What is the Bible?
Awaiting theological review
What you will understand today
Why the Bible is more like a library than a book — and how Christians read it.
In simple words
The Bible is not one book but a library: 73 books in Catholic Bibles, written over more than a thousand years by many authors, in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
It contains history, poetry, laws, letters, prophecies, songs and stories. Each kind of writing has to be read as what it is — you don't read a poem the way you read a letter.
Christians believe God speaks through these human words. The human authors really wrote — with their own style, culture and limits — and God is also their author, so that the Bible teaches truly what God wanted to reveal for our salvation.
Key Bible passage
Paul reminds Timothy what Scripture is for.
16All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice,
2 Timothy 3:16 · Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
Old Testament · 46 books
Law, History, Wisdom, Prophets
New Testament · 27 books
Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation
Did you know?
The Bible's chapters were added only in the 13th century, by Stephen Langton; verse numbers came in the 16th century, from the printer Robert Estienne.
A common misconception
Catholics added extra books to the Bible.
In fact
Catholic Bibles have 73 books; most Protestant Bibles have 66. The seven others — such as Tobit, Wisdom and the Maccabees — were part of the Greek Old Testament used by the early Church.
A question to take with you
Is there a part of the Bible you have heard about all your life but never actually read?
One small thing for today
Open the Bible section and look at how the books are grouped. Choose one you would like to read one day.
Explore next
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- Scripture
- Catechism
- Church teaching