Q&A with Bob Sennett
Senior Editor of Thomas Nelson, Inc.’s Bible Group

WOF:
Who put the Bible in the order we’re all familiar with—and how did they decide on that order?

BOB:
It goes back many centuries. The books of the Bible were arranged in groups by type: law, history, wisdom, prophecy in the Old Testament (by the ancient rabbis); and gospels, history, letters, prophecy in the New Testament (by the early church). That’s how most Bibles show them today. Even within a type, such as the Old Testament prophecy or New Testament letters, the order of the books has more to do with size and importance of the book than date of writing. For example, Romans is the first of Paul’s letters in the Bible, but it wasn’t the first one written.

WOF:
Why create a chronological Bible?

BOB:
It really helps people understand the history behind the Bible when they can read the books in the order in which they most likely were written. And this way, scholars can write notes to address the history as well as the content.

WOF:
Has it been done before?

BOB:
There have been several chronological Bibles, but the Chronological Study Bible is the first such Bible to combine the best features of a study Bible and a chronological Bible, and in beautiful full color.

WOF:
How long did it take?

BOB:
The meticulous research, writing, and editing took about four years.

WOF:
How did you determine what happened when?

BOB:
Centuries of scholarship were consulted. Still, in a lot of cases (as the scholars explain in their articles) estimates had to be made. We will never know some of the answers to our chronological questions, not in this world at least, but the arrangement is as close as scholars can get.

WOF:
What’s the best way for someone to use this Bible? Is it to start at the beginning and read straight through, or is there another method you’d recommend?

BOB:
We recommend reading right along and experiencing time the way the people in the Bible would have. Select a time period that interests you, such as the life of David or the years of the early church. Then immerse yourself in the world of the Bible!