What Are the Different Types of Books in the Bible?

The six categories of books in the Bible are distinct; however, there are many books that fit into one category and also contain elements similar to books in other categories. For example, the book of Genesis is a law book, although it has some poetry, history and prophecy in it.

Law

The first five books of the Old Testament are the law books. In Hebrew, they are called the Torah, which means “doctrine,” “instruction,” “teaching” or “law.” In Greek, they are called the Pentateuch, which literally just means “five books,” but refers to the fact that they are the five books believed to have been written by Moses.

In English, these books are called:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

These books contain the 613 commandments the ancient Jews were required to follow – laws about when, where, what, why and how to sacrifice, about food, clothing, buildings, festivals, sexuality, cleanliness, and relationships with both God and man.

History

The historical books of the Old Testament chronicle the history of the Israelites from around 1250 BC to around 150 BC, the time during which they occupied the land of Canaan – the promised land. These books tell the story of the evolution of a society from a tribal system to a monarchy, the division of that monarchy into two kingdoms, the defeat and exile of both kingdoms, and the subsequent return of the people to the land:

Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther

New Testament History

Following the ascension of Christ, the book of Acts chronicles the early history of the Christian church.

Poetry and Wisdom

Some of the most hotly debated books of the Bible are the Poetry and Wisdom books of the Old Testament. Scholars disagree widely on the dates of their writings, their purposes and their interpretations. Nevertheless, they are:

Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon

Prophecy

The books of prophecy in the Old Testament are divided into two sections, Major and Minor Prophets, based on the length of the writing.

Major Prophets

Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel

Minor Prophets

Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

The words of the prophets include prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah, the future of Israel, and the fates of kings and kingdoms.

New Testament Prophecy

The book of Revelation in the New Testament is an account of a vision seen by John (author of the Gospel book of John) while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. Like many of the Old Testament prophecy books, Revelation deals with the themes of destruction, judgment, salvation, and the (second) coming of the Messiah.

Epistles

Epistles are simply letters that are meant to be read publicly and/or published for the edification of the general public. There are 21 epistles in the New Testament.

Letters Written by Paul

Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon

General Epistles

Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude

Gospels

The Gospels are separate but similar accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They are called “Gospels” because the word “good news,” and Christians believe that the story contained in these books is the best of all possible news.

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

Let’s recap. There are six different types of books in the Bible - Law, History, Poetry and Wisdom, Prophecy (Major Prophets and Minor Prophets), Gospels, and Epistles (Paul’s Epistles and General Epistles) – making up the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Old Testament and the New Testament

Christianity is a relatively new religion as world religions go. It has its roots, however, in a faith far older – Judaism. Two thousand years ago, the Jews already had their founding religious text set. It is called the Tanakh, and it presents the history, laws and prophecies of the Jewish people. Many of the prophecies are related to the coming of the Messiah, the chosen one who would come and save the people from tyranny, unite the tribes of Israel, and rule the world in peace.

When a Jewish man called Jesus of Nazareth arrived on the scene, many people believed that he was the long-awaited Messiah. They followed him, obeyed his teachings, and preached his resurrection from the dead around the known world. This was the beginning of Christianity. At that time, Christians still studied the Tanakh because that’s what Jesus did. However, they also wrote detailed accounts of his life and the life of the early church, letters of teaching, rebuke and encouragement, and prophecy regarding the end of the world.

Christians still hold the Tanakh in high esteem, but they’ve changed its name to the Old Testament, indicating that it is a former way of living and relating to God. The collection of information, letters and prophecies compiled after Jesus left the world is called the New Testament, indicating that it is the new way of interacting with God and others.

The Christian religious text – the Bible – is composed of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.