What is the Bible? : What Books Are In The Bible?

For starters, the Bible is not one book. The Bible is 66 books if you’re a Protestant Christian. The Bible is 73 books if you’re a Catholic. The Bible is only 24 books if you’re Jewish. (And it’s called the Tanakh, not the Bible.)

As you can see, we’re already off to a good start! There isn’t even consensus on what books get included in the Bible. Across different religions, it varies. So let’s dive into that during this first post. We’ll cover:

What books are in the Bible for Jews (aka the Hebrew Bible / Tanakh)?

Most Americans believe the Hebrew Bible / Tanakh is the exact same as the Old Testament. That’s not entirely accurate though. The Jews divide and organize their Bible differently than Protestant Christians and Catholics. Here is how the Hebrew Bible / Tanakh is organized:

Torah (the Teaching, the Law, the 5 Books of Moses)

  • Genesis (1)
  • Exodus (2)
  • Leviticus (3)
  • Numbers (4)
  • Deuteronomy (5)

Nevi’im (the Prophets)

  • Former
    • Joshua (6)
    • Judges (7)
    • Samuel – as one book (8)
    • Kings – as one book (9)
  • Latter
    • Isaiah (10)
    • Jeremiah (11)
    • Ezekiel (12)
  • The 12 – as one book (13)
    • Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Ketuvim (the Writings)

  • Poetic
    • Psalms (14)
    • Proverbs (15)
    • Job (16)
  • 5 Scrolls
    • Song of Songs (17)
    • Ruth (18)
    • Lamentations (19)
    • Ecclesiastes (20)
    • Esther (21)
  • Other
    • Daniel (22)
    • Ezra-Nehemiah -as one book (23)
    • Chronicles (24)

It looks a lot different from the Protestant Christian Bible, doesn’t it? Instead of ending with Malachi, you end with Chronicles. Instead of having a lot of books split up, you have a lot of books combined. Instead of seeing Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings classified as history, you see them classified as prophets. Job is described as poetry. It’s refreshing to look at it this way.

Now, let’s look at the Protestant Christian Bible.

What books are in the Bible for Protestant Christians?

This is the most common understanding of the books of the Bible. There are 66 in total, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. For most people reading this, you won’t find surprises here.

Old Testament

  • Genesis
  • Exodus
  • Leviticus
  • Numbers
  • Deuteronomy
  • Joshua
  • Judges
  • Ruth
  • 1 Samuel
  • 2 Samuel
  • 1 Kings
  • 2 Kings
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah
  • Esther
  • Job
  • Psalms
  • Proverbs
  • Ecclesiastes
  • Song of Songs
  • Isaiah
  • Jeremiah
  • Lamentations
  • Ezekiel
  • Daniel
  • Hosea
  • Joel
  • Amos
  • Obadiah
  • Jonah
  • Micah
  • Nahum
  • Habakkuk
  • Zephaniah
  • Haggai
  • Zechariah
  • Malachi

New Testament

  • Matthew
  • Mark
  • Luke
  • John
  • Acts
  • Romans
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • Colossians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians
  • 1 Timothy
  • 2 Timothy
  • Titus
  • Philemon
  • Hebrews
  • James
  • 1 Peter
  • 2 Peter
  • 1 John
  • 2 John
  • 3 John
  • Jude
  • Revelation

For 90% of the people reading this, I’m guessing this list above is your understanding of what books are included in the Bible. But if you’re a Catholic reading this, you’ll know there’s more to the story…

What books are in the Bible for Catholics?

For Catholics, there are more than 66 books in the Bible. There are actually 73 books. Instead of listing all 66 again, we’ll just list out the 7 extra books. They are as follows:

  • The Historical Books
    • 1 Maccabees (1)
    • 2 Maccabees (2)
  • The Didactic Books
    • Sirach – or The Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach (3)
    • The Wisdom of Solomon (4)
    • Baruch (5)
  • The Folk Literature
    • Tobit (6)
    • Judith (7)

In addition to the Didactic Books, there are some extra additions to the books of Daniel and Esther. Most people think the Catholics have the most books in their Bible, but actually, the Eastern Orthodox Christians have even more.

