Did you know?
1- The Bible was written over at least a 1,500-year span and has dozens of different authors? And yet there is one major theme that flows consistently throughout its pages.
2- Do you know what that theme is? And what significance does each book have as it relates to the whole? What major ideas are contained within each?
Below you may find that this is a good way to approach and understand how the Bible is made up.
It may help clarify the way you understand God’s words.
OLD TESTAMENT (39 books)
THE PENTATEUCH
Pentateuch means simply “five books”. In Greek, the Pentateuch (which Jews call the Torah)
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS
The Historical Books are not only the story that God will always fulfil his promise, but very explicitly that the rulers, be they judges or kings, were most of the time not faithful to the Covenant.
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- First Samuel
- Second Samuel
- First Kings
- Second Kings
- First Chronicles
- Second Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
THE WISDOM BOOKS
They address practical issues about how to live well, made observations about the nature of the world, and grappled with the problem of suffering and the meaning of life. They included lists of proverbs, short clever statements with advice for living virtuous and successful lives.
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
THE MAJOR PROPHETS
It is understood from all versions of the books that during this time, the four major prophets were chosen by God to be spoken to and speak the divine word to the people.
There are four major prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are called major because of their length. Interesting fact: these books are also ordered together in our English Bibles with only Lamentations stuck in the middle.
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
THE MINOR PROPHETS
The minor prophets, twelve books in all, are named so because they are comparatively short, not because they are of lesser importance. The major and minor prophets are collectively known in the Hebrew Bible as the Latter Prophets (or Writing Prophets, because they authored their own works).
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
NEW TESTAMENT (27 books)
THE GOSPELS
The four gospels that we find in the New Testament, are of course, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first three of these are usually referred to as the “synoptic gospels,” because they look at things in a similar way, or they are similar in the way that they tell the story. They are historical narrative motivated by theological concerns. Their intention is to convey accurate historical material about Jesus and also explain and interpret these salvation-bringing events.
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH
The baptism by the Holy Spirit began on the day of Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection. (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 11:15-17) Therefore, the church began on the day of Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection.
- Acts
THE PAULINE EPISTLES
The Pauline epistles, also known as Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Among these epistles are some of the earliest extant Christian documents.
- Romans
- First Corinthians
- Second Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- First Thessalonians
- Second Thessalonians
- First Timothy
- Second Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
THE GENERAL EPISTLES
What Is a General Epistle? The book of James is the first of seven letters (James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude) known as the general epistles. They are so named because they were written to a more general audience than Paul’s epistles, which were addressed to individuals or congregations
- Hebrews
- James
- First Peter
- Second Peter
- First John
- Second John
- Third John
- Jude
THE APOCALYPSE
The Book of Revelations in the New Testament lists the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as conquest, war, famine and death
- Revelation
Compilation of information from many sources