Question
Is the Bible written in chronological order? If not, please outline how it was written.
Answer
No, the Bible is not written in chronological order. Basically, the Bible is divided into two testaments, the Old Tesatament and the New Testament. The Old Testament includes, among other things, the laws God wanted His people to follow until Christ instituted His church. The New Testament includes the law God wants us to follow today.
The Old Testament is broken down into three divisions: Historical (17 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther), Poetical (5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), and Prophetic (17 books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
The New Testament is divided into four categories: the Gospels (4 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Acts (1 book: Acts), the Epistles (21 books: Romans, I &II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Collosians, I&II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I&II Peter, I&II&III John, Jude), and Revelation (1book: Revelation).
Halley’s Bible Handbook discusses the timeframe of the divisions of the Old Testament on page 280 of the Revised Edition published by Zondervan Publishing House. The Historical Books of the Old Testament are the story of the rise and fall of the Hebrew Nation. The Poetical Books of the Old Testament belong to the Golden Age of the Hebrew nation. The Prophetical Books of the Old Testament belong to the Fall of the Hebrew Nation. The chronology of the Old Testament is easiest when based on the major characters or events. Historcal Books Genesis – Creation (Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth) Flood (Noah and his family) God’s promises to Abraham Genesis/Exodus – Egyptian Captivity and Deliverance of the Israelite people(Moses) Wilderness Wanderings (Moses, Aaron, Joshua) Leviticus-Law for the Israelites given during the wanderings Deuteronomy-Recounting of History Joshua – Conquest of Canaan Judges-Israel ruled by Judges Ruth-Great-grandmotrher of David 1 Samuel- Beginning of Kings/Saul as King 2 Samuel- David as King 1 Kings-Solomon as King Division of Kingdom into North and South 2 Kings-Divided kingdom Assyrian Captivity Babylonian Captivity 1&2 Chronicles-Chronicle the era of the kings – David and Solomon Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther-Return from captivity, Jerusalem Rebuilt Poetical Books Job- A man’s trials and victory Psalms- Proverbs-Ecclesiates-Thought to be written by David and Solomon Major Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, Daniel Minor Prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obabdiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The New Testament generally covers the life of Christ in the Gospels, some of the acts of some of the apostles in Acts, the writings and teachings of Christ’s apostles in the epistles, and the revelation made to John in Revelation.
By Michael Molloy
