The chronological order of the books of the bible is a collection of books that tells the story of God’s relationship with humanity. The Bible is divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. From the details of the. chronological order of the bible, the Old Testament is made up of 39 books written between 1400 and 400 BC. The New Testament consists of 27 books, written between 50 AD and 100 AD. These two sections are further divided into smaller sections known as “chapters” and verses.
The Apocrypha is a collection of religious texts that were included in some versions of the Bible but omitted from others. It includes stories about Jesus’ childhood and his life after his crucifixion, along with other religious texts such as Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach), Baruch and Letter of Jeremiah.
Chronological Order Of The Bible Including Apocrypha
The Bible is a collection of books that was written over the course of many centuries. It’s organized by genre, including historical books, prophetic books, and religious texts like Psalms. includes the Old and New Testaments, which is a record of God’s plan of salvation.
New Testament
1. The Gospel of Matthew
2. The Gospel of Mark
3. The Gospel of Luke
4. The Gospel of John
5. Acts
6. Romans
7. 1 Corinthians
8. 2 Corinthians
9. Galatians
10. Ephesians
11. Philippians
12. Colossians
13. 1 Thessalonians
14. 2 Thessalonians
15. 1 Timothy
16. 2 Timothy
17. Titus
18. Philemon
19. Hebrews
20. James
21. 1 Peter
22. 2 Peter
23. 1 John
24. 2 John
25. 3 John
26. Jude
27. Revelation
Old Testament
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther
18. Job
19. Psalms
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Solomon
23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel
28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi
Apocrypha
1. 1 Esdras
2. 2 Esdras
3. Tobit
4. Judith
5. Additions to Esther
6. Wisdom of Solomon
7. Wisdom of Sirach
8. Baruch
9. Letter of Jeremiah
10. Prayer of Azariah
11. Susanna
12. Bel and the Dragon
13. Additions to Daniel
14. 1 Maccabees
15. 2 Maccabees
16. 3 Maccabees
17. 4 Maccabees
| Books | Number of Books |
|---|---|
| New Testament | 27 |
| Old Testament | 39 |
| Apocrypha | 17 |
The order of books within each genre varies from Bible to Bible; however if you are looking for how to read the bible in chronological order, there are a few consistent patterns among all Bibles.
For example, the Psalms are always placed first in their respective collections. This is because they were traditionally used as prayers or songs during worship services.
The Bible was written by multiple authors over hundreds of years. The order of its books has changed several times throughout history—most notably during the Reformation era when Martin Luther wanted to make the Bible more accessible to average people who didn’t have access to theological training or education.
He published his own version of the Bible in German (which was one of Europe’s most widely spoken languages at that time), and he also organized it so that each book would be read straight through without interruption or repetition.
What Are The 66 Books In The Bible In Order
Christians have a special relationship with the Bible. It’s not a just book we read once and set aside. It’s one that we hopefully come back to regularly for knowledge, inspiration, and guidance.
The challenge we face is in maintaining constant exposure to Scripture without developing a “been-there-read-that” mentality. Finding new ways to approach the Bible prevents us from the kind of familiarity that makes reading it a chore.
Reading the Bible chronologically can be a refreshing way to see it through new eyes. We might think that because the Bible starts with creation and ends with Revelation it’s already laid out sequentially, but it’s not. Reading it in the order that events occurred can equip us to understand its narrative more clearly, and see it from a fresh perspective.
Why Isn’t the Bible Arranged Chronologically?
It’s important to remember that the Bible is a collection of writings. No one sat down and said, “Let’s write the Bible from start to finish.” The scrolls that make up the books of the Bible were written by more than 30 authors and accumulated over thousands of years.
These books were laid out by literary genre:
The books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy)
The books of history (Joshua through 2 Chronicles)
The books of wisdom (Job through Song of Songs)
The prophets (Isaiah through Malachi)
The Gospels (Matthew through Acts)
The epistles (Romans through Jude)
Final prophecy (Revelation)
At the beginning, the Bible is in chronological order. If you read the books of Moses in the order that they appear, you’re reading biblical history in its proper sequence. And of course, the Old Testament is chronologically before the New Testament. But eventually you’ll come to places where timelines weave together or overlap. And there is benefit to this arrangement, as for example stopping to read a prophet can give you insight into a historical narrative, and reading one of Paul’s epistles can clarify events in the story of Acts.
How to Read The Bible in Chronological Order
There are many ways to read the Bible, but one of the most popular is by chronology. Chronological means that you read it in the order of events that occurred. For example, if someone were to ask you about the history of Israel, how would you respond? Most likely, you would tell them about Abraham and Moses. However, if they pressed further and asked about who lived after Abraham and Moses died, what would you tell them? If you didn’t know who came after them, then your knowledge was incomplete.
The same is true with reading the Bible in chronological order. If we only read Genesis and Exodus (the first two books of the Bible), then we have only learned about one period of time; that is not enough! There are many other periods of time in which God has worked on His earth—and each period has its own set of lessons for us today. In this article we will discuss how to read through all 66 books of scripture in chronological order so that we can learn from all of God’s work throughout history!
You can start by following a simple historical narrative. Your Bible study can begin with Genesis and then reading in order: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2, Samuel, 1 and 2, Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, followed by Acts.
What is The Chronological Order of The Books of The Bible
Nearly everyone knows the story of David and Goliath, but what if you could hear David talk about that story from his perspective? You can! Psalm 151 is a short Psalm (not included in the standard Hebrew Bible or our Old Testament, but it can be found in the Deuterocanonical books or online) where David discusses defeating Goliath and taking away Israel’s disgrace.
