The Old Testament covers the history and laws of ancient Israel before Jesus, while the New Testament covers the life of Jesus and the early Christian church.
Old Testament
- 39 books in the Protestant Bible.
- Covers creation, the law, the history of Israel, poetry and prophets.
- Written mostly in Hebrew.
New Testament
- 27 books.
- Covers the life of Jesus, the Gospels, Acts, letters of Paul and Revelation.
- Written in Greek.
Shared
Both are part of the Christian Bible. The Old Testament is also the Hebrew Bible for Judaism.
Catholic Bible
Includes 46 Old Testament books.
Structure of the Bible
The Christian Bible has two parts. The Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh in Judaism) contains the writings from before Jesus. The New Testament contains writings about Jesus and the early church. Together they make up the Christian Bible.
Number of books
The Protestant Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27, making 66 in total. The Catholic Old Testament has 46 books (including deuterocanonical books such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees), so the Catholic Bible has 73 books. Eastern Orthodox canons include additional books.
Old Testament divisions
- Law (Torah or Pentateuch): Genesis to Deuteronomy.
- History: Joshua to Esther.
- Wisdom and poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs.
- Prophets: Isaiah to Malachi.
New Testament divisions
- Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
- History: Acts of the Apostles.
- Letters (epistles): Romans to Jude, including those of Paul.
- Prophecy: Revelation.
Languages
The Old Testament was mostly written in Hebrew with some Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
Time span
The Old Testament was composed over roughly a thousand years, and the New Testament in the first century AD, mostly between about 50 and 100 AD.
Covenants
The Old Testament centers on God’s covenant with Israel through Abraham and Moses. Christians read the New Testament as a “new covenant” through Jesus.
Reading
Jews read the Hebrew Bible but do not consider the New Testament scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in 1947, include the oldest known manuscripts of Old Testament books.
Translations
The Bible is the most translated book, with the full Bible available in over 700 languages, according to United Bible Societies.
Structure and languages
The Old Testament contains 39 books in the Protestant canon, and 46 in the Catholic canon, which includes additional books such as Tobit and Wisdom. It is largely written in Hebrew, with parts in Aramaic, over roughly a thousand years. Its divisions are law (the Pentateuch), history, wisdom and poetry, and prophets. The New Testament has 27 books, written in Koine Greek, mostly between about 50 and 100 CE. Its sections are the four Gospels, Acts, the letters (epistles) and Revelation.
Covenants and reading
In Christian thought, the Old Testament describes God’s covenant with Israel, including the law given through Moses, and the New Testament presents the new covenant through Jesus Christ. The Hebrew Bible, called the Tanakh in Judaism, corresponds to the Christian Old Testament but is ordered differently. The Bible has been translated in whole or in part into more than 3,000 languages, according to Wycliffe Global Alliance and the United Bible Societies. Readers new to the Bible often start with the Gospel of John or Mark and with Genesis or Psalms.
Based on data from the United Bible Societies and the Encyclopaedia Britannica
