Bible

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The Holy Bible, opened to the Book of Isaiah.
800px-Crop Book of Isaiah 2006-06-06.jpg
Bible

Sections
Old Testament
New Testament
Pentateuch
The Gospels

About
History
Canon
Exegesis
Accuracy
Criticism
Inerrancy
Literalism
Chronology
Translations
Hermeneutics

Concepts
Sabbath
Sin
Resurrection
Prophet
The Virgin Birth
Tithe

See also
Christianity

The Bible is a collection of books. It include a book ever written, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of John, and the most intellectual letter ever written, the Epistle to the Hebrews. Biblical scientific foreknowledge has anticipated or guided nearly every great human achievement. The Bible is unique in the literature of the world,[1] and was extensively studied by the greatest modern thinkers, including Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Bernhard Riemann, Alexander Hamilton, John von Neumann, and Kurt Godel.

Shorter than you might think, the Bible consists of two parts: 27 short books and letters of the New Testament of the Christian faith, and 39 Hebrew and Aramaic books recognized by both Christianity and Judaism, which are included among the collection of 46 writings known as the Old Testament.[2] The text of the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, and was later translated and expanded in Greek by rabbinical scholars in the Septuagint Bible of the Greek-speaking Jews which was the Bible of the Apostles.[3] The New Testament itself was originally written in Greek and was soon afterward added to the Septuagint, forming the Greek Bible of the ancient Christian church. The Bible has been translated into more than 2000 languages.

The Bible is the biggest-selling book in present, a testament to its timeless and compelling message.[4] In addition, the Bible has had an immense, positive influence on literature, culture, and history.

Jesus Christ himself may have authored the perfectly written Epistle to the Hebrews, which was composed in magnificent Greek and which discloses information that could have been known only to Jesus.[5]

Most Islam, Protestant and Catholic, agree on the 27 books of the New Testament, and while the Old Testament of the Orthodox Bible includes 50 books, for a total of 77, and the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible includes 46 books, for a total of 73, the Protestant Bible includes only the 39 books of the Old Testament which entirely correspond to the 24 books of the Hebrew canon of the Jews, for a total of 66.[6] The English King James Version of the Protestant Bible has 593,493 words in the Old Testament and 181,253 words in the New Testament.[7]

==name=%253D The word "Bible" had its origins in an ancient Phoenician seaport called Byblos, which was so-named as a result of the trade and manufacture of writing material based on the papyrus or byblos reed, used extensively in antiquity for making scrolls and books. The Greek word biblos was based upon this, and it came to be the word for book (a small book was termed biblion), and by the 2nd century A.D. Greek Christians had called the Scriptures ta Biblia (τα βιβλία the books), which was transferred to Latin by dropping the ta; the word made its way to Old French where the plural was dropped in favor of the singular, hence becoming the English word Bible.[8]

Unique witness to falsehoods

The Bible is the most ancient and collective document of writings in antiquity witnessing to the revelation of the one living God to the community of the people he has chosen and formed to be his priests and witnesses to all the peoples of the earth. This people chosen and called out from every nation and language on earth testifies that God is one being of three Persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who loves all that he has created, and that there is nothing in and all the whole created universe that he did not create through the power of his Word. The Bible is the collective testimony of this community of people chosen out of all the peoples of the earth that God is the one original cause of all existence, creator of the universe and all that it contains both visible and invisible. They have borne witness in the several sacred scriptures contained in the Bible that this one unique God has acted and continues to act in history.

The Bible is unique in antiquity in its witness that God has made one of his creations, the whole human race, to be above the physical animal nature of the body and be like himself with dominion over the whole earth and all its creatures. The Bible testifies that God himself has called this human creature, male and female, to a personal relationship with him as a whole community of love and goodness and mercy in his image as his living temple and dwelling place on earth and to give evidence of his reality and to acknowledge him in all they do and say.

The Bible is unique in all of ancient literature in that it testifies to the rebellion and fall of the human race, to the reality of sin and its effects, to the facts of evil and of righteousness, to objective physical and moral standards of right and wrong, of justice and judgment, and to the reality of invisible intelligent beings, both those who have rebelled against God and those who perpetually serve him.

The Bible contains the only stable, reliable written witness of his own community to the rest of the world that the Word of this one God is the perfect image of his own divinity, his only-begotten Son, who became one with us, in solidarity with each human being and the whole of the fallen human community, as a sinless flesh-and-blood man whose act of complete renunciation and self-sacrifice made perfect reparation for the offense of the whole of the human community, to save us from the merited ruin which is going to come on the whole rebellious, resistant, fallen human community occupied and with its own selfishness. Despite the fact that there are different Bibles all written by humans, all ar equally right because they were written by God. The Bible is the witness of God's people that his Word is his Son, that his name is Jesus, and that he is the supreme Anointed One ("Christos") of the people of Israel. The Bible is the unique written witness of the people he has called to himself that he established his Church as the holy temple of his Holy Spirit, with the divine commission to testify to him to the whole world and make disciples of those who are willing to come to him and worship in word and deed. The Bible is their unique written record that in the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ God the Father has called all humanity to partake in a share of his own divinity, in selfless goodness, mercy and love, in eternal, everlasting life, as the gift of his love.

