The old testament has 39 books total, which consist of. The following dates are not always exact but are very good estimates. Did you know that the old testament the hebrew bible was written over a span of over 850 years. They range from 52 ad to 62 or 68, depending on what you think about deuteropauline scholarship. Due to the fact that some centuries change in the middle of a chapter and some prophets served in two different centuries, there is some repetition that takes place in the table below. What book of the old testament was written last answers. The last book of the old testament, malachi, was written about 443 b. May 19, 2008 22nd book of the new testament 2 peter. John the baptist was referred to by jesus as the greatest prophet that had. Chronologically, the last of the old testament books written was malachi which was penned about 450 b. Malachi is the last book of the old testament and is a book of prophetic oracle. What is the primary literary style of the book of psalms.
The following list arranges the books of the bible according to their most probable dates. I have written a short article on this subject if you wish to study it further catholic vs. The canon of the old testament, its manuscripts, editions and ancient versions are treated in the articles bible. So, if you go by when the bible was first started to be written, the bible is over 3,400 years old. Malachi after the main character, the prophet malachi. As you may know, the catholic and protestant bibles differ in the number of books that each considers to be divinely inspired. There is much more controversy over when the old testament books were written vs the new testament books. Many old testament writers refer to the value of keeping gods worddeuteronomy 6, joshua 1, psalms 1, 19, and 119. How many years ago was the last book in the old testament. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, god shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. The term apocrypha was coined by the fifthcentury biblical scholar, jerome, and generally refers to the set of ancient jewish writings written during the period between the last book in the jewish scriptures, malachi, and the. Matt slick is the president and founder of the christian apologetics. Malachi is generally accepted as the last of the writing prophets.
Jehovah god the almighty is the books author, and the cha. The last book of the old testament in our bible is the book of malachi the prophet it covers the post exilic periods and the lives of the returning jews to the land. Does the old testament speak of the resurrection at the last day. The book of malachi, also called the prophecy of malachias, the last of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, grouped together as the twelve in the jewish canon. Apr 28, 2018 malachi was the last book of the old testament. The last writer was ezra who lived ar around 450 bc 850 years later. What is the last book of the old testament answers. Traditionally believed to have been written by joshua and samuel themselves, theyre now often lumped in with deuteronomy due to their similar style and language. Just click any books name, and get a highlevel idea of what its about. The psalms have been intentionally omitted because they were written over a period of many centuries by a number of different authors.
Whatever the case, evidence suggests that acts seems to have been written at the same time the end of the first century a. You can also discuss the old testaments contributions. The newest book, revelation, was written around ad 90. Other articles where book of nehemiah is discussed. Forty men shared in the writing of the bible over a span of about 1,600 years from the time of moses to the last book written by john. From a chronological order, the prophet malachi was the last prophet in what is now a canonized version of the old testament. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after the return from captivity in babylon. In judaism, the collection of inspired books is known as tanakh.
Alternatively, all three may have been based on a nowlost older book known to scholars as q. For i testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. Pauls letters were probably first, beginning with 1 timothy and galatians. The texts that comprise the old testament are believed to have been written over a thousandyear period roughly spanning the midsecond to the midfirst millennium bc. The first book of the new testament, matthew, was written about 40 a.
It tells of gods blessings for those who repent, how god will purify and judge all nations and the return of elijah. Malachi is merely a transliteration of a hebrew word meaning my messenger. Malachi is the last book of the old testament as well as the last words spoken by god through a prophet for the next 400 years. The original canonized version contained twentytwo books, one for. Your bible class teacher was rightabout 400 years separate the time of malachi the last old testament prophet and the time of jesus. The old testament abbreviated ot is the first part of the christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the twentyfour books of the hebrew bible or tanakh, a collection of ancient religious hebrew writings by the israelites believed by most christians and religious jews to be the sacred word of god. Nov 25, 2015 the last book of the old testament in the version used in the western world is called. The septuagint contains the standard 39 books of the old testament canon, as well as certain apocryphal books. Old testament simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The next answers to the question of who wrote the bible come from the books of joshua, judges, samuel, and kings, generally believed to have been written during the babylonian captivity in the middle of the sixth century b. The quran calls the first five books of the old testament the tawrat. Nehemiah is the sixteenth book of the old testament, coming immediately after ezra and before esther.
The quran calls the first five books of the old testament the tawrat in judaism, the collection of inspired books is known as tanakh. The second part of christian bibles is the new testament, written in the koine. They were written over a period of about 1500 years from approximately 2000 b. In what order were the books in the new testament written. Accordingly christ at the last supper speaks of the blood of the new testament. In christianity, the old testament is the name of the first part of the bible, the one written before jesus christ. If the books in my bible dont follow a chronological arrangement, what was the order in which they were written. Ezra wrote about the building of the second temple in jerusalem. The bibles old testament is very similar to the hebrew bible. In what order were the books of the old testament written. Books of the bible list order complete new and old testament. The first book of the bible to be written, likely genesis or job, was completed around 1400 bc. This chronology is meant to give a rough overview of when the books of the old testament took place or were written.
