Today, I am still on the
Chronological Study Bible Layout Part 2. If you would like to buy the book here is a link to Barnes and Noble, but you can get it from anywhere, including on your ereaders. It is less on the ereaders.
Sorry that this is up late, but it took me some time to do the extra stuff that I wanted to do for this post.
I decided that since some of you don't have the book, but are following along with your Bibles, I need to give a little more information. I am also posting a reading list for the first 4 weeks. Hopefully this will help with what we are doing and I am going to give a little background about how the books have been moved.
Chronology in the Old Testament is easily followed for the first 12 books, but after that the order often disappears. The books of Chronicles through Esther often tell stories that have already been told. Psalms and Proverbs tell stories that are several hundred years apart. The prophetic writings speak of different times and are not in chronological order either.
The first four gospels of the New Testament present the life of Jesus in chronological order most of the time, but do not strictly adhere to the chronology. The events of Paul's life are not simple to follow either.
So with this information I will now give a short outline of how books and portions of books have been moved.
Outline of Movement of Books
1. Genesis through Joshua
Since the books of the Bible do not specific dates, but use round numbers like 40 years, scholars disagree on exact dates of events. Even Pharoahs not not named by names, which makes it difficult to give specific times. One instance is the Hebrew's exodus from Egypt, many scholars place it at about 1500 B.C., while others place it 200 years later at about 1300 B.C.
Either date does not affect the chronological sequence of these books. This Bible will give both dates. What it does affect would be the date of Exodus, wilderness wandering, and Joshua's conquests. The only thing it affects is that the date you favor for the Exodus, will determine the dates of the following 2 events.
So Exodus and the wilderness wandering are in chronological order and did not need to be moved.
2. Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
The Books of 1 and 2 Kings were written in approximately 597 - 539 B.C., but speak of the time of King David, so this is put into Chronological order, not the order of the time it was written. So they are divided and put into the various historical eras that they narrate.
The history of the Israelite kingdoms are told in two full length histories. The first in Samuel and Kings and the second in 1 and 2 Chronicles. They often retell the same stories, but from two different perspectives. Samuel and Kings emphasize the prophets and Chronicles emphasizes the priests.
So what they have done is to start the historical times first with Samuel and Kings, and they are labeled Prophetic Accounts. The same history in Chronicles is labeled Priestly Account. This dual history begins at the reign of King Saul and continues until the destruction of Jerusalem, at which time a single chronological account resumes. (1) From the Chronological Study Bible page 17.
3. Kings of the Divided Monarchy
Some of the stories of Kings are out of chronological order, and the writers of this Bible have restored them to their chronological order.
4. The Prophets
Other books also cover some of the times of Samuel/Kings and Chronicles. These prophetic books have been moved to the the appropriate historical points in the Prophet Account. Some of the psalms and Ezekiel are moved to fit chronologically. Jonah has been moved to Jeroboam's reign as king.
Some of Isiah has been moved to the time of King Cyrus.
Ezekial has also been moved to the time of Jejpoacjom
5. The Book of Jeremiah
This book has been totally rearranged since it's historical narratives are not in any chronological order.
6. Messianic Prophesies
The Chronological Study Bible has left all of the Messianic Prophesies in their context in the old testament. Even though Isiah 7:14 talks about a virgin birth it is still relevant in Isiah's message to Judah's King Ahaz regarding the nations of Syria and Isreal. This has been done even though we know that it is significant to the later context to the birth of Christ.
7. Wisdom Literature and Psalms
They have tried to place Psalms in the places they that the settings described in the passages.
The wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiates, and Job is also chronologically uncertain. Proverbs and part if Ecclesiastes speak in general terms of wisdom that apply to all ages, but since most of them were written in the time of King Solomon's theses passages have been put in Solomon's time.
Some sections of Proverbs and the whole book of Job defy chronology and have been arbitrarily put in the times of the Babylonian exile.
Most of Psalms also defies chronological placement, so they have been placed in reaction to their content. Though some passages have been place with other passages in the Bible. An example would be David's laments during a plague which took place in (1 Chr 21:30). There are some other instances like that, but I will give you the readings when we get to them.
8. The Gospels
All four of the gospels speak of the life of Jesus, but are not necessarily in chronological order. Scholars think that Mark was the first Gospel written and that Matthew and Luke used some of Mark in their writings. The Chronological Study Bible has used Mark's order as the most plausible framework and to put the other Gospels around.
