The Old Testament was written by Hebrews (aka Jews) before the birth of Jesus, the Christ, and it is the primary religious text of Judaism. The Old Testament has 39 Books (most versions) written by 25+ authors. The historical events recorded in the Old Testament span ~4000 years and take place on 2 Continents — Asia and Africa.

The original scriptures were not divided into chapters and verses, but most modern translations do this for easier reference.   For example, Genesis 3:1-4 indicates the scripture is from the Book of Genesis, Chapter 3, Verses 1-4.  The Book names are often abbreviated.  For example, the book of Matthew may be abbreviated as Matt or Mt.  If there is more than one book with the same name, such as Kings, the books are distinguished by numbers before the book name (e.g. 1Kings, 2Kings or I Kings, II Kings). The books of the Bible, including their order and contents, differ slightly between religious groups due to differing opinions about which writings are authoritative as scripture, also known as Biblical Canon.  

Below is a summary of the WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE of the Old Testament books.

Continue Reading…What are the books of the New Testament?

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