As of 2026-10-12, Sirach tops the list with 201 BC.
- #1 Sirach — 201 BC
Jewish wisdom text from the early 2nd century BCE, part of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox biblical canons
The Book of Sirach, also known as The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus son of Eleazar, or Ecclesiasticus, is a Jewish literary work originally written in Biblical Hebrew. The longest extant wisdom book from antiquity, it consists of ethical teachings, written by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira, a Hellenistic Jewish scribe of the Second Temple period. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 1 Maccabees — 201 BC
historical book detailing the Maccabean Revolt, found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles
1 Maccabees, also known as the First Book of Maccabees, First Maccabees, and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book that details the history of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire as well as the founding and earliest history of the independent Hasmonean kingdom. It describes the promulgation of decrees by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes forbidding traditional Jewish practices, and the formation of a rebellion against him by Mattathias, a member of the Hasmonean family, and... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Pseudo-Ezekiel — 201 BC
pseudepigraphic Hebrew text found in Cave 4 at Qumran, based on Ezekiel 37
Also known as 4QPseudo-Ezekiel, and referred to in older reference sources as 4QSecond Ezekiel, Pseudo-Ezekiel is a fragmentary, pseudepigraphic, Hebrew text found in Cave 4 at Qumran, and belongs to the cache of manuscripts popularly known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is also classified as "parabiblical" and considered, in some accounts, as "apocalyptic" as well. Not known even in the scholarly world until the late 1980s, and not published until 2001, Pseudo-Ezekiel has emerged as one of the... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Prayer of Manasseh — 151 BC
work of 15 verses, ostensibly the penitential prayer of king Manasseh of Judah; written in Greek, in the 1st or 2nd century BCE; part of some versions of the Orthodox deuterocanon
The Prayer of Manasseh is a short, penitential prayer attributed to king Manasseh of Judah. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Book of Jubilees — 151 BC
ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters
The Book of Jubilees is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well as by Haymanot Judaism, a denomination observed by members of the Ethiopian Jewish community. Jubilees is considered one of the pseudepigrapha by the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches. Apart from Haymanot, the book is not considered canonical within any of the denominations of Judaism. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Psalms of Solomon — 101 BC
18 Jewish psalms compiled in the 1st century BCE that appear in some copies of the Septuagint and the Peshitta
The Psalms of Solomon is a group of eighteen psalms, religious songs or poems, written in the first or second century BC. They are classed as Biblical apocrypha or as Old Testament pseudepigrapha; they appear in various copies of the Septuagint and the Peshitta, but were not admitted into later scriptural Biblical canons or generally included in printed Bibles after the arrival of the printing press. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Second Epistle to the Thessalonians — AD 50
New Testament epistle ascribed to Paul
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is a Pauline epistle from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, with Timothy as a co-author. Its authorship is disputed, with critical commentators being evenly divided on Pauline authorship. According to a poll at the British New Testament Conference in Nottingham on the 2nd of September 2011, a slight majority leaning on the side of its authenticity. Those who reject its authenticity point to... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 First Epistle to the Thessalonians — AD 50
New Testament epistle ascribed to Paul
The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle, and is addressed to the church in Thessalonica, in modern-day Greece. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Epistle to the Philippians — AD 54
eleventh book in the New Testament
The Epistle to the Philippians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and Timothy is named with him as co-author or co-sender. The letter is addressed to the Christian church in Philippi. Paul, Timothy, Silas first visited Philippi in Greece (Macedonia) during Paul's second missionary journey from Antioch, which occurred between approximately 50 and 52 AD. In the account of his visit in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 First Epistle to the Corinthians — AD 54
book of the New Testament attributed to Paul
The First Epistle to the Corinthians is among the Pauline epistles in the New Testament. It was written to address various issues that had arisen in the Christian congregation at Corinth, such as divisions in the church; sexual immorality; directions on marriage, food sacrificed to idols, worship, and spiritual gifts; and the resurrection of Jesus. Read more on Wikipedia.
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