A∙Bible∙A∙Day

Definition for The Old Testament

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H   I   J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Old Testament:

The Bible is a book of books, 66* altogether, that were written over a period of hundreds of years by many different authors; these 66 books are divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament contains 39 books and cover the formation, existence, and demise of the nation of Israel; it covers the timeframe prior to the life of Jesus.  The Old Testament books can be categorized as follows:

• The books of Moses (the first five books of the Bible)

• Historical books (focusing on the nation of Israel)

• Wisdom literature (books of poetry, good advice, and wise sayings)

• The Prophets (the life and sermons of some of God's key messengers)

For a good summary of the Old Testament, see Acts 7:2-46; Acts 13:17-23 is even more concise.  Also, see the overview of books in the Old Testament.

* The Roman Catholic Church includes additional books in their Old Testament.  The Hebrew Bible includes the same writings of the 39 Old Testament books, but combines some books together, resulting in 24 books.  See Apocrypha for more information.

(See our Internet resources page for sites with more information on this topic.)

Home

Reading Plans

Bible FAQs

Books of the Bible

Bible Terms

Resources

Book and Movie Reviews

A-Bible-A-Day Blog