The Bible (Story, Authors, Books, and Literary Forms)

The Bible narrates the grand story of God’s Kingdom. That is, its creation, humanity’s fall, redemption through Christ, and ultimate restoration. Across 66 books, Scripture unfolds God’s creation of His kingdom and plan to reconcile and renew all things through His covenantal relationship with humanity after the fall of man.

That is, the Bible is a unified narrative that reveals God’s plan to establish His Kingdom, restore a fallen creation, and dwell with His people forever. Its authors guide readers through the journey of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.

No wonder the Bible is the most widely read, studied, and translated book in human history, holding unmatched authority in the lives of Christians.

 

Divisions of the Bible

Consequently, the Bible is divided into two (2) main sections:

• Old Testament (39 Books): The first section
• New Testament (27 Books): The second section

 

Old Testament Summary

This section details the history of Israel, the Law, prophetic writings, and the anticipation of the Messiah. It therefore:

• Covers creation, the fall, God’s covenant with Israel, the giving of the Law, and the expectation of the Messiah.
• Composed of historical narratives, laws, poetry, and prophetic writings.

New Testament Summary

This section focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the early Church, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. It therefore:

• Centers on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Includes the Gospels, Acts, Epistles (letters), and Revelation.

 

Moreover, each book is made up of chapters, which are further made up of verses. The synonym for the word testament is the word agreement or covenant.

Therefore, the Bible is a record of the Old and New Covenants. These are simply agreements about restoring sinful man to the right relationship with God.

 

The Old Testament (OT): Foundation and Promise

Nevertheless, the Old Testament tells us the story of the establishment, the fall, and the redemption (that is, the first phase) of God’s kingdom. The OT, therefore, features the history of the Israelites, as God’s people under His covenant/agreement with Abraham and his descendants.

 

The Saviour Promised

Besides the history of the Israelites, especially their formation as a nation being the dominant narrative, the OT also contains the promise of the Saviour that came in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the OT prepares us for Jesus Christ – it tells us that Jesus is coming. As early as Genesis 3:15, we read: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”.

Consequently, the OT emphasizes the faith of the Israelites in One God (Yahweh) and their life as God’s people. This is why the authors of the Testament’s 39 books wrote about what God had done for them. They also wrote about how they were to worship and obey God.

Further, the Old Testament books are subdivided or grouped into four (4) major subgroups/subdivisions. These subgroups are the books of Law, History, Poetry, and Prophecy.

 

The Law Books

Therefore, the books of the Law are the first five (5) books of the Bible. These books are also known as the Pentateuch or Torah. They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And they record the origin (creation) of the world and mana, the history of man, the details of the choosing (calling) of the nation of Israel, and the laws of God (Exodus 20:3-17, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18).

 

The History Books

The twelve (12) books of the Bible that follow the books of Law are the books of History. They are also known as Historical books. These books are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. And they document about 1,000 years of Israel’s history, focusing on the major events and showing the results of obeying and disobeying God (His law) while in Canaan.

 

The Poetry Books

Next up are the books of Poetry. They are the five (5) books that follow the books of History.

Therefore, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon constitute the books of Poetry. And they are the books that the Israelites used in their worship of God.

 

The Prophecy Books

Finally, in the OT, the seventeen (17) books that follow the books of Poetry are known as the books of Prophecy. They include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. And they contain prophetic messages from God to His people concerning events that were futuristic to them, since many have already been fulfilled. Therefore, some remain to be fulfilled.

Additionally, five (5) books out of the 17 are known as the Major Prophets. These include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Consequently, the remaining twelve (12) books are known as the Minor Prophets. And they are the shorter books.

 

The New Testament (NT): Fulfillment and Consummation

The NT picks up the story of the Bible and focuses on the remainder of the redemption of God’s kingdom and its consummation. The 27 books of the NT were written by the followers of Jesus Christ who wanted the readers to know about the ‘new life’ that Jesus inaugurated.

