The Catholic Bible is one of the most ancient books of all time. The Book of the Bible came into existence somewhere between 1200 and 165 BC. This tells us that the Bible started to get into a definitive formation before the birth of its important character named Jesus Christ.

The Bible is filled with a lot of stories and philosophies regarding life and death and many other matters as well. The answer to the question of how many books are in the Bible kind of extends pretty long. It is because the Bible contains tons and tons of information which has travelled over time.

Much of the content present in the Bible was already written many centuries before, making it one of the oldest written books to ever exist. Now, let us look at the number of books and a summary of each one of them below.

1) The Answer – How many Books are in the Bible

The Catholic Bible has a total of 73 books currently. The number of books present in the Bible differs in the variation of the Bible according to the division of Christianity. The Bible is one of the most important books for the religion of Christianity, the followers of Jesus Christ, and the ones associated with the creator of Jesus Christ.

We can categorize all of them as Christians from the outside, but there are divisions among them. They have differentiated beliefs among them, creating divisions within their religion. This is why the number of books in the Bible depends upon the edition of the Bible.

The protestant Bible has a total of 66 books, 7 books lesser than that of the Catholic Bible. And then, we have the Hebrew Bible. It has a total of 24 books. Now let us dive deep into the list of books present in the Bible after knowing about the periods.

2) The Periods

2.1) Old Testament

The Bible has a specific timeline where the events forming the content has said to have taken place. The very ancient part of the Bible, the ones which were written before the birth of Jesus Christ are said to form a part called the Old Testament. The Old Testament has a lot of content related to violence and politics compared to that of the next period. It is because the growth of Christianity was only seen after a long run of struggles and loss of lives during ancient times.

The content present in the Old Testament is quite interesting as well. You will get to know about the roots of Christianity if you dive deep into this portion. The protestant Bible tends to contain a lot of information regarding this period.

2.2) New Testament

Now, coming to the next part of the Bible, the New Testament has formed a lot of originations to the other divisions of Christianity we were talking about. The New Testament books mainly revolve around one key person of the Bible named Jesus Christ, who is martyred for the divine cause which is said to have been given to him by the Ulterior God, primarily known as Jehovah. The time since the birth of Jesus belongs to the New Testament.

The New Testament contains a lot of new people and their teachings and experiences from all over the world. This was the period where a lot of religious initiators called ‘Saints‘ were formed. They traveled throughout the world and some of them have even faced death, for the cause of spreading Christianity. Now, let us look at the books present in the Bible one by one.

3) The Old Testament Books

The Bible generally has a lot of books. But only some of them are accepted by the various divisions of Christianity. Only the ones accepted by the higher councils of such divisions are allowed to be present in their versions of the Bible. The books accepted by the higher councils to be kept and presented in their versions of the Bible are called the Biblical Canon.

In short, the books accepted by Christianity for display are known to be Canons. Now, the old testament has a total of 46 Biblical Canons to be precise. Some of these are given significance in the King James version of the Bible. let us look at them one by one.

3.1)Genesis

The Book of Genesis mainly revolved around the creation of the world. In the Bible, it is said that God created all the things in existence when he was just hovering over the whole empty void which was before the creations. He wanted to create something to fulfill a cause. This act of God started with him creating light in the beginning. From that day, God has been said to have created every little thing in existence.

Lastly, God ended his creation streak by making a human called Adam and a companion for him called Eve, a female. God took six days to create these things and he started resting from the seventh day. From that, the story just tells how mankind was made aware of the concept called sin. The rest of the book is filled with follow-up events that are important to the roman catholic church and the roman catholic Bible.

3.2)Exodus

The Book of Exodus tells a story that happens a lot of years since its creation. The kingdom of Egypt is taken here with Moses as the main character. It is also said that Moses wrote the Exodus himself, just like a note down. Here, Moses helps Israelis from the clutches of Egyptians, mainly the pharaoh who used innocent people to work forcefully under him. The king was a tyrant to be precise and didn’t abide by the rules of God. Thus, Moses was asked to redeem the Innocent people from the Pharaoh and take them to this so-called promised land.

The Book of Exodus is the only book t contains the maximum number of Miracles done by God. Redemption and recreation were the main concepts here.

3.3)Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus contains the follow-up events that take place after Moses redeems the innocent people. The book of Leviticus contains communication between God and Moses regarding the specifications that God requires from the people whom he saved with his full heart. God communicates to Moses and wants the people to follow certain laws to become his followers. He requires every single follower to be Holy, just like he is.

3.4)Numbers

The Book of Numbers contains the events which take place after a serious filter of people who failed to trust God and his acts over time. The journey was quite long, involving a ton of events that took place to test the faith of the people, but most of them failed during the first try which took place in a location called Mount Sinai. It contains the sufferings which the people went through.

3.5)Deuteronomy

This is the last chapter which contains the main character named Moses, who was chosen by God to complete this work. Deuteronomy includes the end of Moses who was near his death. He found a succession to complete his purpose, the objective which God wanted him to complete. The people were on the verge of moving into the promised land.

