A Little About the Bible

What Is It?

The Bible is a collection of "little books" of every sort and description written over a long period of time (1200 BC or earlier, and late as 150 AD). The Catholic Church recognizes 46 books written before Christ as the Old Testament and 27 books written about Christ as the New Testament. These books are bound together as one book and were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and some in Greek. The Bible contains all types of literature, some of which are ancient songs and poetry; (Psalms); love stories (David and Bathsheba); fiction (Jonah); biography (Jesus); great drama (Revelation); numerous proverbs; tragedies; short stories; and the most extraordinary letters ever written (St. Paul).

Many Books, Many Parts

The Bible is not meant to be read from cover-to-cover. The books are not necessarily in chronological order, nor are they necessarily grouped by subject matter. There are, however, several recognized "parts" of the Old Testament, and they are as follows:

The Pentateuch is comprised of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), and answers the basic questions of life and lays out the origins of the Jewish people.

The Historical Books cover the period of time from when the Israelites entered the Promised Land until the end of the Maccabean Wars (approximately 1210 BC until around 142 BC).

The Wisdom Books are an inspired look into the very fabric of human nature and a search for the meaning of life. These books utilize poetry, proverbs, sayings and songs. The Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs are included in the Wisdom Books.

The Prophets include the likes of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, David and many more. Most people, when they hear the word "prophet", think of someone who foretells the future. However, the word "prophet" actually means one who "speaks for God".

The Bible contains religious truth -- God's truth -- but it is important to understand what the Bible does not necessarily contain. The Bible does not necessarily contain scientific truth, nor does it necessarily contain historical truth. The Bible was not written to be a science textbook or a historical account. Instead, it teaches truths of religion and faith. It gives example after example of right and wrong choices and helps us to choose the correct path when new problems confront us. There are stories about the wise and the foolish; faithful and treacherous; greedy and generous; pitiful and prosperous; innocent and guilty; spendthrift and miser; the elderly and the young; bad mannered children and those who were brought up well. All are here.

Divine Inspiration

God has played a part in the composition of the Bible. These "books" contain God's truths in human words. The Bible is much different then a regular book. It requires guidance and interpretation. It should be read prayerfully. Reading, meditating and studying the Bible expands the mind. We change and the world changes. The Bible is a World Classic.

The Bible is the inspired word of God but we must not think of God as the "author" in the sense that he dictated it word for word. God chose human writers and made use of their powers and abilities. The Bible writers played a very important role in how religious truths were conveyed, and they told their stories to make certain important points that historians would not have mentioned. The Bible is not just history as it happened; it is the story of God in action.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is without error but with this difference: Inerrancy extends only to the religious truths of the Bible which are necessary or important for the spiritual journey. The Bible expresses ideas rather than clear-cut history. It may not be factual in every detail. The religious truths lay in the meaning and intent behind the words, rather than in the words themselves.

The Bible contains two main divisions for many years called the Old Testament and the New Testament. These designations are now often changed to Hebrew Scripture and Christian Scripture. These designations are much more descriptive of this deeply spiritual book.

"Scripture" is a faith document of a believing community, first Hebrews (Jews) and later, Christians. The word "Scripture" means the Sacred Writings of a People. Thus it is fitting that we consider the Bible and ourselves as Judeo-Christians.

Copyright 2001-2008 by Berniece Shuster