Will put novel first, then religious work (3,9)
I believe the answer is:
new testament
'religious work' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'will put novel first' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'will' could be 'testament' (synonyms) and 'testament' is present in the answer.
'novel' could be 'new' (novel means new or fresh) and 'new' is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'then' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for new testament that I've seen before include "Matthew and others" , "Canon" , "part of desert island bookshelf?" , "religious work" , "Sacred books" .)