7. Books of the Bible

Christians everywhere honor the Holy Scriptures as the foundation of faith and life. The Bible is traditionally divided into two major parts: the Old Testament, which prepares for Christ, and the New Testament, which proclaims Him.

The Old Testament

While the list of Old Testament books may differ between traditions, these variations are not regarded as doctrinal disputes. Among both Catholics and Orthodox, there is a shared understanding that the Gospels stand at the heart of Scripture, followed by the rest of the New Testament, and then the Old Testament writings. The relative emphasis placed on different scriptural books reflects a hierarchy of authority within the one unified witness of the Bible. Christians generally agree on the New Testament, but the Old Testament can differ slightly between traditions. These differences are not disagreements in doctrine, but reflect different traditions of Scripture that developed over time.

The Christian Church in the East (both Orthodox and Catholic) receives the Septuagint (LXX) as the basis for the Old Testament. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures made by Jewish scholars in the centuries before Christ. It was widely used in the early Church and often quoted by the apostles in the New Testament. For Eastern Christians, the LXX is not just a translation—it is a received tradition of Scripture that includes books not found in the modern Hebrew Bible.

The Christian Church in the West (Roman Catholic) also includes almost all of these same books, often referring to them as “Deuterocanonical.” These books are part of the Latin Vulgate (based upon a mix of the Septuagint and an older Hebrew version) and have been recognized as Scripture since the early centuries of the Church. Following the directive of the Second Vatican Council, modern Catholic translations of the Old Testament are based primarily on the Hebrew Masoretic Text, but give due consideration to the Septuagint, particularly where it provides insight into early Christian interpretation.

The Protestant Old Testament is based on the later Jewish canon, the Masoretic Text, which excludes the Deuterocanonical books (though the 1611 and other editions of the Authorized Version (the King Jame Version) did include them).

While the list of books may differ, this is not a source of conflict between Catholic and Orthodox Christians. There is a recognized hierarchy of scriptural authority: for example, the Gospels are central to the faith and stand above all, followed by other New Testament books like Acts of the Apostles, and then the Old Testament writings, including historical books and the books of the Maccabees.

The chart below shows how the books of the Old Testament are arranged and grouped in the Latin Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic, and Protestant traditions. The order of the books do differ slightly in different tradtions, but that is not a matter of theology. Since most English-language Bibles follow the Catholic and Protestant ordering that is what is used here. 

Listing of Books in the Old Testament

Note 1: The Fourth Book of Maccabees is also found in some lists, particularly the Apostolic Canons (Greek Church) and the Codex Claromontanus (Latin Church). 

Note 2: The 1611 King James Version was originally publisehed with the books Protestants call "apocrypha." Over time most printed editions of the KJV and daughter translations omitted them. The list of these books is: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Rest of Esther, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy, Song of the Three Children, Story of Susanna, The Idol Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasses, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees.

The New Testament

All major Christian traditions—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—agree on the same 27 books of the New Testament. These include the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the letters (Epistles) of Paul and other apostles, and the Book of Revelation.

Although the list of books is the same, the emphasis and interpretation can vary slightly across traditions. Catholic and Orthodox Christians, for example, recognizes a hierarchy within Scripture, where the Gospels hold the highest place, as they directly reveal the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Next in importance is the Acts of the Apostles, which records the early Church’s life and mission, followed by the apostolic epistles and finally the Book of Revelation, which, though inspired, is read with care due to its symbolic and prophetic nature.

The New Testament canon was recognized early in the life of the Church and was formally affirmed in Church councils by the fourth century. Because of this universal agreement, there is no difference in the books of the New Testament between the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles.

Below is the full list of New Testament books as recognized by all Christian traditions:

• The Gospels
  • Matthew
  • Mark
  • Luke
  • John
• Acts of the Apostles
  • Acts of the Apostles
• New Testament Letters
  • Romans
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • Colossians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians
  • 1 Timothy
  • 2 Timothy
  • Titus
  • Philemon
  • Hebrews
• Catholic Letters
  • James
  • 1 Peter
  • 2 Peter
  • 1 John
  • 2 John
  • 3 John
  • Jude
• Revelation
  • Revelation

Note: The arrangement and number of biblical books differ slightly between traditions, but the core message of salvation through Jesus Christ is shared. Within the Catholic and Orthodox tradition, Scripture is read with reverence and understood within the living tradition of the Church, with the Gospels always occupying the highest place.

Images: The top image is a bible open to Psalm 23. The lower image is a portion of the Gospel of Saint John from Vaticanus.