What if you could gain insight into Nathan’s confrontation with David over Bathsheba? Reading Psalm 51 after 2 Samuel 12 gives you a touching look at the extent of David’s repentance. It also connects a clear cause-and-effect relationship between Nathan’s rebuke and David’s response. Here’s a potential chronology for each Psalm.
Like most of the prophets, it’s easy to read the book of Amos as a free-floating prophecy without understanding its placement in the Israelite narrative, but 2 Kings 14:23–29 gives it an anchor. Reading Amos’ prophecy where it occurs historically (Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam) contextualizes the prophet’s words.
That’s why reading the Bible chronologically offers new insights and perspectives into passages you may already be familiar with.
Bible Gateway provides a helpful chart for discerning where the books of the Old Testament prophets would have landed in Israel’s timeline.
Reading the Epistles with Acts
Over 25 percent of the New Testament was written by the apostle Paul, and all of his letters fit into the narrative Luke provides in Acts. Reading Paul’s epistles as we read alongside his missionary journeys can give us a new appreciation for his relationship to these churches and their backstory.
In Acts 17, we read about some of the struggles Paul went through in planting the church at Thessalonica. This provides a perfect backdrop for reading his first and second letters to the Thessalonian churches.
A Chronological Reading Plan
If you’re wondering where to get started reading the Bible chronologically, check out a few of the links above. You can also check out the chronological edition of the NIV Once-A-Day Bible: Chronological ebook Edition, which breaks up the Bible into 365 sequential readings in chronological order making it an ideal one-year Bible reading plan.
Another great resource is the NIV Chronological Study Bible that presents Scripture in chronological order with notes, articles, and full-color graphics that connect the reader to the history and culture of biblical times.
You can also look at this one-year reading plan from BlueLetterBible.org.
Gaining a Firmer Grasp on Scripture
If you want to develop a better understanding of the Bible and God’s story of salvation, reading the Bible chronologically will help. You’ll increase your appreciation for God’s patience and love for his people and reinforce a deeper admiration for God’s story—and your place in it!
Many scholars and historians regard the Bible as the greatest literary masterpiece of all time. This religious book has a history that goes back over 5,000 years and it reveals the nature of God to each generation of people that exists on the Earth. When the Bible was being formed into one book only certain types of manuscripts were considered sacred and authentic.
The 66 books that are contained within the Bible are believed to be inspired books and authentic writings from God-inspired authors. The books were written by individuals who wrote them from first-hand experience. Many biblical authors also had scribes who transcribed the stories for people who were directly involved in a biblical account. Other qualifications for the books included original manuscripts being written in Hebrew for the Old Testament and in Greek for the New Testament. The books also had to be considered sacred to the Jews, inspired by the Holy Spirit and they had to contain doctrine that was identical to the rest of the Bible. These requirements were necessary for preserving and keeping the authenticity of the Bible.
Catholic and Orthodox Christian followers typically view the Apocrypha as inspired books that should be included in the Bible with the 66 original manuscripts. Most Protestant denominations do not consider the books to be inspired because they contain inconsistent doctrine and they do not seem to have been created from Hebrew sources. Also, the OT was established during a meeting of Rabbis at Jamnia in 90 A.D. With the exception of Nehemiah and Ezra, all writings that were created or found after this date were rejected. Since the Apocrypha appeared many years later they were not included with the canonized 66 books.
The Apocrypha consists of the books 1 and 2 Esdras, Tobit, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, and 1 and 2, Rest of Esther, Song of the Three Children, The Prayer of Manasseh, The Idol Bel and the Dragon and Maccabaeus. Each of these books is included in many Orthodox and Catholic Bibles between the Testaments. The Apocrypha was placed between the Testaments to help explain the 400 years of silence that occurred between these two time periods. The Apocrypha is mentioned on the Biblical Timeline during this time period.
The Roman Catholic Council of Trent established their Bible in the 16th century in order to hold back Protestant heresy. They included the Apocrypha into the Catholic Bible during this time because the council agreed that the books held merit as authentically inspired manuscripts. Some early Protestant believers such as Martin Luther also included the Apocrypha in their biblical variations.
However, many Protestant believers began to question the validity of these books and did not include them in later translations that were used by Protestant believers. Many priests and preachers within western society do not preach from Apocrypha books and they are not frequently quoted. The books might be used by some Christian followers, but they are not be held in the same esteem as the canonized 66 books.
Prophetic Books of The Bible in Chronological Order
The prophetic books of the Bible are a collection of writings that contain prophecies, or predictions about the future. They are divided into two groups: Major Prophets and Minor Prophets.
The Major Prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the Book of the Twelve (minor prophets). These books were written over many centuries by a variety of authors in different times and places. The Minor Prophets were written by one author, who lived around 600 BC during the time of King Josiah.
The Minor Prophets consist of twelve separate books: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk Zephaniah, Haggai Zechariah and Malachi.
Each book contains both history and prophecy—the story of what happened in their time as well as predictions about what was to come. Some books contain more history than others do; some focus more on prophecy than others do; but they all contain both elements—history plus prophecy—and therefore can be considered prophetic books of the Bible.
In the Old Testament, there are many prophetic books. These books were written by prophets who received visions from God that were for their people or for all of humankind. The following list is the chronological order of these prophetic books:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel (1-2 Samuel)