What Is the Bible? How It Came Together, and How to Read It

The Bible is a library of books, written by many authors over many centuries, that Christians believe together tell one true story: how God made the world, how it went wrong, and how He has been putting it right through Jesus.

Most Protestant Bibles contain 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. They were written in three languages — Hebrew, a little Aramaic, and Greek — and include history, law, poetry, prophecy, letters and biographies of Jesus.

Books in Protestant Bibles

66

Old Testament books

39

New Testament books

27

Original languages

3

The Old Testament

The Old Testament is the Bible Jesus Himself read. It tells of creation, of God's promise to Abraham, of Israel rescued from Egypt and given God's law, of kings and prophets, exile and return. It is full of songs and prayers in the Psalms and wisdom in Proverbs.

Again and again it looks forward — to a coming King, a suffering servant, a new covenant. Christians read it as the first part of a story that finds its centre in Jesus. He said the Scriptures “testify about me.”

The New Testament

The New Testament begins with four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Acts tells how the first Christians carried the message from Jerusalem across the Roman world. Letters from apostles such as Paul, Peter and John teach and encourage young churches. Revelation closes with a vision of God making all things new.

How the books came together

The books of the Bible were not chosen by one committee on one day. The Jewish Scriptures that form the Old Testament were already recognised in Jesus' time. The New Testament books circulated among early churches, which recognised them over time as carrying the authority of the apostles who knew Jesus. Lists from the fourth century match the 27 books of the New Testament we have today.

Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include some additional Old Testament books, often called the Deuterocanonical books or Apocrypha. Christians across traditions share the same New Testament.

Why Christians trust it

Christians believe the Bible is inspired by God — written by real human authors with their own styles, yet carrying God's own message. Paul wrote that all Scripture is God-breathed. Jesus treated the Scriptures as God's word and quoted them in His most important moments.

The New Testament also has an unusually strong manuscript record for an ancient text, with many early copies that let scholars compare and check what was originally written.

Where to start

Do not start at page one and try to read straight through. Start with a Gospel. John is a great first book: 21 chapters, one a day, and you will have met Jesus in three weeks. Then try Mark, Acts, a Psalm a day, and a letter like Philippians.

Use a readable modern translation, read with a simple question in mind — what does this show me about God? — and find others to read with. The Bible is meant to be read in community, not alone.