Aim: To know what the Bible is and be able to find a Bible reference.

The Bible The BIBLE is the holy book for Christians. The contents of the Bible are often referred to a SCRIPTURE which means sacred writings. The word Bible comes from the Greek word for book.

Contents The Bible is split into two sections. The OLD TESTAMENT which contains stories, laws, songs, prophecies and history. This part contains 45 books and it prepares the world for Jesus.

The New Testament The second part of the Bible is called the NEW TESTAMENT and this contains the stories about the life of Jesus and all teachings and letters from after Jesus was alive. The first four books of the New Testament are called the GOSPELS which means good news and these are about the life of Jesus.

It is a collection of books written over a 1000 year period. Did you know? The Bible is not one book! It is a collection of books written over a 1000 year period.

Reading the Bible A Bible reference is made up of three parts. Luke 6:11 Luke is the book. The 6 is the chapter and 11 is the verse.

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Finding a Bible reference: First look at the contents page at the front of the Bible. See if the book you are looking for is in the New Testament or the Old Testament. The Old Testament books are located at the front of the Bible. The New Testament books are located at the back of the Bible.

Finding a Bible reference: Sometimes the name of the book is shortened, for example, Mark is shortened to Mk, Genesis is shortened to Gen. Sometimes more than one verse has to be read, for example Mk 6:4-6. All the verses from 4 to 6 The book The chapter

Tasks Look up the following Bible references and write down what they say. John 3:5 Ecclesiastes 3:2 Revelations 7:11 Luke 2:5-7 Mk 2:1-2