ORGANIZATION
OF THE BIBLE
The Bible is actually 66 small books assembled
together into one large volume. To see
what it would look like if each book was in its own binding and in a bookshelf,
look for the link on our Bible Index web page.
When people refer to passages in the Bible, the
first number is always the chapter number, and the second number is always the
verse (usually a sentence) number. For
example, Joshua 23:6 means the book of Joshua, chapter 23, and the 6th
verse (or sentence). Occasionally there
will be an “a” or “b” attached to a verse number, and that simply means it is
the first half or last half of the verse.
DIVISIONS
OF THE BIBLE
Look in the Table of Contents of your personal
Bible. As you read the divisions below,
you might want to draw brackets around the
books of each division,
and write their category in the margin
of your Bible’s Table of Contents.
BOOKS OF LAW
& HISTORY
Covers about
4000 ~ 1400 BC
5
Books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy
They begin with
the creation of the world and progress to the creation of the Jewish
nation. They also itemize the Law of
Moses which consists of some 600 commandments, not just the Ten Commandments
people hear so much about.
BOOKS OF
HISTORY
Covers about
1400 ~ 450 BC
12
Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st
& 2nd Samuel, 1st & 2nd Kings, 1st
& 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
They cover
establishment of the Jewish nation, its downfall, and its eventual but weak
return to power In the Promised Land.
BOOKS OF
POETRY
Covers about
300 ~ 1000 BC
5
Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (sometimes called Song of Solomon)
Job took place
during the time of Genesis, while the other four were written during the time
of II Samuel and I Kings.
MAJOR
PROPHETS
Covers about
700 ~ 530 BC
5
Books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel.
Most of these
prophets lived during the downfall of the Jewish nation as told in II Kings and
II Chronicles. Some lived when the Jews
returned to their Promised Land from exile in Babylon/Persia (Iran & Iraq),
and restored it nearly a century later.
MINOR
PROPHETS
Covers about
750 ~ 430 BC
12
Books: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
These prophets were
not less important than the major prophets; they just wrote much shorter
books. They, too, lived during the
accounts of I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles.
THE NEW TESTAMENT IS MADE UP OF FOUR
GROUPS OF BOOKS
LIFE OF
CHRIST
Covers about
4 BC ~ 29 AD*
4
Books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
Each author ~
two were apostles ~ gives his own memories of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death,
resurrection and ascension to heaven from his point of view.
BOOK OF
HISTORY
Covers about
29~65 AD
One
Book: Acts of the Apostles
Beginning with
the ascension of Jesus to heaven, it progresses through the establishment of
the church over a period of 30 years, and how people became Christians under
the direction of the Apostles.
BOOKS ON
CHRISTIAN LIFE BY APOSTLE PAUL
Covers about
AD 50 – about AD 68
13
Books: Romans, I & II Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I
& II Timothy, Titus, Philemon,
It’s easy to
become a Christian. The hard part is
living the Christian life afterwards.
That’s what these books are all about.
BOOKS ON
CHRISTIAN LIFE BY APOSTLES JAMES, PETER, JOHN & JUDE
Covers about
AD 68 - 90
8 Books - Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I , II
& III John, Jude.
Again, it’s
easy to become a Christian. The hard
part is living the Christian life afterwards.
And so the other apostles wrote encouragement too.
BOOK OF
PROPHECY
Covers about
95 AD
1 Book: Revelation
This book was
written to Christians being threatened with torture and execution for believing
in Jesus. Its theme is “God Keeps His
Promises and Will Take Care of Them.” Some
applies to the past, some to the present, some to the future. This symbolic book can be interpreted
through the numerous Old Testament events to which it refers.
*Even though the
Christian calendar was to begin when Jesus was born, due to an error in the
Gregorian Calendar, events book place
about 4 years before the new calendar was to begin.