I've retired/archived the old, far
less detailed Timeline
on account of it not being very useful and there being no reason
to be redundant. So now there's only this! Here I've
tried to catalog every last (canonical) Dyeland story scene as
well as give some hint on when plot points from TBAA episodes
figured in. If you want just a list of stories, you can go
to the Story
Index. Please note: I am recapping stories here so
spoilers abound. I don't actually remember any of the
stories well enough to know, off the top of my head, on what day
particular things happened. So... I'm doing these as I
reread the stories. Therefore, stories I've re-read
recently have very detailed entries. Entries for stories
I've not read in years remain vague until I can re-read them.
God bless,
Jenni
Pre-calendar:
Tess, Adam, Henry, and Andrew are born. I
think popular opinion is Tess it the oldest followed by
Adam. I'm not sure what the feeling is about who's older:
Henry or Andrew. I think some of us believe Henry is
older. Also, Sam I would figure to be older than Tess.
In "Safe",
Rose and JenniAnn ask Tess to tell them about what Andrew was like
as a baby (understanding that he was never actually in baby
form... they just meant when he was newly created). She
proceeds to tell them about his general demeanor and illustrates
it with a story about his time in choir. So I think it can
be assumed from her tale that Andrew's first gig was in the
angelic choir. Tess goes onto say that Andrew spent time in
Search and Rescue and "other departments" though she didn't
specify the latter. Later, of course, he moves into
Caseworking. In JABB
186, Andrew has a Q and A in which he responds to a question
about his work history like this: "First, as is often the case, I
was in the choir. That was great. And good practice for my years
in Adam's, Henry's, and my band. Search and Rescue briefly. For a
number of years, I was also in a department that Touched
never really got around to discussing. It was called Inspiration
and Advisement. We delivered divine inspiration from the Father to
artists, authors, people struggling with big decisions, situations
like that. A few other brief stints. Then it was Casework followed
by Angel of Death." So between TBAA and JABB it's been
established that Andrew was in the choir, Inspiration and
Advisement, Search and Rescue, Caseworking, angel of death, and
supervising AOD along with unknown "other brief stints."
In "Samuel's
Prayer," it's revealed that Samuel is around Andrew's age
and maybe a bit older. He has been a guardian angel since
the dawn of humankind and has also done some "Search and Rescue."
6,000 years ago- Monica is born, as stated
in TBAA's "Holy of Holies."
4,000 years ago- This is when Reuel's
account in "Shadowlands"
is set... or thereabouts. Prior to the Great Flood, angels
led by Reuel watched over the people of a village called Nogah and
rescued those who were threatened and harmed by the Nephilim and
demons, led by the monstrous Nen and Tzila. God tells Reuel
that He will be sending a flood to wipe out the evil ones and has
Reuel bring his people to a portal which leads to another world,
later named El-Chanan by the angel. From then on out,
Reuel's people flourish and El-Chanan thrives.
630-570 BC- This is the lifespan of the poet Sappho of
Lesbos. Both Crawly (Crowley) and Jamie spent some time with
her. Not much is known about this era except the two seemed
to be friendly at the time and Crawly was feminine in
appearance. Jamie
defended Crawly when he was getting some shade for seemingly
being in love with a man named Aziraphale. ("A
Thousand Years")
Circa 19 BC- "The
Christmas Rose" has Yosef saying that he was 18 when he and
Maryam were betrothed. So he was probably 19 when Yeshua was
born meaning this would be his birth year or thereabouts.
Circa 15 BC- Maryam's birth year. In
"The
Carpenter," Maryam states that she and Yosef had been
together since she was 14 and that likely means from the betrothal
on. Tag on another nine months of pregnancy and you get 15
BC. I think... I guess it would depend on how
birthdays fell. In "The
Family Tree," we get Yosef's take on first meeting Maryam
when she was a newborn. He was very adamant about not
wanting to marry the girl when they were grown. He changed
his mind.
Circa 11 BC- In "The King,"
Maryam tells JenniAnn her earliest memory of Yosef which was when
she was four and he was nine. Maryam inadvertently stole
something from her future husband.
