Bible

The Bible, also known as the Holy Bible, is a group of religious texts of Judaism and Christianity, it contains both the Old Testament and The New Testament. The word Bible comes from the Greek word τὰ βιβλία (biblía) which means "books" in English, because it is many books in one book. It includes laws, stories, prayers, songs, and wise words. A number of texts are both in the Hebrew Bible, used by Jews, and this Christian one. The Bible is the best-selling book in the entire world.

In considering the source and inspiration for the Bible one must see what the Bible says of itself. Several verses of scripture define the source, intent, and Author. 2 Peter 1:21 says this - "No prophecy was ever made by the act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Isaiah 55:11 tells us that His is a word of power - "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Hebrews 4:12 says this - "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

When talking about the Bible, a book is used to speak about a number of texts. All the texts that make a book are believed to belong together. Most of the time, people believe they were written or collected by the same person. The Bible contains different kinds of such books. Some are history, telling the stories of the Jews, Jesus, or Jesus' followers. Some are collections of wise sayings. Some are God's commands to his people, which he expects them to obey. Some are songs of praise to God. Some are books of prophecy, messages from God that he gave through chosen people called prophets.

Different groups of Christians do not agree which texts should be included in the Bible. Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon^[1] to 81 books in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible.^[2] The oldest surviving Christian Bible is the Codex Sinaiticus, a Greek manuscript from the fourth century AD.^[3] The oldest complete Hebrew manuscripts date from the Middle Ages.^[4]

1. ↑ "Books of the Bible - Full List Order of New and Old Testament". biblestudytools.com. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
2. ↑ "The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church".
3. ↑ Codex Sinaiticus: http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/codex/
4. ↑ Davies, Philip R. (2008). Memories of Ancient Israel: An Introduction to Biblical History - Ancient and Modern. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-664-23288-7.