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The Truth... What is it?






The Books of the Bible

The Bible consists of 66 books divided into the Old Testament (testament = covenant) and the New Testament. This scripture...this Word of God (not the "words" of God...is the record of some of God's activity in this world (from the very beginning, and...prophetically...until right now). In it He reveals Himself and His ways [check out attributes of god]. These books of Scripture are not primarily about people and their relationship with God; rather, they are about the activity of God and His relationship with people. The focus is to be on God and His activity. It is hard to know for sure when the various books were first put into writing. We worship the God of this Book...not this book!

         

  The Old Testament has 39 books, as follows:

 Book

 Type of book

 About when devised?

 By whom?

 Meaning and significance

 NOTES:

Genesis

Torah (Hebrew, "The Law", "the teachings")
(one of the Pentateuch, "the 5 scrolls")

1440-1406BC

Moses

Hebrew, "in beginning"; Greek, "origins, beginnings"

 

 

  1. creation
  2. the fall
  3. generations fill the earth
  4. the Flood
  5. Abrahamic covenant
    [Gen. 15, 17]
  6. famine and flight to Egypt and subsequent enslavement.




 Exodus

 Torah (Hebrew, "The Law", "the teachings") (one of the Pentateuch, "the 5 scrolls")

 1440-1406BC

 Moses

 Hebrew, "these are the names"; Greek, "departure"

  1. [Ex.1:1-19:2] the showdown of miracles between Moses and Pharaoh;
    deliverance from Egypt &

    the parting of the Red Sea
  2. Ex.19:3-24:18] making the Mosaic covenant

 Leviticus

 Torah (Hebrew, "The Law", "the teachings") (one of the Pentateuch, "the 5 scrolls")

 1440-1406BC

 Moses

 in Hebrew, "and He calls"

establishing the priesthood,
levitical laws, and rules

 Numbers

Torah (Hebrew, "The Law", "the teachings")
(one of the Pentateuch, "the 5 scrolls")

1440-1406BC 

Moses 

in Hebrew, "in the wilderness"

Israelite rebellions and battles while wandering in the wilderness, fed by God and guided by the pillow of fire.

Deuteronomy 

Torah (Hebrew, "The Law", "the teachings")
(one of the Pentateuch, "the 5 scrolls")

1406-1400BC 

Moses

in Hebrew, "and these are the words"; The 1st Law, second edition  

Moses addresses the people on the plains of Moab; the "I've got a dream" speech;
the book concludes with the death of Moses

Joshua

HISTORICAL
(Hebrew: prophetic)
 

1405-1385BC 

 Joshua

keep the memories alive
principle of "go the 2nd mile"

  1. the entry into "The Promised land"
    conquest of Canaan 1400-1200 BC
  2. the crossing of a flood-stage Jordan River.

Judges

 HISTORICAL
(Hebrew: prophetic)

1050-1000BC 

 Samuel, Nathan, Gad

  1. "judges" [12 of them] were
    military leaders or deliverers
  2. the story of God's people being lead into covenant breaking 
  1. Tribes of Israel unite as a kingdom in 1050BC
  2.  the people define "do's" and "don'ts" in their own way
  3. reveals the recurring cycle of rebellion, followed by oppression, followed by repentance, followed by deliverance. In those times of danger, a "judge" would come onto the scene led by "the Spirit of the Lord".

 Ruth

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 1000BC

Samuel, Nathan, Gad

 ?

How does a good woman help her man to play "the man"?

 I Samuel

 HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 925BC

Samuel, Nathan, Gad

 ?

 ?

 II Samuel

 HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 925BC

Samuel, Nathan, Gad

 ?

 ?

 I Kings

 HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 560-550BC

 Jeremiah

 ?

 ?

 II Kings

 HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 560-550BC

 Jeremiah

 ?

Elijah & Elisha were the first pure prophets

 I Chronicles

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 450-400BC

 Ezra

 ?

