What is the Bible?

The Bible can be thought of as the story of our Creator's dealings with men and women.

It shows that He wants people who respect Him and His principles despite our inability sometimes to carry them out. It also shows God’s love and compassion in wanting a relationship with us despite our weaknesses.

The first two-thirds of the Bible, known as the Old Testament, is a record of God’s dealings with various individuals and one specific nation. It shows that God is willing to forgive the wrongs people have done if they will admit the error of their ways and make an effort to do better in the future.

The last third of the Bible, known as the New Testament, shows that God sent His Son to our world to deal with the problem of our inability to carry out God’s principles.

No ordinary book

The Bible is no ordinary book. Look at the two words on its spine: Holy Bible. The word “holy” means separate, and “Bible” means book. So the inference is that you have in your hands a book that is unique when compared with all others. Millions of copies are sold every year, and copies have been printed in hundreds of different languages.

The Bible comprises sixty-six books, as the chart below shows. There were forty independent writers involved in its compilation. These writers had twenty different occupations, and lived in ten different countries. They wrote over a 1,600-year time span. The book was originally written in Hebrew and Greek (with some short sections in Aramaic). It has a cast of 2,930 characters in 1,551 places. It covers a huge number of different subjects. Its message is expressed in all literary forms (narrative, poetry, prose, letters, etc.).