What books are in the Bible for Eastern Orthodox Christians?

In addition to the Protestant Christian Bible and Catholic Bible lists, there are 3-5 more books in the Bible for Eastern Orthodox Christians, depending on who you ask. These books are:

  • 1 Esdras (1)
  • 2 Esdras (2)
  • 3 Maccabees (3)
  • Prayer of Manasseh (4)
  • Psalm 151 (bonus)

Why does it matter what books are included in the Bible?

Simply put, it doesn’t. It only matters who you become in the process of reading the Bible.

At the end of the day, you can read and enjoy all of those books and still love God. You can read and enjoy all of those books and still believe Jesus is Lord. You can also read all of those books and be a bigot. You can be a Bible-know-it-all and be a complete jerk, whether you call yourself a Christian, a Catholic, or a Jew.

I sincerely believe that reading the Bible, however many books exist in it, should make you a better human, not a bigot. If you’re letting the Bible do its work in you, you should become kinder, more loving, more compassionate, more patient, more peaceful. Reading the Bible should make you more self-controlled, more faith-filled, and more gentle. If you’re not more generous and more joyful after reading it, there’s a big problem.

So whether you believe there should be 24, 66, 73, or 77+ books in the Bible, I could care less. The number isn’t the point. The person you become from reading it is the point.

Other Questions About the Bible

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be answering more fun questions about the Bible:

  • Is the Trinity in the Bible?
  • Was the Flood real?
  • Who wrote the Bible?
  • What are the craziest stories in the Bible?
  • What does it mean to be born again?

Visit this page for more posts in this series on “What is the Bible?”.

Visit this page for commentary on different books in the Bible.

What is the Bible?

I love this question. It’s so open-ended. There’s so much room to explore. There are so many thoughts, so many opinions, so many ideas.

What is the Bible? You can go 182 directions with this question and you still won’t scratch the surface.

I’ll tackle this in a myriad of ways, from a myriad of angles. I might not have 182 posts right off the bat, but we’ll start with a half dozen.

We’ll see how it develops. It may grow and morph. It may even evolve… because we all know evolution is part of the Bible! *wink*

Here’s Post 1 on What is the Bible? What Books Are In The Bible?

Here’s Post 2 on What is the Bible? A Source of Theology

Here’s Post 3 on What is the Bible? The Genres of the Bible

Here’s Post 4 on What is the Bible? What the Bible is NOT

Here’s Post 5 on What is the Bible? The Ultimate Story

Here’s Post 6 on What is the Bible? A Review of Rob Bell’s Book

Haggai (2)

In the previous post, I wrote about a single line in chapter 1 of Haggai.

Today, I want to talk about the book as a whole. Believe it or not, I wrote about this book almost nine years ago. But today is a new day.

The ancient Jewish tradition has a phrase about turning the gem. They mean that you can interpret Scriptures from different perspectives.

Nine years ago, I interpreted it very literally.

Today, I want to interpret it figuratively.

Obviously, there is a literal interpretation. These events really happened and the people really did rebuild the temple based on Haggai’s proclamations and exhortations.

But figuratively and thematically, this book is all reflection and restoration. We need someone like Haggai to tell us to pause, reflect, and examine our lives.

We need to see if we’re tending to the most important things, namely our relationship with God, with faith and trust. How much do you trust God vs. trusting your wallet? Are you living in faith or are you only living by your five senses? Do you put a lot of stuff before God?

I’m asking myself those questions, just as much as I’m asking you.

These questions help us see if we’re living for God and serving others, or if we’re just living for ourselves.

This is the application aspect of Haggai.

First, examine your lives.

Second, make the necessary changes.

Third, get to work.

In all of it, honor God.

Ironically, I’ve written a book on each of those things. I hope you enjoy them.

Haggai

A few days ago, when writing on Lamentations, I mentioned that I would circle back to this line. In Lamentations, it read:

Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God.

Here, in Haggai, it reads:

Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.

I’m no rocket scientist, but I think God wants us to look at our lives every once in a while. Do some introspection. Do some reflection. Do some self-evaluation.

Be honest. Be realistic. And take some time to do it right.

