The Bible is the story about God’s kingdom. Therefore, the 66 books that make up the Bible cover the establishment (creation), fall (rebellion), redemption (reconciliation and reestablishment), and consummation (new creation) of God’s kingdom.
Divisions and Books of the Bible
Consequently, the Bible is divided into two (2) major sections. That is the Old and the New.
Therefore, the Bible’s 66 books are grouped into the Old Testament, which is the first section, and the New Testament, which is the second (and last) section. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books while the New Testament is made up of 27 books. And each book is made up of chapters which are further made up of verses.
Moreover, 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)
Nevertheless, the Old Testament tells us the story of the establishment, the fall, and the redemption (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 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 still 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)
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 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 of the Bible
The more than 34 authors of the Bible were divinely inspired by God to write its 66 books (2 Timothy 3:16-17). They wrote the OT in Hebrew and Aramaic (Daniel and Nehemiah), and the NT in Greek.
Therefore, the English versions that we read are a translation 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 referred to as a library of books. Therefore, the Bible can be defined as a collection of 66 books.
Bible Canonisation
In addition, the Bible’s 66 books are the result of a process known as canonization. This is the process 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 following five criteria. That is:
- authorship (authority courtesy of being apostles and eyewitnesses),
- period of writing,
- history and geography,
- authenticity (harmony or contradiction with the other books of the Bible),
- and inspiration (by God).
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:
- Moses wrote the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He also wrote 1 Psalm, that is, Psalm 90.
- Ezra wrote the books of 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, and Ezra.
- Nehemiah wrote the book of Nehemiah. He was a cupbearer to the king of Persia, and later on, the governor of Judah.
- David wrote 73 Psalms, Asaph 12, Sons of Korah 11. Ethan and Heman each wrote 1 Psalm.
- Solomon wrote 2 Psalms, most of the book of Proverbs, and the books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.
- Agur and Lemuel also wrote the book of Proverbs.
- Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah.
- Jeremiah wrote the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. He is also known as the “weeping prophet”.
- Ezekiel wrote the book of Ezekiel.
- Daniel wrote the book of Daniel.
- Hosea wrote the book of Hosea.
- Joel wrote the book of Joel.
- Amos wrote the book of Amos.
- Obadiah wrote the book of Obadiah.
- Jonah wrote the book of Jonah.
- Micah wrote the book of Micah.
- Nahum wrote the book of Nahum.
- Habakkuk wrote the book of Habakkuk.
- Zephaniah wrote the book of Zephaniah.
- Haggai wrote the book of Haggai.
- Zechariah wrote the book of Zechariah.
- 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:
- Matthew wrote the book/Gospel of Matthew. He was also called Levi and one of the 12 disciples.
- John Mark wrote the book/Gospel of Mark.
- Luke wrote the book/Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. He was a physician who accompanied Paul on his missions.
- John wrote the book/Gospel of John and the books of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation.
- 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.
- James wrote the book of James. He was the younger brother of Jesus.
- Peter wrote the books of 1 Peter and 2 Peter. He was the leader of the 12 apostles of Jesus.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who are the authors of the books of the Bible?
Moses, Ezra, Nehemiah, David, Asaph, Sons of Korah, Ethan, Heman, Solomon, Agur, Lemuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zephaniah, and Malachi authored the books in the Old Testament. And Matthew, John Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude wrote the books in the New Testament.
How many books are in the Bible?
There are 66 books in the Bible. That is 39 in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament.
Who are the major and minor prophets?
The major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel – they are the longer books. And the minor prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Which are the literary forms used in writing the Bible?
The literary forms used in writing the Bible include narratives (stories or prose), legal expressions, poems, wise sayings, songs, prophecies, prayers, and letters.
Does the Bible have contradictions?
Despite being written by approximately 40 authors using different writing styles and moods over a period of 1,500 years, and covering diverse subjects, the Bible does not have contradictions. This is because the author is really one, God. Thus, there is harmony/unity in its content and theme (Ephesians 1:3-12 and Luke 24:44-48).
