 164 B.C.E. | End of successful revolt against Syrians |
| 70 C.E. | End of revolt against Rome; Second Temple destroyed; Sanhedrin established in Yavneh |
| 132-135 C.E. | Bar Kokhba revolt |
| 135 C.E. | Betar falls, revolt ends |
| 2nd c. C.E. | Writings section of Tanach canonized |
| 200 C.E. | Mishnah redacted |
| 220 C.E. | Tosefta redacted |
| 312 C.E. | Rome becomes a Christian empire |
| ca. 350 C.E. | Halakhic midrashim are redacted |
| 368 C.E. | Julian killed; Judaism loses its favorable standing in the Roman Empire |
| ca. 400 C.E. | Yerushalmi and aggadic midrash collections redacted |
| ca. 500 C.E. | Bavli redacted |
Part of a fuller understanding of Jewish history rests in simply appreciating how the location of the land of Israel, on a bridge between Africa and Asia, shaped the fate of the Jewish people. The "superpowers" of the periods with which we are concerned were Egypt, to Israel's southwest; Assyria and Babylonia, to Israel's northeast; and, later, Rome and Greece, to the northwest. As the great powers battled each other through the centuries, they necessarily had to traverse the land bridge on which Israel was located. Thus, the history of the land of Israel is something like that of the Baltic states, caught between Germany and Russia. As the balance of power would swing between those superpowers, conquering armies would march through the countries separating them, sometimes forcing local residents to adopt the culture of the conqueror. Likewise, Jewish history is a story of great powers, wars, invasions, revolts, and exiles.