Bible facts
How many books are in the Bible?
The Protestant Bible has 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New). The Catholic Bible has 73, because it includes seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament. Orthodox Bibles have even more.
Why does the number change?
The difference lies in the Old Testament. The New Testament has the same 27 books in almost every Christian church.
Protestant Bible: 66 books
39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. The Old Testament follows the books of the Hebrew Bible.
Catholic Bible: 73 books
46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. The seven extra books are the deuterocanonical books: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) and Baruch, plus additional passages in Esther and Daniel.
Orthodox Bibles: more books, with variations
The Orthodox churches include the deuterocanonical books and other texts, such as 3 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151. The exact list varies from church to church. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has the widest canon, with 81 books, including Enoch and Jubilees.
Hebrew Bible: 24 books
The Jewish Tanakh has the same content as the 39 books of the Protestant Old Testament, grouped differently: the twelve minor prophets form a single book, and Samuel, Kings, Chronicles and Ezra–Nehemiah are not divided.
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Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Catholic Bible?
73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
How many books are in the Protestant Bible?
66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
How many books are in the New Testament?
27 books, the same in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Bibles.
How many chapters are in the Bible?
The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New.