
The Bible isn’t one book. It’s a collection of 66 books by different authors, in different genres… that is, different categories or kinds of writings. Some are history. Some are biography. Here’s a list.
This list is not in any sense authoritative. The Bible does not describe most of its books in these terms, so there are sometimes different lists with different categories and sub-categories, depending on the person making the list. Each genre may also be called by different names, which I’ve noted and defined in the last list. Below are three lists:
- Books of the Old Testament and their genres
- Books of the New Testament and their genres
- A list of all 66 books, ordered by genre
Some books fall into a primary and secondary genre, which I’ve noted. If you have any corrections or additions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Old Testament Book | Genre |
---|---|
Genesis | History |
Exodus | History, Law |
Leviticus | Law |
Numbers | History, Law |
Deuteronomy | History, Law |
Joshua | History |
Judges | History |
Ruth | History |
1st Samuel | History |
2nd Samuel | History |
1st Kings | History |
2nd Kings | History |
1st Chronicles | History |
2nd Chronicles | History |
Ezra | History |
Nehemiah | History |
Esther | History |
Job | Wisdom |
Psalms | Poetry |
Proverbs | Wisdom |
Ecclesiastes | Wisdom |
Song of Solomon | Poetry |
Isaiah | Prophecy, Apocalyptic |
Jeremiah | Prophecy |
Lamentations | Wisdom, Poetry |
Ezekiel | Prophecy |
Daniel | Prophecy, Apocalyptic |
Hosea | Prophecy |
Joel | Prophecy, Apocalyptic |
Amos | Prophecy |
Obadiah | Prophecy |
Jonah | History, Prophecy |
Micah | Prophecy |
Nahum | Prophecy |
Habakkuk | Prophecy |
Zephaniah | Prophecy |
Haggai | Prophecy |
Zechariah | Prophecy, Apocalyptic |
Malachi | Prophecy |
New Testament Book | Genre |
---|---|
Matthew | Gospel |
Mark | Gospel |
Luke | Gospel |
John | Gospel |
Acts | History |
Romans | Epistle |
1 Corinthians | Epistle |
2 Corinthians | Epistle |
Galatians | Epistle |
Ephesian | Epistle |
Philippians | Epistle |
Colossians | Epistle |
1st Thessalonians | Epistle |
2nd Thessalonians | Epistle |
1st Timothy | Epistle |
2nd Timothy | Epistle |
Titus | Epistle |
Philemon | Epistle |
Hebrews | Epistle |
James | Epistle |
1st Peter | Epistle |
2nd Peter | Epistle |
1st John | Epistle |
2nd John | Epistle |
3rd John | Epistle |
Jude | Epistle |
Revelation | Apocalyptic |
Books by Genre
Each book of the Bible may fall into more than one genre, so they may be listed more than once.
History
The genre of history may also be known as narrative.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Numbers
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 & 2 Samuel
- 1 & 2 Kings
- 1 & 2 Chronicles
- Exra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Jonah
- Acts
Law
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Deuteronomy
Wisdom
- Job
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
Poetry
The genre of poetry often contains elements of wisdom literature.
- Psalms
- Song of Solomon
- Lamentations
Prophecy
Prophetic books also generally fall into the category of history, but are distinct from historical literature that has no direct prophecy.
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic literature is a type of prophetic literature, but tells the future using literary devices such as symbols, metaphors, allegory, and more. The word means “revelation,” suggesting an unveiling of information rather than a straight-forward prophecy.
- Isaiah
- Daniel
- Joel
- Zechariah
- Revelation
Gospel
The Bible contains four gospels. They are widely considered history, but are distinct in that each is a collection of historical narratives gathered for a specific audience or purpose. They may also, in a sense, be considered epistles because they were written to communicate with a particular, though broad, group of people.
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
Epistle
An epistle is a letter, written either to a single person or to a group of people. Ephesians, for example, was written to Christians in Ephesus. Philemon, on the other hand, was written only to Philemon.
- Romans
- 1 & 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- 1 & 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
- Hebrew
- James
- 1 & 2 Peter
- 1 & 2 & 3 John
- Jude
Comments