Circa 4 BC- Maryam and her mother, Hannah, are visiting the
home of a neighbor whose wife has recently died in
childbirth. Maryam notices Yosef across the way,
weeping. She goes to him, hoping to comfort him over the
loss of his cousin. Yosef is very angry, sure his cousin,
Rahab, wouldn't have died if she hadn't been laboring with her
second child at a mere fifteen years old. Yosef tries to get
Maryam to promise to not be forced into marriage, especially at a
young age. Maryam insists her parents would never do that
and have promised her as much. Further, she intends to marry
Yosef who she knows would never hurt her. Oblivious, Yosef
tries to press the point before giving up. Maryam asks if he
wishes to marry and... he doesn't. He might become an Essene
instead. He doesn't want to be responsible for what happened
to Rahab. Upset, Maryam tries to reason with him. She
tells him it makes her sad to think of him not being a husband and
father because she's sure he'd be a good one. Yosef tells
Maryam he's just troubled and to never mind him. Maryam
expresses her condolences then goes inside to see his sister,
Danya, and Samiya, his mother. Maryam's words stick with
Yosef and he begins to reconsider abandoning marriage and
fatherhood. He ends up daydreaming about a son named
Yeshua. ("The
Golden Cord, Part III")
Circa 3 BC- "Believe"
begins with a panicked, young Yosef showing up at Yehoyakim's
house. He's there for Hannah, a talented midwife, because
Yosef's mother, Samiya, has gone into premature labor.
Maryam prays for the ability to help and the whole family follows
Yosef back to his home. While Yehoyakim and Maryam comfort
the children, Hannah helps Samiya through a difficult labor.
The baby is born but not breathing. Samiya is
distraught. Maryam enters the room, asks to hold the baby,
and, heeding God's guidance, massages her chest. The baby
begins to breathe and cry. Everyone is elated and, fourteen
days later, Yosef's parents tell Maryam that they're naming the
baby after her. To avoid confusion, Maryam nicknames the
baby Yoninah, "little dove."
Circa 1- Yeshua (later
known as Joshua) was born to Maryam and Yosef of Nazareth.
It was kinda a big deal. You may have read about it.
:-) And with "The
Family Tree," you get another take on His birth.
Decidedly not in keeping with the rules of the day, Yosef insists
on being at Maryam's side when Yeshua enters the world. Fr.
Mike gives a homily about Maryam's and Yosef's courtship and
Joshua's birth during Kemara's and Sean's wedding in "Here
is My Heart." In N451,
Andrew briefly tells the story of Joshua's birth from his own
POV. In "Believe,"
Andrew has a dream/vision of the events leading up to Joshua's
birth. We see Maryam telling Yosef about her pregnancy, the
families' reactions, Yosef's dream, and the couple's visit to
their first home. In "The
Golden Cord," Maryam and Yosef offer another version of
the Christmas story to four-year-old Yeshu. The
Golden Cord, Part III provides another glimpse of the first
Christmas. Maryam asks Yosef if he regrets not becoming an
Essene and he assures her that he does not. She confesses
that he broke her heart when he first made that
pronouncement. He apologizes, explaining that she was so
young that he had no idea she was interested. They kiss and
joke and admire baby Yeshua. Maryam assures Yosef that he
will be a wonderful father. Yosef is less sure but remembers
the counsel of the angels "Fear not!" As Maryam snuggles
against him with the baby, Yosef silently reasserts that he's glad
he didn't become an Essene.
In N613,
Marty tells Shelby about the Flight to Egypt and how
Yosef struggled when the news of the Massacre of the
Infants reached them. Yosef struggles to
understand why an angel wasn't sent to other parents to
warn them and why Herod wasn't struck down. Maryam
tries to calm him but is also heartbroken, especially
for the mothers. She assures Yosef that it's not a
sin to question. She points out that he was once
angry at her and yet she loved him still. So God
would be even more understanding and loving.
Maryam hands Yosef baby Yeshua and he is comforted as he
cradles his son, the Deliverer.