The last time I did this, at the turn of the year, it was such a breath of fresh air. I was able to see where I had been, what I had accomplished, where I had fallen short, and how I had improved. I was able to set new goals, revisit my one page life plan, and see new opportunities in a new light.

Do yourself a favor and schedule a 2-4 hour date with yourself.

Bring paper and a pen.

Start writing.

See what happens.

For more guidance on how to do this well, check out my book, Life Doc.

The Daily Omer. LifeDoc. Omer Dylan Redden

Lamentations (5)

As this short book comes to a close, I want to remind you that it’s ok to grieve. It’s ok to feel anger. It’s ok to feel hurt. It’s ok to cry. It’s ok. You can feel those things. You can express all of that to God. God is big enough to handle it.

When you read chapter 5 of Lamentations, you see all of those feelings from Jeremiah, as he expresses them to God.

The language is colorful. The tone is full of pain.

Here’s how the book wraps up:

And yet, God, you’re sovereign still,
    your throne intact and eternal.
So why do you keep forgetting us?
    Why dump us and leave us like this?
Bring us back to you, God—we’re ready to come back.
    Give us a fresh start.
As it is, you’ve cruelly disowned us.
    You’ve been so very angry with us.”

Don’t you want it to end two lines earlier than it actually does? I wanted it to end with “Bring us back to you, God – we’re ready to come back. Give us a fresh start.”

That would be a good ending. An ending of hope. An ending that is really a new beginning.

But Jeremiah doesn’t end it that way.

He ends it in true lament fashion. Because he’s still in it.

When you’re in it, it’s tough to have hope, and that’s okay.

I’ll post this video again, from Dr. Edith Eva Eger, a Holocaust survivor. May it help you and may God help you.

Lamentations (4)

There’s a line in chapter 3 of Lamentations that I’ll be revisiting when I write about Haggai because the two correlate so well. The line is this:

Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God.

I’ll get to that in a few days, but for now, let’s dive into Lamentations 4…

We’ve already seen the first two and a half chapters of Lamentations were full of cries of lament. Then somewhere in chapter 3, Jeremiah started writing about God’s tender love and mercies. Then, late in chapter 3, it almost turned vindictive. Now, in chapter 4, it seems Jeremiah is describing the state of the land and the people.

Let’s just say it isn’t pretty.

Whether it’s hyperbole or real, this is one of the lines that you simply can’t believe is in the Bible:

Nice and kindly women
    boiled their own children for supper.
This was the only food in town
    when my dear people were broken.

It’s awful. It’s grotesque. And yet, it’s here in Lamentations 4.

Somehow, someway, Jeremiah found himself living through this hell on earth. It wasn’t because of his sins that Jerusalem and Zion were being punished. Yet, he wasn’t spared from having to experience it.

I think about different times in history when God’s children, His followers, have had to live through hell on earth. I think of Viktor Frankl and Dr. Edith Eva Eger.

Maybe you’ve gone through hell on earth. I’ve had a few times of it myself.

Here’s a video that may help you. I know it’s helped me.

Lamentations (3)

After two and a half chapters of lament, it’s nice to finally get a break. But before we get to the break, I have to quote a couple lines from the start of Lamentations 3:

He turned me into a skeleton 
of skin and bones, then broke the bones...
He locked me up in deep darkness,
like a corpse nailed inside a coffin.

...Even when I cry out and plead for help,
he locks up my prayers and throws away the key.

Man, Jeremiah was really feeling it, eh?

When you have that feeling that the world is against you, then you feel like God is against you too… wuff!

Read the first 18 verses of chapter 3 in Lamentations, and you’ll think it couldn’t get much worse than this.

Then all of a sudden, somewhere around verses 19-21, the tone changes.

The whole mood switches.

Here’s what Jeremiah writes:

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left.
25-27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
    to stick it out through the hard times.
28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take,
    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
    Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
    The “worst” is never the worst.
31-33 Why? Because the Master won’t ever
    walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
    His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
    in throwing roadblocks in the way...

Isn’t that great?! I jived so much with this section of Lamentations that I actually memorized it. If you don’t want to memorize that whole section, at least keep this in your heart and mind moving forward: “God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.”

See you in chapter 4.