Structure and Content of the Bible
I was moved to create this post because of all the faith attacks on social media, most notably that the Bible is unreliable for guidance; that it was written by a man, and is intended to control people, not guide people – that it is a lie.
As a Christian, I believe the ultimate author of the Bible is God himself – the inspired word of God, but unbelievers would think that is avoidance.
Here, I try to lay out factually, what the Bible really is. It’s a lot of detail so if you want to jump to the conclusions, click here
The protestant Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, arranged into two main sections:
- The Old Testament comprising thirty-nine books
- The New Testament comprising twenty-seven books.
The Old Testament
The initial seventeen books of the Old Testament focus primarily on historical events. They narrate the accounts of creation, the fall of humanity, the calling of the patriarchs, Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, their liberation, the conquest of Canaan, their disobedience to God, their exile, and their eventual restoration to the land. The first five of these, the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch, are considered by scholars to have been written primarily by Moses, partly recording oral history and partly firsthand experience. The remaining historical books include books written by women, Ruth, and Esther, paralleling the period covered by others in this group of seventeen.
The next five books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are considered poetic or wisdom literature. Job is considered an author, Psalms is attributed to King David among unnamed others, and the remaining three to King Solomon.
The final seventeen books of the Old Testament are the Prophetic books. Jeremiah, and Lamentations are attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are all attributed to the prophets after whom they are named.
The New Testament
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament fall into three categories – The historical five books concerning the life and times of Jesus and His Disciples which are attributed to the apostle Matthew, John Mark (a companion of the apostle Peter), Luke and Acts are attributed to Luke (a companion of the apostle Paul), and John to himself, a son of Zebedee. These five are followed by Paul’s thirteen letters or epistles regarding the new churches, and finally, nine general epistles including the book of Revelation.
Non Canonical Books
Certainly, we can see that these sixty-six books have a vast array of authors – but there are more books that were not included in the canon of the protestant Old Testament but are included in the Catholic Bible. These are known as the Deuterocanonical or Apocryphal books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Additions to Esther, and Additions to Daniel (including Susanna, Bel and the Dragon). They were excluded from the Protestant Bible in the 16th century, some because they were written in Greek with no Hebrew original, some because they lacked an inspired quality, and others because they were in contradiction to protestant theology such as advocating praying for the dead.
Gnostic books
Gnosticism is a diverse religious and philosophical movement that emerged in the early centuries of the Common Era, characterized by the belief in hidden knowledge (gnosis) as the path to spiritual enlightenment and salvation.
These books are: the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Judas, the Secret Book of John, and finally The Thunder, Perfect Mind (which is a poem in which a divine feminine figure speaks about her identity and power.)
Some of these texts were not included because they were discovered in December 1945, at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. The exclusion of other Gnostic texts was primarily carried out by early Christian church authorities, such as bishops and councils, influenced by a variety of factors, including theological considerations, concerns about heresy, and the desire to establish a standardized collection of authoritative scriptures for the Christian community.
Inspiration
One of the outstanding reasons for exclusion was the lack of inspirational quality. Outside of the classifications already mentioned, there is a widely held belief that the Bible must be the inspired word of God, but even this is subject to interpretation.
The interpretive categories are:
- Literal Interpretation: Some people interpret the inspired word of God literally, believing that the text should be understood at face value without allegorical or symbolic interpretation. This approach often emphasizes the historical and factual accuracy of the scriptures.
- Allegorical Interpretation: Others interpret the inspired word of God allegorically, seeing deeper symbolic meanings in the text that go beyond the literal words. This approach seeks to uncover spiritual truths and moral lessons hidden within the scriptures.
- Historical-Critical Interpretation: This approach involves analyzing the inspired word of God in its historical and cultural context. Scholars use historical and literary methods to understand the original meaning of the text and how it was understood by its original audience.
- Theological Interpretation: Theological interpretation focuses on the doctrinal and theological implications of the inspired word of God. It seeks to draw out the theological teachings and principles contained in the scriptures and apply them to contemporary faith and practice.
- Personal Interpretation: Many individuals interpret the inspired word of God based on their personal experiences, beliefs, and spiritual insights. This approach emphasizes the role of personal faith and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in understanding the scriptures.
Faith
So here we are, deep into the issues that scholars and the Church have battled for centuries, and we have to find a way to deal with all this confusion.
For me, I have Faith that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that when I read my Bible, that inspiration brings to me what I need. To uplift, motivate, and guide me in my faith and daily life. That all of the interpretative aspects given form the basis for meditation and receiving inspiration. Inspiration that gives me:
- Moral Guidance:
- The Bible provides me ethical principles and moral guidelines that help me make decisions and navigate complex situations with integrity and compassion.
- Spiritual Comfort:
- I find solace and comfort in the words of the Bible during times of difficulty, offering reassurance, hope, and encouragement in the face of challenges.
- Wisdom and Insight:
- The Bible gives wisdom and insight into human nature, relationships, and the nature of God, offering profound truths.
- Motivation for Good Works:
- The Bible inspires me to act with kindness, love, and generosity towards others, encouraging me to live my faith through charitable deeds and service to others.
- Personal Growth:
- Through reflection on the teachings of the Bible, I experience personal growth, spiritual transformation, and a deepening of faith.
In 1 Corinthians 13 (the “Love Passages”), Paul writes “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
As we do away with childhood, we develop rules through which we become adult, and when I was younger, my rules came from the world around me. These rules led to my almost death; but instead, I embraced Jesus and devoured the New Testament. This led to a better, more stable life and immersion in the Old Testament. I developed a new set of rules – rules that had been available to me my whole life, but I was too much of a child to know that. In Sunday school, we would sing the hymn “Jesus Loves Me”, and it’s worth repeating the words of that hymn here:
Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Reading Plan
I encourage you to engage with your Bible. If you are reading this, you already have access to a Bible through your device. While I own multiple printed Bibles, I rely on Bible Gateway for all my studies. Since I am not proficient in Hebrew or Greek (the original languages of the Old and New Testaments), I depend on others’ expertise to translate into English. Bible Gateway offers free access to numerous translations.
The bible is a library of books. If it is new to you, please don’t make the mistake of starting at the beginning. Your starting point is within the New Testament, as was mine. The apostle Paul wrote the books of Hebrews and Romans, and the disciple John wrote John. The target audience of Hebrews was Jewish Christians who were facing persecution and struggling with their faith, and Romans is addressed to the Christian community in Rome, which consisted of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The Gospel of John was written for a diverse audience, including Jewish and Gentile believers, with the purpose of presenting a theological and spiritual understanding of Jesus as the Son of God. Any one of these three would be a great starting point for you. Where do you go from there? You will eventually understand me saying – the Holy Spirit will guide you.