Your Bible: A User's Guide
Over the years, I've noticed that many people are intimidated by the Bible simply because they have
never been told how the books are arranged! Even people who grew up in church often assume
that the Bible is a simple historical narrative, beginning at Genesis and ending with Revelation. The
unfortunate result is that when they try to read straight through, they get confused somewhere
between Job and the Song of Solomon, give up, and remain scared of the Good Book for years
afterward. Thankfully, even a quick explanation of the layout of the Bible makes it much more user-
friendly and helps people delve into a wider range of Biblical texts than they had before.
Central to the Christian tradition is a set of 66 books. This set of books was written over a period
of more than 1,500 years and includes a variety of literary genres—history, poetry, prophecy, law
codes, practical advice, etc. Over the first few centuries A.D., many of these books came to be
commonly used in churches throughout the Mediterranean; for this reason, they were given special
authority in settling disputes about church teachings, etc., and were generally accepted as scriptural
(or “canonical”). These were not the only books used in churches; the Greek translation of the
Jewish scriptures (the Septuagint) included several extra books, which are known today as the
Apocrypha and are still used in Roman Catholic Churches. There were also other letters and gospel
accounts which were not universally used and thus were not included in the list of scripture. This
introduction will treat only the central 66 books.
The 66 books shared by Catholics and Protestants are divided into two main sections (click the
links to skip to that section): the Hebrew Scriptures (known in Hebrew as the Tanakh), and the
Christian Scriptures. Between the events detailed in the two testaments there is a gap of about 400
years (the same amount of time as that between us and Shakespeare). Let’s look at these sections
in more detail:
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
The Hebrew Scriptures (not including the Apocrypha) consists of 39 texts, divided into 3 main
groups (click to skip down): the histories, the wisdom books, and the prophets.
>THE HISTORY BOOKS
If you want to learn more about the history of Israel, look at the first 17 books, which follow
Israel's story from the creation of the world up to the rebuilding of the land after the end of the
Exile in 516 B.C. As we’ll see, though, these books are not arranged in a straightforward,
chronological manner; learning where the jumps are can make reading these books much easier!
The first five books are often referred to by one of two names: either their Hebrew name, Torah
("instruction, law") or their Greek name, Pentateuch ("five books"). They detail the interaction
between God and the Israelites, a people who are chosen not because they are a great people, but in
order to show the world God’s great love for any nation that will trust in God above all else.
The first book, Genesis, narrates the creation of the world, the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, the
Tower of Babel, and the lives of the three founders of the people of Israel, of the Patriarchs:
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The book ends with Jacob's family moving to Egypt to escape famine;
it is this family that will become the twelve tribes of Israel and fulfill God’s promise to bless the
entire world through Abraham.
After Genesis, there is a narrative gap of about 430 years. The second book, Exodus, begins with
Jacob's descendents in slavery in Egypt, and details the stories of Moses, of the Hebrews' escape
from Egypt and of the beginning of their travel to the promised land of Canaan (or Israel). The
remaining three books of the Torah, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, continue the story of
the Hebrews' travels through the wilderness and conclude with their arrival at the land of Canaan.
Interspersed throughout this story are the Ten Commandments, the rites of sacrifice and rules of
purity, and other instructions given to the Israelites. These passages can be very detailed and
therefore difficult to read, but they are important because they provided the nation of Israel with
most of its legal and religious codes. They also point to God’s boundless love and grace for all
people.
The next three books, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, cover the history from the Hebrews' entry into the
land of Canaan to the beginning of the Israeli monarchy, a period of about 350 years. Joshua
describes how the Hebrews invaded and settled Canaan, while Judges reveals their failure to remain
faithful to God after settling the land, and of the cycle of oppression and deliverance to which they
are subjected. Ruth, however, does not continue this narrative. Rather, it tells a more intimate story,
about how King David’s grandparents Ruth and Boaz met and married. This story actually occurs
during the period of the judges, so that the timelines of the two books overlap. Don’t let this overlap
confuse you though; think of it like reading a history of the American Revolution in which one
chapter steps back to look at George Washington.
The next six books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, tell the history of the
kings of Israel from the first kings—Saul, David and Solomon—through the division of the nation
into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. While some of the kings
were faithful to God, most were not, mistreating both their subjects and the surrounding countries.
Because of their bad leadership, each kingdom is conquered and taken into exile: Israel by the
Assyrians and then Judah by the Babylonians.
