How to Read Paul's Letters Chronologically
Old Woman Reading a Lectionary (So-called Portrait of Rembrandt's Mother), circa Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Back when I was asking Google how the Bible was written, I stumbled across a variety of supposedly “chronological” reading plans for the Bible. Nearly all of them were pious lists that emphasized reading in an order that reinforces a particular theology. They purposefully carry you through the texts in a way that suggests a certain view of Jesus, a view that would change if you simply read the texts in a different order.
Since the word “chronological” in that sense has absolutely nothing to do with when the original texts were written, I thought I’d offer an alternative: a day plan for how to read Paul’s letters chronologically. But first: an explanation.
The late Marcus Borg urged us to read the New Testament in the order in which the books were actually written rather than the order in which they appear in modern Bibles. We should start with the letters of Paul because they are our earliest texts from the Christ movement. Don't read Acts, don't read the gospels. Save those for later. Paul's l
As the author of 13 epistles, the apostle Paul was the most prolific writer in the Bible. He wrote these letters within an eighteen-year period while he was on his missionary journeys. The first nine epistles were addressed to various churches in Greece and in Asia Minor. The last three were pastoral in nature and were addressed to church leaders Titus and Timothy. Paul’s personal letter to a Christian convert named Philemon contained the apostle’s request for his escaped servant to be reinstated in his master’s household.
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The following epistles are listed in the order by which the letters were written (dates are only approximate):
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Galatians
Written around AD 49 or in AD 5
Chronological Order of Paul’s Epistles
Paul’s Acts epistles - Using Scriptural data, we can say the following about the Chronological Order of Paul’s Epistles.
- Galatians (written at the time of Acts chapters 17/18) — penned in from?
- 1 Thessalonians (written Acts chapter 18) — penned in Corinth
- 2 Thessalonians (written Acts chapter 18) — penned in Corinth
- 1 Corinthians (written Acts chapters 19/20) — penned in Ephesus
- 2 Corinthians (written Acts chapter 20) — penned in Macedonia
- Romans (written Acts chapter 20) — penned in Corinth
Supplemental: Paul’s Prison Epistles are all written after the Acts Period
While Paul was under house arrest in Rome during the two years following the Acts period (Acts ), he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. (Luke also penned the Book of Acts here.)
Paul was released for some time, writing 1 Timothy and Titus during that free period.
Recaptured, Paul was imprisoned in a dungeon in Rome. There, Paul penned a 2nd and final epistle to Timothy; the Roman government put him to death shortly thereafter (2 Timothy ).
- Ephesians — sent by Tychicus () — penned in Rome
- Philippians — sent b
Pauline Epistles: All 13 Letters In Order (With Summaries)
Written by Marko Marina, Ph.D.
Author | Historian
Author | Historian | BE Contributor
Date written: January 16th,
Date written: January 16th,
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman
Paul stands as the most important, most controversial, and least understood figure in earliest Christianity. Once a zealous Jewish persecutor of Jesus’ followers, he became the faith’s most visible and provocative advocate.
Through his missionary work and writings, Paul was instrumental in extending Christianity’s reach to the Gentile world, forever altering the course of its development. Among his enduring legacies are the Pauline epistles — 13 letters that serve as the earliest written sources for the beginnings of Christianity, offering profound insights into its theological, ethical, and communal foundations.
Furthermore, Paul’s influence on the theological development of nascent Christianity is unparalleled. As James D. G. Dunn aptly observes in The Theology of Paul the Apostle:
(Affi
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