Expert: J.M.J. West - 8/12/2008

Question
What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament? Are they both bibles?

Answer
They are the two main divisions of the Bible (the word "bible" itself means "book", but because of it's importance, the full set of scriptures is often called "THE book" or "the bible".

The Old Testament consists of the entire body of texts written prior to the coming of the messiah, i.e. Jesus Christ.  There are 46 books (though Protestants have only 39) written over the course of 1500 - 2000 years, and spanning the whole range of styles from dry military statistics to epic poems and psalms to the history of God's people through covenants from Adam through King David and his line.

The New Testament concerns everything during and after the birth of Christ, including his life on the earth.  The 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) recount the events of the life of Jesus.  The rest are mostly letters by St. Paul, who converted to Christianity early on.  

If you would like any help understanding particular books or finding a way to dig into scripture, feel free to ask.  It's much more approachable than most people think.  I highly recommend starting with John's Gospel in the New Testament, or just beginning at Genesis in the Old Testament.

Does that help?

Pax Christi,

-J.M.J. West