How many Books does the Catholic Bible have and what are they?

  • The Catholic Bible contains 73 books, divided into Old and New Testaments.
  • The Old Testament includes historical, wisdom and prophetic books.
  • The New Testament focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
  • The organization of books varies among different religious traditions.

Are you at a point in your life where you're looking for information about your religion? Then this article might help. Here you can find out how many books the Catholic Bible has and which ones they are.

how many books does the catholic bible have

What is the Catholic Bible?

It can be said that within the Bible you can find various texts that are completely inspired by God and with this, be able to guide people to heaven. Within the Bible you will find what is the Old Testament, which is the history before Jesus Christ, and for the present, you will find the New Testament, which is the history after the death and resurrection of Christ. This great book is based on all the traditions of the Christian Jews. If you want a deeper guide on what is the bible, you can check that article.

How many Books does the Catholic Bible have?

Within the bible are the most sacred scriptures, but despite this, there are several criticisms for being attached to some languages ​​within the first manuscripts, for such a way within the catholic bible they exist in a complete count of seventy-three books but if we go to the christian bible we see sixty-six, together with this it can also be called apocryphal books.

It can be said that within the early church, they demanded occasional discussions regarding the Bible, since at that time many Christians did not believe that some paragraphs belonged to the Scriptures. Within the Bible, contradictions are often seen in certain parts, which some believers often consider as grammatical errors. When the New Testament arrived, the Apocryphal books were eliminated, which is why they remain rejected in almost all churches. To better understand the organization of the texts, consult how the Catholic Bible is divided.

What are the Books of the Catholic Bible?

When talking about what the books of the Bible were, it should be known that they are divided into two parts, since the Old Testament is found with seventy-three books while in the New Testament only twenty-seven will be seen.

The Old Testament of the Bible

The Old Testament is taken as the first fundamental part of the Bible, this is composed of the Pentateuch plus other historical, prophetic and wisdom books, in these are listed thirty-nine books in the versions of the Protestants, Restorations, Jews, rabbinics and Anglicans, then there are forty-six books in the version of the Catholic Church that are separated between Chapter six and chapters thirteen and fourteen to finally end with fifty-two books in the Orthodox Church. Therefore the books of the Bible in the Old Testament are given as follows:

how many books does the catholic bible have

The Pentateuch

This book mainly talks about how the creation of man was and how God begins to treat his people, this story is very extensive and very striking in case you want to learn, it consists of five books which were written by Moses although there is one that is the Genesis that is not considered as his author for the moment, these books began to be written between the years 1400 and 1440 BC. The five books of history are:

  • Genesis

Being the first book of the Torah or better known as the Pentateuch, it also becomes the first book of the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible. Being a Hebrew book, it is known as its first word, which is why for most it is called Breshit. It recounts the entire creation of the world, beginning with the fall of Adam and the great Garden of Eden. In the narrative of this book, certain aspects can be seen such as the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, the patriarch Abraham, and what was the appearance of the twelve tribes of Israel who ended up living in Egypt.

  • Exodus

Exodus is the second book of the Bible and is a traditional scripture that typically tells of the Hebrews' slavery in Egypt, followed by Moses, who freed them and helped them journey to the Promised Land. In Judaism, however, this book complements the canon, meeting with the Torah, making it one of the books of the Pentateuch.

  • Levitical

Said book, despite being in the Old Testament, has certain texts that are much older than is presumed, this is known, since among many scientists who have studied the Bible they usually see how it has changed over the centuries, so they say that these writings go beyond the Persian periods seen in the fourth and sixth centuries BC. In this you can see all the issues of the laws that referred completely to what the sacrifices were, to purity and holiness and finally everything that had to do with the consecration of the priests themselves in addition to the laws are also They found in some paragraphs the commandments that were given to the priests and the Levite groups.

  • Numbers

This book, being the fourth in the Pentateuch, also becomes the book of the Jewish Torah. This book has certain differences, since in the second century AD it was said that it lacked some Hebrew traits, a fact that was later denied. This book describes all the commandments seen during the journeys to Sinai, the great desert of Kadesh-Bernea, and Moab.

  • Deuteronomy

This book is also found in the Hebrew tanach and is the last book of the Torah, in it you can find everything that happened when the tables of the Law were delivered until reaching the plains of Moab in which the last speech is given of Moses before he died.

how many books does the catholic bible have

Historical books

These books are a large number of texts within the Bible, which are made up of the first five books of the Pentateuch, this book is one of the most important in the Bible and is usually divided into sixteen sub-books, which each deals with a different topic, these books are:

  • Book of Joshua

In particular, this book talks about how the promised land was conquered along with how Joshua was partitioned into different tribes. placed in the Jewish canon.

  • Judges Book

In this is the entire period that shows from the death of Joshua to what was the birth of Samuel, in this period what is the people of Israel began to move away from their itinerant life in order to settle as semi-sedentary and then farmers to gradually inhabit houses or shacks.

  • Book of Ruth

Here the whole story of Elimelech is told, this is a believer from Judah who emigrated from Bethlehem to the country of Moab, he went with his family, his wife was called Naomi and his sons Chillon and Mahlon.

