Rather than being one book, the Bible is in fact a collection of sixty-six different books, written by many different authors over a period of approximately 3,000 years. It features many different styles of writing, including historical narrative, poetry, personal letters and "apocalyptic" writing, which includes many visions and symbols that can be very hard to understand. Whatever the style of writing, the basic theme is the same all the way through - that is God's relationship with mankind, and the way that He has revealed His nature and character to people over the course of history. The Christian Bible is divided up into the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the same as the Jewish scriptures, the Hebrew Bible. The books of the Bible are showed divided up into sections here.

The Old Testament can be divided into four distinct sections. The first five books; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; are known collectively as the Pentateuch and are the books of the law, traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. The books cover the period from the creation of the world, through to the Israelites' entry into the promised land of Canaan. They include many of the most familiar stories in the Bible; Adam and Eve's fall into sin, Noah and the Ark, God's first covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the escape from slavery in Egypt at the Passover and Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai.

The books of the law are followed by a series of books which outline the history of Israel and its relationship with God from the entry into the promised land, led by Moses' successor Joshua. The books begin with the conquest of the land of Canaan, and tell the story of the judges and the kings of Israel. They tell of the formation of the Kingdom of Israel, its division into Israel in the north and Judah in the south, and the eventual fall of both kingdoms. The historical books conclude with the Israelites' exile in Babylon, their eventual return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Next come the "Poetry" and "Wisdom" books, namely Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. These books are written in a more poetic style and do not cover any historical period but rather look at relationships between God and human beings as well as relationships between different people on Earth. The final section of the Old Testament is the books of the prophets. Some of the books of prophecy predict future events, many include visions and teaching intended to guide the Israelites in the correct way to live their lives. Common themes are the need to turn away from sin and back towards God, and the judgment that will fall upon people who do not do so, as well as the promise of the coming Messiah.

Far from being irrelevant to us today, the Old Testament provides crucial background to the Christian faith. The Hebrew scriptures were those which Jesus quoted during His teachings.

The New Testament is much shorter than the Old, taking up only about a quarter of the Bible. Much of the New Testament is taken up with the four books known as the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These books tell of the life, teaching and miracles of Jesus Christ as well as His death and resurrection. They are not just biographies but testimonies intended to spread the good news about Jesus and encourage others to believe and trust in Him. Usually included with the Gospels is the book of Acts, which is effectively the sequel to Luke's Gospel and tells of the major events of the early Christian Church, including the travelling and teaching of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

The rest of the New Testament is actually made up of letters rather than books, many of which were written by the Apostle Paul to churches in the eastern Mediterranean, in modern day Greece and Turkey, as well as to individuals. Letters were also written by other early church leaders including Peter and John. The letter were written to encourage early Christians through difficult times, and to guide them in living a Christian life. The final book of the New Testament is the apocalyptic book of Revelation, actually a circular letter to seven churches, which contains many visions looking ahead to the end of the world.