Note that this set of books does not form a single narrative. Like Judges and Ruth, these books
overlap one another: the books of Samuel and Kings provide a political perspective to the history,
while the books of Chronicles tell these same events from the religious perspective. Again, don’t let
this confuse you: it’s like reading a history of the American presidency and then reading a history of
the American church—the same period is treated from different perspectives.
Of the remaining history books, the first two, Ezra and Nehemiah, tell how the Jewish exiles return
to their homeland to rebuild both the temple and the wall around Jerusalem. The final historical
book, Esther, steps outside the larger narrative of the nation (as Ruth did) to tell a more specific
story, one that occurs among the Diaspora, that is, among those who did not return to Judea after
the end of the exile. In this story, God raises up a young woman, Esther, to save the Jewish people
from their enemies throughout the region; the lesson is that God’s faithfulness is not limited to the
physical land of Israel.
This is the end of the Hebrew historical narrative; if you are interested in getting the general history
of Israel, you need these 17 books. And if you want the easiest way to read the entire history,
temporarily set aside the four books that overlap the main narrative: Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and
Esther; then come back to these books and compare them to the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings,
and Ezra. You’ll see that these books provide important counterpoints to the main narrative.
>THE WISDOM BOOKS
These five books, which remain popular among scholars and lay-people alike, contain the
philosophical, inspirational and emotional legacy of the Hebrews. They explore the nature of faith:
the problem of evil, the difficulty of perseverance, the vanity of the world, but also the joy of God’s
presence and the benefits of trusting in God alone. They provide an insider’s view of the
experiences described in the historical texts, inviting us into our own personal relationship with God.
The book of Job , thought to be one of the oldest stories in scripture, portrays Job's faith through a
period of great hardship. The book of Psalms contains some of the most beautiful and emotional
texts in the entire Bible, many of them written by the model king, David. These songs are still used
by believers as devotional readings and models of prayer. The book of Proverbs contains the
received practical wisdom of the Hebrew people and is counterbalanced by the book of
Ecclesiastes, a more speculative investigation into the meaning of life. The final book, the Song of
Solomon, is both a celebration of romantic love and an allegory of God's love for all believers.
>THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
The third section of the Hebrew Scriptures consists of 17 books, divided into two sections: the
Major and the Minor Prophets (a distinction based mostly on the length of the books). These books
are among the most difficult biblical texts to understand, and are therefore often avoided by lay-
people. But when studied patiently (study aids help) they can be extremely rewarding. Like the
Wisdom Books, they provide a counterpoint to the main historical narrative of Israel; the prophets
were in general the voices of conscience to the nations and their kings, calling for social justice as a
way to achieve political security and spiritual health. Each prophet addresses a different audience:
some wrote before the exile, some during, and some after; some wrote to the Israelites, some to the
Judeans, and some to neighboring nations. The overall message of all the prophets, however, is the
same: those who ignore God and those who mistreat people will be called to justice. The prophets
are constantly warning people that they shall reap what they sow.
But interspersed throughout these warnings are words of hope about a time of forgiveness and
about a future in which peace is established eternally and all nations worship God together. Many of
these hopeful passages were taken by the early church to foretell the life, ministry and victory of
Jesus, who is himself the anointed savior (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek) promised by God.
The five books of the Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations (all set before the
exile), and Ezekiel and Daniel (both set during the exile). Isaiah includes many of the best-known
prophecies regarding the coming of Christ. Jeremiah, on the other hand, provides a bleak picture of
the people’s lack of faith during the final days of the southern kingdom. Jeremiah also provides a
personal, emotional account of these days in his Lamentations, a concise poetic account of the grief
and suffering of the Hebrews during the fall of Jerusalem, and of their hope in God’s faithfulness
and forgiveness. Ezekiel prophesied during the exile, promising a restoration of the nation, while the
stories of Daniel and his friends in Babylon show the benefits radical faithfulness to God.
The twelve Minor Prophets were from ancient times grouped together on one scroll, although
scholars are not sure why they were arranged that way. In biblical order, they are Hosea, Joel,
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (all before the exile) followed by
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (all after the exile). These books are short, making them easy to
read in one sitting, and contain a variety of genres and messages: From Jonah in the belly of the
whale to Hosea marrying a prostitute, from exhortations to complete the Temple to warnings
against religious shallowness, these prophets encouraged the people of all nations to turn to God
whole-heartedly.
THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES
The 27 books of the newer testament detail the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth and the
formation of the early church. They are divided into two main groups (click to skip down): the
histories and the letters ("epistles").
