The Chronology of the Deuterocanonical Books
The Protestant Bible has 66 books. The Catholic Bible has 73, and the Orthodox have 78. How do those “extra” books fit into the chronological timeline of the Bible?
CATHOLIC & ORTHODOX BOOKS
Tobit
Historical timeframe: roughly 721 BC.
Written: third or early second century BC; probably between 225 and 175 BC.
Our homepage for the Book of Tobit
Baruch
Historical timeframe: roughly the same as Jeremiah (the late Exilic period, say the last half of the 6th century BC)
Written: the second century BC
Note: Catholic Bibles have 6 chapters. Orthodox Bibles have 5 chapters.
Our homepage for the Book of Baruch
Judith
Historical timeframe: prior to the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon in 597 BC. Say 600 BC.
Written: end of the second century BC or the beginning of the first century BC
Our homepage for the Book of Judith
Sirach
Historical timeframe: unclear. However, is a collection of ethical teachings. So the historical timeframe is probably the same as when written.
Written: between 200 and 175 BC
Our homepage for the Book of Sirach
Additions to Daniel
Historical timeframe: the same as the Book of Daniel (167–164 BC)
Written: 167-164 BC
Specifics:
- The Song of the Three Young Men, added between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24
- Susanna, in Daniel chapter 13
- Bel and the Dragon, in Daniel chapter 14
Our homepage for the Book of Daniel
Wisdom (of Solomon)
Historical timeframe: unclear. However, is a collection of ethical teachings. So the historical timeframe is probably the same as when written.
Written: mid-first century BC
Our homepage for the Book of Wisdom
1 Maccabees
Historical timeframe: 165–135 BC
Written: most likely around 100 BC
Our homepage for the First Book of Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Historical timeframe: 165–135 BC
Written: toward the end of the second century BC
Our homepage for the Second Book of Maccabees
Additions to Esther
Historical timeframe: 140-130 BC
Written: 114 BC
Our homepage for the Book of Esther
ORTHODOX-ONLY BOOKS
Psalm 151
Historical timeframe: written by David after his battle with Goliath (roughly 1010-970 BC)
Written: see above
Letter of Jeremiah
Historical timeframe: roughly the same as Jeremiah (the late Exilic period, say the last half of the 6th century BC)
Written: the second century BC
Prayer of Manasseh
Historical timeframe: the same as 2 Chronicles (some time after 538 BC). That is after Judah began to return from the Babylonian exile
Written: possibly the mid-first century BC
1 Esdras
Historical timeframe: 300 BC
Written: 100 AD
Note: also known as 1 Ezra
Our homepage for the Book of 1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Historical timeframe: 300 BC
Written: 100 AD
Note: also known as 2 Ezra, and as Ezra
3 Maccabees
Historical timeframe: 165–135 BC
Written: probably in the first century BC
4 Maccabees
Historical timeframe: 165–135 BC
Written: in the first century AD
NOTES
Note 1. Scholarly opinion differs as to the dates of various books.
Note 2. The arguments for, and against, a particular date are not always conclusive.
Note 3. Some of the books are of composite authorship, and the various parts were written in different timeframes.
Note 4. In our count of 73 “Catholic” books, we are not counting the Additions to Esther nor the Additions to Daniel.
Note 5. Counting the number of Orthodox books is a challenge. Different Orthodox scholarly sources claim different canonical books. On this page, we put the most trust on the translators of the World English Bible, which matches The Orthodox Study Bible (2008) by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
RESOURCES
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Here is our schedule for the coming weeks and months. |
Join us in reading from Genesis to Revelation, about a chapter a day, chronologically. |
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Here is our own timeline of the history of the entire Bible. It is listed in chronological order. |
The Protestant Bible has 66 books. The Catholic Bible has 73, and the Orthodox have 78. How do those “extra” books fit into the chronological timeline of the Bible? |
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This is our recent history for the Bible Reading Project. |
Here are all our articles about the Bible Reading Project. |
EXTERNAL REFERENCES
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture by InterVarsity Press: Apocrypha (Volume 15)
The Books of the Apocrypha in their Chronological Order
HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised Edition
New American Bible, Revised Edition
The Old Testament: A Chronological Reading, Part Two
The Orthodox Study Bible (2008) by Thomas Nelson Publishers
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.