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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"
|
-
creation
-
the
fall
-
generations fill the
earth
-
the
Flood
-
Abrahamic covenant
[Gen. 15, 17]
-
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" |
-
[Ex.1:1-19:2] the showdown of
miracles between Moses and Pharaoh;
deliverance from Egypt
&
the parting of the Red
Sea
-
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" |
-
the entry into "The
Promised land"
conquest of Canaan 1400-1200
BC
-
the crossing of a flood-stage
Jordan River.
|
|
Judges |
HISTORICAL
(Hebrew: prophetic) |
1050-1000BC |
Samuel, Nathan, Gad |
-
"judges" [12 of them]
were
military leaders or
deliverers
-
the story of God's
people being lead into covenant
breaking
|
-
Tribes of Israel unite as a kingdom in 1050BC
-
the people define
"do's" and "don'ts" in their own way
-
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 |
-
before time of
Moses
by Jewish
tradition
-
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 |
|
- About 930BC, Israel split in two (Israel in north & Judah in south)
- About 690BC, prophecy that "King Cyrus" would allow return to Israel (Ezra 1:14).
- 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). |
-
one of Jesus'
inner circle of three
John, Peter,
James
-
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
|
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Philippians |
The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Philippi |
50-70AD |
|
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|
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Colossians |
The letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Colossi |
50-70AD
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I
Thessalonians |
The first letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Thessalonica |
50-70AD
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II
Thessalonians |
The second letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to the believers in Thessalonica |
50-70AD |
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1
Timothy |
The first letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Timothy |
50-70AD |
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2 Timothy |
The 2nd letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Timothy |
50-70AD |
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Titus |
letter (epistle) by Paul to the Apostle, Titus, on Isle of Crete |
50-70AD |
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Philemon |
letter (epistle) by Paul the Apostle to Philemon at Gaza |
50-70AD |
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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 |
|
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James |
letter (epistle) by James (brother of Jesus) to Jewish Christians who'd fled Palestine |
45AD |
James |
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I
Peter |
letter (epistle) #1 by the Apostle Peter to the churches in Asia Minor |
60AD |
Peter |
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2
Peter |
letter (epistle) #2 by the Apostle Peter to the churches in Asia Minor |
60AD |
Peter |
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1
John |
letter #1 (epistle) by the Apostl,e John, to the believers |
90AD |
John |
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2
John |
letter #2 (epistle) by the Apostle, John, to the believers |
90AD |
John |
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3 John |
letter #3 (epistle) by the Apostle, John, to the believers |
90AD |
John |
|
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Jude |
letter (epistle) by the Apostle, Jude, to the believers |
60AD |
Jude |
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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 |
-
Jesus came the first
time as the suffering servant clarifying the word of
God.
-
His second coming will
be as the conquering ruler.
-
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.
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check out the Highest
TRUTH
(posted about 2000; latest addition 12 February
2018)
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