>THE HISTORIES
The most well-known of the Christian scriptures are the first four books, known as the Gospels
("good news," which in Greek was the word evangelion). These tell the story of Jesus' life, death,
and resurrection. But even these four books are can be subdivided into two sets: the first three,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all share a core set of events, and are therefore known as the Synoptic
("seeing together") Gospels. When reading these, note the variations on the shared stories—these
variations reveal the different meanings found in the life of Jesus by the early church. It is thought,
for instance, that each writer had a different audience: Romans for Mark (the earliest), Jews for
Matthew and Greeks for Luke. Scholars agree that these books should not be interpreted simply as
histories; instead, each writer was a theologian, actively interpreting the events of Jesus’ life to
address the needs of his particular community.
The fourth Gospel, that of John, was written much later and contains a substantially different
(though not contradictory) set of events. It thus provides a counterpoint to the other three gospels
and includes some of the most famous characters, images and verses in the Gospels.
The fifth historical book, the book of Acts, is a continuation of the book of Luke, and describes the
spread of the gospel into Asia Minor and Europe. It starts with the birth of the church, when the
Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers at Pentecost, and portrays Peter’s ministry, the first
inclusion of Greeks in the church the growth of the early church and the resistance it met from
both Jews and Greeks, early conflicts over the role of the Hebrew law in the church, and the
conversion and ministry of the apostle Paul.
>THE EPISTLES
The remainder of the newer testament consists of letters written to various churches, individuals,
and groups. These letters mix theological interpretations of Jesus’ life and of the Hebrew Scriptures
with practical advice on how to translate our faith into action, showing that theology and practice
always go hand-in-hand. The chief requirement for inclusion in the scriptures was that the authors
(whoever the early church understood them to be) be eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus—this
includes Paul, who met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. These letters are divided into
three groups: the Pauline epistles, the General epistles, and the Revelation of St. John.
~~THE PAULINE EPISTLES
These 13 texts were attributed to Paul (some are generally accepted as being written by Paul, while
others seem to have been written by his followers at a later time) and have been organized into two
groups. The first set of letters consists of Paul's letters to churches, each letter named after the
place in which the church was located: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and
Thessalonica. Note that these are not arranged chronologically, but by length--they don't form a
historical sequence! If you want to follow the development of Paul’s thought over his various
journeys, you will need to find a study aid that will connect these letters with the events described
in the book of Acts. Next comes the set known as the Pastoral Epistles, named after their
addressees: Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Again, these are arranged by length rather than by date.
Paul’s letters have played a hugely important role in the history of the church, with the book of
Romans in particular inspiring many of Christianity’s most important thinkers.
~~THE GENERAL EPISTLES
The second set of letters consists of texts attributed to other apostles: James, Peter, John, and
Jude; unlike the Pastoral Epistles, these letters are named after their authors thought to have written
them. As you might by now expect, they are also arranged by length. Note, however, that this set
starts with the anonymous book of Hebrews, which was thought to be by Paul, although scholars
aren't sure of this. Unlike the other letters in this set, this letter takes its title from its audience, the
Jewish believers dispersed throughout the region. These letters round out the picture of the early
church we get from Paul’s writings, allowing us to see the wide range of ideas and issues
discussed among the first generations of Christians.
~~THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN
Some scholars count the last text in the Christian Scriptures as a separate section—Prophecy—
because it is the only apocalyptic text (i.e., a revelation of the ultimate goal of God's work in
history) from the early Christian tradition. This text has traditionally been attributed to the evangelist
John, who is thought to have written it while in exile at the end of his life. The book details a vision
and deals with the events surrounding the return of Christ and the reconciling of all things to God in
Christ Jesus. It is a difficult book, rich in imagery for worship, but with a great deal of symbolism
which scholars have yet to decode to everyone’s agreement.
*************
I hope this explanation has helped. Once you see how the Bible is arranged, you should have much
more confidence about your ability to see how each text contributes to the revelation of God and
man in Christ Jesus. As you can see, you can't simply read the Bible from beginning to end and
expect a straightforward narrative. Rather, you need to know what kind of book you're reading and
where it fits historically. Hopefully, though, you have been encouraged to investigate those sections
of the scriptures you might not have spent much time in before. When in doubt, keep in mind that it
all points to God’s grace and love, as most fully realized in Jesus.
If you have any comments (or corrections), please let me know so that I can make this article more
helpful. Thanks, and enjoy your reading!
