The Bible: a guide to Christian scripture

Religion

Christianity (the Old Testament overlaps with the Jewish Tanakh)

Languages

Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek

Structure

Old Testament and New Testament; 66 books in Protestant Bibles, more in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles

Period of writing

Roughly a thousand years, ending in the late first or early second century CE

New Testament

27 books, including four Gospels, Acts, letters and Revelation

Use

Read in worship, studied in groups and read privately

The word comes from the Greek ta biblia, “the books.” The Bible is better understood as a library than as a single book: it contains history, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, biographies of Jesus and letters.

The Old Testament contains the scriptures of ancient Israel, written mostly in Hebrew, with some passages in Aramaic. It includes the Torah or Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy), historical books, wisdom and poetry such as the Psalms and Proverbs, and the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Christian traditions differ on the Old Testament’s contents. Protestant Bibles contain 39 books, the same texts as the Jewish Tanakh arranged differently. Catholic Bibles include seven more books, such as Tobit and the books of Maccabees, called deuterocanonical. Orthodox Bibles include these and a few others.

The New Testament contains 27 books, written in Greek in the first century. It includes the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which tell the story of Jesus; the Acts of the Apostles, describing the early church; letters, or epistles, by Paul and other early leaders; and the book of Revelation.

Paul’s letters are among the earliest Christian writings, dating from around the 50s CE. The Gospels were written in the following decades. The New Testament canon was broadly agreed by the late fourth century.

Christians believe the Bible is inspired by God, a belief expressed in 2 Timothy, which calls scripture “God-breathed.” Traditions differ on what this means. Some evangelical Protestants hold that the Bible is inerrant in all it affirms; other Christians emphasize that inspiration works through human authors and historical contexts.

Protestants emphasize the Bible as the final authority for faith. Catholic and Orthodox Christians read scripture within the tradition and teaching of the Church.

The Bible tells a story that begins with creation and humanity’s turning away from God, continues with God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel, the Exodus, the law, the kingdom and the prophets, and in the New Testament centres on Jesus and the community formed around him. It ends with a vision of a renewed creation.

Recurring themes include God’s faithfulness, justice and mercy, the covenant, sin and redemption, love of God and neighbour, and hope.

The Bible has been translated more than any other book, in whole or in part into thousands of languages. Early translations include the Greek Septuagint of the Hebrew scriptures and Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. The King James Version of 1611 shaped the English language. Modern translations such as the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version use the oldest available manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Christians interpret the Bible in many ways: literally, historically, morally and spiritually. Early church writers spoke of several senses of scripture. Modern biblical scholarship studies the historical background, languages and composition of the texts. Different churches read particular passages differently, which contributes to differences in doctrine and practice.

The Bible is read aloud in worship, studied in small groups and read privately for devotion. Many churches follow a lectionary, a cycle of readings through the year. Its language and stories have deeply influenced Western literature, art, music, law and moral thought.

Because the Bible is a library, readers rarely begin at Genesis and read straight through. Many start with one of the Gospels, often Mark, the shortest, or Luke, which gives a full account of Jesus’ life. Genesis and Exodus introduce the foundational stories of creation, Abraham and the Exodus. The Psalms are the Bible’s prayer book and are used in Jewish and Christian worship alike. Paul’s letter to the Romans is often read for its account of Christian belief about sin, grace and faith.

Study Bibles with introductions, maps and notes help readers understand the historical setting of each book. Readers also notice that different translations make different choices: some keep close to the original wording, while others aim for natural modern language.

The Bible is Christianity’s scripture: the Old Testament, shared largely with Judaism, and the New Testament, centred on Jesus. Written by many authors in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, it is regarded by Christians as God’s inspired word, though churches differ on its exact contents and on how it should be interpreted.