There are 2 major divisions of the Bible that are used to organize the Word of God. These sections of the Bible have specific groupings of books that apply to a certain time period and a particular covenant with the Lord.
Below, you will find a complete overview of the main divisions of the Bible, their purpose, and the individual books included in each classification.
Divisions of the Bible
The Bible is divided into 2 major divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The first division includes books about the Old Covenant with God and the second division contains books about the New Covenant with God.
Each main division of the Bible is further split into sections (or classifications) to categorize specific books of the Bible such as the Law, historical narratives, poetry and wisdom, prophesy, the Gospels, epistles, and apocalyptic literature.
Major Bible Divisions Overview Chart
| Criteria | Old Testament Division | New Testament Division |
|---|---|---|
| Time Period | Before Christ | After Christ is born |
| Starts With | God (Genesis 1:1) | Christ (Matthew 1:1) |
| Covenant | Law | Grace |
| Sections | Four | Four |
| Number of Books | 39 | 27 |
| Purpose | To reveal God’s character and the Law to the Jewish people. | To demonstrate God’s love for all people through the forgiveness of sins by way of Jesus Christ. |
Division 1: Old Testament
The Old Testament is the first division of the Bible used by Christians. This major section of the Bible is taken from the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh) which contains twenty-four books and is divided into thirty-nine books. These books were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and translated into Greek.
The Old Testament consists of the Old Covenant (or working arrangement) God had with the people of Israel that came by way of Moses (Exodus 19 to 24). There are four main divisions of the Old Testament that contain a total of five classifications which are discussed next.
The Law (Or Pentateuch)
The first five books of the Bible are collectively called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is the Greek word for “five books” or “five scrolls”. In the Hebrew Bible, this collection of books is called the Torah (Hebrew word for law). The author of these books was Moses which is why this section of the Old Testament is often referred to as “The Law of Moses”.
The Pentateuch (or Torah) includes these books of the Bible:
Historical Books
The Historical Books of the Old Testament division of the Bible record the history of God’s dealings with His chosen people over many centuries. As a collection, this section of books traces the Israelites’ history from entering the Promised Land of Canaan, through the chaotic period of the Judges, to the establishment of the Davidic monarchy, through Israel’s life under multiple kings and destruction of Jerusalem, exile to Babylon, to some Jews returning from exile, and others living in Persia.
The Historical Books include:
Poetic and Wisdom Writings
The Poetic and Wisdom Writings of the Old Testament were written to offer wisdom, understanding, and instruction for the Hebrew nation. This classification contains the fewest number of books in the Old Testament.
The Poetic and Wisdom Books include:
Prophetic Books
The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament division record God’s messages to specific people and cultures through chosen prophets led by the Holy Spirit. There are two sections of Prophetic Books based on the length of the writings (not importance): Major and Minor Prophets.
Major Prophets
The Major Prophet Books include:
Minor Prophets
The Minor Prophet Books include:
Division 2: New Testament
The New Testament is the second division of the Bible used by Christians. This major section of the Bible is exclusive to Christianity and not included in the Hebrew Bible (or Jewish Tanakh). The New Testament contains twenty-seven books written in Greek and Aramaic.
The New Testament consists of the New Covenant God made with the Jewish people that came by way of Jesus (John 1:17). There are four main divisions of the New Testament that contain a total of five classifications which are discussed next.
The Gospels
The Gospels make up the first four books of the New Testament division. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek word euangelion which refers to a messenger bringing good tidings or good news. In the context of the Bible, the Gospels are labeled as such because they share the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Gospels include these books of the Bible:
Historical Book
The New Testament division contains only one Historical Book: Acts, which is also referred to as the Acts of the Apostles. This book chronicles the history of the church immediately after Jesus’s ascension. The narrative recounts the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ during the festival of Pentecost and the expansion of the gospel to the Roman empire.
Epistles (Or Letters)
The Epistles in the New Testament are letters written by the Apostles to churches or individuals to provide instructions for the correct way of life and faith for Christians. There are a total of twenty-one Epistles in the New Testament. Thirteen of the Epistles were written by the Apostle Paul to a specific church or person (Romans through Philemon). The other eight letters were written to a general audience of Christians (Hebrews through Jude). As a result, this section of the Bible can be further divided into two classifications: Pauline Epistles and General Epistles.
Pauline Epistles
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles
Apocalyptic Literature
The final section of the New Testament division of the Bible is Apocalyptic Literature, which consists of a single book: Revelation. This book was written by the Apostle John in Koine Greek (also known as Hellenistic Greek) and gets its title from the first word of the text: apokalypsis, meaning “unveiling” or “revelation”. The purpose of the book is to give hope to Christians that God has a future plan for the church.
Summary for the Divisions of the Bible
We hope you enjoyed this guide on the major divisions of the Bible.
As you discovered, there are 2 main divisions of the Bible that are used to organize the Word of God: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each division is further divided into sections with specific groupings of books that apply to a particular time period (before or after Christ) and covenant with the Lord (the Covenant of Law or Covenant or Grace). We encourage you to read through each division of the Bible to fully understand why the Word of God was organized in this way. As a result, you can gain a deeper understanding of the Lord and His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
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