About the Bible

A: The Old Testament.

Our Old Testament is the Hebrew scriptures used by Jesus and still used by Jews today. The Old Testament has been translated from Hebrew into many languages. One of the early translations, before the time of Jesus, was into Greek and called the Septuagint (meaning 'the 70' because 70 scholars, or thereabouts, are said to have translated it. Writers use the shorthand LXX - Roman numeral 70) For various reasons the order of the books is different, some books are divided into two (or combined), and some of the books are given different titles.

The first followers of Jesus were Jews, but after his resurrection non-Jews soon became Christians. These non-Jews spoke Greek but not Hebrew so they often used the Septuagint. Therefore, from early times Christian Bibles often follow the order, division and titles of the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew.

The Hebrew Old Testament is divided into 3 sections:

-The Law (Torah) has 5 books:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

-The Prophets (Nebhim), 8 books:

Former Prophets - Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings

Latter Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah , Ezekiel, The Twelve (minor prophets)

-The Writings (Kethubim), 11 books of three types:

Poetical Books - Psalms, Proverbs and, Job.

Megilloth - Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Esther and Ecclesiastes.

Historical Books - Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.

B : The New Testament

The New Testament is made up of the following:

-Gospels (4 books): Matthew , Mark, Luke, John

-Acts of the Apostles (1 book)

-Epistles - letters (21 books): Romans - Jude

-The Revelation to John (the opening word in the Greek is Apocalypsis meaning “uncovering”, ie something revealed.)

C : The Old Testament Apocrypha

In Roman Catholic Bibles, and in some others you will find the Old Testament Apocrypha.

These books were never part of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament and therefore not part of the Bible as it was in the time of Jesus. The books were largely Greek and describe events that took place after about 300BC. Therefore, it describes things later than in the Old Testament, but before the coming of Christ.

Some Jews living away from Israel used the Greek translation of their Scripture and the Apocryphal books were included in this.

As the Christian faith spread to Greeks many people did not know Hebrew and so used the Septuagint. Some did not realise that the books were not Scripture though others, such as the scholar and translator Jerome, were well aware of the fact.

Some Protestants mostly ignored the Apocrypha medieval Roman Catholic church had often treated it as Scripture, and use it to bolster some of their teaching.

The position of the Church of England set out in its Articles or Religion, reflects the mainstream protestant view, that “these books are read by the church for examples of life and instruction in behaviour” but that they “should not be used to establish any doctrine”. They are not to be treated as “God-breathed” Scripture in the way that the Old Testament scriptures should.

What the Bible is:

The Bible is 'God-breathed', it is written by human authors but by the Holy Spirit.

Article 6 of the Church of England Articles of Religion reads:

Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. Consequently whatever is not read in Scripture nor can be proved from Scripture cannot be demanded from any person to believe it as an article of faith. Nor is any such thing to be thought necessary or required for salvation.

The bible has two parts, one part written

Before Christ - BC - which leads up to Christ and points to Christ, the Old Testament as we call it, and one part written

Anno Domini - AD - telling us about the first coming of Jesus and how we should respond and live now as we await his return.

What the Bible is not?

The Bible is not God. It is not an object of our worship, nor should reading the bible be an end in itself.

The Bible teaches us how to live:

All Scripture is God-breathed .....so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 & 17

But more than this it directs us to Christ:

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John chapter 5 verse 39

From beginning to end the Bible is about Jesus, here is its great purpose that through it we might come to Christ and in him have life.

David Phillips