Hebrew Order/Divisions of the Books of the Bible

The canonical order of the books in the Scriptures was different in the 1st Century AD than the order
you see in your standard published Bibles today. You will see the difference in the sequence of books
on pages four through six of this handout. For example, in the Hebrew order, the books of Chronicles
are last instead of the book of Malachi. This is because Chronicles summarizes and expands upon
events from many Old Testament books. Another noteworthy difference is that the books that were split
into parts (e.g., 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles) were combined into one book. For example, the books
of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings were originally one book. We will be using this Hebrew reading
schedule to read through the whole Scriptures in three years, as it is arranged in a more chronological
order.
Both the Old and New Testaments are split into three distinct sections. The Hebrew name of the Old
Testament is the "Tanak" (_. ). "Tanak" is an acronym for the three divisions of the Old Testament
the Torah (` "law"), the N'vi'im (2`N`2. "prophets") and the K'thuvim (2`2`3 "writings"). Our
Savior, , made a reference to this order of the Scriptures.

And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the
psalms, concerning Me. Luke 24:44

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And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went
into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 24:44
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues
every sabbath day. Acts 15:21

As for the New Testament, its Hebrew title is the "B'rith Chadashah" (L" `2 "new covenant"),
which is split into three sections the Gospels (Evangels), Letters and the Book of Revelation.
Although Paul's letters are placed first in standard Bible orders, they were actually written after the
letters of the other Apostles. The book of Revelation was the last book to be written, evidently.
The English names of the books of the Scriptures are mostly derived from either the Latin or Greek
titles. Let us use the book of Proverbs as an example. The Hebrew name for "Proverbs" is "Mishle"
(`"LC ), the Greek name is "Paroimiai" (!"#$%&"%) and the Latin name is "Proverbia".
Koine Greek, the dialect of Greek in which the New Testament was written, is derived from the ancient
Paleo Hebrew. Latin shares a lot of commonalities with Greek, and English uses a modern version of
the Latin alphabet. For more information on this, please read our essay, "A Pure Language".
Why are the traditional names for the books of the Bible taken from the Greek names? Not only was
Koine Greek a widely spoken language by the commoners during the early BC and 1st century AD
times ("Koine" '$%() means "common"), the Apostles and Hebrews of the time used a Greek translation
of the Tanach called the "Septuagint". The Septuagint is also referred to as the LLX (Roman numerals
for "seventy"), after the 70 scribes that translated it.
In fact, the writer of Hebrews quoted from the Septuagint. In Hebrews 10:5, the Word says, "sacrifice
and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me". The author is quoting Psalms
40:6, yet if you flip to your Old Testament, "a body hast thou prepared for me" is missing. This is
because the Old Testament portions of most English bibles are not translated from the Septuagint, but
the Masoretic Hebrew text, which emerged between 700 and 1000 AD. The Masoretic text was copied
from Hebrew manuscripts preserved by the "Masoretes", a community of scribes, hence the namesake.
Although it is apparent that the Septuagint was translated from Hebrew originals that are older than the
Masoretic text, only fragments of the Hebrew originals to the Greek text of the Septuagint have been
found. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the Qumran caves of Israel between 1946 and
1956, some Hebrew and Aramaic fragments confirmed the validity of the Septuagint.
Not only was the order of the Bible canon different in the times of the Apostles, but the size of canon
was larger, as well. The Septuagint contains 14 additionally books known as the Apocrypha or
Deuterocanonical books. These books were initially included in the original 1611 edition of the King
James Bible. However, the version of the King James Bible that is sold now is the 1759 revision, which
updated the Elizabethan dialect of Old English to a more modern Old English and removed the
apocryphal books. The Dead Sea Scrolls contained fragments of some other additional books, such as
Aramaic bits of 1 Enoch. Aside from quoting the Greek text of the Septuagint, the New Testament
writers quoted the apocryphal books, such as Jude 14 quoting 1 Enoch.
For the sake of simplicity and to avoid needless division, our Sabbath reading will be from the
traditional Biblical canon throughout our three-year reading schedule. However, brethren are welcome
to quote from the Apocrypha during our studies, providing it does not heavily distract from the main
study schedule.
Here is a summary of the oldest known and most reliable manuscripts of the Bible:

Masoretic Hebrew (Ben Hayyim Text) - Hebrew text that is the basis for the translation of the
Old Testament for the King James Bible, as well as some bibles older than the KJV, such as the
Geneva Bible, Tyndale Bible, Bishops' Bible, etc. The Green's Literal Translation (LITV) and
Interlinear Bible also uses this text. Rabbinical scholar and scribe Ya'aqov Ben Hayyim
Adoniahu preserved and copied this variation of the Masoretic text for publication of the
"Rabbinic Bible" or "Mikraot Gedolot" ("Great Scriptures"). This text is based on two Hebrew
manuscript sources the Leningrad Codex and the older Aleppo Codex. Ben Hayyim later
converted to Christianity.
Textus Receptus - Greek text that is the basis for the translation of the New Testament for the
King James Bible, as well as some bibles older than the KJV, such as the Geneva Bible, Tyndale
Bible, Bishops' Bible, etc. The Green's Literal Translation (LITV) and Interlinear Bible also uses
this text. "Textus receptus" is Latin for "received text". Is dated to about 4th Century AD.
Based on the Greek manuscripts that use the Byzantine text type or writing font style, found in
the city of Antioch near Syria (see Acts 11:26). A few sections were missing from the Textus
Receptus, so the translators filled in some of the gapes from the Latin Vulgate, a 4th century
Latin translation of both the Old and New Testaments.
Septuagint (LLX) - Greek translation of the Tanach, circa 2nd century BC. Contains the
Apocrypha. "LLX" is the Roman numerals for "seventy" and refers to the 70 elders and scribes
that translated the Tanach for the Greek-speaking Hebrews. Dialect is very similar to the Koine
Greek of the New Testament but contains more Hebraic idioms and expressions that have a
strong parallel with the Hebrew and Aramaic of the era.
Dead Sea Scrolls - oldest known manuscripts of the Old Testament, discovered between 1946
and 1956 in the Qumran caves on the west bank of Israel. "Qumran" refers to the community of
Hebrew scribes that preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls, which practiced a minority sect of Judaism,
known as the "Essenes". The Essenes were in diametric opposition to the Pharisees and
Sadducees. Aside from the traditional books of the Old Testament, Hebrew and Aramaic
fragments of apocryphal books were found. The Dead Sea Scrolls is the missing link and
bridges the gap between the Septuagint and Ben Hayyim Masoretic Text.
Peshitta - Aramaic translation of the New Testament into Syriac or Middle Aramaic, circa 2nd
century AD. Also known as the Syriac Vulgate. Most likely translated from the Greek New
Testament, so the Greek New Testament maintains primacy and an older dating. The books of 2
Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude and Revelation are missing from the Peshitta, as well as sections of
James and 1 Peter. The Peshitta also contains a Syriac translation of the Old Testament.
Targum - Aramaic translation of the Old Testament, not to be confused with the Peshitta. The
dialect of Aramaic used for the Targum is more similar to the Biblical Aramaic found in the
Masoretic text of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Contains paraphrases and expansions of most of
the books of the Old Testament. Sometimes quoted by in the Gospels. The
commoners in northern Israel and Galilee tended to use the Septuagint more often, whereas the
Targum was read more in the synagogues and southern area of Judea.

In addition to the authentic manuscripts of the Scriptures, there is also a counterfeit set of Vatican
manuscripts that are used for modern, New Age Bible translations, such as the NIV, ESV,
NASB/NASV, RSV, etc. Some of the "Hebrew Roots" or "Messianic" bibles use these corrupted texts,
such as The Scriptures 98 or The Complete Jewish Bible.
Aside from originating from Vatican sources and being endorsed by the papacy, the most egregious
aspects of these texts are the removal of Bible verses and doctrinal changes. In these manuscripts used
for modern translations, over 65,000 words and verses are removed, such as 1 John 5:7, removing
references to prayer and fasting, the divinity of Messiah, the blood atonement of Messiah, etc.
Here is the summary of the manuscripts that are the basis for modern bible translations:

Masoretic Hebrew (Ben Asher Text) - variation of the Masoretic text that was preserved by
Moshe ben Asher, a Karaite scribe. Basis for contemporary Jewish bibles such as The Stone
Edition Tanach and JPS Tanakh, as well as some modern Christian translations. The Ben Asher
text is not as complete as the Ben Hayyim, as many of the fragments were damaged in a fire.
Relies more heavily upon the newer Leningrad Codex. Notable changes to Messianic prophecies
include: Psalms 22:16: "they pierced My hands and my feet" (KJV) to "like a lion"; Zechariah
12:10: "and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced" (KJV) to "and they shall look to
me because of those who have been thrust through [with swords]".
Codex Vaticanus - Alexandrian-type Greek text that is the most popular for use in translation of
the New Testament in many bestselling modern bibles. Also contains a Greek translation of
some fragments of the Old Testament. It is named "Vaticanus" because it has been preserved in
the Vatican Library since at least the 15th century AD.
Missing verses: Matt. 12:47, 16:2b-3, 17:21, 18:11, 23:14; Mark 7:16, 9:44, 46; 11:26, 15:28, 16:9-20, Luke
17:36, 22:43-44, John 5:4, John 7:53 - 8:11, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:29; Romans 16:24, 1 Peter 5:3.
Codex Alexandrinus - 4th century Greek manuscript of the New Testament, more complete Old
Testament Greek text than Vaticanus. Named after the library in Alexandria, Egypt where its
origins are traced. Rome burned most of the books and scrolls in the Alexandrian library, which
was established by Alexander the Great's successor, Ptolemy I Soter. It is more than likely that
Codex Alexandrinus is a doctored and heavily modified edition of a more original text that was
burnt in the Roman siege. Codex Alexandrinus has undergone numerous re-edits and
modifications since the 18th century.
Missing verses: Mark 15:28, Luke 22:43-44, John 7:53 - 8:11, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:29; Romans 16:24
Codex Sinaiticus - nicknamed the "Sinai text" for its discovery at Saint Catherine's Monastery in
Egypt, which is widely believed to be located near Mt. Sinai. However, the Biblical Mt. Sinai is
located elsewhere, near the Arabian Peninsula (see Galatians 4:25). Alexandrian-type Greek text
of the New Testament and a majority of the Old Testament. Discovered in the 19th century in a
waste basket at the monastery.
Missing verses: Matt 12:47, 16:2b-3, 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, 24:35; Mark 7:16, 9:44, 11:26, 15:28, 16:9-20; Luke
17:36, John 5:4, 7:53 - 8:11, 16:15, 20:5b-6, 21:25; Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:29, Romans 16:24
Omitted phrases in: Matt. 5:44, 6:13, 10:39, 15:6, 20:23, 23:35; Mark 1:1, 10:7, 9:55b-56a, John 4:9

If you would like more information on the Vatican manuscripts and New Age Bible translations, please
let us know and we can send you some resources. Some good sources of information are the
documentary "New World Order Bible Versions" and the "New Age Bible Versions" series by Gail
Riplinger. Both can be viewed for free on YouTube.





































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1 Kings 89(./($ 0%,(: c>_$d&'3 2`3"C =
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Job 89(./($ 0%,(: V?4R 2``N ; ,(%020<: !3*.&/!=
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