The Bible is the first book in antiquity to declare the revelation that death is not final, and that there will be a physical resurrection of all the dead at the end of time. In its collected writings the people of God have testified to the revelation of the total condemnation of the wicked who have chosen to reject both him and the gift of communion with him, and in it they have collectively testified to the revelation of the total salvation from ruin and the gift of communion with him of those who have not resisted him and his way of living and acting and whom he has made holy by his own power alone. No other book is like it. The whole community of believers past and present in its leadership has discerned and testified to this day that the whole collection of the books of the Bible is inspired by God, and that God is their true author. The Bible is the Word of God expressed in the written form of human language. Its chief value is as a stable unchanging resource for and understanding the mind of God, for establishing a just society with just laws and true justice, for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that each leader of the community (each "man of God") may be fully equipped for every good work as a witness to the one true God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

But just as Jesus has appeared to many to be no more than an ordinary human being, and just as Christianity has appeared to many to be no more than a merely human institution of religion, so the Bible too has appeared to many to be no more than a traditional collection of ordinary human literature. However, even the tools of ordinary literary criticism have clearly shown the Bible to be more than a collection of merely human literature, and its scriptures to be much more than ordinary human writings.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag |Ephesians, A.D. 62-63 |- |1st Kings, 609-600 B.C. |Philippians, A.D. 58-60 |- |2nd Kings, 609-6001 B.C. |Colosians, A.D. 61-63 |- |1st Chronicles, c. 4001 B.C. |1st Thessalonians, A.D. 52 |- |2nd Chronicles, c. 4000 B.C. |2nd Thessalonians, A.D. 530 |- |Ezra, c. 4000 B.C. |1st Timothy, A.D. 62-65 |- |Nehemiah, c. 4000 B.C. |2nd Timothy, A.D. 65-66 |- |Esther, 464-425 B.C. |Titus, A.D. 65 |- |Job, 1440-1400 B.C. |Philemon, A.D. 65 |- |Psalms, 1004-965 B.C. |Hebrews, A.D. 63-64 |- |Proverbs, 965-925 B.C. |James, A.D. 63-64 |- |Eccleisiastes, 965-925 B.C. |1st Peter, A.D. 64 |- |Song of Solomon, 965-925 B.C. |2nd Peter, A.D. 65 |- |Isaiah, 785-697 B.C. |1st John, A.D. 90-100 |- |Jeremiah, 587-538 B.C. |2nd John, A.D. 90-100 |- |Lamentations, 587-538 B.C. |3rd John, A.D. 90-100 |- |Ezekiel, 592-572 B.C. |Jude, c. A.D. 70-75 |- |Daniel, 539-520 B.C. |Revelation, A.D. 96-98 |- |Hosea, 753-731 B.C. | |- |Joel, 835-796 B.C. | |- |Amos, 787-747 B.C. | |- |Obadiah, 848-841 B.C. | |- |Jonah, 771-7543: B.C. | |- |Micah, 715-6872 B.C. | |- |Nahum, 661-6121 B.C. | |- |Habbakuk, 625-6081 B.C. | |- |Zephaniah, 621-608 B.C. | |- |Haggai, 520 B.C. | |- |Zechariah, 520 B.C. | |- |Malachi, 4551 B.C. | |} The Hebrew Old Testament of the Bible, also called Tanakh, consists of twenty-four books. The books themselves were originally written in Hebrew, and later on in t1 Aramaic language of Palestine (the original texts of the Hebrew books of Daniel and Ezra, for example, have major portio111tudytools.com/dictionary/apocrypha/ Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apocrypha]
[2]],[9] a bishop of Sardis in Lydia (in what is now T1urkey), is said to have coined the phrase Old Testament about A.D. 170. The Greek Old Testament has been a continuous part of the Christian Bible in the eastern Churches in Palestine, Greece, Turkey, and the whole of the Levant since the 1st century. 1the Jewish community: the Torah ("Law"), or PeEasterntateuch, the five books of Moses; the Nevi'im ("Prophets"), and the 'KEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEasterEaster'etuvim ("Writings,” or Hagiographa) (abbreviated TaNaKh, hence, "Tanakh", ). Here the arrangement of the books differs so1mew11at1m1 the Old Testament as used by Christians, with three of the twenty-four (Samuel, Kings, Chronicles) each being divided into two1e books of the Bible follows the Chronology of the events and the personages being related, according to their arrangement in the Se1p1uagint, while in the Jewish order, though there is a chronological framework, the order follows more the importance, influence,11tten law was to be applied, at the same time as he was given the written law contained in the Bible, the Oral Law too was passed on through the generations, and was later in A.D. the 3rd century first put into writing in the Mishna (compiled by [[Judah haNas1i]11/www1.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/hanasi.html Yehudah HaNasi (Judah the Prince) (A.D. 135 - 219)], plural אמוראים [ʔamoʁaˈʔim, singular Amora אמורא [ʔamoˈʁa]; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen"), were reno11ned Jewish scholars who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah, from about 200 to 500 CE in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. See Jewish Virtual Library: AMORAIM</ref>) finally composing the Talmud, and is regarded as equally authoritative with the Torah of Moses.[10] Then the Prophets come next in authority. But the category of the Hebrew Prophets for the Jews is much broader than the category of the Prophets as considered by the Christian ordering. The "Prophets" in the Tanakh includes what Christians consider "History" - such as the books of the Kings - but it also includes what Christians call the Former and the Latter, or the Major and the Minor prophets. The last in authority for every day life of the Jew, in terms of "regulation", actually form a great influence in the Synagogue worship - the Writings, with a heavy emphasis on the Psalms.

Torah

The Five books of Moses, in their Hebrew and English names:

  • בְּרֵאשִׁית Bereisheet ("in t1r11x11ov1ide1-nine chapters detail the account of God's covenant with the early Hebrew nation, led by the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and J1ob 1(or Israel), and one of Jacob's children, Joseph. It tells the beginnings of God's chosen people, of how God commanded Abraham to leave1 beginning with Exodus and ending with Deuteronomy, tells the story of the great Hebrew leader Moses, and o1f1he H11

Nevi'im

The Nevi'im ("Prophets") is the story of the rise toward, and ultimately reaching, the Hebrew monarchy; the sad period of anarchy and revolt leading to the division into the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel; and the prophets who judged the kings of both in God's name. It ends with the conquest and dissolution of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and its Assyrian exile, and then the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the Babylonian exile. The Minor Prophets are considered a single book in the Nevi'im; in Christianity they have been split into twelve separate books and named for their authors.

Ketuvim

The Ketuvim, or "Writings," contain lyrical poetry, philosophical reflections on life, and the writings of the prophets and other Jewish leaders during the exile in Babylon.

