Composition of the Bible

The Bible is composed of 66 books in total: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

The Bible is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament, written before the birth of Jesus (B.C., Before Christ), and the New Testament, written after His coming (A.D., Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of the Lord”). The Old Testament has 39 books, and the New Testament has 27 books. The books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, are not arranged in chronological order but are grouped by genre and subject matter.

Composition of the Old Testament

The Old Testament consists of 39 books, from Genesis to Malachi, written between approximately 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C.

It is categorized into the following sections: The Law (Pentateuch), Historical Books, Poetic Books, Prophetic Books, which are further divided into: Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets. The terms Major and Minor refer not to the importance of the books, but to their length. Major Prophets contain longer writings, while Minor Prophets are shorter in content.

Class.	Books
Law (5 books)	Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books (12 Books)	Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Poetic Books (5 books)	Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophetic Books (17 Books)	Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Composition of the New Testament

The New Testament comprises 27 books, from Matthew to Revelation, and is believed to have been written over a span of about 50 years, from A.D. 50 to 96.

It is organized into the following categories: The Four Gospels―accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus, Historical Book, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and Prophetic Book. Among the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they present the life of Jesus from a similar viewpoint. The Pauline Epistles include 14 letters traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul. Although there is scholarly debate regarding the authorship of Hebrews, many regard Paul as the likely author. In the General Epistles: James and Jude were written by the brothers of Jesus. 1 and 2 Peter were written by the Apostle Peter. 1, 2, and 3 John were letters from the Apostle John. The final book, Revelation, was written by the Apostle John while exiled on the island of Patmos, recording the visions shown to him by Jesus.

Class.	Books
Gospels (4 Books)	Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Historical Book (1 Book)	Acts
Pauline Epistles (14 Books)	Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
General Epistles (7 Books)	James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Prophetic Book (1 Book)	Revelation

Division of Chapters and Verses in the Bible

When the Bible was originally written, it did not contain chapter and verse numbers as we see today. Ancient Old Testament manuscripts were divided only into paragraphs, with no numbered sections. Modern chapter divisions are believed to have been introduced in the 13th century by Stephen Langton, a bishop of the Church of England and a professor at the University of Paris. Verse divisions were added later, in the mid-16th century, by Robert Stephanus (also known as Robert Estienne), a French printer, when he published a Greek New Testament in Geneva, Switzerland.

See also

• Bible
• The Old Testament
• The New Testament
• Bible Role
• Bible Original Language
• Bible Authors
• Bible Subjects
• Bible Interpretation
• Authority and Preservation of the Bible

External links

• "What Kind of Book Is the Bible?", Christ Ahnsahnghong Official Website