Is the New and Old Testament different books? How many books are in the Bible?
The Old Testament and the New Testament are categories of the Bible based on the old covenant and the new covenant. The old covenant was given at Mount Sinai to Moses and the new covenant was prophesied by Ezekiel and Jeremiah, and fulfilled at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Depending on which Bible you use, you will get different numbers for how many books are in the Bible. The standard Protestant number is 66, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Catholic Bible contains extra books in the middle, usually 14.
The Old Testament contains five subcategories of books. It begins with the Torah or Pentateuch, 5 books, continues with the Historical Books, 12, Wisdom Literature, 5, Major Prophets, 5, and the Minor Prophets, 12.
The New Testament can be arranged in different ways, but usually it has five subcategories, the Gospels, 4, Church History, 1, Paul’s Letters, 13, General Epistles, 8, and Apocalypse, 1. The Old Testament and the New Testament speak of two different eras, but the same God with the same attributes interacts with humanity in the same ways.
Despite the diversity of cultures, languages, authors, eras, and approaches, the Bible has a singular message that God “Will be their God, and they will be my people.” It is a cohesive collection of books from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It must be seen as one complete work inspired by the Holy Spirit as human beings wrote his words.
