Are Paul's epistles always in the same order in ancient manuscripts?
Yes, the epistles of Paul always appear in the same identical order in every one of the New Testament manuscripts described, matching the order in our Bible today. While other New Testament books vary in placement, Paul’s letters remain consistently ordered, even though that order differs from when they were originally written.
Les explains that he came across the statement that of all the New Testament manuscripts still in museums and libraries, every one may have the New Testament in various orders. It isn’t always Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in that order; Acts isn’t always where it is, nor are the later epistles of Peter and John in the same order. But the epistles of Paul—Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and so forth—are always in every one of these manuscripts, and always in the same identical order as our Bible today. Les says this shook him up and, since he lifts Paul over the rest of the writers, it puts the frosting on the cake. He also notes this is not the order in which they were written; Thessalonians were written first, then other letters before Romans, Galatians before, and even Corinthians before Romans.