There is a total of 39 books in the Bible, with an additional 14 books included only in the Apocrypha. These are some of the most frequently-named books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges and Ruth.
The Bible is a collection of 66 books that constitute the entire Christian canon of scripture. There are 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament books are all for either historical or legal purposes and focus on Israel as God’s chosen people. The original number of books in the old testament was 46 before it was reduced to 39.
39 Old Testament Books in Order
Pentateuch (5 books)
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
Historical Books (12 books)
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
Poetry and Wisdom Books (5 books)
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
Major Prophets (5 books)
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Minor Prophets (12 books)
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
| Section | Number of Books |
|---|---|
| Pentateuch | 5 |
| Historical Books | 12 |
| Poetry and Wisdom Books | 5 |
| Major Prophets | 5 |
| Minor Prophets | 12 |
How Many Books In The Bible Old Testament And New Testament
I remember growing up in Sunday School and we had to learn the books of the Bible. Surprisingly all these years later I can still recite all sixty-six of these books in order. As important as it is to know how many books are in the Bible, why just those books were chosen is equally important.
I don’t know if you have ever asked the question how did we get to those books? This process of selection was not a decision that was devised in the minds of men. What is true is that this process was really birthed in the mind of God. Having a little better understanding of this will help you understand why we have these books in the Bible and why just those 66 were the ones selected.
The number of books
English Bibles list 39 books for the Old Testament because of the practice of bisecting Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles and of counting Ezra, Nehemiah, and the 12 Minor Prophets as separate books.
How Many Books Are in the Bible?
The Bible is often thought of as one book. However, it is actually a compilation of 66 different books written by 40 different authors. These authors were not all connected to each other, most did not even know each other because these books were written over a period of approximately 1500 years.
What makes the Bible so unique and special is that even with this large time gap between the first book written and the last book written, there is a consistency of thought and messaging. There is no other book that can match that. Though there continues to be skeptics today, this type of accuracy and consistency could only be accomplished by the hand of God.
How Many Books Are in the Bible and How Did They Get There?
How Were the Books Decided Upon?
The books in the Bible are considered the canon, which are simply the books that are accepted as part of Scripture. For the record, there are 39 books included in the Old Testament canon and 27 books in the New Testament canon. The question is how were these books in the Bible chosen and why just those? Let’s answer this by looking at each testament separately.
The Old Testament scriptures were paramount to the Jewish religion, or Judaism. These scriptures were divided into three main sections: The Law, The Prophets, and The Writings. They were grouped a little bit differently than the way you would recognize the Old Testament today, but they still contain the same books. For example, the books of Joshua and Judges were included as among the writings of the Prophets, where today they are referred to more as historical books. Again, this doesn’t change the messaging or authority of these books, it is just simply their groupings.
Jews recognized the authority of the Hebrew scriptures almost from the moment they were written. Consider for instance that Moses wrote the first 5 books, which is known as the Law. This was the basis for all Hebrew life and culture and was implemented as soon as Moses wrote them. You will also notice that Jesus and other New Testament writers referred to the Old Testament, even quoting from it. This gave further credibility to their authenticity and authority as the scriptures or the word of God.
How Many Books Are in the Bible and How Did They Get There?
Organizing the New Testament
The New Testament went through a slightly different process of being considered as part of the canon of scripture. One of the major differences was while the Old Testament was written primarily to one group of people, the Jews or Hebrews, the New Testament was written to and for different groups of people. Among those were both Jewish and Gentile audiences. There were some specific questions that were asked about the New Testament books that were necessary for them to be included in Scripture. Here are some of those questions or considerations:
- Was it written by an apostle or someone close to an apostle?
- Was it in alignment with what was already known about God or being taught?
- Was it accepted universally by the churches at that time?
Another way of looking at it is the authority of Scripture was determined by how the new writings lined up with the scriptures that already had this authority. Did what was new line up with what was old? The goal was not to create authority in the writings but simply to recognize the authority that was already there. Ultimately the writings were inspired by God and this inspiration was seen and acknowledged in the writings themselves. As we are reminded:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The goal of canonization of the scriptures was to look for and see the mark of the “breath of God” within the writings. That’s why consistency and conformity to what has already been taught and revealed mattered, because ultimately God is the author and his message won’t change from one period of time to the next.
How Many Books Are in the Bible and How Did They Get There?
When Was the Bible Compiled into One Book?
When considering when the Bible was compiled into one book you are focusing on the New Testament, because the Old Testament was already accepted as Scripture. While the writings existed, it really wasn’t until the 5th century that there was a measure of consensus on the canon of scriptures.
What we know and treasure as the Bible today was not how the Bible was distributed very early on. Because there were no printing presses the Bible had to be copied by hand, which was a massive undertaking, and these copies were distributed.
The other challenge you had when Bibles were first copied and distributed is that many people were illiterate and therefore unable to read. One of the earliest Bibles that was printed and not copied by hand was the Gutenberg Bible which was printed in the 1450’s. There were also translations of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into English. Among those were the Great Bible in 1539, the Geneva Bible in 1559 and the more well-known King James Version in 1611.
