The Bible contains 66 books total — 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. These books were written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of about 1,500 years, yet together they tell one unified story of God’s redemption of humanity.
The Old Testament (39 Books)
The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew and covers God’s creation, the story of Israel, the Law, wisdom literature, and prophecy. It is divided into:
- The Law (Torah / Pentateuch) — 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
- History — 12 books: Joshua through Esther
- Poetry and Wisdom — 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
- Major Prophets — 5 books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
- Minor Prophets — 12 books: Hosea through Malachi
The New Testament (27 Books)
- The Gospels — 4 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
- History — 1 book: Acts
- Paul’s Letters (Epistles) — 13 books: Romans through Philemon
- General Epistles — 8 books: Hebrews through Jude
- Prophecy — 1 book: Revelation
What About the Apocrypha?
Some Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books called the Apocrypha (or Deuterocanonical books), making their count 73 books. Protestant Bibles include 66 books, following the Hebrew canon used by Jesus and the early church.
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