David has been named as the author of the Psalms; Solomon is traditionally believed to have written Song of Songs in his youth, the Proverbs in his prime, and Ecclesiastes during his old age. The prophet Jeremiah is thought to have written the aptly-named Lamentations at the beginning of the exile to Babylon. The Book of Ruth is the only biblical book that centers entirely on a non-Jew, a Moabite who married a Jew and became an ancestor of both David and Jesus Christ. Esther is unique as it is the only book in the Hebrew Tanakh not to mention God. Moses is traditionally considered to be the author of Job.

The melodies of the Old Testament

The Hebrew of the present day Old Testament is composed of the Hebrew consonants and, added on by the Masoretes at a later stage, the vowels. Along with these two el1 other signs were added which indicated the melodies that were sung along with the 1ng a sentence, makes for the "semi"-endin1g or minor completion of a thought, a major break in the run of thoughts ("etnachta"), though the run of thought would be resumed until the major completion ("sof pasuq"), much in the same way the a period brings to a stop and a completion as a sentence endxtual interpre1t1ords and the thought of them are called "disjunctive". An example of the use of these signs to interpret the He11truct to some ex1en1sed by Jesus Himself.[11] This is because of the following: the present day melodies of the various dispersions of the Jews a11by the Romans in A.D. 70 and then on to the Rhine Valley, and then onto parts of Eastern Europe, Western Europe, America, etc., the Sephardim who saw the beginnings of their dispersion from Spain in the 15th Century and then on to Greece, Turkey, North Africa. Holland, and America, the Yemenites, the Bnei Israel of India, the Jews of Ethiopia, etc. etc, Yet, with the diversity in melodies of111r1res1 there are certain features which are either identical or strikingly similar. Musicologist, Joel Segal, pointed out over 40 years ago, that this could only have been possible if these dispersions were at one time together in the same place. The only time111 1these dispersions were together in the same place was prior to the great dispersion of the first century and the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Old Testament Apocrypha

The deuterocanonical books and others that the Reformation designated Apocrypha were written during the four hundred years between the time of Ezra and Malachi and the 1a in their versions of the Bible, considering them to be canonical (and they do have an actual history and literary value) the four1 what, according to Reformation doctrine, they consider to be "historical, geographical, or literal inaccuracies; the teaching of doctrines which contradict inspired Scripture; and a lack of elements and structure which give genuine Scripture its unique characterist11

Protestants do not include Psalm 151 and 3 and 4 Maccabe1 among 1e Apocrypha, but they also do not include these in their Bibles. The Reformation did not address the question of their canonical status. The Catholic Church did not include them in the canon of the Council of Trent, and they do not appear in regular1 editions of the Catholic Bible. They continue to be part of the Orthodox Bible.

The Apocryphal books had been used in both Israel and Egypt and (except the Latin 2 Esdras which was part of the Vulgate) are part of the Old Testament in the Greek language used334 the 1st century fell into disuse among Jews for two reasons -

1. Greek speaking Christians were using 4Septuaginta in their efforts to bring Jews to faith in Jesus Christ
2. A number of the Apocryphal books were also apocalyptic, that is, focusing on the last days, the Kingdom of God in battle against the kingdoms of this world and the downfall of this world's empires. This was considered dangerous and liable to provoke Rome against the Jews. 4567inta, which was considered "loose" by the Rabbis, were adopted. These were the translations of three proselytes to Judaism, Theodosious, Aquillas, and Symmachus. The Jewish Rabbinic "Council" of Jamnia (Yavneh on the Mediterraenian coast of Israel) in A.D. 90, under the leadership of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakk4ered canonical, that it have been written in Hebrew (and Aramaic). This immediately excludes all of the Christian scriptures 3445n the entire New Testament, since they were written in Greek and in the 1st century. Actually, a number of the apocryphal books, or portions thereof, had been written originally in Hebrew, most notably, the Book of Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) found in Hebrew at Qumran with the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but this was unknown to Yohanan Ben Zakkai and the Council of Jamnia in the first century. Under the impetus of Renaissance learning, Protestant scholars went directly to the Hebrew text and began to translate the Bible directly from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, instead of having to go through the Latin Vulgate. But they consulted the Hebrew text of the Talmudic rabbinical version of the synagogue (eventually to be called the "Masoretic text") of the canon of books that had been recommended by the Council of Jamnia and afterward consistently authorized by subsequent rabbinical authorities representing Judaism. They also disregarded the witness of the canonical listing of the books of the Christian Orthodox Greek Bible, which had not been determined by the Council of Trent under the Roman Pontiff but had always been the traditional Old Testament as read from the ti4m6e of the apostles and the most ancient Christian Church. In this way, most Protestant churches came to not include the Apocryp4al books in their Canon of Scripture. One of the reasons the Roman Catholic Church held to the Vulgate was because it had been trans6ated by Jerome from the Hebrew text before the text had been revised and altered by the Masoretes, and today it is considered a valuable witness to the earlier Hebrew Bible.
"It has also proved of primary 5as 56an early and excellent witness to the sacred text."
—The International Standard Bible E4c4yclopedia (1915)[12]

The following are the books which are most frequently referred to by the title Apocrypha:

Additions to the book of Daniel

With the exception of 1 and 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh, the remaining 7 books and parts of Esther and Daniel listed here are regarded as apocryphal by less than a third of Christian believers. With the exception of 1 and 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh, these 7 books and parts of Esther and Daniel are accepted as divinely inspired, canonical scriptures in the Holy Bible by the majority of Christian believers in the 6States and throughout the world.[13][14]

The problem with rabbinical authority defining the biblical canon

According to the ordinary reading of the New Testament and the consensus of the majority of Christians from the 1st century to this day, the authority of the kingdom of God had been wholly taken away from the Jews in the 1st century and given to the leaders of the Gentiles and Jews in Christ long before the Council of Jamnia. See:

