Know the Bible: Start Here

Selena Aralık 01, 2021

Bible Gateway's Know the Bible free email series begins to answer practical and broad questions you may have about the Bible to help make it a less daunting book to read and understand. If someone forwarded this email to you, subscribe for yourself by signing up here.

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After you've received all the emails in this series and downloaded the exclusive Bible Basics Infographic PDF, you'll have built a framework of understanding to tackle more advanced questions. This series will answer the following questions about God's Word over the next weeks:

What is the difference between the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT)?
What are the book categories of the OT and NT?
Who are the major characters of the OT and NT?
What are the major eras of the OT and NT?
What are the major themes of the OT and NT?

Let's dive in!

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What is the difference between the OT and the NT?

The Bible consists of 66 individual books divided into two parts: Old Testament and New Testament. These books were written by more than 40 individuals, from shepherds to kings, in different nations, using different languages, over a period of 1,400–2,000 years. The OT consists of 39 books (Genesis to Malachi); the NT, 27 books (Matthew to Revelation).

— OLD TESTAMENT —

The stories in the OT run from the very beginning of time when God first created everything to around the year 400 BC. They emphasize how God selected and worked through the Jewish people throughout the empires of Egypt, Israel and Judah, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. Written primarily in Hebrew, with some in Aramaic (common languages of the people at that time), the OT books cover geography about the same size as the state of Texas and include the ancient countries of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and Canaan/Israel/Judah (today that land is governed by Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

— NEW TESTAMENT —

The NT books were originally written in common Greek. They pick up the story around AD 1 and cover events through to the end of time and the creation of a new Earth in the future. The NT begins by recounting the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and proceeds to describe the ministry of his disciples and the growth of the church during and within the Roman Empire. The nations of the NT are Galatia, Greece, Asia, Italy, and Israel/Palestine (modern Turkey, Greece, Italy, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria).

— DIVING IN —

Click the links below to read a passage of Scripture and its accompanying study note in the STUDY tab on Bible Gateway:

Old Testament

Read about when God first created everything (Genesis 1; study note from the NIV Application Commentary).

New Testament

Read about the resurrection of Jesus (John 20; study note from the Warren Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series).

READ MORE

For more introductory information, see the Bible Gateway Blog posts, The Bible Table of Contents and When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?

BIBLE GATEWAY USAGE TIP:

When you search for a book of the Bible on Bible Gateway (e.g., type "Psalm 1" into the search box at the top of the webpage), click the "INTRO" tab (see the screenshot) to quickly learn about that book, such as its theme, overview, author, original language, and more.

Watch for the next email in this series: What are the book categories of the Old Testament and New Testament?

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