9. Acts of the Apostles
The books of Acts and the New Testament Letters serve as a basis for the chronology of the Church Age. The book of Acts stands as a bridge between the Gospels and the New Testament Letters. (The Chronological Study Bible P. 22) It is also generally agreed that Luke was the author of Acts and that he worked closely with Paul and was an eyewitness to many things, since some of his writings have words like we and I, indicating that he was present.
10. Paul's Letters
Since it was not know the sequence that the letters were written in The Chronological Study Bible has placed them in the sequence of Acts. They are also in the form of how letters were written in that time period
11. The Prison Epistles
The Prison Epistles are generally thought to have been written while Paul was in prison in Rome. These would be the letters to Phillipians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians. There is one problem, Paul was also in prison in Cesarea and Ephesus, so the placement of these letters are tentative.
12. The Pastoral letters
The Pastoral letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, were possibly written when Paul was released from prison and went to Macedonia to continue his missionary work. However, if Paul was martyred in prison in Rome in 64 A.D. then the letters would have to have been compiled later by an unknown editor.
13. The Last New Testament Writings
Tradition says that Peter was Martyred in 64 A.D, so 1 and 2 Peter were placed just before this time.
The writings of Hebrews and 1, 2, and 3 John were written sometime in the 1st half of the 2nd century A.D, but it is difficult to get a more precise date.
The Book of Revelation is last in The Chronological Study Bible. It is not written about a specific time, but a time in the future, about God's plan for his own day and for the far future. (chronological Study Bible p. 24
That finishes the explanation of the layout of the Chronological Study Bible. If you have any questions please contact me, either by email or by leaving a message in the post. If you are a no-comment blogger, please leave me your email address. I do not have all email address saved. I will save them once I have them, so that we can correspond. I will also answer all questions in the comments of the post itself, for other who may have similar questions.
This Bible is based on the New King James version of the Bible, just so that we are all on the same page.
Below is the reading list for the Bible Study. This Bible Study will take place over a year, but anyone is welcome to join in anytime. I will post links to the previous lessons at the bottom of each post, so that they are easier to find. Next week, I will be doing a lesson on this weeks reading. If you find the reading is too much, please let me know and we can go at a slower pace. There is a lot of history along with the Bible that I will be talking about as we go. I hope everyone is ready and thank you so much for going on this adventure through Biblical history with me. I am truly grateful to all of you.
Have a Blessed Week!!!
Debi
Daily Reading Plan For the First 4 Weeks
Week 1
Epoch 1 - Before the Patriarchs (Creation - 2000 BC)
January 20
Genesis 1 - 4 The Book of Genisis
January 21
Genesis 5 - 7 Records of the Descendants
January 22
Genesis 7 - 11 How Long Was Noah in the Ark (2 assignments)
January 23
Genesis 7 - 11 How Long Was Noah in the Ark
Epoch 2 - The Patriarchs - Isreal's Ancestors (2000 - 1500 BC)
January 24
Genesis 12 - 15 Abraham the Amorite
January 25
Genesis 16 - 21 The Birth of Ishmael
January 26
Genesis 22 - 24 The Birth of Isaac (2 assignments)
Week 2
January 27
Genesis 21 - 24 The Birth of Isaac
January 28
Genesis 25 - 36 The Close of Abraham's Life (3 assignments)
January 29
Genesis 25 - 36 The Close of Abraham's Life
January 30
Genesis 25 - 36 The Close of Abraham's Life
January 31
Genesis 37 - 46 Joseph - A Hebrew in Egypt (3 assignments)
February 1
Genesis 37 - 46 Joseph - A Hebrew in Egypt
February 2
Genesis 37 - 46 Joseph - A Hebrew in Egypt
Week 3
February 3
Genesis 47 - 50 Jacob Enters Egypt
Epoch 3 - The Rise of a Unified People (1500 - 1200 B.C.)
February 4
Exodus 1-2 The Book of Exodus
February 5
Exodus 2:16 - 6 Moses in Midian
February 6
Exodus 7 - 12:36 From Egypt to Midian to Egypt (2 assignments)
February 7
Exodus 7 - 12:36 From Egypt to Midian to Egypt
February 8
Exodus 12:37 - 18:27 The Exodus Begins (2 assignments)
February 9
Exodus 12:37 - 18:27 The Exodus Begins
Week 4
February 10
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai (7 assignments
February 11
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
February 12
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
February 13
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
February 14
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
February 15
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
February 16
Exodus 19 - 40 At Mount Sinai
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