More Articles
never been told how the books are arranged! Even people who grew up in church often assume
that the Bible is a simple historical narrative, beginning at Genesis and ending with Revelation. The
unfortunate result is that when they try to read straight through, they get confused somewhere
between Job and the Song of Solomon, give up, and remain scared of the Good Book for years
afterward. Thankfully, even a quick explanation of the layout of the Bible makes it much more user-
friendly and helps people delve into a wider range of Biblical texts than they had before.
Central to the Christian tradition is a set of 66 books. This set of books was written over a period
of more than 1,500 years and includes a variety of literary genres—history, poetry, prophecy, law
codes, practical advice, etc. Over the first few centuries A.D., many of these books came to be
commonly used in churches throughout the Mediterranean; for this reason, they were given special
authority in settling disputes about church teachings, etc., and were generally accepted as scriptural
(or “canonical”). These were not the only books used in churches; the Greek translation of the
Jewish scriptures (the Septuagint) included several extra books, which are known today as the
Apocrypha and are still used in Roman Catholic Churches. There were also other letters and gospel
accounts which were not universally used and thus were not included in the list of scripture. This
introduction will treat only the central 66 books.
The 66 books shared by Catholics and Protestants are divided into two main sections (click the
links to skip to that section): the Hebrew Scriptures (known in Hebrew as the Tanakh), and the
Christian Scriptures. Between the events detailed in the two testaments there is a gap of about 400
years (the same amount of time as that between us and Shakespeare). Let’s look at these sections
in more detail:
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
The Hebrew Scriptures (not including the Apocrypha) consists of 39 texts, divided into 3 main
groups (click to skip down): the histories, the wisdom books, and the prophets.
>THE HISTORY BOOKS
If you want to learn more about the history of Israel, look at the first 17 books, which follow
Israel's story from the creation of the world up to the rebuilding of the land after the end of the
Exile in 516 B.C. As we’ll see, though, these books are not arranged in a straightforward,
chronological manner; learning where the jumps are can make reading these books much easier!
The first five books are often referred to by one of two names: either their Hebrew name, Torah
("instruction, law") or their Greek name, Pentateuch ("five books"). They detail the interaction
between God and the Israelites, a people who are chosen not because they are a great people, but in
order to show the world God’s great love for any nation that will trust in God above all else.
The first book, Genesis, narrates the creation of the world, the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, the
Tower of Babel, and the lives of the three founders of the people of Israel, of the Patriarchs:
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The book ends with Jacob's family moving to Egypt to escape famine;
it is this family that will become the twelve tribes of Israel and fulfill God’s promise to bless the
entire world through Abraham.
After Genesis, there is a narrative gap of about 430 years. The second book, Exodus, begins with
Jacob's descendents in slavery in Egypt, and details the stories of Moses, of the Hebrews' escape
from Egypt and of the beginning of their travel to the promised land of Canaan (or Israel). The
remaining three books of the Torah, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, continue the story of
the Hebrews' travels through the wilderness and conclude with their arrival at the land of Canaan.
Interspersed throughout this story are the Ten Commandments, the rites of sacrifice and rules of
purity, and other instructions given to the Israelites. These passages can be very detailed and
therefore difficult to read, but they are important because they provided the nation of Israel with
most of its legal and religious codes. They also point to God’s boundless love and grace for all
people.
The next three books, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, cover the history from the Hebrews' entry into the
land of Canaan to the beginning of the Israeli monarchy, a period of about 350 years. Joshua
describes how the Hebrews invaded and settled Canaan, while Judges reveals their failure to remain
faithful to God after settling the land, and of the cycle of oppression and deliverance to which they
are subjected. Ruth, however, does not continue this narrative. Rather, it tells a more intimate story,
about how King David’s grandparents Ruth and Boaz met and married. This story actually occurs
during the period of the judges, so that the timelines of the two books overlap. Don’t let this overlap
confuse you though; think of it like reading a history of the American Revolution in which one
chapter steps back to look at George Washington.
The next six books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, tell the history of the
kings of Israel from the first kings—Saul, David and Solomon—through the division of the nation
into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. While some of the kings
were faithful to God, most were not, mistreating both their subjects and the surrounding countries.
Because of their bad leadership, each kingdom is conquered and taken into exile: Israel by the
Assyrians and then Judah by the Babylonians.
