Memorizing the Bible Books

So you’re studying for Jeopardy! And you’re hoping that they don’t ask you anything about Bible books because you don’t know them all. Probably the best overview is when you break them down like they do in this Sunday school song (which only covers the Old Testament).

Old Testament:
The Books of Moses (Pentateuch)
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

The Books of History
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel 
First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles 
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
*Also in Roman Catholic Bible:
Tobit, Judith, First Maccabees and Second Maccabees
**Also in Eastern Orthodox Bible:
Tobit, Judith, 1, 2, 3 and 4 Maccabees

The Books of Poetry (Wisdom Books)
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
*Also in Roman Catholic Bible: Sirach, Wisdom
*Also in Eastern Orthodox Bible: Prayer of Manesseh, Sirach, Wisdom
* and **(Song of Solomon is called Song of Songs)

The Major Prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
*Also in Roman Catholic Bible: Baruch
**Also in Eastern Orthodox Bible: Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah

The Twelve Minor Prophets
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

New Testament:

The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Acts
(Pauline Epistles) Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and
Second Thessalonians, Philemon
(Pastoral Epistles) First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus
Hebrews
(General Epistles) James, First and Second Peter,
First, Second and Third John, Jude
Revelation

There! Now you’ll be in good shape if they ask a question, like this:

(What’s Next on the List) Books of the Bible: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers… (3/3/10)

But it’s not going to help much if the clue wants you to name somebody’s father or brother:


or asks you to identify a story IN a Bible book:

(Bible Books by Story) 3 friends are thrown into a fiery furnace (12/7/12)
show

And there are clues about many other faiths as well, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, the Bahá’í Faith, not to mention the different denominations of Christianity!

Happy studying!

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3 Responses

  1. william k says:

    Per my recent reading of Reza Aslan’s absorbing, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”, I recommend a look at some of Paul’s statements in the opening page(s) of Galatians, or say, in 2 Corinthians 11, and compare with the far more fiery and blunt message of the (short) Book of James.

    I went to parochial schools and I’m amazed how the very caustic differences between Paul’s (now broadly accepted) version of Christianity, and the core group, Jerusalem version of James, Peter, and John was so deftly ignored and paved over –in my experience, anyway. [The Jerusalem version of Christianity was extraordinarily critical of great wealth and those who hoarded it.]

    Particularly in a world today that increasingly mirrors the revolutionary conditions of greater Jerusalem circa 1st century B.C.E, I think a look back in time is eye opening.

    Thanks for the list, vj. I’ve been brushing up on my Bible lately so this is right on target for me!

    • william k says:

      One more thing…

      I should mention that there was a very public war being fought between the Jerusalem church, and Paul’s preachings which were distorting Jesus’ actual life and teachings quite radically. Not to say that Paul’s ideas on Christianity are without merit, but he was creating a new faith out of whole cloth.

  2. eric steele says:

    I was afraid this clip was going to go to where Manuel has only one chance to, to guess on the final question, and just stood there. Truly, he had a very slight chance of guessing the correct response, but he had no chance by not hitting the buzzer. It was just one more time that I yelled at my screen.