Though the whole composition is called "The Book" the Bible is made up of 66 individual books which are divided into two major sections.

The Old Testament contains 39 books originally written in Hebrew by about 32 men over a period dating from about 1500 B.C. to 400 B.C. This part of the Bible tells of man's earliest existence and of God's first covenants with man.

The New Testament contains 27 books originally written in Greek by 8 men over a period dating from about 52 A.D. to 97 A.D. This is the record of God's covenant for man today. It is called "new" for the first covenant was set aside when this was given (Heb. 7:18; Heb. 8:13).

The unity of the Bible is one proof of its inspiration. These forty men lived over a span of 1600 years and had no possible way to confer with one another. They came from various backgrounds and social levels; they even wrote in different languages. Yet the Bible is without contradiction! Had the Bible been the work of 40 minds it would surely be filled with conflicting human opinions. Its unity proves that the Bible is from one mind-the mind of God!

Some Bible students believe the patriarchal form of God's revelation continued among the Gentile nations until the cross of Christ. They reason that the Israelite nation was called aside by God for a special purpose (the coming of Christ) and that the law of Moses was a special law given only to them. This view certainly does not conflict with the Bible statement of how God spoke in "times past" and "in these last days" (Heb. 1:1-2).

However, for the sake of clarity and because the Bible really does not give us a detailed picture of the Gentile nations after the development of Israel, we shall follow the basic chronological development of three distinct periods of Bible history.

The Patriarchal (Father-rule) began at Creation and lasted until the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Its history is recorded in Gen. 1 to Exo. 20.

The Mosaic or Jewish (National) began at Mt. Sinai and lasted until the crucifixion of Christ. Its history is found from Exodus 20 to Acts 2. This law was to last for a definite time (Gal. 3:19-29). It was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14-18). It was done away (2 Cor. 3). We no longer are bound by it.

The Christian (International) began at Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ and will last until the end of time. Its record is found from Acts 2 through Revelation. We live under this. Heb. 1:1-2; 10:8-10.

The word "patriarch" means "father, leader, chief, ruler"; therefore this period is literally called the age of "Father-Rule."

God revealed His will directly to the heads of the families who in turn taught their children (Heb. 1:1-2). There is no evidence of any written law during this age.

As God spoke to the fathers by dreams, angels, or visions, they would instruct their children, thus this is sometimes called an age of family religion (Gen. 18:19).

We will relieve the Bible of many pressures if we will keep in mind that it was written for religious ends rather than scientific or chronological purposes. We are not given an exact date for creation nor can we be certain that every generation from Adam is specifically mentioned. On the basis of what is revealed this period lasted at least 2500 years, perhaps longer.

This period begins with Creation, recorded in Gen. 1, and continues until the giving of the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20.