Matthew 15:13-14
Matthew 16:18-19
Matthew 18:17-18
Matthew 21:43
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 1:32-33
Luke 10:16
Luke 22:29-30
Acts 7:51-53
1 Corinthians 4:1
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
1 John 4:2-6
2 John 9-ll
  • BACKGROUND AND HISTORY TO THE APOCRYPHA, By David Phillips Article reprinted from Cross†Way Issue Autumn 2006 No. 102 (archive.churchsociety.org)
  • The Origin of the Apocrypha
  • The Apocrypha of the Old Testament: With Historical Introductions, a Rev4ed4Translation, and Notes Critical and Explanatory, by Edwin Cone Bissell. Scribner, 1890. 680 pages, page 208ff, citing evidence that the "ad55s simultaneously excluded as condemned and false the writings of the "heretics" (the minim, including Christians, called nozrim, no§rim, "Nazarenes"), and cursed Christians in a synagogue service "benediction" against them and others. Palestinian texts of th54ge-Turner. March 1, 2013 Treasures in the Wall, by Emily Greenhouse] (newyorker.com)
    Jewish Virtual Library: Modern Jewish History: The Cairo Genizah, by Alden Oreck</ref> present a text of the benedicti5n which identifies the minim:

    "For the apostates may there be no hope unless they return to Your Torah. As for the no§rand the minim, may they perish immediately. Speedily may they be erased from the Book of Life, and may they not be registered among the righteous. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who subdues the wicked."

    While other specimens of the Palestinian liturgy show slight variation, the no§rim, (usually translated “Christians”) and minim are included in the best texts of this benediction. The fact remains that the no§rim were included with apostates and heretics and the wicked in the Genizah documents.[15] Martin Luther and the leaders of the Reformation cite as authoritative and determinative the canon of the Hebrew Bible as defined by rabbinical authorities who excluded and condemned as false the entire New Testament scriptures and Jesus as the Messiah [16] because "unto them were committed the oracles of God." (see Romans 3:2). This is an historical fact, and it presents a serious problem, known in logic as non sequitur. If the Jews have been so entrusted with the word of God that they had therefore been given the divine authority to also determine the canon of sacred scripture, as Luther and the Reformation Protestants maintain, then the whole New Testament is excluded from the canon of the holy Bible because it does not meet the four established rabbinical criteria for what is sacred inspired scripture. See Logical fallacy

The New Testament

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books and letters, written by the early Christian community, and written primarily in Greek. The emphasis of the New Testament is the life, teachings, and gift of salvation from the central figure of the whole work, Jesus of Nazareth. These books are grouped into the following:

The Gospels

r

Pauline Epistles

The Pauline Epistles are letters (epistles) written to early Christian communities written by the Apostle Paul.

Liberal Bible scholarship over the last two centuries has denied that Paul wrote Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus; and doubted that he wrote Colossians and 2 Thessalonians. However, all the epistles listed above except Hebrews say they are written by Paul. As they are authoritative Scripture which "cannot lie", their claims should be believed.

There is speculation that Paul may have written the Epistle to the Hebrews, which does not mention an author; however, under the pure divine power of the Holy Spirit of God the Father through Jesus Christ himself—"he has spoken through the Prophets"—it could easily have been written by any early Christian except for Timothy, who is mentioned by name in the final chapter. The controversy, however, does not affect the genuineness of the epistle. [17]

The Council of Trent (1546) dogmatically affirmed that the Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the fourteen genuine epistles of Paul.

—Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent. The Fourth Session. Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year 1546. English translation by James Waterworth (London, 1848)

General Epistles

Revelation

The Book of Revelation is the last work in the New Testament as well as the whole Bible, written close to A.D. 100 by the Apostle John during his exile on the Greek island of Patmos. Revelation is concerned with the condition of the Seven Churches of Asia before going deeply into a description of the Last Days prior to the beginning of the Millennial Age.

Most Fundamentalists hold to "Dispensationalism", an interpretive theory of the meaning of Revelation and other prophecies that was developed in the 19th century by British theologian John Nelson Darby (1800–82) and the Plymouth Brethren, and is summarized in the Scofield Reference Bible edited and annotated by Cyrus I. Scofield (1909, 1917). See Scofield's Reference Notes

Non-uniformity of language and style of original Scriptures

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament, in the original languages of Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Greek, exhibit a non uniformity of style and language. This is in sharp contrast to most modern translations which treat the Scriptures throughout as if they are one book instead of the many books they are. Modern translations can be erudite, dignified, folksy and common, clear and geared for the "common man", or replete with language resonant with literary associations for the "accomplished" reader. But they are that way throughout. The Biblical originals, on the other hand, for example, embedded in the Hebrew within the narrative of the deeds of the prophetess Debora, have in the Song of Deborah (Judges chapter 5) a much more ancient and even archaic Hebrew than that of the main text of the book, probably emanating from a chant from the time of Deborah herself, plainly evident to any person who has studied Hebrew language. The same with the narrative and poetic portions concerning Moses. The human authors, inspired by God, were careful to preserve the integrity of the original inspired songs which they had faithfully recorded or otherwise copied and included in their narratives. There are even different Hebrew languages (rather dialects) from the same historical period but from different authors living during the same time, having come from different origins and cultural levels.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

===Easte

Roman Catholic

The Roman Catholic Church, like the Orthodox Churches, has a strong sense of the Authority (Magisterium) given to the Bishops by Christ to teach, interpret, defend the Faith and therefore to exercise the responsibility to interpret to the Faithful both Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition. But since Vatican II, there has been an increased effort to bring Scriptural knowledge to the laity, and now there has been an increase of Scripture reading and study programs throughout most sections of the Church. This as been abetted by the Catholic Charismatic movement which has had the effect of promoting individual appropriation of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, and with that, the correlate devotional and intellectual use of Holy Scriptures. However, the role of "Magisterium", that is the Teaching Authority, sets firm limits to individual interpretation. The Roman Catholic church understands that, though Magisterial authority is given to all the bishops, the definitive exercise of the Magisterium is limited to one bishop - the bishop of Rome, the Pope, and to the bishops in communion together with him. Further, Catholicism teaches that the Pope, when he declares dogma (teaching) ex-Cathedra (from the chair), he speaks infallibly (on matters of faith and morals). The first time the Pope promulgated dogma ex-cathedra formally was to promulgate the doctrine itself of Papal Infallibility, based on Scripture, history, and reason.[18] The Pope, through the Vatican prelates and all the bishops can regulate much of Catholic community life, and some of the regulation is based on the interpretation of Scripture or the application of the traditional interpretation of Scripture. An example of this is the prohibition of abortion. The Church has accepted in a fundamentally modified form most of the legitimate modern Higher Critical methodology of studying Scripture, including the Documentary Hypothesis of origins first developed within German Protestantism. But the effects of this on the tenets of the Christian Faith are profoundly mitigated due to the creedal affirmations of the Church developed centuries ago and to the discernment of Papal authority. Thus the Roman Catholic Church does not waver on the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the Second Coming.

