13. the word of God is complete: the organization of the Bible

The organization of the Bible as we know it is based on the Vulgate. This is a Latin translation that was created between 390 and 405 AD. However, various manuscripts of the Greek source text, which are older than the Vulgate, maintain a different order. You can see the differences in the image at the bottom of this page. On the left is the layout of the Vulgate, on the right is the older layout according to the Greek manuscripts.

First the Jew, then the Greek
It is noteworthy that in the ancient Greek manuscripts, after the Gospels and Acts, the letters of the apostles belonging to the Twelve come first, followed by the letters of Paul. Don’t we also recognize Paul’s message in this: first the Jew, and then the Greek? (e.g., Romans 1:16)

Furthermore, both divisions are logical. First, the historical accounts of Jesus and the apostles in the Gospels and Acts, followed by the 21 letters in which Christ is not visibly present on earth, but hidden, followed by the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Three times seven
Seven letters addressed to the Jew (James through Jude). Fourteen letters (2×7) by Paul, addressed to the Gentiles, at least if we include the Epistle to the Hebrews among Paul’s letters. In that regard: note the remarkable position of Hebrews in the Greek manuscripts: between 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy! Isn’t this a strong indication that Hebrews was written by Paul?

All in all, our New Testament contains 27 books. The Old Testament is normally considered to have 39 books. But in the Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, the Psalms consist of five books, bringing the total to 70 books. Again, a multiple of 7:10×7.

Seven is an expression and image of fullness and therefore: completeness. Regarding the word of God, Scripture says:

Psalm 12
⁶ The words of YHWH are pure, like silver refined in a furnace in the earth, refined seven times.

---