Finding your way around Scripture
Although the word "Bible" means "Book" Scripture is in fact a collection of books, writings of different styles, which were written over many centuries.
The first part, the "Old Testament", is made of scriptures from before the time of Christ. These are the scriptures of the Jewish people, mostly written in Hebrew. In Jewish tradition there are three main types of writing here: The Law (the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch), the Prophets (including books of History) and Wisdom (books of poetry and philosophy). They were written and compiled over about 1,000 years.
The Jews call these the The Torah ("Teaching"), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings") - giving the name TaNaKh
There are some Old Testamant books which were written in Greek, and were used by the first Christians, but came to be rejected by the Jews, and much later by Protestants. Protestants call these books "apocrypha" or "hidden" books.
The second part is the "New Testament", which covers the life, death and resurrection of Christ and the years which followed. There are four Gospels, which tell the story of Christ, and 23 other writings which are mainly letters from the apostles to the Churches. These books have all come down to us in Greek. So far as we know all of these books were written between 40 and 80 AD.
The collection of books which make up the Bible (the "Canon") was not finally defined until the third century.
When the books were put together into the Scriptures, books were given titles, and divided into chapters and verses. These make it possible to give a reference to any passage in the Bible.
How to read Scripture
One
The Bible must be read as a unified work in which God has chosen to reveal himself. Although the Bible is made up of many diverse texts from different times and cultures, it reveals a single story of God’s providence and salvation.
The Old Testament points towards its own fulfilment in the New; the meaning of the New Testament is manifested by the Old.
Tradition
God has entrusted the whole of Scripture to the Church. It is only by the Church’s authority that the Bible’s 73 books are recognised as the unified word of God. Only the Church has the right and capability of authoritatively expounding Scripture.
Profound insight into Scripture is found in the writings of the saints, fathers and doctors of the Church.
Literal
The literal sense is the primary and direct sense of Scripture which God intends to convey through human agency. It is the meaning the writer intends, the interpretation of which is aided by the study of history and context.
A literal reading does not mean a
literalistic reading of texts intended as metaphors or parables.
The literal sense also includes the making of cross-references among Biblical books.
Spiritual
In the spiritual sense of Scripture, God has ensured that the realities mentioned in the text can also point to other realities. Analogy (or allegory) often links something mentioned in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, to Christ or to the Church. Tropology (the moral sense) links something described in Scripture to the living of the Christian life of grace. Anagogy links the realities mentioned in Scripture to those of heaven.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church