Here’s a new idea for reading the New Testament. Read the books in the order in which they were written. There is a steady progression of certain topics in them that you miss if you only read them in the order of the Bible or chronologically according to history.
I asked Arya and ChatGPT to provide a chart and I’ve embedded below what they gave me. I specifically asked for a pre-70 AD date for Revelation since I believe that is probably the most accurate.
If you haven’t explored the discussion over the dating of the book of Revelation, here is a post I did about it: Dating the Book of Revelation.
This is the prompt I used:
Please give me a list of the books of the New Testament in the order they were written. Please put it in a table with name of book, author/probable author, and date. Assume a pre 70AD date for Revelation.
I’m personally using the Arya option and already started with 1 Thessalonians.
New Testament Books In Order They Were Written (Arya)
Arya is the Gab AI and by far the most conservative and forthright of the various AI systems. That doesn’t mean it’s always correct, but it does mean it’s been programmed to include ideas and sources other AI models would censor and/or omit.
Estimated chronological order of the New Testament books (pre-70 AD Revelation assumed):
| # | Book | Likely Author | Approx. Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Thessalonians | Paul | 49–50 AD |
| 2 | 2 Thessalonians | Paul | 50–51 AD |
| 3 | Galatians | Paul | 48–49 AD |
| 4 | 1 Corinthians | Paul | 54–55 AD |
| 5 | 2 Corinthians | Paul | 55–56 AD |
| 6 | Romans | Paul | 56–57 AD |
| 7 | James | James (brother of Jesus) | 44–45 AD |
| 8 | Mark | John Mark | 55–59 AD |
| 9 | Matthew | Matthew (Levi) | 58–60 AD |
| 10 | Luke | Luke | 59–61 AD |
| 11 | Acts | Luke | 60–62 AD |
| 12 | Philemon | Paul | 60–61 AD |
| 13 | Colossians | Paul | 60–61 AD |
| 14 | Ephesians | Paul | 60–61 AD |
| 15 | Philippians | Paul | 60–61 AD |
| 16 | 1 Timothy | Paul | 62–63 AD |
| 17 | Titus | Paul | 62–63 AD |
| 18 | Hebrews | Unknown (possibly Paul, Apollos, or Barnabas) | 63–64 AD |
| 19 | 2 Timothy | Paul | 64–65 AD |
| 20 | 1 Peter | Peter | 64–65 AD |
| 21 | 2 Peter | Peter | 65–66 AD |
| 22 | Jude | Jude (brother of James & Jesus) | 65–66 AD |
| 23 | 1 John | John | 65–68 AD |
| 24 | 2 John | John | 65–68 AD |
| 25 | 3 John | John | 65–68 AD |
| 26 | Revelation | John | 65–68 AD |
| 27 | John | John | 65–70 AD |
Notes: Dates are rounded to the nearest year and reflect an early-date, pre-70 AD view of Revelation. Hebrews’ authorship is disputed; Pauline authorship is possible but not certain. Mark is often placed before Matthew, but many early-date advocates allow for either order.
New Testament Books In Order They Were Written (ChatGPT)
This is what ChatGPT provided. There are some differences which would be interesting to trace out.
Certainly! Determining the exact order of composition for New Testament books is complex and subject to debate. Listing with pre-70 AD Revelation (as sometimes argued by those who take an “early date” view), and providing commonly accepted scholars’ consensus regarding authorship and dates where possible, here’s a table that aligns with your request:
| Book | Author/Probable Author | Date (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Thessalonians | Paul | 50-51 AD |
| 2 Thessalonians | Paul | 51-52 AD |
| Galatians | Paul | 48-55 AD |
| 1 Corinthians | Paul | 53-54 AD |
| 2 Corinthians | Paul | 54-55 AD |
| Romans | Paul | 55-57 AD |
| Philippians | Paul | 60-62 AD |
| Philemon | Paul | 60-62 AD |
| Colossians | Paul (or disciple) | 60-62 AD |
| Ephesians | Paul (or disciple) | 60-62 AD |
| James | James, brother of Jesus | 48-62 AD |
| Mark | John Mark/Peter | 55-65 AD |
| Matthew | Matthew | 60-68 AD |
| Luke | Luke | 60-68 AD |
| Acts | Luke | 62-68 AD |
| 1 Peter | Peter | 60-64 AD |
| 2 Peter | Peter (disputed) | 60-68 AD |
| Hebrews | Unknown (Paul, Apollos, etc.) | 60-70 AD |
| Jude | Jude, brother of Jesus | 60-68 AD |
| Revelation | John son of Zebedee | 65-70 AD |
| 1 John | John son of Zebedee | 65-70 AD |
| 2 John | John son of Zebedee | 65-70 AD |
| 3 John | John son of Zebedee | 65-70 AD |
| Titus | Paul | 62-67 AD |
| 1 Timothy | Paul | 62-67 AD |
| 2 Timothy | Paul | 62-67 AD |
Notes: Dates are approximate and reflect one traditional scholarly timeline with early dating, not all scholars agree with this order or dating. Some books’ placement (esp. James, Jude, Hebrews, 2 Peter) varies among scholars due to less clear attestation. Revelation’s pre-70 AD date is according to some early-date proponents; most mainstream scholars prefer 90s AD.
IMHO “most mainstream scholars” = primarily unbelievers who wish to cast doubt on the validity of the Bible and the prophecy of Revelations in general.
Elijah Already Came According to the New Testament
Thank Sallie, I am going to use this guide for my Bible reading schedule.