How the Bible is put together

The first time many people hold a full Bible, it feels less like a book and more like a small city. There are dozens of names in the contents page, unfamiliar abbreviations, two columns of tiny print and numbers scattered through every line. It helps to have a simple plan of the city before you start walking its streets. This lesson offers that plan: how the Bible is divided, what kinds of writing it contains and how to find your way to a particular passage.

Two testaments

The Bible has two main parts. The Old Testament contains the Scriptures of ancient Israel, written mostly in Hebrew, with some sections in Aramaic. The New Testament contains writings from the first generations of Jesus’ followers, written in Greek. The word testament is an older English word for covenant, a solemn and binding relationship. That idea of covenant runs through the whole Bible. We will return to it when we look at the larger story.

Christians share the same twenty-seven books of the New Testament. They differ somewhat in the Old Testament. Protestant Bibles usually contain thirty-nine Old Testament books. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include several further books, often called the deuterocanonical books, such as Tobit and Sirach. You may also see these printed in some Bibles under the heading Apocrypha. The reasons for these differences belong to a long history. Christians of different traditions hold their positions thoughtfully. For the purposes of this course, it is enough to know why your Bible’s contents page may look a little different from a friend’s.

Many books, many kinds of writing

Within the two testaments, the books are grouped roughly by type. The groupings and order vary a little between traditions, but a common arrangement looks like this.

In the Old Testament you will find the books of the Law (the Torah), beginning with Genesis. Then come historical books such as Joshua, Samuel and Kings. The wisdom and poetry books include Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Finally there are the prophets, from the longer books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to the shorter books such as Amos and Micah.

In the New Testament there are four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which tell of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles follows the early church. Then come letters, many written by Paul and others by apostles such as Peter and John, addressed to communities and individuals. The collection ends with Revelation, a book of visions.

This matters because each kind of writing asks to be read in its own way. We all know this instinctively in daily life. You would not read a poem the way you read a tax return. Nor would you read a letter from a grandmother the way you read a train timetable. A psalm of lament uses vivid, emotional language. A proverb offers a general pattern of life, not a promise for every case. A Gospel tells a story with a purpose. A letter answers particular questions from a particular church. Recognising the kind of writing in front of you is one of the simplest and most useful skills a reader can develop.

References and translations

The original writings did not have chapter and verse numbers. Chapter divisions were added in the Middle Ages to help readers find their place. Verse numbers followed in the sixteenth century. They are very useful, but they were not part of the original text. Sometimes a chapter break falls in the middle of a thought. It is often worth reading a little before and after the verse you are looking for.

A Bible reference usually has three parts: the book, the chapter and the verse. So John 3:16 means the Gospel of John, chapter three, verse sixteen. Psalm 23:1-6 means verses one to six of Psalm 23. Some books share a name and are numbered, so 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians are two different letters. The contents page at the front of your Bible will tell you where each book begins. There is no shame in using it. Most experienced readers still do.

Unless you read Hebrew and Greek, you will read the Bible in translation. In this course I quote from the King James Version, which has shaped the English language for over four centuries, but there are many good modern translations. Some aim to follow the original wording closely; others aim to render the meaning in natural, contemporary language. Having two translations side by side is a simple way to notice where a passage is difficult and where translators have made choices. If you are unsure where to begin, ask a church leader or a trusted friend which translation they find clear.

Paul’s words to Timothy are often quoted in discussions of Scripture: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, KJV). Whatever your tradition, the verse makes a practical point. Scripture is given to be used, to teach and shape us. Knowing how it is put together is simply part of learning to use it well.

Reflect

1. Look at the contents page of your Bible. Which books are familiar to you and which have you never read?
2. Think of three kinds of writing you read in an ordinary week. How do you read each one differently?
3. Choose one short passage and read it in two different translations. What differences do you notice? What do they help you see?