Moses wanted to give them several sermons and this is the reason why the book of Deuterocanonical books of the Bible was written.

3.6)Joshua

This portion contains a character called Joshua, who was the successor of Moses and was chosen by him. Joshua is appointed to lead and regulate the group of people who passed the sufferings and tests which they were subjected to during their time with Moses. Joshua is one of the people who were saved by Moses.

3.7)Judges

The events here take place soon after the end of Joshua who had no successor thereafter. People took in the taste of sin and evolved into a corrupt species. The promised land soon turned into an unholy one during this period.

3.8)Ruth

The Book of Ruth talks about a woman named Ruth who was made to face a lot of challenges in her life, and how God influences her daily activities as well. The story is quite captive and showcases the commitment of one to God’s word.

3.9)1 Samuel

The Book of Samuel tells us about a prophet called Samuel. The origin of him is a small boy herding cattle. He became a witness to a miracle of God and accepted to start working towards the cause that God offered him. This was one of the early stories where a special character in Christianity called the Holy Spirit made an appearance.

3.10)2 Samuel

This book of Samuel contains the end of Samuel and the era which belonged to him. Samuel showcased the perfect qualities of an ideal follower of God, making him one of the most favorite characters in the Bible.

3.11)1 King

The Book of Kings takes a lot of twists and turns where the promised land is subjected to a lot of corruption and immorality. The book has three characters primarily. One is David, another is Solomon. And lastly, we have Elijah. The Book of Kings tells us how bad the actions can get if one forgets his connection with God.

3.12)2 Kings

The second book of Kings gives us further information about the fall of the promised land due to a rule, which isn’t governed under the influence of God. The land had no succession in the end.

3.13)1 Chronicle

The book of Chronicles tells us about the events which took place from the creation till the fall of the promised land, just like a gist of activities one would take after finishing something up. The book of Chronicles doesn’t tell a story. Instead, it focuses on instilling good points into the reader’s mind.

3.14)2 Chronicles

The Second Book of Chronicles has the extended portion of thoughts from the first one.

3.15)Ezra

3.16)Nehemiah

3.17)Tobit

3.18)Judith

3.19)Esther

The Books presented above are filled with narrative stories including the personal lives of people and how their daily activities were influenced by God and his ideas. A lot of activities take place here. The books above have some of the most interesting stories one could ever read. Each story above symbolizes some sort of association with the people’s faith and trust in God.

3.20)1 Maccabees

The Book of Maccabees is present in the King James version of the Bible. The King James Bible was created for the Church of England which is an early church for a very long time. Coming back, The Maccabees tells us a story about the Maccabean Brothers who were the leaders of a Guerrilla. They fought and won a lot of battles against big armies with the help of God.

3.21)2 Maccabees

This is the extension of the First book of Maccabees.

3.22)Job

The Book of Job tells us about a man who faces his difficulties with strong willpower and sheer determination. The moral of the book is to make us embrace our problems which will make them a lot easier later.

3.23)Psalms

The Book of Psalms is a collection of wonderful poems and short passages which associate life with several references to the past events in the Bible. It has a lot of content which is concerning a man’s emotions as well.

3.24)The Proverbs

As the name suggests, Proverbs contain wise short sayings. They remind the readers to stay in fear of God and to abide by his words.

3.25)Ecclesiastes

This is a mixed version of events and wise sayings from various prophets and witnesses regarding the acts of God.

3.26)The Song of Songs

The Book of Song of Songs contains tons and tons of Romantic and love poetries. All this content is focused on the people involved in a marriage who are sharing their lives side by side.

3.27)Wisdom

The Book of Wisdom associates the past events in the Bible with wise sayings and derivations which could help or create an impact on one’s life. The book of wisdom is also known as Solomon’s wisdom.

3.28)Sirach

The Book of Sirach involves a lot of aspects regarding money, law, and other important topics in Human life.

3.29)Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah contains a main character called Isaiah. It outlines the content which has happened so far and draws a nearing conclusion to a whole era created and played by God through multiple roles for various purposes.

3.30)Jeremiah

The book of Jeremiah is about a prophet. The content of this book mainly revolves around the difficulties and punishments which were faced by the promised lands such as Jerusalem and Babylon for going against God’s will.

3.31)Lamentations

The Book of Lamentations includes information related to the humiliation and hardships faced by the people of Babylon before its destruction.

3.32)Baruch

The book of Baruch contains prayers and pleadings of people who need God’s mercy. It further tells us about the upcoming new era and its main character. All these actions involve the main character called Baruch, which makes up the name of the book. The books below are the remaining ones that showcase the lives of the prophets they are named after.

3.33)Ezekiel

3.34)Daniel

3.35)Hosea

3.36)Joel

3.37)Amos

3.38)Obadiah

3.39)Jonah

3.40)Micah

3.41)Nahum

3.42)Habakkuk

3.43)Zephaniah

3.44)Haggai

3.45)Zechariah

3.46)Malachi

All the ones above are the list of books available in the Old Testament. In addition to these, there are a lot of other books as well, which are outside the Old Testament canon. Most of the content available in the Old Testament revolves around the lives of people who are impacted and influenced by the presence of God and his actions. Now let us take a look at the remaining books available in the New Testament.

