Canon of the Old Testament
DRAFT UNDERWAY.
See the article on the canon for the general idea of how the "official list of books in the Old Testament" developed from TNK and LXX.
Exile: The time of the Babylonian Captivity (587-520 BC).
The Chronological order is by the date of the topical material in the book. The book of Jonah, for example, tells a story that would have taken place in the 8th century BC but almost certainly was composed after the exile.
| Bible order | Chronological | Topic | Composition | Name | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 6th BC | Genesis | Torah | |
| 2 | 2 | 6th BC | Exodus | Torah | |
| 3 | 3 | 6th BC | Leviticus | Torah | |
| 4 | 4 | ? | Numbers | Torah | |
| 5 | 5 | 3rd BC? | Deuteronomy | Torah | |
| 6 | 6 | Exile | Joshua | History | |
| 7 | 7 | Exile | Judges | History | |
| 8 | 39 | 10th or 5th BC? | Ruth | History | |
| 9 | 8 | Post-exilic | 1 Samuel | History | |
| 10 | 9 | Post-exilic | 2 Samuel | History | |
| 11 | 10 | Exile | 1 Kings | History | |
| 12 | 11 | Exile | 2 Kings | History | |
| 13 | 24 | 3rd BC? | 1 Chronicles | History | |
| 14 | 25 | 3rd BC? | 2 Chronicles | History | |
| 15 | 26 | 3rd BC? | Ezra | History | |
| 16 | 27 | 3rd BC? | Nehemiah | History | |
| 17 | 42 | 2nd BC | Tobit | History | |
| 18 | 44 | 1st BC | Judith | History | |
| 19 | 45 | 5th-3rd BC | Esther | History | |
| 20 | 31 | 63 BC | 1 Maccabees | History | |
| 21 | 32 | 63 BC | 2 Maccabees | History | |
| 22 | 35 | Post-exilic? | Job | Wisdom | |
| 23 | 38 | 12th-5th BC | Psalms | Wisdom | |
| 24 | 33 | Post-exilic | Proverbs | Wisdom | |
| 25 | 36 | 3rd BC | Ecclesiastes | Wisdom | |
| 26 | 34 | Post-exilic | Song of Songs | Wisdom | |
| 27 | 37 | 1st BC | Wisdom | Wisdom | |
| 28 | 43 | 2nd BC | Sirach | Wisdom | |
| 29 | 14 | 8th & 6th-5th BC | Isaiah | Prophecy | |
| 30 | 19 | Pre-exilic | Jeremiah | Prophecy | |
| 31 | 40 | 587 BC | Lamentations | Prophecy | |
| 32 | 41 | 587 BC | Baruch | Prophecy | |
| 33 | 20 | Pre-exilic | Ezekiel | Prophecy | |
| 34 | 30 | 2nd BC | Daniel | Prophecy | |
| 35 | 13 | 8th BC | Hosea | Prophecy | |
| 36 | 28 | 5th-4th BC | Joel | Prophecy | |
| 37 | 12 | 8th BC | Amos | Prophecy | |
| 38 | 29 | 5th-4th BC | Obadiah | Prophecy | |
| 39 | 46 | 5th BC | Jonah | Prophecy | |
| 40 | 15 | 8th BC | Micah | Prophecy | |
| 41 | 17 | 7th BC | Nahum | Prophecy | |
| 42 | 18 | 7th BC | Habakkuk | Prophecy | |
| 43 | 16 | 7th BC | Zephaniah | Prophecy | |
| 44 | 21 | 6th BC | Haggai | Prophecy | |
| 45 | 22 | 6th BC | Zechariah | Prophecy | |
| 46 | 23 | 6th BC | Malachi | Prophecy |