Thank you for visiting. This article is an index page that gathers together the eight articles dealing with the Christian original text — “the Bible” — within a series that explains the “original texts” of the world’s myths and religions.
Because the Bible is a vast original text made up of no fewer than 66 books, this series divides it by content into groupings and explains, book by book, what each one contains.
This page introduces “which books each article explains, and how,” and gathers the links to each article. Use it as a gateway whenever you’re unsure where to begin reading the Bible as a whole.
Besides Christianity (the Bible), I also explain the original texts of Greek, Japanese, Norse, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and other mythologies. You can see the full list from the complete index of the world’s myths and religions.
The Overall Structure of the Bible’s 66 Books
First, let’s confirm the big picture of the Bible’s 66 books that this series explains.
The Bible divides broadly into the “Old Testament (39 books)” and the “New Testament (27 books),” and each is divided further into several sections.
This series explains these eight sections one article per section, eight articles in all.
| Article | Section explained | Books |
|---|---|---|
| Article 1 | Law (Pentateuch) | 5 books |
| Article 2 | History | 12 books |
| Article 3 | Poetry & Wisdom | 5 books |
| Article 4 | Prophets | 17 books |
| Article 5 | Gospels (the life of Jesus) | 4 books |
| Article 6 | Acts of the Apostles | 1 book |
| Article 7 | Epistles (letters) | 21 books |
| Article 8 | The Book of Revelation | 1 book |
Now, let me introduce in order what each article explains in detail.
The World of the Bible Through 50 Masterpiece PaintingsView on Amazon →
What Exactly Is Christianity? (a beginner’s primer)View on Amazon →
Article 1: The Old Testament’s “Law (Pentateuch)” (5 books)
The first part of the series explains the Old Testament’s first section, the “Law (Pentateuch),” 5 books.
This is the foundation of the whole Bible: from the creation of the world, through the Israelites making a covenant with God, to standing on the threshold of the Promised Land.
Here is some of what you can read in this article:
- Genesis: the Creation, the loss of Eden by Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the stories of the patriarchs from Abraham to Joseph
- Exodus: Moses leading the escape from Egypt, the Ten Plagues, the miracle at the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai
- Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: the laws of worship and sacrifice, the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses’s final sermon and the renewal of the Law
The flow of the Genesis narrative and lists of the Ten Plagues and Ten Commandments are summarized in tables and diagrams.
Article 2: The Old Testament’s “History” (12 books)
The second part of the series explains the “History,” 12 books, that follow the Law.
This part depicts roughly 700 years of Israel’s journey: from the conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan, through the kingdom’s flourishing and fall, the Babylonian exile, and the return.
Here is some of what you can read in this article:
- Joshua, Judges: the conquest of Canaan and the walls of Jericho, the age of the judges such as Samson
- Samuel, Kings: Saul, David (David and Goliath), Solomon (the Judgment of Solomon, building the Temple), and the kingdom’s division
- Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther: the fall and Babylonian exile, the return and rebuilding of the Temple and walls, and the rescue of the Jews in Persia
The broad sweep of Israel’s history is summarized in a timeline diagram.
Article 3: The Old Testament’s “Poetry & Wisdom Literature” (5 books)
The third part of the series explains the “Poetry & Wisdom Literature,” 5 books.
Whereas the History was a record of events, this is a literary section that treats inner questions — how to live, suffering, love, and happiness — through song and proverb.
- Job: a story that wrestles with why the righteous suffer
- Psalms: a collection of 150 songs of praise and prayer, known for “The Lord is my shepherd”
- Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs: everyday wisdom, the search for life’s meaning (“vanity of vanities”), and a song of love
Article 4: The Old Testament’s “Prophets” (17 books)
The fourth part of the series explains the “Prophets,” 17 books, that close out the Old Testament.
This is the section that bridges the Old Testament to the New — warnings to a people who turned from God, and the promise of a coming savior (Messiah).
- Major Prophets (5 books): Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant,” Jeremiah’s “new covenant,” Ezekiel’s “valley of dry bones,” Daniel’s visions of the end
- Minor Prophets (12 books): Jonah swallowed by a great fish, Habakkuk’s “the righteous shall live by faith,” and more
- Messianic prophecy: the many prophecies held to point to Jesus Christ
The article organizes when each prophet was active — “before the fall, during the exile, after the return” — in a diagram, and explains each of the 12 Minor Prophets book by book.
Article 5: The New Testament’s “Gospels” — the Life of Jesus Christ (4 books)
From the fifth part of the series, we reach the New Testament at last. First, it explains the heart of it — the “Gospels,” 4 books = the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.
- The four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each with its own character and viewpoint
- The life of Jesus: the Annunciation and Nativity, the baptism and temptation in the wilderness, the Sermon on the Mount, the many miracles and parables
- Passion and Resurrection: the Last Supper, death on the cross, and the resurrection on the third day
Article 6: The New Testament’s “Acts of the Apostles” — the Birth of the Church (1 book)
The sixth part of the series explains the New Testament’s only history book, the Acts of the Apostles.
- Pentecost: the day the Holy Spirit descends and the Church is born
- The conversion of Paul: the dramatic turn of the greatest persecutor into the greatest evangelist
- Three missionary journeys: the road by which the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Rome
Article 7: The New Testament’s “Epistles” (21 books)
The seventh part of the series explains the “Epistles (letters),” 21 books, which make up most of the New Testament.
- Pauline Epistles (13 books): Romans on “justification by faith,” Corinthians’ “hymn to love,” Philippians, the “letter of joy” from prison, and more
- General Epistles, etc. (8 books): James on “faith accompanied by works,” John’s “God is love,” and more
Article 8: The New Testament’s “Book of Revelation” — the Completion of the World (1 book)
The eighth and final part of the series explains the Book of Revelation, which brings the whole Bible to a close.
- The seven seals and four horsemen, the seven trumpets: the judgments of the end times poured out one after another
- The beast 666 and Armageddon: the many end-times motifs famous in later ages
- A new heaven and a new earth: the hope of a perfected world with no more tears or death
At the end of the article, I also add notes on the history of the “canonization” by which the 27 books were settled, and on the Catholic and Orthodox “Deuterocanon.”
To Learn More
Here are some related books. Reading them alongside this series lets you savor this world even more deeply.
Learn with Character Art! An Illustrated Guide to ChristianityView on Amazon →
Christianity from Age 14, Explained with DiagramsView on Amazon →
Conclusion
In this article, I gathered into one index the eight articles that explain the Christian original text — “the Bible, 66 books” — section by section, and introduced what each article covers. How was it?
Reading the eight articles in order should let you grasp the grand sweep of the Bible’s whole story — beginning with the “Creation” of Genesis and completed in the “new heaven and new earth” of Revelation.
If you’d like an overview of the whole Bible, start with Article 1; if there’s a section that interests you, start there.
I also explain the original texts of other myths and religions. For the full list, see the complete index of the world’s myths and religions.
I hope you’ll read the next article too.
📚 Series: Christianity: The Bible (66 Books) Explained (1/9)