 God appoints Solomon to build the 1st Temple & it's completed about 964BC & died 931BC

 II Chronicles

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 450-400BC

 Ezra

 ?

 ?

Ezra

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 440BC

 Ezra

 ?

 ?

 Nehemiah

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 430BC

 Ezra

?

 ?

 Esther

HISTORICAL
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 460-350BC

 Mordicai

 ?

 ?

 Job

Poetry & wisdom
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

  1. before time of Moses
    by Jewish tradition
  2. maybe as late as the time of Esther
     

 anonymous

 ?

 ?

 Psalms

Poetry & wisdom song-like
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 1400-400BC

 

King David
and
others

 ?

 ?

 Proverbs

Poetry & wisdom
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 970-700BC

King Solomon

 ?

 ?

Ecclesiastes
(Qoheleth)

Poetry & wisdom
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 950BC

 King Solomon to whom God granted the wish to be the wisest human in all of human history

 ?

 ?

 Song of Solomon
(Song of Songs)

 Poetry & wisdom
"writings" in Hebrew Bible

 971-931BC

 King Solomon

?

?

Isaiah

 major Prophet
(lengthy book)

 701-681BC

 Isaiah

 

  1. About 930BC, Israel split in two (Israel in north & Judah in south)
  2. About 690BC, prophecy that "King Cyrus" would allow return to Israel (Ezra 1:14).
  3. Predicts virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14)

 Jeremiah

 major Prophet
(lengthy book)

 630-580BC

 Jeremiah

 final prophecies to Judah

 

 Lamentations (of Jeremiah)

 major Prophet
(lengthy book)

 587/6BC

 Jeremiah

 songs after fall of Jerusalem

 

 Ezekiel

 major Prophet
(lengthy book)

 590-570BC

 Ezekiel

 

 

 Daniel

 major Prophet
(lengthy book)

 536-530BC  Daniel    Persia conquers Babylon

 Hosea

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 750-710BC

 Hosea

 

 

 

Joel

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 835-796BC

 Joel

 

 

 Amos

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 750BC

 Amos

an angry prophet

 

 Obadiah

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 850-840BC

 Obadiah

 

 

Jonah 

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 775BC  Jonah    

 Micah

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 735-710BC

 Micah

 

 

 Nahum

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 650BC

 Nahum

 

 

 Habakkuk

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 615-605BC

 Habakkuk

 

 

 Zephaniah

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 635-625BC

 Zephaniah

 

 

 Haggai

minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)
 

 520BC  Haggai    

 Zechariah

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 480-470BC

 Zechariah

 

 

 Malachi

 minor prophet
(all 12 minors fit on the same one scroll)

 433-424BC  Malachi    

 

The New Testament is of the times of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, and begins about 400 years after the Old Testament. This 400 year interval..."intertestamental period"...is the especially turbulent time of occupations of Israel, etc., which sets the stage for the time of the Messiah.

  • 400-331BC Persians rule Israel tolerantly; Alexander the Great conquers Persia.
  • 323BC Alexander dies...factions; Israel back under Egyptian faction, tolerantly.
  • 167BC Antiochus IV orders Greeks over Israel & is awful to Jewish customs & desecrates the Temple.
  • 165BC Judas Maccabeus leads Jewish Hasmonean rebellion (memorial event of Hanukkah).
  • 63BC Pompey takes Roman control of Israel & stirred up awful tensions.
  • 40BC Herod the Great appointed as Roman king of Judea...a vicious king.
  • 4BC Herod dies & replaced by Achelaus who kills 3000 Jews in Temple.
  • 6AD Archelaus replaced by a Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilot, rather than a king.
  • 2-3BC Jesus is born & cruxified at about age 30.
  • 70AD Jews rebel & Romans destroy Jewish state & the 2nd Temple & the Jewish Diaspora (scattering around the world) begins.
  • New Testament is written 50-96AD, 27 books, as follows.

 BOOK

 Type of Book

 When written?

By Whom? 

