Can You Recommend Good Study Tools?

Dear Juli,
I am interested in learning the historical context in which the Pauline epistles were written & learning what was going on in his world at the time. What order were the new testament books written in? Have you any suggestions for some good sources (which I can afford) from which I can research this?

Any help will be such appreciated!

Suzanne

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Hi Suzanne,

I think the best resources for historical information and details about each letter; when it was written, who it was written to etc. is a study Bible and also Bible commentaries. The Life Application Study Bible is one I used several years back and enjoyed. And for commentaries, I have also used the Believer's Bible Commentary and I've also used the McArthur Bible Commentary. I don't always agree with him on doctrinal stuff (like gifts of the spirit, etc, He believes all of that has passed away) but the background information is always good. I used both of these resources for years. 

I've given you the Amazon links but you should also be able to get them from your local Christians book store. While they may seem expensive, they are very valuable resources for approaching the scriptures, they are great tools that will last for a very long time.

Lastly, one online resource I use frequently is blueletterbible.org. It's a great tool for looking up words and you can access both the Vines Dictionary definitions and Strong's Concordance of words you are looking up. It's is probably the tool I use most often.

Hope this helps. Have a great day!
Thanks, Juli

Anyone else have a valuable resource that you use when studying the Bible? Share it in the comments below!