Bible Challenge 2013: Chronological New Testament

In the New Testament, among the things we learn by reading it in chronological order is, in a sense, the obvious: mainly that there were vibrant Christian communities. I call them ‘Christ communities’ since there was not a separate religion called ‘Christianity’ in the first century. There were vibrant Christ communities spread out around the Mediterranean world before any of the documents were written, so the documents give us glimpses, or windows, into what those Christ communities were like. And they make clear that the New Testament as a whole, including the gospels, are the product of those communities, written to those communities, and in many cases written within those communities. So, we learn that it’s not that the gospels created early Christianity but early Christianity produces the gospels as well as the other documents. ~ Marcus Borg

New Testament chronological order according to Marcus Borg:

1 Thessalonians
Galatians
1 Corinthians
Philemon
Philippians
2 Corinthians
Romans
Mark
James
Colossians
Matthew
Hebrews
John
Ephesians
Revelation
Jude
1 John, 2 John, 3 John
Luke
Acts
2 Thessalonians
1 Peter
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
2 Peter

from Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written
by Marcus Borg, HarperOne , 2012

Marcus Borg is canon theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Ore., and Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, emeritus, at Oregon State University.