Why Aren’t Other Books Included?
Even though we have the canon of Scripture today, there were other writings that were not included. Among those were the writings found in The Apocrypha, which are 14 books written somewhere between 450 BC and the writings of the New Testament. These books can be found as part of the Catholic Bible but are not found in what we would deem a Protestant Bible, which is the Bible you are probably most familiar with. In fact, if you have never seen a Catholic Bible you might not even know these books existed.
After consideration in early church history, it was deemed that these books would not be included in the canon. Though they included useful historical information and were not necessarily “bad” writings, they were not considered to have the authority of Scripture. Among the reasons is that neither Jesus, nor the early apostles ever referred to these writings and there were teachings within these writings that did not line up with other portions of Scripture. As we mentioned earlier, this was an important test because of the unity of the teachings of Scripture.
How Many Books Are in the Bible and How Did They Get There?
How and Why Can We Trust the Books of the Christian Bible?
If you search around the internet, you may find people who will try to cast doubt about the authenticity of the Bible. You however can be confident in how many books are in the Bible and why just those books are included. Ultimately the decision to include or not include books was not a random decision, made by the whim of man, but was truly led and inspired by the hand of God. It is his desire to protect and provide the truth of who he is to all of mankind. For this reason, he has preserved the authenticity of the scriptures. His word, his promises, his decrees, can all be trusted. Consider these scriptures:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25).
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:7-8).
Always More to Learn
This subject of the canon of Scripture, how many books are in the Bible, why just those, and how they got there is one that has more information than could ever fit into one article. If you want to know more there is plenty more to learn and you can really take a deep dive into this topic.
Whether you decide to research further or not, you can feel confident in the Bible you have today. It is the right message and the right truth you need to know who God is, how much he loves you, and his wonderful plan of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
How Many Books in The Catholic Bible Old Testament
The Torah contains five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Neviʾim comprise eight books divided into the Former Prophets, containing the four historical works Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, and the Latter Prophets, the oracular discourses of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve (Minor—i.e., smaller) Prophets—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Twelve were all formerly written on a single scroll and thus reckoned as one book. The Ketuvim consist of religious poetry and wisdom literature—Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, a collection known as the Five Megillot (Five Scrolls; i.e., Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, which have been grouped together according to the annual cycle of their public reading in the synagogue)—and the books of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Chronicles.
The number of books
The number of books in the Hebrew canon is thus 24, referring to the sum of the separate scrolls on which these works were traditionally written in ancient times. This figure is first cited in II Esdras in a passage usually dated about 100 CE and is frequently mentioned in rabbinic (postbiblical) literature, but no authentic tradition exists to explain it. Josephus, a 1st-century-CE Jewish historian, and some of the Church Fathers, such as Origen (the great 3rd-century Alexandrian theologian), appear to have had a 22-book canon.
English Bibles list 39 books for the Old Testament because of the practice of bisecting Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles and of counting Ezra, Nehemiah, and the 12 Minor Prophets as separate books.
The tripartite canon
The threefold nature of the Hebrew Bible (the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings) is reflected in the literature of the period of the Second Temple (6th–1st century BCE) and soon after it. The earliest reference is that of the Jewish wisdom writer Ben Sira (flourished 180–175 BCE), who speaks of “the law of the Most High…the wisdom of all the ancients and…prophecies.” His grandson (c. 132 BCE), in the prologue to Ben Sira’s work, mentions “the law and the prophets and the others that followed them,” the latter also called “the other books of our fathers.” The same tripartite division finds expression in II Maccabees, the writings of Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, and Josephus, a Hellenistic Jewish historian, as well as in the Gospel According to Luke. The tripartite canon represents the three historic stages in the growth of the canon.
The history of canonization
Because no explicit or reliable traditions concerning the criteria of canonicity, the canonizing authorities, the periods in which they lived, or the procedure adopted have been preserved, no more than a plausible reconstruction of the successive stages involved can be provided. First, it must be observed that sanctity and canonization are not synonymous terms. The first condition must have existed before the second could have been formally conferred. Next, the collection and organization of a number of sacred texts into a canonized corpus (body of writings) is quite a different problem from that of the growth and formation of the individual books themselves.
No longer are there compelling reasons to assume that the history of the canon must have commenced very late in Israel’s history, as was once accepted. The emergence in Mesopotamia, already in the second half of the 2nd millennium BCE, of a standardized body of literature arranged in a more or less fixed order and with some kind of official text, expresses the notion of a canon in its secular sense. Because Babylonian and Assyrian patterns frequently served as the models for imitation throughout the Middle East, sacred documents in Israel may well have been carefully stored in temples and palaces, particularly if they were used in connection with the cult or studied in the priestly or wisdom schools. The injunction to deposit the two tables of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) inside the Ark of the Covenant and the book of the Torah beside it and the chance find of a book of the Torah in the Temple in 622 BCE tend to confirm the existence of such a practice in Israel.