Note that this set of books does not form a single narrative. Like Judges and Ruth, these books
overlap one another: the books of Samuel and Kings provide a political perspective to the history,
while the books of Chronicles tell these same events from the religious perspective. Again, don’t let
this confuse you: it’s like reading a history of the American presidency and then reading a history of
the American church—the same period is treated from different perspectives.
Of the remaining history books, the first two, Ezra and Nehemiah, tell how the Jewish exiles return
to their homeland to rebuild both the temple and the wall around Jerusalem. The final historical
book, Esther, steps outside the larger narrative of the nation (as Ruth did) to tell a more specific
story, one that occurs among the Diaspora, that is, among those who did not return to Judea after
the end of the exile. In this story, God raises up a young woman, Esther, to save the Jewish people
from their enemies throughout the region; the lesson is that God’s faithfulness is not limited to the
physical land of Israel.
This is the end of the Hebrew historical narrative; if you are interested in getting the general history
of Israel, you need these 17 books. And if you want the easiest way to read the entire history,
temporarily set aside the four books that overlap the main narrative: Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and
Esther; then come back to these books and compare them to the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings,
and Ezra. You’ll see that these books provide important counterpoints to the main narrative.
>THE WISDOM BOOKS
These five books, which remain popular among scholars and lay-people alike, contain the
philosophical, inspirational and emotional legacy of the Hebrews. They explore the nature of faith:
the problem of evil, the difficulty of perseverance, the vanity of the world, but also the joy of God’s
presence and the benefits of trusting in God alone. They provide an insider’s view of the
experiences described in the historical texts, inviting us into our own personal relationship with God.
The book of Job , thought to be one of the oldest stories in scripture, portrays Job's faith through a
period of great hardship. The book of Psalms contains some of the most beautiful and emotional
texts in the entire Bible, many of them written by the model king, David. These songs are still used
by believers as devotional readings and models of prayer. The book of Proverbs contains the
received practical wisdom of the Hebrew people and is counterbalanced by the book of
Ecclesiastes, a more speculative investigation into the meaning of life. The final book, the Song of
Solomon, is both a celebration of romantic love and an allegory of God's love for all believers.
>THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
The third section of the Hebrew Scriptures consists of 17 books, divided into two sections: the
Major and the Minor Prophets (a distinction based mostly on the length of the books). These books
are among the most difficult biblical texts to understand, and are therefore often avoided by lay-
people. But when studied patiently (study aids help) they can be extremely rewarding. Like the
Wisdom Books, they provide a counterpoint to the main historical narrative of Israel; the prophets
were in general the voices of conscience to the nations and their kings, calling for social justice as a
way to achieve political security and spiritual health. Each prophet addresses a different audience:
some wrote before the exile, some during, and some after; some wrote to the Israelites, some to the
Judeans, and some to neighboring nations. The overall message of all the prophets, however, is the
same: those who ignore God and those who mistreat people will be called to justice. The prophets
are constantly warning people that they shall reap what they sow.
But interspersed throughout these warnings are words of hope about a time of forgiveness and
about a future in which peace is established eternally and all nations worship God together. Many of
these hopeful passages were taken by the early church to foretell the life, ministry and victory of
Jesus, who is himself the anointed savior (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek) promised by God.
The five books of the Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations (all set before the
exile), and Ezekiel and Daniel (both set during the exile). Isaiah includes many of the best-known
prophecies regarding the coming of Christ. Jeremiah, on the other hand, provides a bleak picture of
the people’s lack of faith during the final days of the southern kingdom. Jeremiah also provides a
personal, emotional account of these days in his Lamentations, a concise poetic account of the grief
and suffering of the Hebrews during the fall of Jerusalem, and of their hope in God’s faithfulness
and forgiveness. Ezekiel prophesied during the exile, promising a restoration of the nation, while the
stories of Daniel and his friends in Babylon show the benefits radical faithfulness to God.
The twelve Minor Prophets were from ancient times grouped together on one scroll, although
scholars are not sure why they were arranged that way. In biblical order, they are Hosea, Joel,
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (all before the exile) followed by
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (all after the exile). These books are short, making them easy to
read in one sitting, and contain a variety of genres and messages: From Jonah in the belly of the
whale to Hosea marrying a prostitute, from exhortations to complete the Temple to warnings
against religious shallowness, these prophets encouraged the people of all nations to turn to God
whole-heartedly.
THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES
The 27 books of the newer testament detail the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth and the
formation of the early church. They are divided into two main groups (click to skip down): the
histories and the letters ("epistles").
