FYI

Did you know that Paul's letters were arranged according to "first-century Greco-Roman" customs where their literature was ordered based on length of text. (Pagan Christianity; Viola and Barna; 2008, p 227) In 1864, Thomas Bernard delivered a series lectures called the Bampton Lectures where he argued that the present order of Paul's letters were divinely inspired. Many scholars believe this to be God's truth today. I'm not so sure.

There are different views on the correct chronological order, here is one well respected view: Galations, 1 and 2 Thessilonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesions, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy. Why does the correct chronological order matter? According to many, it would help us understand the big picture if we were to see the panoramic view of history, instead of snapshots. Speaking of making snapshots. Did you know that chapters were not apart of the bible until 1227 when a professor named Stephen Langton, University of Paris, added them to all the books of the bible. In 1551 verses were born in the pages of the bible thanks to Robert Stephanus. Imagine taking a letter you received from a friend 1000 years ago and trying to decide where breaks should and should not occur. Would this change the way the letter was read? Obviously not all agree. Therefore the reason Romans is believed by some to be correctly ordered first in our bible lies in the fact it is the most complete exposition in the NT of the central truths of Christianity. It is a good point.

Grace, MB