Bible Basics What is the Bible The Bible

Bible Basics

What is the Bible? • The Bible is God’s revelation (message) to His people • The Bible is a collection of 73 books, divided into the Old and New Testaments

Where did the Bible come from? • Written by various people over thousands of years • Inspired by the Holy Spirit

The Old Testament • The first part of the Bible • Contains 46 books – First 5 are called the Torah meaning “instruction” or “law” – First 5 are also called the Pentateuch meaning “ 5 scrolls” • Tells the story of God, the Israelites, and their covenants

The New Testament • Second part of the Bible • Tells the story of Jesus and the early Church

Finding a Passage in the Bible • Passages are listed by book name, chapter, and verse. • First find the book in your Bible – Most Bibles have an index that tells you where to find each book – Book names are shown at the top of each page • Chapters are listed in bold in the Bible and at the top of each page • Verses are shown within the text as small numbers

Find this verse… • • Jeremiah 29: 11 Philippians 4: 13 Proverbs 3: 5 -6 1 John 4: 7

Important Terminology • Inspired – influenced by the Holy Spirit • Magisterium – the teachings of the Bishops and the Pope who provide authentic interpretation of the Bible • Interpretation – the explanation of the words of Scripture, combining the Magisterium and the Holy Spirit • Scriptorium – the room in a Monastery where the Bible was copied by hand • Vulgate – the translation of the Bible by St. Jerome from Hebrew and Greek, which were no longer spoken, to Latin, which was the common language