Bible Book Introductions (Old & New Testament)
The Bible can be summarized simply. It is inspired and divine, a collection of 66 books, written over 1,500 years with over 40 different human authors contributing to its pages, across three continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), all for a specific unified purpose. The Bible’s unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself. The Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). It never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21). The 66 books are divided into two volumes, the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). In the Old Testament, God promises His creation how He would defeat our greatest enemy, “death”, and in the New Testament, God reveals to us exactly how He did it.
“Infinite grace provided the great sacrifice; infinite love submitted to death for our sakes. How can we dream that there can be another way than the way God provided at such a cost and set forth in Holy Scripture so simply and so urgently?” – Charles H. Spurgeon
When you begin to study a Bible passage, make sure to utilize this Bible book introductions resource. Read about authorship, historical timelines, settings and themes that lend rich background information to your Biblical studies. You can also find these introductions and other authors online at Blue Letter Bible.