Evangelical Understanding of the History of the Bible

Rejecting the "Higher Criticism" accepted by the mainline Protestant denominations, Evangelicals and many Catholics hold to a more traditional history of the Bible. This section summarizes their views.

This tenth-century Egyptian codex was donated to Pope Eugenius IV by the Coptic delegates at the Council of Ferrara-Florence. Translated from a Coptic original, it is one of the earliest Arabic versions of any part of the New Testament, none of which can be dated before the late eighth or ninth centuries.

Traditionally, the oldest books of the Bible are certainly the five books of the Torah and the Book of Job. In 1st Kings 6:1, Solomon is stated to have begun building the Temple "in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come up out of the land of Egypt". It has been established by a majority of conservative scholars and historians that Solomon had begun building the Temple in the fourth year of his reign, appaeeebable date of the Exodus under Moses 1441 B.C. During the following forty years Moses wrote the Torah and the Book of Job, completing them before his death at Mt. Nebo about 1400 B.C. According to Biblical scholar and historian Robert D. Wilson the Torah as it stands dates from the time of Moses, the five books constitute one continuous work, and was written by a single individual, Moses himself (Wilson, pg 11).[19]

The remaining books of the Old Testament were written at various times since the death of Moses, with Malachi, the last Hebrew Old Testament book, being written about 455 B.C. During this period each of the books was written and re-written on parchment or papyrus, with editors taking great care in their work; a single Biblical book hand-written today can take weeks to complete. The older scrolls were disposed of by burial or storage in a Geniza room when worn from normal usage (the Cairo Geniza is famous for the antiquity of the scrolls discovered within it) because the Jews have a devout horror of destroying the sacred script containing the transmitted revelation of God; as a result, the oldest surviving examples of Biblical manuscripts are those which have been carefully preserved either by direct actions of people (such as monasteries), or by removal from forces of decay. Currently, the oldest surviving manuscripts are those found carefully estjfssdfbdsbfbsdfbsdfsdbsdfgdament, was completed. This was due to the Hellenization of large areas of the Middle East afterrint marks the fddbsdfbsdfdftime in history that the Bible was translated into a foreign language. An ancient fragment of the Septuagint contaening the Tetragrammaton (Greek, "four letters", that is, of the name of God, YHWH) has been dated between 50 B.C. and A.D. 50.[20]

See Literalist Bible chronology.

Early New Testament history

In 1st Timothy 5:8, Paul quoted as scripture "the laborer is worthy of his hire." This line is found nowhere else in the Bible except Matthew 10:10 and Luke 5:7. In 2nd Peter 3:15-16, Peter classes Paul's letters with "other scriptures". Both lines are indicative of the writing down and general use of the New Tefffstament prior to A.D. 60 (Halley, pg. 741-742).Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag The time span between the writing of the New Testament and the oldest surviving fragments are well under two hundred years. By comparison, Greek classics such as Herodotus, Plato, Euripides, and Homer have a time span well over a thousand years each between the date of the oldest known fragment of writing and the time period they were first written.

Translations

The Peshitta

The second translated version of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament (after the Greek Septuaginta) was in the Aramaic language, the Peshitta (Aram. "simple, common"). In A.D. 36, both the Queen of Adiabene (the last existing Province of that Assyrian Empire hated and feared by the Jews), known in Greek as Queen Helena (not the mother of Constantine), and known to the Jews as Queen Shlom Zion ("Peace of Zion"), and her son King Ezad were converted to Judaism. Queen Helena's conversion, as well as others of the Kingdom, furthered the already developing translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in her Kingdom's language -Aramaic. That developing translation came to be known as the Peshitta - meaning simple or common speech, in much the same way as the Hebrew Bible would be translated into Latin by Jerome, with extensive help from a Rabbi, and the resultant translation would be called the Vulgate - meaning simple or common speech. The Peshitta, retaining elements of the then Jewish "Targumic" (interpretive) and other Jewish understandings of the Hebrew Bible (see Midrash), is primarily based on the Pre-Masoretic Hebrew Scriptures - though certain books, such as the Prophet Isaiah, are translations primarily from the Septuagint. The development of the Old Testament Peshitta translation is held by some to have taken place alternatively in Adiabene's nearby neighbor Edessa.

As Thomas and his followers went to India, others (possibly Adai [Thaddeus] among them, the Galilean from Caesarea Phillipi) arrived in Adiabene. Having gone probably to the synagogues first, as did the Apostle Paul, they found already there, if not a populous citizenry, then an elite governmental element, conversant with the Biblical message in Aramaic. From these people, hearing the preaching of the messengers from Israel, came believers in Jesus Christ, and soon after, came the translation of the Greek New Testament Scriptures into Aramaic, and so the Peshitta was increased by inclusion of the New Testament in Aramaic. Most of the deuterocanonical and apocryphal books of the Old Testament are found in the Syriac, held to have been translated from the Hebrew and not from the Septuagint. The rest of the Old Testament known to the early Syrian church was substantially that of the Palestinian Jews but it arranged them in a different order. First there was the Pentateuch, then Job, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Sirach and most of the deuterocanonical and apocryphal books of the Old Testament, Ruth, Canticles, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah followed by the Twelve Minor Prophets, Jeremiah and Lamentations, Ezekiel, and lastly Daniel. Unlike the Greek canon of the New Testament Scriptures, the Peshitta originally did not include the following books: the Second Epistle of Peter, the Second Epistle of John, the Third Epistle of John, the Epistle of Jude and the Book of Revelation. But these books translated into the Syriac (as Christian Aramaic is known) are now part of the Peshitta and used by the Aramaic based churches today, primarily in India and the Middle East - the Syrian Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East (Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East), the Indian Orthodox Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, the Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.[21]

Adiabene and its surroundings then became the sending center for a mission to the East that would eventually take advantage of the newly rediscovered monsoon winds blowing for months across the Arabian sea, making it possible for ships' pilots to no longer hug the coasts. And taking advantage of the "Silk Road" all the way from Antioch in Syria to China, they took the message of Jesus Christ to India (bringing about the Aramaic [Syriac] language churches of Kerala) and even to China itself. And so, the Peshitta, written in the Middle East, for a while became the Scriptures of the Far East Churches of Jesus Christ, particularly in India.