  • First Book of Samuel

The story that this book tells is based on the life of Samuel and what was the reign of King Saul until he died, this also includes what was the war between the Israelites and the Philistines in addition to giving the great defeat that the young shepherd gave him David to the giant Goliath.

  • Second Book of Samuel

Being the continuation of the first book, this tells the reign and death of King Saul in Israel along with the history of the new king who would be David.

how many books does the catholic bible have

  • First Book of Kings

This book does not have much information but in the same way it tells everything that was the reign of Solomon, this was the son of David and prince of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

  • Second Book of Kings

After the first one, this one continues the history of all the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, starting from the death of Solomon until reaching what was the fall of Samaria and Jerusalem, of course, each of the Israelite kings acted badly before God, the most harmed are Jezebel, Hosea, Joacah, Ahab, Jeroboam and Omri. With all this, it also tells how Elisha performed miracles but eventually ends up exiled from Babylon.

  • First Book of Chronicles

In this first book, it is told how the period from the origins until the death of David is understood in a chronic way and also tells the stories of the first parts of Adam and Saul and culminates with that of David.

  • Second Book of Chronicles

Being the second book, it narrates a very understandable period between the death of David and the complete liberation of the people, then moves on to the lives of the kings in a structural and somewhat exhaustive way, since we see the names of the fathers, duration of the reign, who was his successor, the main events that happened during the reign and the burial place of each one.

  • Book of esdras

With this book you will only be able to read how the new construction of the Israeli Temple began and each body of legal Judaism.

  • book of nehemiah

For this it is narrated how were the new constructions of the walls of Jerusalem, the new reforms given by Nehemiah and the new modifications of the temple.

  • book of tobias

This book, being part of the Catholic canon, is given in an orthodox manner, despite the fact that most Protestant and Jewish churches do not possess this book due to not believing it to be real. The book speaks about the great support that the Archangel Raphael gave directly to a young man who maintained an innate faith in him. He usually goes to find his wife and ends up getting married despite all the setbacks that this step entails. Therefore, it reflects the values ​​that should truly be held within the family and personally.

  • judith book

For this book, it is told how Judith, being the daughter of Merari, is in Israel's war with the Syrian army.

  • Book of Esther

This book has a great value for the Jewish community, since in it you can find how the Jews achieved salvation in the face of a great extermination that was prepared by Haman, the Jews, seeing themselves safe, began to take that day as a celebration and named it Purim day.

  • First Book of Maccabees

This book, despite being from the Catholic and Orthodox canon, does not belong to the Jewish and Protestant canon, since in the Maccabees it tells how they tried to change all the Jews by force, said attempt was made by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

  • Second Book of Maccabees

In the case of the second book of Maccabees, two stories are told, which are centered on two religious festivals, which are the day Nicanor entered the Temple and the dedication of the temple after it was rebuilt. After this there is the story of the persecution of Eléazaro and the seven brothers and mothers and the story of Heliodoro.

how many books does the catholic bible have

Wisdom Books or Poetic Writings

Within this group of books it can be considered as a genre where it is related with a unique Israelite literary form which shows the teachings and the appearance of Israel and the disappearance of the prophets, the books that fall into this group are:

  • Book of Job

This book tells the story of Job, a man known for being just and upright in the Word of God, who is often tested at every turn to see if he rejects God or turns away from Him.

  • book of psalms

This book is found in some very specific pages of the Bible, since in these are all the prayers and psalms known and unknown.

  • book of proverbs

In this book you will find all the teachings of theology and philosophy to teach people to be wise and know how to live with consequences after a bad act.

  • book of ecclesiastes

For this book it is said that it was the most used by Solomon, since he learned to do his meditations which he did frequently, it is also narrated how life and vanity have no meaning if the word of God is not kept for not be judged.

  • Song of Songs Book

This book is a story which is about Solomon and Sulamit, they were lovers for a while but they were forced to end their relationship for reasons of power.

  • Book of Wisdom

When talking about this book, it can be believed that it can teach us about wisdom, but in reality it is aimed at those non-believers who will go through a decadence in which people will not have any tolerance towards others and will seek to idolize the first god they created. appears to them and that first for many will be given by the religion of atheism.

  • Ecclesiastical Book

For this book, it is mainly narrated to Jews who are usually very pious and want to live as the law says and without counting those who are not devout who are curious about what awaits them after becoming a respectful Jew.

how many books does the catholic bible have

Prophetic Books

These books speak of God's urgent call to all his people of Israel to return to his heart so that he can forgive them all equally and forget that they are worshipping mere idols and not being faithful to him. Therefore, in each book, God prays that they heed him and be obedient to him at all times. The books are divided into two parts: the Major Prophets, which have six books, and the Minor Prophets, which have twelve books.

Major Prophets

Within the major prophets we can find those books that have books with many pages, which are written by:

  • Book of Isaiah

At the beginning of this book you can find different prophecies with many details of dreams and different appearances of what would be a liberation for all the peoples of the world, this book is divided by modern exegesis into three of the largest collections such as prophetic poems and portions of passages from the second book of Kings.