Therefore, the NT authors wanted their readers to know about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and specifically, the ‘new life’ that Jesus made available to them. This is the life that Jesus Christ inaugurated through His death and resurrection. And He will come for the second time as foretold in the book of Revelation.

Remember, He is the Saviour that God promised in the book of Genesis – the OT announced the coming of Jesus Christ. Consequently, the NT tells us how it happened and promises that He will come back.

Therefore, and coincidentally, the New Testament books are subdivided or grouped into four (4) major divisions just like the OT divisions. These divisions comprise the books of the Gospel, the book of History, the Letters, and the book of Prophecy.

Sometimes, the letters in the NT can be grouped as Paul’s Letters and the General Letters. Alternatively, the Letters can also be grouped as Letters to the Churches and Letters to the Pastors.

Nevertheless, the NT divisions remain four (4) in number. And they are:

 

Gospel Books

These are the first four (4) books of the New Testament. And they are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which tell us about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 1:14).

Therefore, the aim of the writers of the books of the Gospel was to guide us on what to believe about Jesus Christ. They hoped that we would end up believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 20:31).

 

History Book

The book of the History of the New Testament is the book of Acts. It is the fifth book of the NT, coming right after the Gospel books. And it tells us how the Church began as the apostles, especially Peter and Paul, fulfilled Christ’s commission in Acts 1-12 and 13-28, respectively.

Additionally, the book of Acts tells us how to become a Christian.

 

Letters

The Letters are made up of 21 books, which come right after the book of Acts. And they are Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

Firstly, Romans through Philemon are Paul’s Letters (Pauline Epistles), while Hebrews through Jude constitute the General Letters.

Secondly, and alternatively, the Letters to all the Churches are Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Hebrews. And the Letters to the Pastors (Personal or Pastoral) are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

Additionally, I prefer to look at the Letters as Letters to the Churches and the Pastors because the book of Acts details the history of the Church. Consequently, looking at the Letters as Letters to the Churches and (their) Pastors makes more sense to me, especially since they guide Christians in how they are to conduct themselves as believers.

 

Prophecy Book

Finally, the book of Revelation is the New Testament’s book of prophecy. And as you can see, it is a single book that tells us of the final victory of Jesus Christ and His people (the Church).

Therefore, the book of Revelation encourages us to live as Christians even in the end times.

 

Authors and Languages of the Bible

More than 34 authors, comprising kings, prophets, priests, farmers, fishermen, doctors, and others, wrote the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit across a span of 1,500 years (2 Timothy 3:16-17). They wrote the OT in primarily Hebrew and some Aramaic (Daniel and Nehemiah), and the NT in Greek.

Therefore, the English versions that we read are translations or paraphrases of the Bible’s original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. And on this link, you can read more on this subject from my post on How to Choose a Bible Translation.

Needless to say, the Bible’s 66 books have therefore made the same be also been referred to as a library of books. Therefore, the Bible can be defined as a collection of 66 books.

 

Canonization: Recognizing the Inspired Books

In addition, the Bible’s 66 books are the result of a process known as canonization. The word “canon”, from which the word canonization comes, means rule or standard.

Nevertheless, the biblical canon refers to the recognized list of books accepted as divinely inspired and authoritative. The canon was affirmed by early church leaders based on criteria such as apostolic origin, consistent theology, and widespread usage among believers. That is:

1. authorship (authority courtesy of being apostles and eyewitnesses),
2. period of writing,
3. history and geography,
4. authenticity (harmony or contradiction with the other books of the Bible),
5. and inspiration (by God).

This is the criterion that was used to identify the inspirational books that were included in the Bible.

Therefore, Bible Canonization is the process whereby the 66 books of the Bible were accepted as inspirational and others rejected based on the same.

