The Bible at a Glance
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written over approximately 1,500 years by more than 40 authors — kings, shepherds, prophets, fishermen, a physician, a tax collector, and a tentmaker among them. Despite this diversity of time, language, and circumstance, the Bible carries a unified story: God creating, calling, redeeming, and ultimately restoring His people and His world.
It is divided into two major sections. The Old Testament (39 books) records God's covenant with Israel — from creation through the law, history, poetry, and prophecy — and builds an expectation of a coming Messiah. The New Testament (27 books) declares that Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah, and records His life, His teachings, His death and resurrection, the birth of the church, and the apostolic writings that shaped the Christian faith. Together, the two testaments form one continuous story of God's faithfulness.
Old Testament
Written roughly between 1400 and 400 B.C. in Hebrew and Aramaic, the Old Testament contains 39 books that record God's creation of the world, His covenant with Israel, and the unfolding story of a people chosen to carry His promises to all nations. It moves from origins and law through history, worship, wisdom, and prophecy — each part pointing forward to a redemption that has not yet arrived. The word 'testament' means covenant, and this collection is called 'Old' not because it is outdated, but because it establishes the first covenant through which God bound Himself to His people.
The Old Testament canon is traditionally organized into five categories:
The Pentateuch
Also called the Torah or the Books of Moses — creation, the fall, the flood, the patriarchs, the exodus, the law, and the journey toward the Promised Land.
The Historical Books
Poetry and Wisdom Books
Poetry, song, and reflective prose exploring suffering, worship, love, meaning, and the art of living wisely before God.
The Major Prophets
The longest prophetic books — proclaiming judgment, calling for repentance, and promising redemption from the Assyrian crisis through the Babylonian exile.
New Testament
Written in Greek during the first century A.D. by apostles and their close associates, the New Testament contains 27 books that testify to the fulfillment of what the Old Testament promised. It records the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the birth and growth of the early church, and the apostolic letters that shaped Christian doctrine and life. The 'New' Testament is called new because it proclaims the new covenant established through Christ's sacrifice — the covenant foretold by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, now made available to all people.
The New Testament canon is traditionally organized into four categories:
The Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
The story of the early church — from Pentecost to Paul's arrival in Rome — showing how the gospel spread across the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Epistles
Twenty-one letters addressing doctrine, worship, ethics, and practical Christian living — the theological backbone of the Christian faith.
The Book of Revelation
A prophetic vision of Christ's triumph over evil, the final judgment, and the promise of a new heaven and new earth — the culmination of the entire biblical story.