The Bible For Dummies
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The Bible, maximally speaking, is comprised of the Old Testament (or Hebrew bible), the New Testament, and, if you are studying from the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Bible, the Apocrypha.

The Hebrew Bible or "Old Testament" (Jewish Ordering)

The sacred books that Christianity and Judaism share in common refer to the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible (nearly all of which was originally written in Hebrew – therefore the name). The books in the Jewish Bible or Christian Old Testament are:

The Torah

  • Genesis

  • Exodus

  • Leviticus

  • Numbers

  • Deuteronomy

The Prophets

The Former Prophets

  • Joshua

  • Judges

  • 1 and 2 Samuel

  • 1 and 2 Kings

The Latter Prophets

Major Prophets

  • Isaiah

  • Jeremiah

  • Ezekiel

Minor Prophets

  • Hosea

  • Joel

  • Amos

  • Obadiah

  • Jonah

  • Micah

  • Nahum

  • Habakkuk

  • Zephaniah

  • Haggai

  • Zechariah

  • Malachi

The Writings

  • Psalms

  • Proverbs

  • Job

  • Song of Songs

  • Ruth

  • Lamentations

  • Ecclesiastes

  • Esther

  • Daniel

  • Ezra

  • Nehemiah

  • 1 and 2 Chronicles

The Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical Books

The Apocrypha is an elaborate and assorted group of Jewish writings found, with slight variations, in both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament.

  • Tobit

  • Judith

  • Additions to Esther

  • Wisdom of Solomon

  • Ecclesiasticus

  • Baruch

  • Letter of Jeremiah

  • Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews

  • Susanna

  • Bel and the Dragon

  • 1 and 2 Maccabees

  • 1 and 2 Esdras

  • Prayer of Manasseh

Eastern Orthodox additions:

  • 3 and 4 Maccabees

  • Psalm 151

The New Testament

The books comprising the New Testament include narratives of Jesus’ life, an account of the spread of early Christianity, letters to various churches and individuals by important Christian leaders, and the final showdown between good and evil.

Historical Books

Gospels (Life of Jesus)

  • Matthew

  • Mark

  • Luke

  • John

Life of Early Church

  • Acts of the Apostles

Letters or Epistles

Pauline Letters

  • Romans

  • 1 and 2 Corinthians

  • Galatians

  • Ephesians

  • Philippians

  • Colossians

  • 1 and 2 Thessalonians

  • 1 and 2 Timothy

  • Titus

  • Philemon

General Letters

  • Hebrews

  • James

  • 1 and 2 Peter

  • 1, 2, 3 John

  • Jude

Apocalypse (Future Events)

  • Revelation

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Jeffrey Geoghegan, PhD and Michael Homan, PhD have authored and coauthored numerous books and articles about the Bible.

Jeffrey Geoghegan, PhD and Michael Homan, PhD have authored and coauthored numerous books and articles about the Bible.

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