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What Is the Shortest Book of the Bible?
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Gutenberg Bible
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Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible Two-page spread of the Book of Ecclesiastes from Johannes Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, c. 1450–55.

What Is the Shortest Book of the Bible?

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Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
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The Second Letter of John in the New Testament is arguably the shortest book in the Christian Bible, with just 13 verses in a single chapter. However, the Third Letter of John, with 15 verses, sometimes has fewer words, depending on the source and translation. Both are shorter than the shortest book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament): the Book of Obadiah, which has 21 verses. Other short New Testament books include the Letter of Jude and the Letter of Paul to Philemon, both of which have 25 verses. If you’re looking to say you’ve read an entire book in a few minutes, any of these would make a good option.

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Melissa Petruzzello