How many books are in the Bible?
The Protestant Bible contains 66 books — 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament — written by many authors over many centuries.
The Old Testament’s 39 books include the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), history, poetry and wisdom (such as Psalms and Proverbs), and the prophets. The New Testament’s 27 books include the four Gospels, Acts, the letters of Paul and others, and Revelation.
Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books known as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanon, so their totals are higher. BibleDawn follows the 66-book Protestant canon.
Together these books tell one connected story centered on Jesus Christ — from the first promise of a Savior in the Old Testament to his coming, death, and resurrection in the New.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.