Open any Bible and you will see it divided into two main sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Understanding this basic structure is the first step to finding your way around the Bible.
What does "testament" mean?
Testament is an old word for covenant — a solemn agreement or relationship. The Old Testament describes God's covenant with Israel, especially through Moses. The New Testament describes the "new covenant" that Jesus established through his death and resurrection. Jesus himself spoke of this at the Last Supper, when he called the cup "the new testament in my blood" (Luke 22:20, KJV).
The Old Testament
The Old Testament contains 39 books in most Protestant Bibles. It was written mainly in Hebrew, with a few passages in Aramaic, over roughly a thousand years. It is usually arranged in five groups:
| Section | Books | What they contain |
|---|---|---|
| Law (Pentateuch) | Genesis – Deuteronomy (5) | Creation, the patriarchs, the exodus, God's law |
| History | Joshua – Esther (12) | Israel in the promised land, kings, exile and return |
| Wisdom and Poetry | Job – Song of Solomon (5) | Songs, prayers, wisdom and reflection |
| Major Prophets | Isaiah – Daniel (5) | Longer prophetic books |
| Minor Prophets | Hosea – Malachi (12) | Shorter prophetic books |
"Major" and "minor" refer to length, not importance.
The New Testament
The New Testament contains 27 books, written in Greek within a few decades of Jesus' life. It is usually arranged in four groups:
| Section | Books | What they contain |
|---|---|---|
| Gospels | Matthew, Mark, Luke, John (4) | The life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus |
| History | Acts (1) | The growth of the early church |
| Letters (Epistles) | Romans – Jude (21) | Letters by Paul and others to churches and individuals |
| Prophecy | Revelation (1) | A vision of Christ's victory and the new creation |
The time between the testaments
There is a gap of around four hundred years between the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi, and the events of the New Testament. During this time the Persian, Greek and then Roman empires ruled the region, and the Jewish people waited for the promised Messiah.
How the two testaments fit together
Christians see the Old and New Testaments as two parts of one story:
- The Old Testament contains promises; the New Testament shows them fulfilled in Jesus.
- The Old Testament shows humanity's need for rescue; the New Testament reveals the rescuer.
- Many New Testament passages quote or refer to the Old Testament, so knowing both helps you understand each.
A well-known saying puts it this way: the New is hidden in the Old, and the Old is revealed in the New.
Different Bibles, different numbers
Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include some additional books in the Old Testament, often called the deuterocanonical books or Apocrypha. Protestant Bibles in India, including most Bible Society of India editions, contain the 66 books. See our article on the Apocrypha.
Tips for finding your way
- Use the contents page at the front of your Bible.
- Learn the order of the books in groups, not one by one.
- Notice that some books share names, such as 1 and 2 Kings or 1, 2 and 3 John.
Continue with the 66 books of the Bible: a simple overview.