Circa 4- Yosef, Maryam,
and Yeshua return from Egypt and resettle in Nazareth. Yosef
is trying to rebuild his carpentry business and Maryam tends to
her son and cares for sick neighbors. Unfortunately, not
everyone has forgotten the scandal of Yosef marrying the pregnant
Maryam. Another little boy in the village taunts Yeshua
about not being Yosef's. This prompts his Ama and Abi to
tell him a little about his divine parentage. In 2013,
Joshua grants Ivy a
vision of this. This is also about when Yeshua really
befriends Isaaq ("Child
of
Laughter").
Circa 5- Yeshua awakens his parents on his
fourth birthday, wanting to hear the story of his birth.
Maryam and Yosef comply and, for the first time, the little
boy seems to understand a bit about why he's so special. He
shares the news with his buddy, Yoktan. ("The
Golden Cord")
Circa 5/6- This is around the time when
Yohannan and Yeshua decide to play "Extreme Home Makeover"
according to "Someone
who Urgently Needs a Shelf." Maryam's parents, Hannah
and Yehoyakim also passed away sometime around then.
Circa 7- Yohannan comes to spend time with
Yeshua and his family while his parents are otherwise
occupied. He celebrates Yeshua's birthday and bonds with his
precious cousin. ("The
Golden Cord, Part II")
Circa 10- Maryam tells her son the truth
about his friend, Isaaq, and how the family met him. ("Child
of
Laughter")
Circa 15- Per John's story in "Shadowlands,"
this is about when Yeshua schemes to teach an immoral shopkeeper
to pull himself together and honor God which, in turn, gives a
poor little boy the donkey-friend he longed for.
Circa 16- Isaaq passes away surrounded by
Maryam, Yosef, and Yeshua in their home. ("Child
of
Laughter") This is also around the time that Yosef's
sister and her husband pass away leaving behind six children:
Yaqob, Yosef, Shimeon, Yehuda, Leah, and Yael.
Maryam and Yosef acted as parents to the children with Yeshua
stepping in as their big brother. ("The King")
Circa 21- Yosef passes away following a
heart attack. He dies in the arms of his wife and son.
A month later, on the eve of his 20th birthday, Yeshua remains in
mourning. Maryam tells him a story about the family's time
in Egypt and Yeshua works a miracle involving a very special
rose. ("The
Christmas Rose")
Circa 28- Yeshua and Maryam attend Mary of
Bethany's wedding. Lazar, her older brother, gets wasted
because he doesn't trust the groom, Yakan, and is fearful for his
sister. Mother and son try to get the drunk man to bed but
he refuses. Lazar wants to keep an eye on Yakan. While
Maryam goes to fetch water and cloth to clean Lazar up, Yeshua
remains with him and asks why he's so upset. Lazar reveals
that, while on a business trip to Magdala with Yakan, an old woman
told him that Yakan beat his previous wife and turned her out
after two years when she didn't produce a son. The wife was
then forced into prostitution to survive and died. Yeshua is
horrified, especially when Lazar tells him he told Mary and she
explained it away as a cruel rumor. Yeshua at last gets
Lazar to bed after promising to speak to Mary herself. He
and Maryam steal a moment with the bride. She's very joyful
and excitedly invites them to visit her and Yakan in Magdala.
When she has to leave to speak with Martha, Yeshua and
Maryam are left to hope that Lazar is wrong.
In the two years that follow, Maryam and Yeshua
never receive an invitation from Mary to visit her.
Meanwhile, Martha and Lazar do visit Magdala and find their
little sister bruised and sad but she refuses to leave with them.
Upon learning this, Maryam and Yeshua make an unannounced
visit to Magdala but are told by a servant that Mary and Yakan are
traveling. ("Chrysalis")
Circa 30- Yeshua has begun his ministry and
preaches near the Sea of Galilee. At times, he goes off by
himself to pray... and search for Mary. Word had reached him
that Yakan had turned Mary out. She had wept and begged to
remain with her husband but he'd refused, citing the lack of an
heir. Mary never arrived back at Bethany as was expected.
Lazar and Martha went to Magdala where they found Yakan
remarried. He insinuated that Maryam had become a prostitute
but Yeshua struggles to believe that. He enters the
synagogue at Capernaum where his Abba gives him a vision of what
befell Mary.
