and Amos were contemporaries.
The third group of books are the
Poetical Books (Job to Song of
Solomon), followed by the Major
Prophets (meaning “large books”:
Isaiah to Daniel) and the Minor
Prophets (meaning “small books”:
Hosea to Malachi). These books
are considered sacred texts by
both Christians and Jews.
A small set of books, often
referred to as the Apocrypha (from
the Latin apocryphus, meaning
“hidden”) are considered by Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Christians to be part of the Old
Testament. These seven books,
plus additions to the Books of
Daniel and Esther, were primarily
written in Greek from 400–300 BCE.
They are not regarded as scripture
by either Protestant Christians or
Jews, who argue that these books
deny that there was any prophetic
word from God (the characteristic
of scripture) during the period in
which they were written.
The New Testament comprises
the Christian scriptures, 27 books
that are accepted by all Christian
denominations as the complete
list of New Testament books. The
title “New Testament” arises from
the prophecy of a new covenant
(“testament”) that God would give
to His people (Jeremiah 31:31–34).Most of the 27 books of the New
Testament were written in the
1st century CE by Jesus’s apostles,
although some books, such as
Hebrews, are anonymous. They
were written for Christian churches
and individuals scattered across
the eastern half of the Roman
Empire. The first group of books are
the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John), which present the
life and ministry of Jesus Christ as
the fulfillment of the Old Testament
prophecies heralding a savior for
Israel and the nations.
The Book of Acts describes the
spread of the message about Jesus
in the 30 years after His death,
resurrection, and ascension into
heaven, while the New Testament
letters, known as “epistles,” are
divided into the Pauline Epistles
(Romans to Philemon) and the
General Epistles (Hebrews to Jude).
The final New Testament text is
the Book of Revelation.Literary genres
There are many different types
of literature in the 66 books of
the Bible. Historical accounts,
genealogies, and legal texts
comprise most of the Law and
Historical books of the Old
Testament. The Poetical books
contain proverbs, laments, praises,and even prayers for judgment
on the wicked. The longest chapter
in the Bible is a poem (Psalm 119), in
which each of the 22 stanzas
comprises 16 lines beginning with
one of the 22 letters of the ancient
Hebrew alphabet. The prophetic
books contain parables, historical
accounts, songs, and visions.
The Gospels are a unique
literary genre, containing speeches,
sermons, arguments, visions, and
miracles, often interpreting events
in Jesus’s life as the fulfillment
of the Old Testament prophecies.
The letters of the New Testament
contain teaching, encouragement,
and even rebuke. Many use literary
devices common in Greco-Roman
literature of the 1st century CE ❯❯INTRODUCTION 13
Man shall not live on
bread alone, but on every
word that comes from
the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:US_012-015_Introduction.indd 13 28/09/17 6:06 pm