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Old 05-22-2006, 03:51 AM   #1
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Default Reading the Bible in historical order

In recent days I have been reading through the Bible on-line in what I consider to be the approximate historical order. Its been very revealing, and it completely makes the Jesus myth make total sense.

Use this to understand the grouping of the books:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_o...ristian_groups

Now take this order:

1) Most of all of Paul's writings
2) Revelation
I'm not sure where the Genral Epistles go, I haven't gotten that far yet
3) Mark -> Matthew -> Luke -> John

I have not yet decided about Acts, I'm not sure where they go as I haven't researched that yet.

Reading Paul now makes total sense, and also demonstrates how easy it is to confuse people by putting Paul after the gospels.

For example Paul talks constantly about "the gospels", so if you are just reading the Bible you assume that Paul is talking about "THE gospels", which proceed Paul's writings in the Bible, but of course Paul isn't talking about those gospels, and of course those gospels didn't exist yet.

Its amazing how reading the Bible with its historical development in mind you can see the ideas building on each other and also, of course, the cultural contradictions between audiences, Paul's audiences being more Jewish and John's being essentially anti-Jewish.
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Old 05-22-2006, 04:18 AM   #2
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This page (on EarlyChristianWritings.com) goes into more detail and shows the generally accepted approximate age of each book.

Taking the average of the ranges Peter gives for each book, the NT books come out in this approximate order:

1 Thessalonians - 55 CE
Philippians - 55 CE
Galatians - 55 CE
1 Corinthians - 55 CE
2 Corinthians - 55 CE
Romans - 55 CE
Philemon - 55 CE
Colossians - 65 CE
Hebrews - 73 AD
Mark - 73 CE
James - 85 CE
Ephesians - 90 CE
2 Thessalonians - 90 CE
Matthew - 90 CE
Revelation - 93 CE
1 Peter - 95 CE
Luke - 105 CE
Acts - 105 CE
1 John - 105 CE
2 John - 105 CE
3 John - 105 CE
Jude - 105 CE
John - 110 CE
1 Timothy - 125 CE
2 Timothy - 125 CE
Titus - 125 CE
2 Peter - 130 CE
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