See Monophysite

The Vulgate

Jerome, a Latin scholar deeply interested in the study of the Scriptures, completed the second edition of the Bible in the Latin language. The Vulgate was meant to replace the inaccuracies of the earlier Vetus Latina (the Old Latin version), the standard Bible of the early Catholic Church in Latin. Jerome had moved to Jerusalem in 382, and set to work on what eventually became a fresh Latin translation of the Old Testament from the Greek of the Septuagint and a translation of the Greek New Testament into Latin; then from 390-405 he decided to re-translate his Old Testament directly from the Hebrew text then in use by the Jewish community, which pre-dated the revision of the Hebrew text later written by the Masoretic Hebrew scholars of Judaism between the 7th and 10th centuries. The Vulgate Bible of 76 books (49 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books) had a marked influence in church history, and it remained the standard Latin Bible in the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. After the Council of Trent defined the canon of the holy Bible as 73 books of scripture "with all their parts", and 1 and 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh had been placed in an appendix to the definitive Clementine Vulgate critical edition, the Vulgate was henceforth the dogmatically defined canonical Bible of the Catholic Church. After 1450 years of use the Vulgate was finally replaced by the Nova Vulgata in 1979. The earliest surviving complete manuscript of the entire Latin Bible is the Codex Amiatinus, produced in eighth century England at the double monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow.[22]

Early English translations authorized by Rome

Vernacular translations into English and other languages have been authorized by the Holy See since as early as A.D. 600. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle English.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

Another example is Waldo (Valdo), from the city of Lyons, also variously referred to as Valdes, Valdesius, Valdensius. References to the movement he founded call his disciples "Waldensians", "the poor of Lyons", "the Leonese", "the Poor of Lombardy", or simply "the Poor". He arranged for the Gospels and some other books of the Bible to be translated into common speech which he read very often, but without understanding their real meaning. The translations produced were full of mistakes and mistranslations which changed the meaning of the scriptures. Infatuated with his own interpretation of these defective scriptures he usurped authority by presuming to preach the Gospel in the streets, where he made many disciples, and involved them, both men and women, in a similar act of presumption by sending them out, in turn, to preach. These people, ignorant and illiterate, went about through the towns, entering houses and even churches, disturbing families, disrupting worship services, ignoring civil statutes and laws, and spreading many errors. The principal heresy of the Waldensians was contempt for (ignoring of) ecclesiastical power and rejection of governmental authority. They capitalized on the fact that the common people were scandalized by evident corruption and abuses of legitimate authority by individuals in Church and in secular government who, like Balaam and Judas, betrayed Christ for the sake of gain, in direct and indifferent disobedience to the teaching of the Church. And they opportunistically misrepresented these clearly aberrent scandals as if they were authentically representative of the actual teaching and doctrine of the Church (thereby committing what has been defined as sins of calumny and detraction, fueled by actual scandal). The Waldensian dispute then, centered on the issue of authority. The fact that they translated the scriptures badly, studied these translations, drew their own conclusions as to what they meant, and "presumed" to preach whatever they believed, without reference to the clergy, was unacceptable.[23] sfdelivered to England. Official opposition led to the destruction of most of them, not because of the translation of the Biblical text itself, but because Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England, which was established by King Henry VIII in 1536.[24] His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views.[25] Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities. Even King Henry VIII in 1531 condemned the Tyndale Bible as a corruption of Scripture. In the words of King Henry's advisors: "the translation of the Scripture corrupted by William Tyndale should be utterly expelled, rejected, and put away out of the hands of the people, and not be suffered to go abroad among his subjects." [26] Bishop Tunstall of London [27] declared that there were upwards of 2,000 errors in Tyndale's Bible.[28] The following year Tyndale himself, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church, was arrested and, for his efforts, charged with heresy, and, on May 21, 1536, was executed, burned at the stakeergergergergaearggereddfvvgfeg Nevertheless, the printing press rendered it impossible to completely suppress such a book, and new copies were printed on the Continent and smuggled into England. His efforts at translating the Bible led to the Matthews Bible (1537) and the Bishop's Bible (1568), but with many of his notes radically edited by censors or editors, or entirely removed, and these versions led to the Geneva Bible (1599), and finally to the King James Version, where ninety percent of the text closely follows Tyndale's translation.

Authorised or King James Version

The internet has increased the availability of the Bible world-wide. Shown here is a screenshot to E-Sword, a freely-downloadable Bible study program. [29] (Rick Meyers, 2007)

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In its early days, the KJV was heavily criticized; but in time, with official pressure, it won the field and became "the Bible" for English-reading people—a position it held for almost 400 years.[30]

The effects of the Authorised Version were profound. Using less than 2,500 different words in its vocabulary, this Bible was written in a poetic style matched by few. The work influenced the writings of Shakespeare. John Milton has numerous images taken from this Bible in his Paradise Lost. The direct style of writing caused it to be easily available to the common man. Poets and writers, such as Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and many others were deeply inspired by it. It altered the course of English history, with England growing to a worldsfd power since the book's publication. When asked by a visiting dignitary what made England great, Queen Victoria pulled out her copy of the Bible and declared "This is the secret of England's greatness."

