The Holy Bible, perhaps the oldest surviving collection of scriptures in the world, has been continuously and consistently
circulated since it was first published. This ancient tome spans the whole of human history from the creation of the world to the end of time.
The word ‘Bible’ is derived from the Greek word ‘biblios’ which means ‘papyrus scroll’ or book. The Holy Bible is divided into two sections, the Old
Testament which contains 39 books, and the New Testament which contains 27 books. The word ‘testament’ is the Latin equivalent of ‘covenant’ or ‘agreement’. The Old Testament tells the story of the agreement between God and his chosen people. The New Testament tells the story of the covenant between Jesus Christ and mankind.
The old testament can be divided into five subsections: the 5 books of the law, sometimes called the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy); the 12 books of history (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther); the 5 books of poetry or wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon); the 5 books of the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the 12 books of the minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi).
The first five books of the Bible all deal with some aspect of law. Genesis means ‘beginning’ and concerns natural law. Exodus means ‘exit’ but also deals with morality. Leviticus concerns the laws of priestly conduct. Numbers concerns honoring faith while respecting diverse customs. Deuteronomy outlines the principles of appropriate religious conduct. These books have been accepted as Holy Scripture for the longest time.
The books of history describe the establishment of the Jewish nation after their arrival in Canaan and before the birth of Christ. The books of wisdom contain ancient songs and truisms that are paraphrased in this modern era. The books of the Major and Minor Prophets foretell Divine retribution for those who reject God’s law. Also, numerous
prophecies concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ are present throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament can be divided into three subsections with three interludes: the Gospel according to (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and Acts; 13 Epistles written to churches and Hebrews; 7 General letters and Revelation. The books of the New Testament are arranged parallel to the organization of the Old Testament. The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; symbolizing the fulfillment of the law and the prophecies, is told in the gospels. Each of the four Gospels describes some aspect of Christ’s life. Acts equates the founding of Christian churches with the history of the Jewish nation. The epistles of the New Testament are reminiscent of the Old Testament books of wisdom. The book of Hebrews references ancient prophecies fulfilled by Jesus and historical events described in other books of the Old Testament. According to Christian doctrine, the only prophecies described in the Bible that have not been fulfilled are Christ’s Second Coming and the end of the world as foretold in Revelation.