After being dismissed by Yakan, Mary remains in
Magdala, hoping Yakan will come around. When he doesn't, she
sets off for Bethany on her donkey. Unfortunately, a snake
scares the animal and he darts off with all of Mary's things.
Thrown, Mary loses consciousness on the side of the road.
Mary wakes up in a small, stone room near a fire.
Soon, she hears a male voice and finds a Roman soldier
standing in the doorway. He tries to calm her and asks what
she was doing. He's astounded when she reveals she was
trying to travel to Bethany alone. Tiberias, where she ended
up, is quite far from home. Mary begins to cry and the Roman
comforts her. Assuming she is Jewish, he'd asked his Jewish
nurse to prepare a meal for her. Mary gratefully accepts it
and begins to eat. The two introduce themselves and Mary
learns her rescuer is named Lucius Caelius.
Abigail, Lucius' nurse, takes care of Mary as she
recuperates. Intrigued by her host, Mary is eager to learn
more about Lucius from Abigail who happily obliges. Abigail
was Lucius' wet nurse after his mother died. So she's been
with him for his whole life. She explains that Lucius
suffers from nightmares and would have preferred being a
philosopher but he comes from a military family and his father
would not allow that. She also suspects that Lucius would
convert to Judaism if not for his father. Abigail reveals
that she thinks Lucius is attracted to Mary but, when the girl
suggests leaving, Abigail assures her that Lucius would never take
her by force and, besides, Mary stays in Abigail's room and Lucius
would never cross her. Relaxed, Mary remains.
A week later, Lucius comes to the house with a
surprise. He tracked down Tabi, Mary's donkey, and her
belongings. Mary is thrilled to be reunited with her pet and
treasured family heirlooms. She's emotional but very
thankful. Abigail can tell that sparks are beginning to fly
between Lucius and Mary.
A month after her rescue, Mary is mending some
clothing when she begins to think about her past and weeps.
Lucius enters the room and Mary finally opens up to him
about Yakan and her divorce. The two share a tender moment
and, after a caress, Lucius abruptly leaves. Mary prays for
deliverance from her feelings.
Another two weeks pass and while Abigail is away
helping a neighbor, Mary is awoken by Lucius who is in the the
throes of a night terror. She goes to his room in hopes of
soothing him. One thing leads to another and they end up
kissing. Mary apologizes, explaining that she's merely
desperate for tenderness. Lucius counters that he treasures
her and has been struggling with his feelings for some time.
They end up making love.
The following day, the couple announce their intent
to marry to Abigail. She's shocked but handles it well.
Lucius meets with a rabbi to discuss converting. Mary
is nervous that Lucius will pick up on the cultural/religious
preference for virgins but Lucius counters that King David loved
Bathsheba who surely was not a virgin having been married.
Lucius also assures Mary that, even if she were barren, he
would still love her. Mary tells Lucius that she trusts him
and they embrace.
A week later, Lucius is told to report to
Capernaum. Mary stays behind because Abigail fell and is
recuperating. Lucius expresses his gratitude to God for
leading him to Mary. They embrace and kiss and Mary thanks
God, too, and silently vows to be a good wife to Lucius.
After three weeks pass with no sign of Lucius,
Abigail and Mary grow nervous. Finally, the latter makes her
way to the army barracks where another centurion tells Mary that
Lucius drowned while trying to save two Jewish boys caught in a
sudden storm. Mary is devastated and begins to wander around
in a daze. She ends up wandering back to the barracks after
nightfall where a Roman soldier finds her. He and two other
soldiers rape Mary and then dump her in a nearby grove. Mary
shakily walks further into the grove.
When the vision ends, Yeshua weeps in the synagogue
and vows to find and heal Mary. He hurries back to his
followers and, finding Cephas the only one awake, tells him of his
plans which include retrieving Maryam before confronting Mary.
Cephas insists that Yeshua take his brother's donkey and
that he, Andreas, Yaqob, and Yohannan meet the two in Tiberias.
Yeshua agrees and sets off.
During the ride to Tiberias, Yeshua relates his
vision to his mother. The two make plans for what they'll do
once there. Maryam is confident that her son will be able to
heal their friend.