 

Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books

Consequently, the books that were rejected because they failed to satisfy the five criteria that were used by the Church Fathers are known as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonicals. These books are found in the Roman Catholic Bible. And they are 1 Maccabeus, 2 Maccabeus, 3 Maccabeus, Tobit, Judith, etc.

The Apocrypha (hidden books) or Deuteronomicals (second canon books) were written between the Old and New Testament periods. Therefore, they were written during the silent period that spanned 400 years.

 

The authors of all the books of the Bible

All in all, the authors of the Bible, according to the two testaments, are as follows.

The Old Testament:

1. Moses wrote the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He also wrote 1 Psalm, that is, Psalm 90.
2. Ezra wrote the books of 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, and Ezra.
3. Nehemiah wrote the book of Nehemiah. He was a cupbearer to the king of Persia, and later on, the governor of Judah.
4. David wrote 73 Psalms, Asaph 12, Sons of Korah 11. Ethan and Heman each wrote 1 Psalm.
5. Solomon wrote 2 Psalms, most of the book of Proverbs, and the books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.
6. Agur and Lemuel also wrote the book of Proverbs.
7. Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah.
8. Jeremiah wrote the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. He is also known as the “weeping prophet”.
9. Ezekiel wrote the book of Ezekiel.
10. Daniel wrote the book of Daniel.
11. Hosea wrote the book of Hosea.
12. Joel wrote the book of Joel.
13. Amos wrote the book of Amos.
14. Obadiah wrote the book of Obadiah.
15. Jonah wrote the book of Jonah.
16. Micah wrote the book of Micah.
17. Nahum wrote the book of Nahum.
18. Habakkuk wrote the book of Habakkuk.
19. Zephaniah wrote the book of Zephaniah.
20. Haggai wrote the book of Haggai.
21. Zechariah wrote the book of Zechariah.
22. Malachi wrote the book of Malachi. He was the last of the OT prophets.

Therefore, the authors of books including Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Esther, and Job are not known.

 

The New Testament:

1. Matthew wrote the book/Gospel of Matthew. He was also called Levi and one of the 12 disciples.
2. John Mark wrote the book/Gospel of Mark.
3. Luke wrote the book/Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. He was a physician who accompanied Paul on his missions.
4. John wrote the book/Gospel of John and the books of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation.
5. Paul wrote 13 books of the NT during his ministry years. These were mostly letters that he wrote to congregations and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They are Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
6. James wrote the book of James. He was the younger brother of Jesus.
7. Peter wrote the books of 1 Peter and 2 Peter. He was the leader of the 12 apostles of Jesus.
8. Jude wrote the book of Jude. He was the younger brother of Jesus and James.

However, the author of the book of Hebrews is unknown.

 

Literary Forms in Scripture

Understanding the Bible’s diverse literary genres enhances interpretation and application. Key forms include:

1. Narrative: Historical accounts and stories (e.g., Genesis, Acts)
2. Poetry: Expressive and emotive writings (e.g., Psalms, Song of Solomon)
3. Wisdom Literature: Practical teachings and reflections (e.g., Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
4. Prophecy: Messages from God delivered through prophets (e.g., Isaiah, Revelation)
5. Epistles: Letters addressing theological issues and Christian living (e.g., Romans, Ephesians)

 

Conclusion: The Storyline of the Bible

The Bible, therefore, tells one continuous story:

1. Creation – God created everything, including humans in His image, to rule and relate to Him (Genesis 1–2).
2. Fall – Humanity sinned and broke fellowship with God, leading to death and disorder (Genesis 3).
3. Redemption – God initiated a plan to save humanity, starting with Abraham, and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
4. Consummation – God will fully restore creation under Christ’s rule in a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21–22).

Consequently, the Bible is not merely a book, it is God’s revelation to humanity. Understanding its structure, themes, and literary forms deepens our appreciation of its message and strengthens our faith. As we progress through book summaries, daily readings, and in-depth studies, we engage more deeply with the story of God and our place in it.