>THE HISTORIES
The most well-known of the Christian scriptures are the first four books, known as the Gospels
("good news," which in Greek was the word evangelion). These tell the story of Jesus' life, death,
and resurrection. But even these four books are can be subdivided into two sets: the first three,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all share a core set of events, and are therefore known as the Synoptic
("seeing together") Gospels. When reading these, note the variations on the shared stories—these
variations reveal the different meanings found in the life of Jesus by the early church. It is thought,
for instance, that each writer had a different audience: Romans for Mark (the earliest), Jews for
Matthew and Greeks for Luke. Scholars agree that these books should not be interpreted simply as
histories; instead, each writer was a theologian, actively interpreting the events of Jesus’ life to
address the needs of his particular community.
The fourth Gospel, that of John, was written much later and contains a substantially different
(though not contradictory) set of events. It thus provides a counterpoint to the other three gospels
and includes some of the most famous characters, images and verses in the Gospels.
The fifth historical book, the book of Acts, is a continuation of the book of Luke, and describes the
spread of the gospel into Asia Minor and Europe. It starts with the birth of the church, when the
Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers at Pentecost, and portrays Peter’s ministry, the first
inclusion of Greeks in the church the growth of the early church and the resistance it met from
both Jews and Greeks, early conflicts over the role of the Hebrew law in the church, and the
conversion and ministry of the apostle Paul.
>THE EPISTLES
The remainder of the newer testament consists of letters written to various churches, individuals,
and groups. These letters mix theological interpretations of Jesus’ life and of the Hebrew Scriptures
with practical advice on how to translate our faith into action, showing that theology and practice
always go hand-in-hand. The chief requirement for inclusion in the scriptures was that the authors
(whoever the early church understood them to be) be eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus—this
includes Paul, who met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. These letters are divided into
three groups: the Pauline epistles, the General epistles, and the Revelation of St. John.
~~THE PAULINE EPISTLES
These 13 texts were attributed to Paul (some are generally accepted as being written by Paul, while
others seem to have been written by his followers at a later time) and have been organized into two
groups. The first set of letters consists of Paul's letters to churches, each letter named after the
place in which the church was located: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and
Thessalonica. Note that these are not arranged chronologically, but by length--they don't form a
historical sequence! If you want to follow the development of Paul’s thought over his various
journeys, you will need to find a study aid that will connect these letters with the events described
in the book of Acts. Next comes the set known as the Pastoral Epistles, named after their
addressees: Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Again, these are arranged by length rather than by date.
Paul’s letters have played a hugely important role in the history of the church, with the book of
Romans in particular inspiring many of Christianity’s most important thinkers.
~~THE GENERAL EPISTLES
The second set of letters consists of texts attributed to other apostles: James, Peter, John, and
Jude; unlike the Pastoral Epistles, these letters are named after their authors thought to have written
them. As you might by now expect, they are also arranged by length. Note, however, that this set
starts with the anonymous book of Hebrews, which was thought to be by Paul, although scholars
aren't sure of this. Unlike the other letters in this set, this letter takes its title from its audience, the
Jewish believers dispersed throughout the region. These letters round out the picture of the early
church we get from Paul’s writings, allowing us to see the wide range of ideas and issues
discussed among the first generations of Christians.
~~THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN
Some scholars count the last text in the Christian Scriptures as a separate section—Prophecy—
because it is the only apocalyptic text (i.e., a revelation of the ultimate goal of God's work in
history) from the early Christian tradition. This text has traditionally been attributed to the evangelist
John, who is thought to have written it while in exile at the end of his life. The book details a vision
and deals with the events surrounding the return of Christ and the reconciling of all things to God in
Christ Jesus. It is a difficult book, rich in imagery for worship, but with a great deal of symbolism
which scholars have yet to decode to everyone’s agreement.
*************
I hope this explanation has helped. Once you see how the Bible is arranged, you should have much
more confidence about your ability to see how each text contributes to the revelation of God and
man in Christ Jesus. As you can see, you can't simply read the Bible from beginning to end and
expect a straightforward narrative. Rather, you need to know what kind of book you're reading and
where it fits historically. Hopefully, though, you have been encouraged to investigate those sections
of the scriptures you might not have spent much time in before. When in doubt, keep in mind that it
all points to God’s grace and love, as most fully realized in Jesus.
If you have any comments (or corrections), please let me know so that I can make this article more
helpful. Thanks, and enjoy your reading!
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