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How Many Books Are There In The Old Testament?
The Old Testament is the first and most sacred part of the Bible for many Christians, as it helps them understand their religious history and develop their faith. It features writings from ancient periods and is divided into two main sections – The Pentateuch, and The Historical, Poetical and Prophetic Books. With so much to learn, it’s helpful to know exactly how many books are present in the Old Testament.
The Pentateuch, sometimes referred to as the Torah, is composed of five books – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – and its main purpose is to explain the story of God’s creation of the world and its inhabitants. Genesis explains how the world was created and reaches its climax in the story of Abraham. The remaining four books of the Pentateuch detail the Israelites coming out of captivity in Egypt, their journey to the Promised Land, and the law which was given to them.
The second section of the Old Testament is comprised of seventeen books, known as the Historical, Poetical, and Prophetic books. These books are important for providing historical context and narrative to the Old Testament, but they also include some of the Bible’s most beloved stories and passages.
Joshua, Judges, and Ruth are the three books classified as historical, as they tell the story of the Israelites entering and conquering the Promised Land. Psalms and Proverbs are in the poetic section, and they contain prayers, hymns, and wisdom. The prophetic books, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, are among the most well known and feature the words of the prophets and God to the Israelites.
Finally, the Old Testament contains twelve books which are referred to as the “minor” prophets – Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These focus on the spiritual and moral lessons that God wanted the Israelites to learn, and tie together the major prophets.
In total, there are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament. This does not include the apocryphal books which are included in some versions of the Bible, but not all. These books were written in the same period as the other books of the Bible, but are not accepted as canon by many religious organizations.
The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Christianity, and its thirty-nine books are essential to understanding the Christian faith. As such, it’s important to know just how many books are present in the Old Testament. By reading the stories and lessons found in the Pentateuch and the Historical, Poetical, and Prophetic books, we can gain a greater understanding of God’s will and the history of Christianity.
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