For example, 400 years elapsed between the completion of the last book of the old testament, malachi, and the beginning of the new testament with the gospel of matthew. The first division was the law, the second was the prophets, and the third was the writings which included the psalms and proverbs. The following table contains a list of the 39 old testament books as listed in a typical protestant bible. The old testament also known as the jewish tanakh is the first 39 books in most christian bibles. Theyre listed in the order they show up in protestant bibles. The final books of the hebrew bible are the books of chronicles and ezranehemiah, which once formed a unitary history of israel from adam to the 4th century bce, written by an anonymous chronicler. Mar 01, 20 forty men shared in the writing of the bible over a span of about 1,600 years from the time of moses to the last book written by john. The bible projects mission is to show how the bible is one unified story that leads to jesus. The new testament was written within a much shorter timespan, more or less in the years between 50 ad and 100 ad. May 16, 2018 what is the real last book of the old testament. The date range for each book can vary from one scholar to another by as little as a few years, to as much as 100 years or more. Books marked with an asterisk are apocryphaldeuterocanonical. Jan 02, 2020 the first book of the bible to be written, likely genesis or job, was completed around 1400 bc.
Both jews and christians believe these texts to be holy. Revelation wasnt last book of bible written church news. Aug 07, 2016 here you can find quick, 3minute guides to every book of the old testament. Sep 15, 2018 revelation is the last book of the bible as arranged in most translations, though it is not the last written book. It was written from approximately the 1660s to the 400s b. The name stands for the original promise with god to the descendants of abraham in particular prior to the coming of jesus christ in the new testament or the new promise. The last old testament book to be written was 1 maccabees, probably written around 100 bc. Here you can find quick, 3minute guides to every book of the old testament. The book of nehemiah is concerned with the last return. This week, we are addressing a question that many of you may already be clued in on, but many will not. The book of revelation is also called the apocalypse of john the apostle. Dec 06, 2018 the first gospel to be written may have been mark, which then inspired matthew and luke john differs from the others. The books of the bible were not being written continuously.
The last book in the old testament is malachi, according to the christian reordering of the books. John the baptist was referred to by jesus as the greatest prophet that had risen matt 11. Also, look for the free chronological bible reading schedule on our bible reading plans page. Sometimes this means that we have to tackle topics that may come as a surprise to our audience.
However, timewise, the last book actually written was chronicles. Of the gospels, mark is usually considered to be first, although some have proposed matthew. Nehemiah has a very transparent writing style, often breaking from his story to record a prayer he made to god 4. Malachi is a prophet, and the book delivers a prophecy of judgement. The last book of the old testament was written by malachi and is entitled malachi.
Genesis creation, the fall, the flood, the spread of the nations, abraham, isaac, jacob, and joseph. The work was written in judah, probably in jerusalem, sometime during the persian period 586332 b. Why is the word lord written in all capitals in many places of the old testament. While the new testament understands god to be the author of the old testamentby inspiration of the holy spirit 2 timothy 3. Romans was a middling book, 2 timothy was probably his last. Old testament books table of the 39 books of the old testament. Below are approximate dates of when each book of the bible was written, listed in chronological order with links to each book on bible gateway. The book of daniel was written during this period and included in the septuagint at the last moment, though the text itself. Old testament books table of the 39 books of the old. How many years ago was the last book in the old testament of. The old testament, as originally inspired, was divided into three major divisions. See also the chronology of the prophets, the chronology of the old testament kings, and the chronology of latter prophets and intertestamental period for more information. In the christian ordering, the grouping of the prophetic books is the last section of the old testament, making malachi the last book before the new testament the book is commonly attributed to a prophet by the name of.
This chronology is meant to give a rough overview of when the books of the old testament. Exodus enslavement, moses, ten plagues, passover, leave egypt, red sea crossing, mt. Nehemiah wrote the book that bears his nameand he wrote it in first person. In the christian ordering, the grouping of the prophetic books is the last section of the old testament, making malachi the last book before the new testament. Revelation is the last book of the bible as arranged in most translations, though it is not the last written book. The old testament contains many books written by prophets. The old testament contains the creation of the universe, the history of. It shows the way they behaved towards god especially in the types of sacrifices t. Later major figures in biblical history then wrote the remaining books during their life, chronicling their times. During those 400 years, we have no record of any prophets or inspired writers in israel see psalm 74. The last book of the old testament in the version used in the western world is called. A list of books with brief descriptions of contents. The books of ezra and nehemiah, separate works in english bibles, appear as a single book in the earliest manuscripts, suggesting that they are best read and interpreted as a literary whole.
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