The Bible God’s Holy Word

Both Christians and Jews look to the Bible as their sacred scripture.

In the Catholic version of the bible there are 73 books In the Catholic version of the bible there are 73 books. It has been likened to a “library” of books. The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblios meaning book. Plural – biblia.

Protestant and Jewish bibles (the Hebrew Scriptures) have 39 books in their Old Testament. Catholic bibles have 46 books.

The Old Testament is the part of the bible that contains the sacred writings of the Jewish people. It contains history, poetry, advice wisdom, prophecy and laws.

It is called the Old Testament because it describes an early promise (agreement) between God and God’s people the Jews. Another name for such an agreement is a Covenant.

Covenants made by God and the people of Israel Covenants made by God and the people of Israel. God made a covenant (a two sided agreement) with the people of Israel on Mt. Sinai, see Exodus 20.1:17. When God delivered Israel from slavery, the people Israel pledged to do God’s will. This Covenant is known as the Ten Commandments.

God also made Covenants with Noah after the flood (Genesis 9:1-19)

God made a Covenant with Abraham, who left his family and the land to follow God’s will. (Genesis 12) Abraham was a man of great faith in God. His faith was tested many times as we read in the Book of Genesis.

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew , Aramaic and Greek The Bible was originally written in Hebrew , Aramaic and Greek. Most of the Hebrew Scriptures were written in Hebrew or Aramaic and the Christian Testament was written in Greek.

The Catholic Church asserts that the bible is without error in teaching the truth necessary for our salvation because the authors of the bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and all the books faithfully teach what God has revealed.

The bible was written over a period of 1000 years. It took 900 years to write the Old Testament and 100 years to write the New Testament. The bible was written by many different people in many different places, using many different literary forms, e.g. real history, poetry, laws, advice, letters and legend.

The canon of the bible is the official, authoritative lists of sacred Scriptures contained within the Bible.

The Four Major sections of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) The Pentateuch includes the accounts of the origins of the Jewish people, the story of Exodus, and the giving of the Law. The Pentateuch ends with the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

The historical books tell of the Israelites in Canaan and of Israel’s kings. These books also cover Israel’s break up, the kings of Judah and Israel and Judaism’s development after the exile.

The Wisdom Books contain the Psalms and other literature focusing on themes such as the meaning of life and suffering, how to lead a good life, and the joys of married love.

The prophetic books confront the wealthy and the proud The prophetic books confront the wealthy and the proud. These books also console people undergoing great trials, recalling God’s promise never to abandon them.

The New Testament The Four Major Sections The Gospels are the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each of which presents a distinctive portrait of Jesus and a different emphasis on his message. They are not biographies of Jesus, however. The Acts of the Apostles, sometimes called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, describes the activities and faith of the early Church.

The Epistles are the twenty-one letters that encourage, teach, and respond to the needs of the early believers. The Book of Revelation, full of strange and powerful symbols of the end of time, calls Christians to be faithful in the face of persecution, and to trust that God will finally be victorious.