20 August 2011

The Good Book: Part I

First off, I apologize for not updating yesterday. My internet was out. I've been meaning to write this for some time, so without further ado, I present to you a timeline of the books of the Bible. I'm a Protestant, but I've included the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and the Gnostic Gospels. I'm putting them in the traditional order, inserting Apocryphal books where they are in non-Protestant canons. All books are accepted by Jews, Catholics (RCC), Protestants, and the Eastern Orthodox Church (EOC), unless otherwise noted.



  • Genesis. Technically anonymous, traditionally by Moses (c 1440 BC). Modern research suggests the Pentateuch was compiled from four different early sources c 450 BC. 
  • Exodus. See above.
  • Leviticus. See above.
  • Numbers. See above.
  • Deuteronomy. Traditionally of Mosaic authorship (c 1440). However, unknown author(s) certainly added material and edited later (c 8-6 centuries). 
  • Joshua. Anonymous. Written well after the time of Joshua, probably c 586 BC, after the end of the monarchy.
  • Judges. Anonymous. Circa 1000 BC.
  • Ruth. Anonymous. 1000 BC.
  • I Samuel. Anonymous. 925 BC.
  • II Samuel. Anonymous. 925 BC. I & II Samuel were likely originally one book.
  • I & II Kings. Unknown Judahite exile. 560 BC. Originally one book.
  • I & II Chronicles. Possibly written by Ezra. 450 BC.
  • I Esdras. Only used in Eastern Orthodox now. It is just the book of Ezra, plus four additional chapters.
  • Ezra. Likely written by Ezra. Originally combined with Nehemiah. 440 BC.
  • Nehemiah. See above.
  • Tobit. Anonymous. Used by the Catholic & Orthodox Churches. 2nd century BC.
  • Judith. RCC and EOC. Possibly by Joachim. Unknown whether originally written in Hebrew or Greek. Not historically accurate, possibly the first example of historical fiction.
  • Esther. Anonymous. Only book of the Bible that does not mention God. Also unusual because it is set in the Persian Empire. 460-350 BC.
  • I & II Maccabees. RCC & EOC. Unknown Jewish priest. Very historically accurate. 115-63 BC.
  • III & IV Maccabees. Greek Orthodox Church. Written by an unknown Alexandrian Jew. Has nothing to do with the revolt of the Maccabees. Fragment of a larger work (now lost). Dates from Ptolemaic Period.
  • Job. Anonymous. Despite its position in the middle of the Old Testament, Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written around 2000 BC.
  • Psalms. Traditionally ascribed to David, but definitely had multiple authors. 1400-430 BC.
  • Odes. EOC. 5th century Egypt.
  • Proverbs. Anthology of wisdom, much attributed to Solomon. 970-930 BC.
  • Ecclesiastes. Author calls himself "the Teacher," and claims to be a son of David. This implies Solomon's authorship, but it may have been written as late as 250 BC. 935-450 BC.
  • Song of Songs. Compiled by Solomon. 950 BC. Its purpose is debated: allegory or secular love poetry?
  • Wisdom. RCC & EOC. Claims to be Solomon's work, but probably written 2nd-1st century BC.
  • Sirach. RCC & EOC. Written by Jewish scribe, Jesus ben Sirach, in Jerusalem. Early 2nd century BC.
  • Isaiah. Isaiah, Jewish prophet. 8th century BC. However, he did not write the entire book.
  • Jeremiah. Definitely written by Jeremiah; he dictated the book to his secretary, Baruch. 626-580 BC.
  • Lamentations. Possibly by Jeremiah, but no conclusive evidence. 586-516 BC. Uses acrostic poems.
  • Baruch. Baruch ben Neriah, Jeremiah's scribe. RCC & EOC.
  • Letter of Jeremiah. Catholics make it the last chapter of Baruch. In the EOC it is a standalone book. It was neither written by Jeremiah, nor is it a letter. 540-100 BC.
  • Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a Jewish priest during the Exile. He was married and lived in a house with his family in Babylon. The book has been heavily edited over time, but Ezekiel certainly wrote the book. It is the most specifically dated book in the Bible. Part 1 is dated 31 July 593, Part 2 on 17 September 592, Part 3 14 August 591. The last dated vision is on 28 April 573 BC. Thus the book spans 25 years.
  • Daniel. Possibly authentic and written around 530 BC. Possibly pure fiction written during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BC. The authenticity depends on when the book was written.
  • Hosea. 715 BC.
  • Joel. Identity of author doubtful. Little is known about him. 835-400 BC.
  • Amos. A shepherd and farmer. 760-750 BC.
  • Obadiah. Obadiah's name is the only information known about him. 586 BC.
  • Jonah. Controversial book. If historical, written by Jonah or someone who knew him. If mythical, we have no idea who wrote it. 785-750 BC.
  • Micah. Micah wrote most of the book, but the more optimistic portions possibly written by someone else. 740-710 BC.
  • Nahum. Virtually nothing known about Nahum. 663-609 BC.
  • Habakkuk. Known to modern scholars only through this book. 610-605 BC.
  • Zephaniah. Unknown, save from this book. 635-630 BC.
  • Haggai. Unknown, save from this book. August-December 520 BC.
  • Zechariah. Zechariah was a priest. 520 BC.
  • Malachi. Possibly not a proper name, "Malachi" means "my messenger." 430 BC.

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