06 Sep How Many Books Are in the Bible? A Closer Look

If someone asks the question, How Many Books are in the Bible? The usual answer would be 27. But what if we say this incorrectly? Usually people are aware of the New Testament only.  However, the Bible has more books than just the New Testament. Surprisingly, many might also assume the Bible to be a single book, but looking at the big picture helps us better understand the lessons and tales in these holy writings. In this blog, we will unravel all the books in the Bible. Also, we will explain its different parts and show why both the Old and New Testaments matter. Let’s begin

An Overview of the History of the Bible

Interestingly The Bible is a holy book for many faiths, Judaism and Christianity alike. Also, it is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. So to understand  how many books are in the Bible, we must take note of these testaments. When we talk about the Bible, the word “testament” means a deal or pact between God and people.

Two Different Sections of the Bible

Only when we know the two different sections of the Bible can we understand how many books are in the Bible. The Bible in its present form has two main sections based on the time period of origin of the sacred texts.

Here’s how the Bible is divided into two different sections:

• Old Testament: The Old Testament books belong to the period from 1445–1405 BC to AD 100–200.  Also, in the Old Testament you will find books related to history, wisdom literature, and prophecy. The original books were written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

• New Testament: New Testament books belong to the period from AD 44-49 to AD 94-96. Moreover, the New Testament breaks down into gospels, epistles, and apocalyptic literature. Also, these books were written originally in Koine Greek.

Now each part is further divided into categories to help readers understand its content and context. Moreover, over the years, it has gone through compilation and translation by various councils and religious groups.  This shows its complex past and how different faiths understand it in their own ways.

How the Books Came Together to Create the Bible?

Now the important thing to be understood is how all the books came together to form one. The Bible’s structure took shape through canonization. Church councils started to decide which books were God-inspired around 320 A.D. This process led to the Old Testament’s formation by 395 A.D. The New Testament’s canonization followed soon after. 

Number of Books In Old Testament Canon

The Old Testament plays a key role in helping us grasp Christian and Jewish traditions. So how many books are in the Bible if the Old Testaments are considered? The Old Testament has a total of 39 books. These books tell us about how the world came to be, the story of God’s people, and big events like when they were forced to live in Babylon. 

The Old Testament is split into five categories. Now again, each category can be consequently divided into different parts. Or, in other words, there are different books in each category. Here’s a breakdown of the different categories in which old testaments are divided. Also adjoining each category are the books included in them:

Testaments	Books in The Bible
Pentateuch	Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books	Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2  Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Poetry and Wisdom Books	Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon
Major Prophets	Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor Prophets	Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah Malachi

So basically, these 39 books cover creation up to the time before the birth of Jesus Christ. Now is the time to understand how many books are in the Bible’s New Testament. This will help you clear  out all the doubts. 

Number of Books In New Testament Canon

The New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ’s life and his teachings. These books were all written during the Roman Empire by different prophets. So the important question again, as per the New Testament, how many books are in the Bible?  It has a total of 27 books. The following are the four categories into which New Testaments are divided, and in brackets you will find the name of the prophets who composed them: 

Testaments	Books in The Bible
The Gospels	MatthewMarkLukeJohn
Acts of the Apostles	Acts 1: Jesus’ commission to His disciples.Acts 2-7: The arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.Acts 8-12: Life within the early Jesus movement.Acts 13-20: The mission of the Church, focusing on Paul’s missionary journeys.Acts 21-28: Paul’s arrest and journey to Rome1.
Pauline Epistles	Romans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemon
General  Epistles	James1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJude
Prophecy	Book of Revelation

The early church councils had a big impact on confirming these texts as holy scripture. The final list of 27 books was given the nod in Athanasius’s Easter Letter (AD 367).

Different Types Of Bibles: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hebrew 

To answer the question of  how many books are in the Bible, we must also consider the three different types of Bibles. We must have heard about 3 different Bibles, namely:

• The Protestant Bible

• Roman Catholic Bible, and 

• Hebrew Bible

All these are holy books in Christianity and Judaism. The first two belong to Christianity,   the last (the Hebrew Bible) is followed by Jews.  The only difference among them is that they have different books in their official lists and follow different religious practices. Here’s a look at How Many Books are in the Bible : 

• Protestant Bible: First we have Protestant Bible. It has 66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament). The Reformation shaped this collection where King Luther’s split from the Catholic Church.

• Roman Catholic Bible: Second, we have Roman Catholic Bible.  Now it contains 73 books, with seven deuterocanonical books added to the Old Testament (Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and extra parts in Daniel and Esther).

• Hebrew Bible: Finally, we have the Hebrew Bible. It consists of 24 books split into Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim, which form the basis of Jewish scripture.

How Many Books Are in the Protestant, Roman Catholic & Hebrew Bibles ?

A mere look at the following table will show you how many books are in the Bible. 

Bible Version	Old Testament	New Testament	Total Books
Protestant Bible	39	27	66
Roman Catholic Bible	46 (including deuterocanonical books)	27	73
Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)	24	Not Applicable	24

2 Reasons for Varying Number of Books in Different Bibles

There are two possible explanations for the differing numbers of books in the various bibles. These reasons are:  

• The main reason behind the difference in number of books in different Bibles is the difference in ideologies amongst the three. The Jewish and Christian canons differ because they take different approaches to divide and group the texts. 

• Also, there is a difference in the religious traditions they follow. Christians often split the Hebrew Bible’s 24 books into 39 separate books in their Old Testament.

Conclusion

In brief, the answer to the question How Many Books are in the Bible lies in the context. Or, in simple words, total books in the Bible depends upon which Bible we are talking about. For instance, if we are considering the Protestant Bible, we have a total of 66 books. This number differs for the Catholic Bible. and the Hebrew Bible. This shows how diverse the texts are in both the Old and New Testaments. When you look at the whole Bible, you see its importance in history and faith, not just the New Testament part.

FAQ

1. Are there more books in the Old Testament or the New Testament?
   There are more books in the Old Testament. It contains 39 books, while the New Testament has 27 books.
   
2.  Do different Bible versions have different numbers of books?
   Yes,  different  Bible versions have different books. However,  the most common one has 66 books.
   
3. What is the reason behind the varying book counts in different Bible versions?
   Over time, different religious groups and denominations chose to include or leave out certain books from the Bible. This led to differences in the number of books.