GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

The sacred letters are referred to by the Church Fathers with the following common terms: ἱερὰ γραφή, ἱερὰ γράμματα, θεία γραφή, sacra scriptura, sanctæ litteræ, libri divini. They are called sacred not only because they deal with divine matters and contain heavenly doctrine, but,  most importantly, because God is their author. The knowledge contained in the Bible is not brought forth by human will but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

 For the Jews, who accept only the Old Testament, inspiration is called "the Letters" (Dan. IX, 2) or "the Law", a name also used by Christ (John X, 34; XV, 25).  Additionally, it is known as the codex of the twenty-four books.

 The Greek and Latin Fathers use the terms to define the sacred volumes: γραφή, γραφῶν, scriptura, scripturarum. These names are already used by Christ and the apostles to denote the writings of the Old Testament.

Since the time of Chrysostom, the Holy Writ is known as the Holy Bible, the book par excellence. 

By the time of Tertullian, the division into the Old and New Testament is already established among the Latins. 

DEFINITION:

The books(1) written by sacred authors(2), inspired by God(3), and received as such by the Church(4).

 1. Books: These consist of letters, words, phrases, and a language that may be more or less elegant. They are subject to the same conditions of interpretation, and preservation as other writings.  

 2. By sacred authors: This refers to the secondary authors(instrumental cause). They are called holy because they write about God's revelation to humanity. 

3. Inspired by God: This indicates the principal author, God Himself. The books contain the main chapters of divine revelation, and all the actions and words recounted in them are written through divine inspiration. As a result, the essence of the Holy Scriptures does not require that all their content be divine in itself. There are many things in Scripture that are said or done by men that are less certain; indeed, some are vile, some shameful, and some impious, which cannot be considered divine at all but belong to Scripture because God inspired the writers to record them.

Scripture differs from:

•  Secular books, not only in terms of the subject matter (Revelation) but especially in terms of the inspiration by which God becomes the author. 

• Tradition, as Tradition may contain the unwritten word of God. 

•  Private revelations: These revelations, although they may contain the word of God, refer to the Scriptures but do not belong to them, as the authors were not divinely inspired. 

4. Received by the Church: It is possible that one or another book, such as the Third or Fourth Book of Esdras, was written by a divinely inspired author and yet does not belong to Scripture, because there is uncertainty regarding its divine origin. Moreover, it is the Church’s role to determine which books are divinely inspired and which are not.

DIVISION 

The sacred books are divided in various ways:

a) the Old and New Testaments:

A Testament is a covenant or agreement, and includes the promises that God made out of sheer generosity: He bound Himself to mankind, bestowed upon them the highest blessings, and promised them the kingdom of heaven as an inheritance. 

The Old Testament contains God's revelation to the ancient Hebrew people through Moses, the Prophets, and the Hagiographers.

The New Testament includes what, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostles and evangelists transmitted to the Church of Christ.

b) Protocanonical and deuterocanonical books:

The Protocanonical Books were the first to be included in the canon. These are the books whose divine authority has always been universally admitted in the Church.

 The Deuterocanonical Books, whose authority was not equally certain and recognized at the beginning of the Church.

c) Both Testaments are also divided into Legal, Historical, Wisdom, and Prophetic books.

THE 46 BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament consists of 46 books divided into 4 sections:

Pentateuch (Book of the law or  Five books of Moses):

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

Historical (16 books)

• Josue(Joshua)
•  Judges
• Ruth
• 1 Kings
• 2 Kings
• 3 Kings
• 4 Kings
• 1 Paralipomenon
• 2 Paralipomenon
• 1 Esdras
• Nehemias(2 Esdras )
•  Tobias(Tobit)
•  Judith
• Esther
• 1 Machabees
• 2 Machabees

Wisdom (7 books)

• Job
•  Psalms
•  Proverbs
•  Ecclesiastes
• The Canticle of Canticles
• Wisdom
• Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

Prophetic (18 books)

Major Prophets

• Isaias(Isaiah)
• Jeremias
• Lamentations
•  Baruch
• Ezechiel
• Daniel

Minor Prophets

• Osee
• Joel
•  Amos
• Abdias
• Jonas
• Michaeas
•  Nahum
• Habacuc
• Sophonias
•  Aggaeus
• Zacharias
•  Malachias

THE  27 BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

Historical (5 books)

• The four Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John;
•  The Acts of the Apostles

Wisdom (19 books)

Pauline epistles:

• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews

General epistles:

• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude

Prophetic (1 book)

• Apocalypse (Revelation) 

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🔎SEE ALSO: NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN 2025

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REFERENCES

Lamy, T. J. Introductio in Sacram Scripturam. Pars Prima: Introductionem Generalem Complectens. Mechliniae: H. Dessain, 1866.

Enchiridion Biblicum: Documenta Ecclesiastica Sacram Scripturam Spectantia. Romae: Apud Librariam Vaticanam, 1927.

 Credo Bible Study.https://www.credobiblestudy.com/(accessed 5 October 2024).

Douay-Rheims Bible Online. https://drbo.org/(accessed 5 October 2024).