"The Bible is a collection of religious texts or scriptures, some, all of which, or a variant of which, are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, Islam, Baha'i'ism and many other religions."
A collection of sacred texts central to Christian and Jewish belief, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Bible: This topic includes an overview of the structure and contents of the Bible, including the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Apocrypha.
History of Western Religions: This topic provides a historical context for the development of Christianity and Judaism, including the role of the Roman Empire and the influence of Greek philosophy.
The Life of Jesus Christ: This topic covers the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus Christ, as documented in the New Testament.
The Trinity: This topic explores the concept of the Trinity, which is central to Christian theology and refers to the belief in one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Salvation: This topic focuses on the Christian belief that salvation is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins.
The Church: This topic covers the history and organization of the Christian church, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Ten Commandments: This topic examines the role of the Ten Commandments in Jewish and Christian ethics and morality.
The Prophets: This topic delves into the role of prophets in the Old Testament and their teachings on morality, justice, and social responsibility.
The Book of Genesis: This topic provides an in-depth analysis of the first book of the Bible, including the creation story, the fall of man, and the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah's Ark.
The Pauline Epistles: This topic covers the letters of the Apostle Paul, which provide theological insights into the Christian faith and guidance for Christian living.
The Gospels: This topic explores the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and their unique perspectives on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Book of Revelation: This topic examines the final book of the Bible and its apocalyptic vision of the end of the world.
Biblical Archaeology: This topic covers the field of biblical archaeology, which uses archaeological evidence to shed light on the historical context of the Bible.
Biblical Interpretation: This topic focuses on the principles and methods used to interpret the Bible, including historical, literary, and theological approaches.
Comparative Religions: This topic compares and contrasts Christianity with other major world religions, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
King James Version (KJV): This is a popular English translation of the Bible that was commissioned by King James I in 1604, and was completed in 1611.
English Standard Version (ESV): This is a popular modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 2001.
New International Version (NIV): This is a modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1978. It is a popular translation among evangelical Christians.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): This is a modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1989. It is widely used among mainline Protestant Churches.
Revised Standard Version (RSV): This is a modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1952. It is widely used among mainline Protestant Churches.
The Living Bible (TLB): This is a paraphrased version of the Bible that was first published in 1971. It is written in a modern, easy-to-read style.
The Message (MSG): This is a paraphrased version of the Bible that was first published in 2002. It is written in a contemporary, easy-to-understand style.
Amplified Bible (AMP): This is a version of the Bible that uses amplification to expand the meaning of words and phrases. It was first published in 1965.
New American Standard Bible (NASB): This is a modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1971. It is widely used among conservative Protestants.
Douay-Rheims Version (DRV): This is a Bible translation in English that was first published in 1609. It is widely used among Catholics.
New American Bible (NAB): This is a modern English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1970. It is widely used among Catholics.
Jerusalem Bible (JB): This is a version of the Bible that was first published in French in 1956. It was later translated into English and published in 1966. It is widely used among Catholics.
New Jerusalem Bible (NJB): This is a version of the Bible that was published in 1985. It is an updated version of the Jerusalem Bible and is widely used among Catholics.
Orthodox Study Bible: This is a version of the Bible that is published by the Orthodox Church in America. It includes the Old and New Testaments, along with commentary from Orthodox Christian theologians.
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE): This is a version of the NRSV that includes additional books that are considered canonical by the Catholic Church.
Septuagint (LXX): This is a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek that was completed by Jewish scholars in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. It is important in Christian and Jewish history.
Latin Vulgate (LV): This is a translation of the Bible into Latin that was completed by St. Jerome in the 4th century CE. It was the official Bible of the Catholic Church for many centuries.
"The texts of the Bible were originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek."
"These texts include instructions, stories, poetry, and prophecies, and other genres."
"The collection of materials that are accepted as part of the Bible by a particular religious tradition or community is called a biblical canon."
""Tanakh" is an alternate term for the Hebrew Bible composed of the first letters of those three parts of the Hebrew scriptures: the Torah ("Teaching"), the Nevi'im ("Prophets"), and the Ketuvim ("Writings")."
"The Masoretic Text is the medieval version of the Tanakh, in Hebrew and Aramaic, that is considered the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible by modern Rabbinic Judaism."
"The Septuagint is a Koine Greek translation of the Tanakh from the third and second centuries BC; it largely overlaps with the Hebrew Bible. Christianity began as an outgrowth of Second Temple Judaism, using the Septuagint as the basis of the Old Testament."
"The early Church continued the Jewish tradition of writing and incorporating what it saw as inspired, authoritative religious books."
"The gospels, Pauline epistles, and other texts quickly coalesced into the New Testament."
"The Bible is the best-selling publication of all time. It has had a profound influence both on Western culture and history and on cultures around the globe."
"The study of it through biblical criticism has indirectly impacted culture and history as well."
"With estimated total sales of over five billion copies..."
"Believers in the Bible generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration."
"But the way they understand what that means and interpret the text varies."
"The religious texts were compiled by different religious communities into various official collections."
"The earliest contained the first five books of the Bible. It is called the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch (meaning five books) in Greek."
"The second oldest part was a collection of narrative histories and prophecies (the Nevi'im)."
"The third collection (the Ketuvim) contains psalms, proverbs, and narrative histories."
"Believers in the Bible generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration."
"The Bible is currently translated or is being translated into about half of the world's languages."