Books of the Bible

Krista Smith
Jul 9, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Jan 20

The Bible is composed of 66 books written over a period of approximately 1500 years by 40 different people. The first part of the Bible is the Old Testament which consists of 39 books. The New Testament has 27 books.

The Old Testament

Pentateuch / Law

The Pentateuch (also called the Torah) contains stories of creation, the flood, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the children of Isreal in Egypt, the exodus, and the time the children of Isreal spent in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. The books also record the law of God given to the people on Mt. Sinai which laid down the regulations for sacrifice, worship, and daily living.

Historical

The 12 Historical Books continue with the story of the people of Israel and the conquest of the Promised Land in the book of Joshua, the continuous cycle of disobedience in the book of Judges, the first kings and the United Kingdom, the Assyrian invasion, Babylonian invasion, the years in exile, and the return from exile during the Persian rule.

Poetry & Wisdom

The five Poetry & Wisdom books include hymns, proverbs, poems, and dramas. They illustrate the creative ways the people of Isreal expressed themselves to God and to each other.

Major Prophets

The five Major Prophets are not called "major" because of their message or quality, but rather because of the length of the books. The prophets brought God's word, including warnings of judgment, warnings and hope for the immediate future (as well as warnings and hope for the distant future), and hope in the coming Messiah.

Minor Prophets

The 12 Minor Prophets, called "The Book of Twelve" in the Hebrew Bible, are just as important as the Major Prophets. They are called "Minor" because of the shorter length of the books. They also brought God's word to the people regarding judgment and hope.

The New Testament

Gospels & Acts

The Gospels, which are the first four books of the New Testament, record the good news of God's plan for a Savior through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each writer has a particular method or style to communicate the life and message of Jesus Christ.

Paul's Epistles (Letters)

The apostle Paul wrote 13 letters to young churches, pastors, and friends in order to guide, encourage, and correct them. Most of these letters served a specific purpose or addressed a specific question or problem.

General Epistles & Revelation

The eight General Epistles were written by other apostles and leaders including Simon, Peter, James, John, and Jude. The General Epistles were addressed to the early Christians to provide guidance, encouragement through persecution, and warnings of false teachings.

For a visual source of the Books of the Bible, I've included a PDF as a quick reference.