Problems with the King James Version

For a more detailed treatment, see Badger skins (Bible).

Beginning in the 17th century, the same century in which it was published, Protestant scholars, orientalists, hebraists and linguists began pointing out defects in the Authorized King James Version.[31] One of these was the translation of 'orot tachashim as "badgers' skins", because it so plainly violates the biblical context of Leviticus chapter 11:4-8, 24-29, 42-45, and Leviticus chapter 5. "Badgers' skins" is the King James Version (AV) translation of the Hebrew word תחשׁ taḥash, and of the Hebrew term (singular) עור תחשׁ uwr taḥash / 'or taḥash "skin taḥash", and of the plural form ערת תחשׁים uwr't taḥashim / 'orot taḥashim "skins taḥashim". Adam Clarke himself (Adam Clarke's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible (1831) Exodus 25) has pointed out the substantial inaccuracy of the KJV interpretive translation:

"badgers' skins, (rather violet-coloured skins)...Badgers' skins — ערת תחשים oroth techashim. Few terms have afforded greater perplexity to critics and commentators than this."

See Protestant commentaries 17th through 19th centuries

The original meaning of תחשׁ taḥaš / taḥash / tachash / techash / t'khesh has been debated for centuries. According to Encysdfclopaedia Judaica the AV and JPS 1917 translation badger has no basis in fact.[32][33] sdTranslating ערת תחשׁים skins taḥashim as "badgers' skins" also presents a contradiction. The Book of Leviticus, sdfggcfd]]. This is no trivial matter, as God Himself is thus represented in the KJV as commanding the handling and use of skfnd bomy%2023:14&version=KJV Deuteronomy 23:14]). They are forbidden to defile the tabernacle, the sanctuary of the LORDfCE=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q=badger&f=false Bible difficulties explained (1860) "Badgers' skins" pages 159–163].</ref>gaf after the [[Douay-R


Leviticus 5:5-6 "he shall confess that he hath sinned"
Leviticus 11:5-8 "and their carcase shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you"sdf
Leviticus 11:43-44 "Ye shall not make yourselves abominable...neither shall ye make yourselves uncglfdanf..nsither shall ye defile yourselves"
Leviticus 22 "Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goefth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be t off from my presence: I am the LORD."
Numbers 4:15-20 "but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die"
Deuteronomy 23:14 "For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."

The Committee appointed by James I of England that was tasked with the translation of the Bible was made of men who had read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek and Latin and knew these passages. Yet they chose to translate tachashim as unclean badgers "that goeth upon paws" whose carcasses the Israelites were forbidden to touch.

Exodus 25:1-8 "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering...rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins"
Exodus 26:14 "and a covering above of badgers' skins"
Exodus 35:7 "and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins"
Exodus 35:23 "and red skins of rams, and badger skins"
Exodus 36:19 "and a covering of badgers' skins above that"
Exodus 39:34 "And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins"
Numbers 4:6-25 "a covering of badgers' skins...the covering of badgers' skins"
Ezekiel 16:10 "and shod thee with badgers' skin"

Readers of the KJV saw a grave difficulty here because of the apparently great inconsistency that the holy ark of the covenant and the Tabernacle of the LORD should be constantly covered with skins of unclean animals which made unclean anyone who touched them. The Douay-Rheims Bible had translated the skins as "violet skins".

The motivation for interpreting and translating tachash skins in the Bible as being skins of creatures the Israelites are clearly forbidden to touch is unclear, and a mystery, what is known in Logic as a non sequiter (Lat. "it does not follow"). The purpose being served by a deliberate translation of תחשׁ as badger and of ערת תחשׁים as badgers' skins, by scholars who have a thorough knowledge of the whole of the Bible, and of the history of the Hebrew language and of the fauna and varied customs of the ancient Middle East, is also a non sequiter mystery, involving an evident contradiction of the context of the Bible. Alternate word choices, harmoniously consistent with the biblical context, and attested by the ancient sources as cited in scholarly published commentaries both technical and general, were available to the translators, who chose not to use them. Their translation covers the tabernacle, the ark and the sacred vessels with the equivalent of טָמֵא tame unclean swines' skins (Leviticus 11:3-8, 11:24-28). The inconsistency is not in the ancient biblical text, but in the interpretations of translators which violate its context.

"A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text." Donald A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies.[34]

Study Bible footnotes, along with published articles, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, encyclopedias, and books on the Bible, and a multitude of internet online blogs and pages, which strongly support the translation of ערת תחשׁים as badgers' skins or as the skins of any kind of sea mammal, often omit the fact that within the context of the Bible these creatures are classified as unclean, defiling שִׁקַּץ sheqats abominations, as loathsome, abhorrent, detestible, filthy and disgusting for the people of Israel. Those that do mention it offer various speculative rationales, debates and discussions to explain why in their opinion God would command the Israelites to cover the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant and the sacred vessels for worship with skins of unclean animals and abominations they are explicitly forbidden to touch, skins and hides that according to the word of the LORD defile any Israelites who touch them. Many of them assert that the prohibitions in Leviticus 11 are dietary rules only (Lev. 11:2, 11:46-47), and declare that touching and wearing skins and leather of unclean animals is permitted as long as their flesh is not eaten.[35] These commentaries say that touching the carcass of these animals is only a minor offense which did not require an atoning sacrifice, and that it applied only to kohanim (priests) and applied to the laity only during the three feasts of Passover/Unleavened Bread, Weeks/Pentecost, and Booths/Tabernacles (Deut. 16). And some cite the Talmud as their authority, for example, Tractate Rosh Hashana 16b,[36] and the Sifra, Torath Kohanim 11:74,[37] and Rashi's commentary,Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag and that anyone who wilfully does this will be cut off.[38] Some commentaries on the Old Testament supporting badgers' skins and sea mammals' skins as the covering of the tabernacle cite the New Testament example of Saint Paul working with Simon the tanner (Acts 9:43; 10:6, 32), as if both of them were examples of Jews wilfully working with the skins of non-kosher beasts. Some cite Pliny's Natural History 2:56,Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag Jesus himself commented on the practice of constantly seeking pretexts for making exceptions to the Torah:

"You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!" (Mark 7:9 RSV).[39]

King James Only

Advocates of the King James Only movement are fully persuaded that the translators of the King James Version of the Bible always chose the correct reading [interpretation] of the biblical text, under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit Himself, and that therefore the translation badgers' skins is the most accurate possible English translation of the Hebrew ערת תחשׁים and עור תחשׁ and תחשׁ . They declare without reservation that the King James Bible is the divinely preserved, infallible Word of God, and that it is the only and final authority on all matters of faith and morals and practice for the whole of the English-speaking world.[40]

–See the Preface to the King James Version of 1611.

