What does it mean that the Bible is composed of different books?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible is a collection of God's Word to humanity, an anthology of Scriptures. These individual messages were recorded over a fourteen-hundred-year period by forty different authors in three different languages, depending on the language of the intended audience at the time. The Bible is composed of sixty-six different messages, or books, that are separated into the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Together, they give a unified message of who God is and how He has been at work in humanity and His creation.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Each "book" of the Old Testament was originally a separate scroll. Because papyrus was a perishable material, God instructed the kings of Israel to write their own copies of the Law (Deuteronomy 17:18) and the Levites to be responsible for preserving and teaching the Law (Deuteronomy 31:26). After the Babylonian exile, an entire class of scribes had arisen to faithfully copy Scripture onto new scrolls (Ezra 7:6).
• The Old Testament books can be further categorized into the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), Historical Books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther), Wisdom Literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), and the Prophetic Books (Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel; and Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Around the first century AD, parchment was invented. Instead of using the papyrus plant to make long sheets of paper, animal skins were used to make pages that could be stacked and bound together. A group of pages all bound together opening on a hinge is called a codex, or what we currently consider to be a book. Even so, many of the New Testament "books" were simply letters sent to an intended recipient, the pages of which were not likely bound together like a book. Peter refers to Paul’s letters in 2 Peter 3:15–16. Colossians 4:16 mentions circulating letters. Philemon 1:2 was a personal letter addressed to an individual.
• The New Testament books can be further categorized into the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), one Historical Book (Acts), Epistles (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 and 3 John, Jude), and one Prophetic Book (Revelation).
• Together the combined messages of the books of the Bible reveal God’s story of restoring His creation back to the paradise He originally created it to be by reconciling all creation back to a perfect relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). The sixty-six books of the Bible are a unified whole, and each is a vital part of God's Word.
• We know that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Each of the "books" contained in the Bible are God's Word to humanity to reveal His character, His purposes, and His ways and are meant to equip us for every good work, whether that is the work of knowing and loving God or the work of loving and serving our neighbor.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

By 250 AD, the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, was universally accepted to be composed of the thirty-nine books it currently contains. It took another hundred plus years before the New Testament was similarly canonized. During the lifetime of the apostles, Paul quoted Luke's writings (Luke 10:7) to be as authoritative as Old Testament Scriptures (1 Timothy 5:18; see also Deuteronomy 25:4). Peter recognized Paul's writings as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:15–16. And apostolic letters were often circulated among the churches according to Colossians 4:16. So even as the New Testament was being written, many of those books were immediately accepted as Scripture. However, it was not until 393 AD at the Council of Hippo and at the Council of Carthage in 397 AD that the current twenty-seven books of the New Testament were fully agreed upon as Scripture to be included in the codex of the Bible.

God wanted us to know Him, and He gave it to us with various different books, by different authors, in different genres, each of which tell an important part of who He is and how He has worked in human history. Each book brings a unique voice, historical context, and purpose, but together they reveal one unified story of God’s love, justice, and redemption. When we read Scripture, we’re not just flipping through random pages—we’re engaging with a carefully preserved library of God’s Word that speaks to every part of life. This means we should take time to understand each book’s background and message so we can better grasp how it fits into the whole story. As we do, we grow not only in knowledge but in our relationship with the Author who is still speaking through every page.

UNDERSTAND

• The Bible is a divinely inspired collection of sixty-six books, written by about forty authors over fourteen hundred years in multiple languages and genres.
• Each book of the Bible contributes a unique voice and purpose, yet all work together to reveal one unified message about God’s character, His work in history, and His plan for redemption.
• Though originally separate scrolls or letters, these books were recognized as Scripture and preserved to form the complete and authoritative Word of God.

REFLECT

• How does knowing the Bible is made up of sixty-six different books deepen the way you approach reading it?
• How have you seen different books of the Bible speak to different seasons or needs in your life?
• How might your relationship with God grow if you spent more time understanding the unique message of each book in the Bible?

ENGAGE

• What might it reveal about God's character that He chose to speak through so many different authors, genres, and time periods?
• How can recognizing the Bible as a unified story made up of diverse books change the way someone studies or teaches Scripture?
• Why is it important for believers to understand the historical and literary context of each book in the Bible?