  • book of jeremiah

By being able to talk about this book, we see what the history and prophecies of Jeremiah are like. He was a Jewish nobleman who was very sensitive, since from a young age he felt that it was his duty to make the people aware of being faithful before God, so that, by not seeing understanding in what he said, he prophesied how the exile of the people and the kings of Babylon would be. By making this type of prophecies, he came to have various problems from which he was about to lose his life.

  • book of lamentations

Within this book the four acrostic - aliphatic lamentations are narrated that implied that it is of faith to be before God, in these it is told how the devastation of Jerusalem was after falling and seeing the horrible tortures inflicted by Nebuchadnezzar Second in addition to telling how the Jews walked like sheep humiliated after being exiled by the Babylonians.

  • Book of Baruch

This is a literary text that shows a series of documents assigned to Baruch, the secretary of the prophet Jeremiah, in them he teaches how the Jews should know how to face any problem and survive the exile they have experienced, since they must find dignity to overcome it and faith before the Lord so that He helps them walk calmly and without losing another brother.

  • book of ezekiel

Within this book you can find at the beginning how God usually gives the prophet each guideline to fulfill his mission, but after passing the pages they become threats and punishments that will be given to Judah, the false prophets, Jerusalem and all those who have sinned in the sight of God.

  • Book of Daniel

Upon reaching this book, one can see more than twelve very different documents, each of which recounts some of Daniel's prophecies. At that time, Daniel was merely a simple Jewish council member who was exiled and who assisted in some disputes with the kings of Babylon. This book, in the Jewish canon, is not considered a prophetic work but rather a written text, yet it appears nonetheless.

Minor Prophets

When speaking of the minor prophets, they are the ones who mostly lived between the years seven hundred and fifty and five hundred before Christ, who created books with few pages. The twelve prophets are:

  • Hosea

This is an ancient biblical text from the Christian Old Testament. According to Protestants, this ancient text is the first of the minor prophets. However, for all Catholics, this corresponds to the second of the minor prophets. In both the Catholic and Protestant Bibles, it is located between Daniel and Joel.

  • Joel

This is a book that is very clearly divided into two parts, in which the first tells us about a catastrophic plague of locusts that destroys the country, causing a penitential celebration among the victims who suffered this terrible event. In the second part of this book he tells us about the fruits of penance as well as the liberation that is announced from a future redemption.

  • Amos

In this book we can see a warning message for those pagan nations as well as for the sinners of Judah and Israel, since they will be judged by God as well as punished by him, but after that they could also be forgiven by God.

  • Obadiah

In this text of Obadiah, he himself prophesies that Yahweh's vengeance against Edom, which will arrive in 312 rooted in its conquest by the Arabs.

  • Jonah

This book tells us about the prophet Jonah, as well as an incredible story in which God sends Jonah to preach the word and prophesy to the people of Nineveh in order to persuade them to repent or receive their own destruction.

  • Micah

In this book you can see the punishments that God imposed on the Northern Kingdom, since they constantly sinned in the worship of Baal, sacrifices, Magic, enchantments and child rituals.

  • Nahum

In the Nahúm the terrible destruction of the people of Nineveh is prophesied, which symbolized freedom from all slavery.

  • Habakkuk

This book recounts the last days of the Assyrian empire, as well as the beginning of Babylon's world domination, this under Nabopolassar with his son Nebuchadnezzar.

  • Zephaniah

In this book we can find an invitation to penance just as in it we can also find an affirmation of God's love for all his people.

  • Haggai

Also known as Book Haggai, this book tells us about the rebuilding of the temple and it is divided into four different speeches or sermons arranged in chronological order.

  • Zacarias

This is a book that mainly tells us about the restoration of the entire temple in Jerusalem as well as the coronation of the High Priest Joshua.

  • Malachi

This is considered the last book of the old testament in which the attitudes of the families when separating are reproached as well as the behavior of the priests for not fulfilling the divine cult.

how many books does the catholic bible have

new testament of the bible

Already talked about the Old Testament, there is the next part, which is the New Testament of the Bible, which is where everything that happened after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is recounted, from the years forty-five and ninety-five after Christ. . This will is divided into five parts which are:

The gospels

Consisting of four books which give a completely different perspective from each other but in the same way they reach the same point, since what happened in the life of Jesus is shown.

The acts of the apostles

This does not have any other internal book, since it talks about all the trips made by the apostles of Jesus to preach the word and evangelize all people to follow God's good path and start creating churches.

Pauline Epistles

These have fourteen books where the letters written by the apostle Paul are shown, which were dedicated to those churches that were devoted to him to give them the word of God and show them how the doctrines should be done correctly to reach the merciful kingdom.

General Epistles

Within the general epistles, seven books are obtained which finish developing Paul's letters, adding all the teachings that must be learned for the moment of being blessed by Jesus Christ.

Revelation

Being the last book, it only reflects all the predictions that can happen through the times of life until the last day that nobody knows when it may arrive.

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