Books of the Bible

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Books of the Bible are the different sections of the Bible. Each book has a different name. Most of the time the book is named after the person who maybe wrote the book. That is not always the case. Different religions, and different denominations of Christianity, have different books or sections in the Bible. These different groups accept different books. These groups also use different names for the same books. The stories in the "Books of the Bible" are very similar for all religious groups. Some people use a trick and ideas to memorize the Bible.[1]

Below, there is a list or table that compares the Books of the Bible in Judaism and in the Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Slavonic Orthodox, Georgian, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac, and Ethiopian Churches. The table covers both the Old Testament and the New Testament. For a detailed discussion of the differences, see "Biblical canon".

The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic churches have small differences in the lists of books that they accept. If at least one Eastern church accepts a book, then that book is listed in this table. The Eastern churches accept all of the books that the Roman Catholic Church accepts.

Old Testament[change | change source]

If a table cell has an asterisk (*), it means that a book is used, but in a different order. Empty cells mean that the book is not used. These books are often called apocrypha. This word is sometimes used specifically (and possibly negatively) to describe the books in the Catholic and Orthodox canon that are not in the Protestant Bible. Orthodox and Catholic Christians call these books deuterocanonical, which means second canon.

Tanakh
Protestant Old Testament Catholic Old Testament (Douay) Greek Orthodox Old Testament Slavonic Old Testament Original Language
Torah or Pentateuch
Genesis Genesis Genesis Genesis Genesis Hebrew
Exodus Exodus Exodus Exodus Exodus Hebrew
Leviticus Leviticus Leviticus Leviticus Leviticus Hebrew
Numbers Numbers Numbers Numbers Numbers Hebrew
Deuteronomy Deuteronomy Deuteronomy Deuteronomy Deuteronomy Hebrew
Nevi'im or Prophets
Historical books
Joshua Joshua Josue Joshua Joshua Hebrew
Judges Judges Judges Judges Judges Hebrew
see below Ruth Ruth Ruth Ruth Hebrew
Samuel 1 Samuel 1 Kings 1 Samuel (1 Kingdoms)[2] 1 Kingdoms Hebrew
2 Samuel 2 Kings 2 Samuel (2 Kingdoms)[2] 2 Kingdoms Hebrew
Kings 1 Kings 3 Kings 1 Kings (3 Kingdoms)[2] 3 Kingdoms Hebrew
2 Kings 4 Kings 2 Kings (4 Kingdoms)[2] 4 Kingdoms Hebrew
Chronicles
see below
1 Chronicles 1 Paralipomenon 1 Chronicles 1 Chronicles Hebrew
2 Chronicles 2 Paralipomenon 2 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Hebrew
1 Esdras
(2 Esdras)* Greek
Ezra (includes Nehemiah)
see below
Ezra 1 Esdras Ezra (2 Esdras)[2][3] Ezra Hebrew(+Aramaic)
Nehemiah 2 Esdras (Nehemias) Nehemiah (2 Esdras)[2][3] Nehemiah Hebrew
(1 Esdras)* 2 Esdras
Greek
Tobias Tobit Tobit Aramaic
Judith Judith Judith Hebrew
see below Esther Esther[4] Esther[4] Esther[4] Hebrew
1 Machabees[5] 1 Maccabees see below Hebrew or Aramaic?
2 Machabees[5] 2 Maccabees see below Greek
3 Maccabees Greek
4 Maccabees Greek
Wisdom books
see below Job Job Job Job Hebrew
see below Psalms Psalms Psalms[6] Psalms[6] Hebrew
Odes[7] Hebrew(+Greek)
see below Proverbs Proverbs Proverbs Proverbs Hebrew
see below Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes Hebrew
see below Song of Solomon Canticle of Canticles Song of Solomon Song of Songs Hebrew
Wisdom Wisdom Wisdom of Solomon Greek
Ecclesiasticus Sirach Sirach Hebrew(+Greek)
Major prophets
Isaiah Isaiah Isaias Isaiah Isaiah Hebrew
Jeremiah Jeremiah Jeremias Jeremiah Jeremiah Hebrew(+Aramaic)
see below Lamentations Lamentations Lamentations Lamentations of Jeremiah Hebrew
* * Letter of Jeremiah Greek (or Hebrew?)[8]
Baruch[9] Baruch[9] Baruch[9] Hebrew (and Greek?)[10]
Letter of Jeremiah[11] * Greek (or Hebrew?)[8]
Ezekiel Ezekiel Ezechiel Ezekiel Ezekiel Hebrew
see below Daniel Daniel[12] Daniel[12] Daniel[12] Hebrew+Aramaic
Minor prophets
The Twelve Prophets Hosea Osee Hosea Hosea Hebrew
Joel Joel Joel Joel Hebrew
Amos Amos Amos Amos Hebrew
Obadiah Abdias Obadiah Obadiah Hebrew
Jonah Jonas Jonah Jonah Hebrew
Micah Micaeus Micah Micah Hebrew
Nahum Nahum Nahum Nahum Hebrew
Habakkuk Habacuc Habakkuk Habakkuk Hebrew
Zephaniah Sophonias Zephaniah Zephaniah Hebrew
Haggai Aggaeus Haggai Haggai Hebrew
Zechariah Zacharias Zechariah Zechariah Hebrew
Malachi Malachias Malachi Malachi Hebrew
Ketuvim or Writings[13]
Psalms Hebrew
Proverbs Hebrew
Job Hebrew
Song of Songs Hebrew
Ruth Hebrew
Lamentations Hebrew
Ecclesiastes Hebrew
Esther Hebrew
Daniel Hebrew+Aramaic
Ezra (includes Nehemiah) Hebrew(+Aramaic)
Chronicles Hebrew
see above[5] 1 Maccabees Hebrew or Aramaic?
see above[5] 2 Maccabees Greek

New Testament[change | change source]

Most Christian groups agree about the New Testament canon (the list of books in the New Testament) but some groups put books in a different order (place).

Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox Lutheran Protestant Bible Slavonic Orthodox Bible Ethiopian Bible Original Language
The Gospels
Matthew Matthew Matthew Matthew Greek (or Aramaic or Hebrew?)[14]
Mark Mark Mark Mark Greek
Luke Luke Luke Luke Greek
John John John John Greek
The History
Acts Acts Acts Acts Greek
The General Epistles
James Greek
1 Peter Greek
2 Peter Greek
1 John Greek
2 John Greek
3 John Greek
Jude Greek
The Pauline Epistles
Romans Romans Romans Romans Greek
1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Greek
2 Corinthians 2 Corinthians 2 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Greek
Galatians Galatians Galatians Galatians Greek
Ephesians Ephesians Ephesians Ephesians Greek
Philippians Philippians Philippians Philippians Greek
Colossians Colossians Colossians Colossians Greek
1 Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians Greek
2 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians Greek
1 Timothy 1 Timothy 1 Timothy 1 Timothy Greek
2 Timothy 2 Timothy 2 Timothy 2 Timothy Greek
Titus Titus Titus Titus Greek
Philemon Philemon Philemon Philemon Greek
The General Epistles The General Epistles
Hebrews Hebrews Hebrews Greek (or Hebrew?)[15]
James Greek
1 Peter 1 Peter 1 Peter Greek
2 Peter 2 Peter 2 Peter Greek
1 John 1 John 1 John Greek
2 John 2 John 2 John Greek
3 John 3 John 3 John Greek
James Greek
Jude Jude Greek
Books questioned by Luther
Hebrews Greek (or Hebrew?)[15]
James Greek
Jude Greek
Revelation of Christ to John Revelation of Christ to John Revelation of Christ to John Revelation of Christ to John Greek

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has a few other books in its canon (list of books): Jubilees, Book of Enoch, and The Rest of the Words of Baruch (4 Baruch).

The Peshitta does not have 2-3 John, 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, but Bibles of the modern Syriac Orthodox Church do have later translations of those books. They also have the Letter of Baruch (Baruch, is called a deuterocanonical book of the Bible). Today the Syrian Orthodox Church only uses lessons from the twenty-two books of Peshitta in its official lectionary (list of Church readings).

Third Epistle to the Corinthians was once part of the Armenian Orthodox Bible, but it is not in modern editions (printed versions).

Anglican Apocrypha[change | change source]

The Anglican Church accepts the same order of books as the Vulgate (Catholic 16th Century) Bible. The 39 Articles (an Anglican list of doctrines or important beliefs) says that these Books of the Bible are Apocrypha:

I. Esdras
II. Esdras
Tobit
Judith
The Rest of Esther
The Wisdom of Solomon
Ecclesiasticus (:)
Baruch, with the Letter of Jeremiah
The Song of the Three Jews, with the Prayer of Azariah
The Story of Susanna
Bel and the Dragon
The Prayer of Manasseh
I. Maccabees
II. Maccabees
III. Maccabees

Related pages[change | change source]

Notes[change | change source]

Return links: Tanakh or Old TestamentNew Testament

  1. "How to Memorize Scripture". www.memoryverses.org.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Names in brackets are the Septuagint names and are often used by the Orthodox Christians.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Some Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Septuagint and the Hebrew bibles by considering the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as one book.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Catholic and Orthodox Book of Esther includes 103 verses not in the Protestant Book of Esther.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Latin Vulgate and the Douay-Rheims place First and Second Maccabees after Malachi; modern Catholic translations place them after Esther.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Eastern Orthodox churches include Psalm 151, not present in all canons.
  7. The Book of Odes includes the Prayer of Manasseh. This book is not present in the Catholic or Protestant Old Testaments.
  8. 8.0 8.1 New English Translation of the Septuagint
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 In Catholic Bibles, Baruch includes a sixth chapter called the Letter of Jeremiah. Baruch is not in the Protestant Bible or the Tanakh.
  10. Britannica 1911
  11. Eastern Orthodox Bibles have the books of Baruch and the Letter of Jeremiah separate.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, Daniel includes three sections not included in Protestant Bibles. The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children are included between Daniel 3:23-24. Susanna is included as Daniel 13. Bel and the Dragon is included as Daniel 14. These are not in the Protestant Old Testament.
  13. These books are found among the historical and wisdom books of the Christian canons.
  14. Most scholars believe that the Gospel of Matthew was written in Koine Greek, but some scholars believe that this gospel was originally written in Aramaic or Hebrew. See Wikipedia's Gospel of Matthew and New Testament articles.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Today, scholars believe the Hebrews was written in Greek, but a small number of scholars believe it was originally written in Hebrew, then translated into Greek by Luke. See Wikipedia's New Testament article.

More websites[change | change source]