Once in Tiberias, the group learns that Mary is
considered a madwoman and taunted by the villagers. Despite
his apostles' arguments, Yeshua is determined to go into the grove
and talk to Mary. He's only stopped when Abigail hurries
onto the scene and yells at him, thinking he means Mary harm.
However, she recognizes the name Yeshua of Nazareth and has
heard of his healings so sends him in with a basket of food.
Yeshua comes to a mound of hair and torn cloth
which is Mary. She's distrustful, angry, and broken.
After raging, Mary begins to rock and sing a song Lucius
taught her to calm herself. Yeshua gets her talking about
Lucius. The breakthrough is cut short when Mary flashes back
to her rape. Yeshua tells her of God's love and counters her
claims that God would turn away from her. He also tells her
that God forgives her for laying with Lucius without marriage but
that He can't forgive her for being raped because that was the
rapists' sins... not hers. She is blameless. She then
asks for forgiveness for her own sins and Yeshua grants that.
Mary leans against her friend and they embrace as she
engages in a cleansing cry. Afterwards, the two exit the
grove. Mary is reunited with Abigail and Maryam who embrace
her.
The group returns to Lucius' house where Mary
remains for a week. Lazar and Martha reunite with their
sister there and shower her with affection. Yeshua finds
Mary in Lucius' room and she expresses her sorrow that she and
Lucius couldn't marry. She's also worried about his fate in
the after life. Yeshua counsels that he thinks Mary will see
Lucius again in a place where neither will feel pain.
Together, they leave the room for the last time.
A week later, Mary and Abigail have settled into
life back at Bethany with Lazar and Martha. Lazar announces
that Mary has a guest. She and Abigail discover that it's
Cornelius, the centurion who informed Mary of Lucius' death.
After some wrangling with Lucius' father, Cornelius was able
to obtain what Lucius left for Mary and Abigail in his will.
Both women are presented with an abundance of coins.
They both weep and Mary feels undeserving but Abigail
counsels that they'll find a way to use the money to honor
Lucius. ("Chrysalis")
In "You'll
Never Walk Alone," Mary has
a brief dream about the first night she spent
with Lucius. She awakens feeling dreamy
only to find that Lucius is also awake and
seemingly troubled. She's concerned that
she disappointed him but he assures her that
wasn't the case. He reveals that there
are things he wishes he'd told her before they
made love, terrible things about his
family. Mary vows to love him
regardless, kisses him, and listens.
Circa 31- "The
Messiah" contains a flashback to Yeshua's ministry.
While fishing, Cephas and Shimeon find an abandoned Roman baby
girl with a cleft lip. They bring her back to the
disciples' camp where they first meet Bar Tolmay and Mary of
Magdala who both pity the child. Mary, who is still in
mourning, takes it further, though. Her heart goes
out to the little one and she asks Yeshua to heal her. He
agrees and then asks Mary what she'll name the child. She
chooses Yemimah, meaning dove, and adopts the little girl.
Circa 32/33- In "God
With Us," Yeshua receives birthday visitors: Crawly
(later Crowley) and Aziraphale, a demon and an angel who are
friends. Crawly has come to give Yeshua a birthday trip to a
Native American village in hopes he'll be smitten with the people,
including a newborn baby, and abandon his plan to die for the sins
of the world. This, obviously, fails though Yeshua instantly
loves the people. He uses the time to try to make Crawly see
that he's still loved and that "demon" perhaps isn't a very apt
description. When he calls Crawly "my own," the demon is
shook and Aziraphale cuts the visit short when he sees his friend
is upset. Crawly returns them to Judea where he and
Aziraphale part from Yeshua, hoping to see each other again.
Unlike Aziraphale, Crawly and Yeshua know his time on Earth is
drawing to a close. When the friends leave, Yeshua ponders
that perhaps the lost sheep that he was sent for don't include
only humans.
Circa 33/34- In "Asking
the Answer," it's revealed that Andrew saw Joshua die.
This is further hinted at in "Ivy."
"Child
of
Laughter" reveals a bit about Yeshua's post-Crucifixion
awesomeness.