The Bible: Origins, Structure, and Books of the Old and New Testaments
What Is the Bible?
The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblia, meaning "books." The Bible is a collection of sacred texts, written in different times and places, originally in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament tells the history of the people of Israel from their origins to the birth of Jesus. It contains 46 books in the Catholic canon.
The New Testament
The New Testament narrates the life and message of Jesus. It contains 27 books.
The Bible Canon
The books included in the Bible are called the canon (or canonical books). Other writings, considered not inspired, were called apocrypha. For believers, the Bible is the inspired word of God, and for this reason it is also called Sacred Scripture.
Books of the Bible
Pentateuch
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
Historical Books
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 and 2 Samuel
- 1 and 2 Kings
- 1 and 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- 1 and 2 Maccabees
Wisdom (Didactic) Books
- Tobit
- Judith
- Esther
Prophetic Books
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Baruch
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
Poetic Books
- Psalms
- Song of Songs
- Lamentations
Sapiential Books
- Proverbs
- Job
- Ecclesiastes
- Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)
- Wisdom
Gospels and Acts
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts of the Apostles
Pauline Letters
- Romans
- 1 and 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 and 2 Thessalonians
- 1 and 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Letters and Revelation
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 and 2 Peter
- 1, 2, and 3 John
- Jude
- Revelation