As has been previously
proposed on this blog (Was Mom Right After All? – March 2013), the inspired
books of the Bible have a hierarchy of authority, as Jesus said, “Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,”
(Luke 24:44). The hierarchy is based on the nearness of the
author to the Creator; Moses “face to
face” (Ex 33:11), while to the Lord
made Himself known to the prophets “in a
vision…in a dream,” (Num 12:6). As a general principle, the words of the
Prophets cannot take precedence over the words of Moses. Therefore, all of the Hebrew text must be
viewed through the eyes of the Moses, the highest authority.
In the book order of the original
Hebrew canon, which preceded the order of the Hebrew canon in the Christian Bible
by 200-300 years, the Hebrew Sages arranged the books in order of authority,
highest to lowest. Compare this order to
the arrangement of the modern Christian Bible.
The Tanakh
(Common Hebrew Order)
|
Old Testament
(Common Gentile Order)
|
Law of Moses (Torah): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy
|
Law of Moses (Torah): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy
|
The Prophets (Neviim): Joshua, Judges, Samuel,
Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malichi
|
History and Major Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Ruth,
Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel,
|
The Writings (Ketuvim): Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song
of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Chronicles
|
Minor Prophets:
Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, Malichi
|
The English translators did
not adopt the order of the Hebrew Sages, but elected to rearrange the Hebrew canon
in chronological (historical) order following the pattern common to Greek
thought. As a result, the Hebrew text of
the Christian Bible often reads more like a history book, which emphasizes
people, places and events, rather than the living and abiding word of God, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be
adequate, equipped for every good work,” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
If Jesus is a prophet after
the pattern of Moses (Duet 18:15), Who
beheld the very form of God, (Num
12:8)(John 1:18, 6:46), and Whose face was illuminated from being in the
presence of God (Ex 34:29)(Matt 17:12),
than the words of Jesus should be elevated to a higher level of authority than words
of the apostles who beheld the LORD in dreams and visions (Acts 2:17), not “face to
face” (1 Cor 13:12), but on a
level like the prophets of old, (Num
12:6-7). In this hierarchy of
authority, the Greek text should be read through the eyes of Jesus, where all
the words of the apostles are consistent with the original words spoken by
Jesus.
Unlike the Hebrew text of
the Christian Bible, the Greek text is not entirely arranged in chronological
order. Further, the words of the
apostles are sometimes seen as superior to the words of Jesus because they come
later. Finally, the epistles of Paul,
arranged from longest to shortest, appear before the epistles of all other
authors. So the other day, I was contemplating
how the Greek text would be ordered if arranged on the basis of authority, like
the Hebrew text is ordered in the Tanak.
Here’s my pass to provoke your thoughts.
The Greek Text
(Common Gentile Order)
|
The Greek Text
(If Ordered by Authority)
|
Words of Jesus (Torah): Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
|
Words of Jesus (Torah): Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
|
Acts and Paul: Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians,
2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy,
Titus, Philemon,
|
The Prophets (Neviim): Galatians, James, 1
Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians, 1
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Philemon, Colossians,
Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, 1 John, 2
John, 3 John, Revelation
|
The Other Apostles and Revelation: Hebrews,
James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
|
The Writings (Ketuvim): Acts, Hebrews
|
I am not arguing for a reordering of the Christian New Testament. I am only suggesting a rethinking of how we read
the text. The New Testament should
always be read through the eyes of Jesus and not the typical approach of many
believers, who read the New Testament through our own culture and the eyes of
Paul. In other words, make our lives and
the words of Paul consistent with the words of Jesus, not the reverse. For scripture says, “Walk in the same manner as He (Jesus) walked,” (1 John 2:6).
It was great seeing everyone.
May God bless you in the coming days,
Scott
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