The Chronological Study Bible – New King James Version

The Bible was not written at one time nor by one author. The books of the Old and New Testaments were written over a period of more than 1,000 years, and their contents cover a variety of ancient peoples and cultures. If we are to understand and appropriate the Bible’s message today, we need some sense of the historical and cultural context in which its diverse parts appeared. We read the words of the Bible today under entirely different circumstances than those under which they were written. To neglect the historical and cultural background of the biblical books is to risk misunderstanding them.

 

Unfortunately for modern readers, the individual books of the Bible do not always provide the information necessary to understand the Bible’s historical and cultural background. At the time that these books were written, readers would have already been familiar with the world the writings describe. But thousands of years later, the events and customs that the original readers would have recognized immediately are often confusing and only dimly understood by modern readers.

 

The Chronological Study Bible will take you on a journey through the history and culture of the Bible. It will allow you to step back into biblical times and discover the world out of which the Bible grew. It will help you follow the flow of events in the Scriptures and see where sacred and secular history converge into one story of salvation. You will learn how sacred history fits into the context of secular history—why an event happened, how events relate to each other, as well as the cultural, religious, political, and geographical background that influenced the events.

 

Features for Historical and Cultural Learning

 

Several features of The Chronological Study Bible will help you understand the history and culture of the Bible.

 

Chronological Bible Text The entire New King James Version text is rearranged according to the time of the events narrated in each book or passage. Every verse of the Bible is located in one of nine epochs of time.

 

Transition Commentary Transition Comments explain the placement and chronology of related passages of the Bible. You will learn how different Bible passages relate to each other and how they relate to the history of the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world. For instance, chapters 7 and 26 of the Book of Jeremiah preserve two versions of a single sermon. In The Chronological Study Bible, these chapters appear together under “Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon” (p. 709), along with one of Jeremiah’s confessions that responds to the persecution he experienced as a result of his preaching.

 

Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. – 1706 p.

 

Time Charts

Time Panels

In-Text Maps

Contributors

Introduction

Reading Theological History

Rearranging the Bible’s Canonical Order

New King James Version

EPOCH 1

      Before the Patriarchs (Creation–2000 B.C.)

      The Beginnings of Human Civilization

EPOCH 2

      The Patriarchs, Israel’s Ancestors (2000–1500 B.C.)

      The Changing of the Empires

      Egypt in the Middle Bronze Age

EPOCH 3

      The Rise of a Unified People (1500–1200 B.C.)

      Egypt and the Exodus

      The Conquest of Canaan

EPOCH 4

      From Tribes to a Nation (1200–930 B.C.)

      A Tribal Confederation in Israel

      The United Monarchy in Israel

EPOCH 5

      The Fall of Two Nations (930–586 B.C.)

      The Divided Monarchy in Israel

      The Neo-Assyrian Empire

      The Neo-Babylonian Empire

EPOCH 6

      Exile and Return (586–332 B.C.)

      Exile in Babylon

      Wisdom in the Ancient Near East

      The Persian Empire

EPOCH 7

      Between the Two Testaments (332–37 B.C.)

      The Greek Empire

      The Roman Empire

EPOCH 8

      The Coming of the Messiah (37 B.C.–A.D. 30)

      Introductions to Jesus Christ

      Early Lives of John the Baptist and Jesus

      Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

      The Galilean Ministry

      From Galilee to Jerusalem

      Jesus’ Final Journey

      Final Ministry in Judea

      Jesus’ Final Week in Jerusalem

EPOCH 9

      The Church Age (A.D. 30–100)

      The Gospel to the Jews

      The Gospel to the Gentiles

      The Gospel to the Gentile World

      The Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome

      Apocalyptic Writings and the End Time

Cultural and Historical Topics

Glossary

Concordance

Cultural and Historical Topics

      Art and Literature

      Daily Life and Customs

      Gods and Goddesses

      Peoples and Nations

      Personalities

      Places and Geography

      Politics and Government

      Religion and Worship

Index of Scripture Passages

Illustration and Photography Credits

Notes

Maps