The divisions of the TaNaKh
The Torah
The history of the canonization of the Torah as a book must be distinguished from the process by which the heterogeneous components of the literature as such developed and were accepted as sacred.
The Book of the Chronicles, composed circa 400 BCE, frequently refers to the “Torah of Moses” and exhibits a familiarity with all five books of the Pentateuch. The earliest record of the reading of a “Torah book” is provided by the narrative describing the reformation instituted by King Josiah of Judah in 622 BCE following the fortuitous discovery of a “book of the Torah” during the renovation of the Temple. The reading of the book (probably Deuteronomy), followed by a national covenant ceremony, is generally interpreted as having constituted a formal act of canonization.
Between this date and 400 BCE the only other ceremony of Torah reading is that described in Nehemiah as having taken place at the autumnal New Year festival. The “book of the Torah of Moses” is mentioned and the emphasis is on its instruction and exposition. The Samaritans, the descendants of Israelites intermarried with foreigners in the old northern kingdom that fell in 722 BCE, became hostile to the Judaeans in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (6th–5th century BCE). They would not likely have accepted the Torah—which they did, along with the tradition of its Mosaic origin—if it had only recently been canonized under the authority of their archenemies. The final redaction and canonization of the Torah book, therefore, most likely took place during the Babylonian Exile (6th–5th century BCE).
The Neviʾim
The model of the Pentateuch probably encouraged the assemblage and ordering of the literature of the prophets. The Exile of the Jews to Babylonia in 587/586 and the restoration half a century later enhanced the prestige of the prophets as national figures and aroused interest in the written records of their teachings. The canonization of the Neviʾim could not have taken place before the Samaritan schism that occurred during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, since nothing of the prophetical literature was known to the Samaritans. On the other hand, the prophetic canon must have been closed by the time the Greeks had displaced the Persians as the rulers of Palestine in the late 4th century BCE. The exclusion of Daniel would otherwise be inexplicable, as would be the omission of Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah, even though they supplement and continue the narrative of the Former Prophets. Furthermore, the books of the Latter Prophets contain no hint of the downfall of the Persian empire and the rise of the Greeks, even though the succession of great powers in the East plays a major role in their theological interpretation of history. Their language, too, is entirely free of Grecisms.
These phenomena accord with the traditions of Josephus and rabbinic sources limiting the activities of the literary prophets to the Persian era.
The Ketuvim
That the formation of the Ketuvim as a corpus was not completed until a very late date is evidenced by the absence of a fixed name, or indeed any real name, for the third division of Scripture. Ben Sira refers to “the other books of our fathers,” “the rest of the books”; Philo speaks simply of “other writings” and Josephus of “the remaining books.” A widespread practice of entitling the entire Scriptures “the Torah and the Prophets” indicates a considerable hiatus between the canonization of the Prophets and the Ketuvim. Greek words are to be found in the Song of Songs and in Daniel, which also refers to the disintegration of the Greek empire of Alexander the Great. Ben Sira omits mention of Daniel and Esther. No fragments of Esther have turned up among the biblical scrolls (e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls) from the Judaean desert. Rabbinic sources betray some hesitation about Esther and a decided ambivalence about the book of Ben Sira. A third-generation Babylonian amora (rabbinic interpretive scholar; plural amoraim) actually cites it as “Ketuvim,” as opposed to Torah and Prophets, and in the mid-2nd century CE the need to deny its canonicity and prohibit its reading was still felt. Differences of opinion also are recorded among the tannaim (rabbinic scholars of tradition who compiled the Mishna, or Oral Law) and amoraim (who created the Talmud, or Gemara) about the canonical status of Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Esther.
All this indicates a prolonged state of fluidity with respect to the canonization of the Ketuvim. A synod at Jabneh (c. 100 CE) seems to have ruled on the matter, but it took a generation or two before their decisions came to be unanimously accepted and the Ketuvim regarded as being definitively closed. The destruction of the Jewish state in 70 CE, the breakdown of central authority, and the ever-widening Diaspora (collectively, Jews dispersed to foreign lands) all contributed to the urgent necessity of providing a closed and authoritative corpus of sacred Scripture.
The Samaritan canon
As has been mentioned, the Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch from the Jews. They knew of no other section of the Bible, however, and did not expand their Pentateuchal canon even by the inclusion of any strictly Samaritan compositions.
The Alexandrian canon
The Old Testament as it has come down in Greek translation from the Jews of Alexandria via the Christian church differs in many respects from the Hebrew Scriptures. The books of the second and third divisions have been redistributed and arranged according to categories of literature—history, poetry, wisdom, and prophecy. Esther and Daniel contain supplementary materials, and many noncanonical books, whether of Hebrew or Greek origin, have been interspersed with the canonical works. These extracanonical writings are I Esdras, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sira), additions to Esther, Judith, Tobit, Baruch, the Epistle of Jeremiah, and additions to Daniel, as listed in the manuscript known as Codex Vaticanus (c. 350 CE). The sequence of the books varies, however, in the manuscripts and in the patristic and synodic lists of the Eastern and Western churches, some of which include other books as well, such as I and II Maccabees.