4) The New Testament Books

The early church fathers were giving much importance to the books of the new testament as they had precise evidence of a Messiah. The main character of the New Testament turned out to be the key person for the entire religion. We are talking about Jesus Christ here. He was the only reason for the existence of the entire testament which has a very different timeline. His arrival is said to have been foretold before by some of the apostles during the past ages of the Old Testament as well.

The New Testament revolves around the rise and fall of Jesus Christ and the ones who are closely associated with him. It also revolves around the lives of his followers who have struggled a lot to spread Christianity around the world. Let us look at the list of books available in the New Testament canon.

4.1)Matthew

The Origination of Jesus Christ is explained in this book in a narrative format. It talks about his birth, his close ones, the events throughout his early stages of life, and his conversations with the God as well.

4.2)Mark

The Book of Mark focuses on showcasing the strength and willpower of Jesus Christ in resisting and overcoming manly and evil temptations which one could fall for easily. He comes in contact with Satan, the famous demonic entity, and even wins against it conversationally.

4.3)Luke

The Book of Luke shows the importance of Salvation, which every man needs right now. Jesus stresses the point of salvation now and then. A portion of Jesus’s story is said out to the people by one of his prophets named Luke through this book.

4.4)John

The Book of John pours emphasis on the fact of Jesus Christ is the son of God. In addition to this, a divine entity called the Holy Spirit and its actions is highlighted here as well.

4.5)Acts of Apostles

The Acts of Apostles includes a lot of passages that primarily focus on the objectives of every Christian apostle out there. Their only objective was to abide by their lord and to preach out the words to spread the religion.

4.6)Romans

The Book of Romans states the belief of the Romans in Jesus. The book tells us what good we can derive by following the Son of God till the end.

4.7)1 Corinthians

The book of Corinthians consists of the letters written by apostle Paul, one of the most prominent to ever exist. They communicate through information related to Jesus and his teachings.

4.8)2 Corinthians

This is the follow-up content of the one before.

4.9)Galatians

The book of Galatians includes the letter written to Galatians by the apostle Paul. This book gives importance to the fact that believers can only be justified by the existence of Jesus. Believers are believers by faith and not by law.

4.10)Ephesians

Content in the book of Ephesians shows the growing maturity of churches after the death of Christ.

4.11)Philippians

The book of Philippians is a letter to them by the same apostle Paul discussing their beliefs and intensity of faith in Jesus Christ.

4.12)Colossians

The Book of Colossians stresses the fact that challengers and doubters of Jesus Christ can only know the truth if they started loving Jesus Christ.

4.13)1 Thessalonians

The Book of Thessalonians contains information about a letter given to the Thessalonians by Paul which is an assurance. That the dead members will come back to life after the second coming of Jesus Christ.

4.14)2 Thessalonians

The book has to follow-up the content of the previous one.

4.15)1 Timothy

The Book of Timothy primarily talks about the teachings of Jesus and the conduct of Churches. Jesus himself is not taken here, only his teachings and the conduct he would expect from the early church are showcased.

4.16)2 Timothy

Contains the Follow-up content of the one before.

4.17)Titus

The book of Titus tells us a story about how a man named Titus comes in contact with Apostle Paul and how his life has changed since their meeting.

4.18)Philemon

This is another letter given to a Colossian church leader, specifically to one named Philemon regarding the importance of forgiveness.

4.19)Hebrews

The book of Hebrews talks about the important parts concentrated in the Hebrew Bible and also gives a comparison of Jesus to other personalities as well.

4.20)James

The Book of James tells how a man can use the Word of God as an effective tool to gain knowledge and to come up in life.

4.21)1 Peter

The Book of Peter is a letter given to all the Christians out there who were punished for being one of Jesus Christ’s followers. They are given a point of confidence to stay strong.

4.22)2 Peter

This includes the Follow-up content of the previous one.

4.23)1 John

Various events taking place in the life of Jesus Christ are portrayed here in a narrative manner. The ones related to the church leaders and Jesus are highlighted here as well.

4.24)2 John

This includes the Follow-up content of the previous one.

4.25)3 John

Additional content related to the book of John is showcased here.

4.26)Jude

The Book of Jude contains a letter from another prominent apostle called Jude. He warns about the false teachers of the churches and asks us to either stay away or persecute them.

4.27)Revelation

The Book of Revelations is the last in the Bible. It talks about the end of the world, an apocalyptic prophecy that is said to take place during the second coming of Jesus Christ.

These are the Books available in the Holy Bible. The content in the Bible is pretty interesting and thought-provoking as well. Religion doesn’t matter when it comes to exploration. So feel free to read a Bible when you come across one and get to know about the interesting facts of Christianity as well. Check out the related content- Best Bible verses for new beginnings presented to you by Icy tales.

Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by sujatashah