What is the Bible?
The Bible is composed of dozens of individual literary compositions originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. It is divided into 66 books and two main parts – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church acknowledge additional books called the Apocrypha, but for the purposes of this explanation, I will not consider those books part of the Bible.
The Old Testament was written before Jesus Christ came to earth, and includes many different forms of literature, such as law, history, prophecies, and songs. It centers around the nation Israel's covenant with God (established in Genesis 15 and 17). The New Testament contains the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life on earth as well as letters written by early apostles, and centers around the new covenant established by Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 8).
What is the Gospel?
The word gospel merely means "good news". The Gospel books are four accounts of Jesus Christ's life and death written soon after his time on earth. They are all named after their authors:
Matthew – An eyewitness (a disciple of Jesus), he wrote down his account sometime between A.D. 50 and 70
Mark – Wrote down the teachings of his close associate Peter (an eyewitness and disciple) before A.D. 70
Luke – This doctor "carefully investigated everything" (Luke 1:1-4) and wrote his report sometime between the 60s and 80s A.D.
John – An eyewitness (one of Jesus' disciples) who wrote his account sometime between A.D. 50 and 85 1
Is the Bible historically accurate?
"Scholars have been able to confirm many of the statements of the Bible through archeology and the study of documents written by other peoples of the ancient Near East." – World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2003 Ed.
"The Bible is the best source of information about many historical periods and events." – ibid
"It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries." - Dr. Nelson Glueck 2
Was the Bible reliably preserved through time?
"The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947 confirmed that we still have the same Old Testament as they did at Jesus’s day." – The Preservation of the BIble – Answers in Genesis, by Mike Matthews
"Even though the two copies of Isaiah discovered in Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea in 1947 were a thousand years earlier than the oldest dated manuscript known (A.D. 980), they proved to be word-for-word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent of the variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling." – Gleason Archer 3
"The modern New Testament is 99.5 percent free of textual discrepancies, with no major Christian doctrines in doubt." – The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel
"From the standpoint of literary evidence, the only logical conclusion is that the case for the reliability of the New Testament is infinitely stronger than that for any other record of antiquity." – Professor Berkeley Mickelsen 3
Is the Bible well-written?
"Scholars value the books of the Bible not only as important religious writings but also as great literary works. The Bible includes many forms of literature, such as letters, stories, history, laws, prophecies, prayers, songs, love poems, and epics. Its vivid, realistic tales of the struggles, failures, and triumphs of both great and ordinary people entertain as well as teach. Literary critics have praised its beautiful poetry and stirring calls to faith."
– World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2003 Ed.
"The New Testament is the best Book the World has ever known or will know." – Charles Dickens
Was the Bible divinely inspired?
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." – 2 Timothy 3:16
Christians (like me!) believe the Bible is God's divine revelation to humankind. God communicated His words to the Bible's human writers via direct speech from God (Exodus 34:27-28, Numbers 12:4-8, and Jeremiah 30:1-2), through angels (Zechariah 1:12-17), through visions (Micah 1:1), through dreams (Daniel 7:1), by means of the Holy Spirit speaking to peoples' hearts (Jeremiah 20:9, 2 Peter 1:22), and through eyewitness accounts and careful research (such as the Gospels).
Jesus affirmed that the Old Testament was divinely inspired (Mark 12:36) and often quoted from the Scriptures. Considering that Jesus did many miracles (e.g. Luke 13:10-14 and 22:50-51) and rose from the dead (Matthew 28, Luke 24, Mark 16, John 20-21, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 describe Jesus' appearances to many witnesses after His death), we should probably believe Him. The Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament's authors (1 Corinthians 2:10, John 14:26).
Does the Bible disagree with science?
Just ask one of the greatest scientists of all time!
"I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily." – Sir Isaac Newton
What is the best translation of the Bible, and is it available online?
You can read the entire Bible online for free in many different English translations (as well as many other languages) on BibleGateway.com. This website also has audio versions of the Bible!
I personally think that the New International Version (NIV) is the best translation of the Bible into contemporary English. It is outstanding in its accuracy, clarity, and literary quality, and was "made by over a hundred scholars working directly from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek text" (Preface to the New International Version, ©1983). These scholars were from many different denominations and many different countries.
Other good translations include the English Standard Version (ESV) which is well known for its literal accuracy, and the New Living Translation (NLT) which is well known for its clarity. These translations are all available in their entirety on BibleGateway.com.
Cliquez ici pour la Bible en français courant. Click here for my favourite French
translation of the Bible.
Cliquez ici pour la Bible en français courant. Click here for my favourite French
translation of the Bible.
The Bible is a big book! Where should I start reading?
I'd suggest you start with one of Gospel books – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. These are fascinating accounts of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and contain all of his famous miracles and parables. Personally I like John's book best, but all four are great!
I also like the book of Psalms, which contains "ancient Israel's favourite hymns and prayers".4 My favourite chapter is Psalm 23. Another great book you may want to start with is Proverbs, which contains many wise sayings "for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young" (Proverbs 1:4) and helping the wise get even wiser (Proverbs 1:5).
The Gideons association also has a great webpage featuring Bible verses that can help you in your life: Gideons – Find Encouragement.
Notes:
1. Main Source for answer: Zondervan NIV Study Bible, ©2008
2. As quoted on "The Bible's Track Record - knowtruth" webpage.<http://www.knowtruth.com/bible/reliability/external_tests_archaeology_1.php>
3. As quoted in the "Introduction to The Holy Bible, New King James Version" published by Thomas Nelson, ©1982
4. Quote from the Introduction to the Psalms, Zondervan NIV Study Bible, ©2008