 Meaning/significance

NOTES:

 Matthew

 one of the "synoptic" gospels

 80-90AD

the Apostle, Matthew, a Jew
(had been a hated tax collector named Levi)

 the Gospel to the Greek-speaking Jews, mostly around Antioch & Syria.

 based on eyewitness material

 Mark

 one of the "synoptic" gospels

 50-70AD

 the Apostle, John Mark, a Jew

 the Gospel to the Romans (he later founded the church in Africa/Egypt)

 based on eyewitness material as Mark was a disciple and companion/recorder of Peter

 Luke

 one of the "synoptic" gospels

 59-63, 70AD

  the Apostle, Luke, a Greek gentile

 the Gospel to the Greeks

 based on eyewitness material as Luke was a physician, an historian [here] and companion/follower of Paul

 John

 

 one of the "synoptic" gospels

80-95AD 

 John the apostle, a Jew & son of Zebedee

 the Gospel to the gentiles in general (John was the only apostle who witnessed the crucifiction).

  1. one of Jesus' inner circle of three
    John, Peter, James
  2. based on eyewitness material
     

 Acts

 history

(the "acts" of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles)

65AD

 History of the first century church & written by Luke, the apostle.

based on eyewitness material & communications with close apostles & disciples, as Luke was an historian and companion/follower of Paul: the story of the unleashing of the unstoppable Gospel of Jesus, the Christ (Messiah)

Romans

The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Rome

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 I Corinthians

The first letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Corinth

50-70AD

 

 

 

II Corinthians

The second letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Corinth

50-70AD

 

 

 

Galatians

The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Galatia

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 Ephesians

The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Ephesis 

 50-70AD

 

 

 

Philippians

The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Philippi 

 50-70AD

 

 

 

Colossians

 The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Colossi

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 I Thessalonians

The first letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Thessalonica

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 II Thessalonians

The second letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Thessalonica

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 1 Timothy

The first letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Timothy

 50-70AD

 

 

 

2 Timothy

The 2nd letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Timothy

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 Titus

letter (epistle) by Paul to the Apostle, Titus, on Isle of Crete

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 Philemon

letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Philemon at Gaza

 50-70AD

 

 

 

 Hebrews

a letter (epistle by ?) to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem

 65AD

  Clement of Rome vs. Apostle Paul vs Apostle Luke vs. Barnabas vs Apollos vs Priscilla

 

 

 James

letter (epistle) by James (brother of Jesus) to Jewish Christians who'd fled Palestine

 45AD

 James

 

 

 I Peter

letter (epistle) #1 by the Apostle Peter to the churches in Asia Minor

 60AD

 Peter

 

 

 2 Peter

letter (epistle) #2 by the Apostle Peter to the churches in Asia Minor

 60AD

 Peter

 

 

 1 John

letter #1 (epistle) by the Apostl,e John, to the believers

 90AD

 John

 

 

 2 John

letter #2 (epistle) by the Apostle, John, to the believers

 90AD

 John

 

 

 3 John

letter #3 (epistle) by the Apostle, John, to the believers

 90AD

 John

 

 

Jude 

letter (epistle) by the Apostle, Jude, to the believers

 60AD

 Jude

 

 

Revelation
[here]

 the letter (epistle) of Jesus (delivered by an angel) to the Christian church (through the Apostle, John) as an apocalyptic style of writing

 90-96AD

 an epistle of Jesus delivered by an angel and written down by John, the apostle

 

A message to the frightened, persecuted, Christian Church telling them that Jesus has overcome and that Satan has been defeated

  1. Jesus came the first time as the suffering servant clarifying the word of God.
  2. His second coming will be as the conquering ruler.
  3. In spite of wave after wave of judgment horrors, most humans left behind (the believers...dead & alive...will have been already taken up to be with Jesus) will fail to believe and will curse and blaspheme God.

 check out the Highest TRUTH

(posted about 2000; latest addition 12 February 2018)