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The books of the Bible

Old Testament

In the English Bible the Old Testament is arranged in groups based on the type of book. They are then arranged chronologically within their grouping. That means that some books towards the end of the Old Testament (in the section of the prophets) actually fit chronologically earlier in the Old Testament with the books of history.

Pentateuch

These are the books of the Law. These are also called the Books of Moses. This includes the first five books:
Genesis, written by Moses
Exodus, written by Moses
Leviticus, written by Moses
Numbers, written by Moses
Deuteronomy, written by Moses


The Books of History

The Books of history are so named because they contain historical records and these books include:
Joshua, written by Joshua (except the parts relating to his death)
Judges, written by Samuel, Nathan, Gad
Ruth, written by Samuel, Nathan, Gad
1 Samuel, written by Samuel, Nathan, Gad
2 Samuel, written by Samuel, Nathan, Gad
1 Kings, written by Jeremiah
2 Kings, written by Jeremiah
1 Chronicles, written by Ezra
2 Chronicles, written by Ezra
Ezra, written by Ezra
Nehemiah, written by Nehemiah, Ezra
Esther, written by Mordecai: It is probable that the book was compiled after his death based on his personal records


The Books of Poetry

Also called the books of Writings include the following books:
Job, written by Job: Moses may have compiled the book based on Job’s records
Psalms, written by David, and several others including Asaph, Ezra, the sons of Korah, Heman, Ethan, Moses and a host of unnamed authors
Proverbs, written by Solomon: Agur and Lemuel are specifically named as the writers of Proverbs 30 and 31
Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon
Song of Solomon (also known as, Song of Songs or Canticles), written by Solomon: though this is debated


Major Prophets

The Major Prophets are so named because their books are longer, not because they are more important.
Isaiah, written by Isaiah
Jeremiah, written by Jeremiah
Lamentations, written by Jeremiah
Ezekiel, written by Ezekiel
Daniel, written by Daniel


Minor Prophets

The Minor Prophets are so named because they are shorter not because they are less important.
Hosea, written by Hosea
Joel, written by Joel
Amos, written by Amos
Obadiah, written by Obadiah
Jonah, written by Jonah
Micah, written by Micah
Nahum, written by Nahum
Habakkuk, written by Habakkuk
Zephaniah, written by Zephaniah
Haggai, written by Haggai
Zechariah, written by  Zechariah
Malachi, written by Malachi


New Testament

The New Testament is also divided into groups. All of these books were written in the first century AD.


Gospels

Matthew, written by Matthew
Mark, written by John Mark
Luke, written by Luke
John, written by John, the Apostle

History

Acts, written by Luke

Pauline Epistles

Romans, written by Paul
1 Corinthians, written by Paul
2 Corinthians, written by Paul
Galatians, written by Paul
Ephesians, written by Paul
Philippians, written by Paul
Colossians, written by Paul
1 Thessalonians, written by Paul
2 Thessalonians, written by Paul
1 Timothy, written by Paul
2 Timothy, written by Paul
Titus, written by Paul
Philemon, written by Paul

General Epistles

Hebrews, written by Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos
James, written by James: there are several men named James who could have been the author. Most scholars say this is James the brother of Jesus and Jude (not the Apostle, brother of John).
1 Peter, written by Peter
2 Peter, written by Peter
1 John, written by John, the Apostle
2 John, written by John, the Apostle
3 John, written by John, the Apostle
Jude, written by Jude, the brother of Jesus and James, not the Apostle (Jude 17)

Prophecy

Revelation, written by John, the Apostle
One of the projects I remember from Bible college that came up often was to do research to show why it is believed that certain men wrote each book. I always enjoyed these projects and studying about the various ways scholars make a connection to a certain author. Of course, many of the books are very clear whom the author is because we are told in the book itself.
Then there is the book of Hebrews which gives no clear indication as to who the author might have been. Most people believe it was Paul because of how many other books in the same genre he wrote. However, Hebrews was written to the Jews and Paul focused his ministry on reaching Gentiles. The style of writing is not quite like Paul’s either. Yet, if Paul were to write a book with a purely Jewish audience in mind, it would probably come out to be written just like the book of Hebrews is.
I realize there are people who debate the authorship of various books for the purpose of tearing down the authority of the Bible. That is not my purpose here. It is simply to help you see that God used real people to pen His Word; and sometimes we don’t know who it was that God used. Regardless of who you believe wrote the book of Hebrews, or any other book, the important thing is to trust the content of God’s Word. He wants to have a relationship with man. He does this through His Holy Scriptures.

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