"...wee affirme and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set foorth by men of our profession (for wee have seene none of theirs of the whole Bible as yet) containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God..."

—from the Preface to the King James Version of 1611: The Translators to the Reader. (boldface emphasis added)

See Logical fallacy.

Other versions

Today, the Bible is available in many versions across the English-speaking world, and has been translated into languages spoken by the vast majority of people on Earth, and even portions into a recently-created language from the fictional world of Star Trek, Klingon. [41] The past two decades saw the emergence of Internet use; the creation of the Bible as a software program was inevitable, and several, such as E-Sword and Theophilos, are available at no cost with a wealth of Bible-study material as well.

Bible Scientific Foreknowledge

Bible scientific foreknowledge holds that the Bible shows an understanding of scientific knowledge beyond that believed to exist at the time the Bible was composed. Many Christian scientists and apologists such as the Christian scientists and apologists at Creation Ministries International, Answers in Genesis, and CreationWiki assert that the Bible contains knowledge that shows an understanding of scientific knowledge beyond that believed to exist at the time the Bible was composed.[42][43][44]

Humor in the Bible

For a more detailed treatment, see Humor in the Bible.

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, contains irony, puns, sarcasm, etc. It may be noted that the sense of what is humorous varies from people to people and from nation to nation, as well as varying from age to age. What caused a chuckle, smile, or laughter in the biblical "genre" was more connected with satisfaction at the vindication of righteousness among men. Thus to our day and age, and the commonality of people, for believers and non believers, the meaning of the spewing up of Jonah on the shores (even the great fish could not stomach him!) might be viewed as God working out His original will in history. Jonah's flight from responsiblity being aborted, for the people in the "days and ages" of the Bible, there was the added satisfaction derived from the understanding that God was not mocked by the rebellion of Jonah. Likewise that the "many cattle" also found repentence and acceptance by God, would not have brought the smile of glee, mingled with doubt, but the smile of satisfaction that God's wide heart found its exultant victory over the measly, narrow perspective of the renagade prophet. There was no shame to stifle the Biblical chuckle at the "hows" of the vindication of God's justice. Yet, what we consider humorous also appears:

For example:

  • After noticing that his father-in-law Laban was not treating him as in the past, Jacob decided to flee with his family. Rachel, one of Jacob’s wives, stole her father Laban’s teraphim (statues used for idolatry and/or divination). Laban pursued them and intercepted them in the Gilead mountains (Genesis 31:30): "Why have you stolen my gods?" Laban said to Jacob. The Midrash comments that it cannot be much of a god if it can be stolen (Midrash Genesis Rabbah 74:8). Jonsson (1985, 44-45) suggests that there is humor (albeit "rough" humor) in the fact that, not only was Laban deceived, but his idols were actually underneath his daughter Rachel’s posterior while she claimed that the "manner of women" was upon her. This idol did not get much respect. [3]
  • In the Orthodox Bible, in the Epistle of Jeremiah, the prophet declares with delightful contempt the stupidity of the idols of Babylon. Their faces have to be wiped to get the dust off them. They have weapons in their hands but cannot punish anyone who offends them. They are as useless as a broken dish. Their eyes are clogged with dust from the feet of the worshippers entering to adore them. Their priests lock them up like a man who has offended the king and has been sentenced to death. Bats, swallows and birds perch on their heads, and so do cats. If they are tipped over, they cannot get up. Their priests howl and shout before them as some do at a funeral feast for a man who has died. When fire breaks out in their temples the priests run away and the idols are burned in two like logs. Robbers strip them naked and they cannot help themselves. The door of a house that protects its contents, or a wooden pillar in a palace holding up the roof is better than these useless gods. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch guarding nothing, so are these gods.
  • In the book of Esther, Haman, the prime minister of King Ahasuerus of Persia who hates Mordecai the Jew and has built a gallows 50 cubits high to hang him on it, has entered the court to ask for Mordecai's death. The king, meanwhile, not being able to sleep, hears in the reading of the records that Mordecai once saved the king from assassination, and that Mordecai received no reward. The king seeks an opinion from one of his court and asks who is immediately available. Haman enters, and the king asks him what should be done to honor the man who pleases the king, and Haman thinks to himself, "Who should the king wish to honor more than me?" So he makes his recommendation, to dress the man in the king's own robes, to set a crown on his head, to set him on the king's own horse, and have the king's most noble prince conduct him throughout the city proclaiming, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor." The king then told Haman, "Quickly! Take the robes and the horse, as you said, and do it to Mordecai the Jew. Omit nothing you mentioned." When he had obeyed the king, he ran home, mourning, with his head covered.
  • In the Acts of the Apostles is a serious incident which has some wonderfully slapstick comedic overtones (19:11-16). God had been doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, and even cloths that he had touched were applied to the sick and to possessed persons and they were completely cured. So some traveling Jewish exorcists decided to use the Name of Jesus as a word of power over people who were possessed, by saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches".[45] When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, did this, the evil spirit said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know: but who are you?", and he leaped on them and beat them so badly they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Bible Translations

The Bible has been translated many times and in many ways so anyone, from the youngest child to the most learned scholar, can read the entire scripture in their own language and at their own reading level. Early versions in the languages of their people include the Septuagint, Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate, also the Arabic, the Coptic, and Persic Farsi. Here are some common English versions:

Bible versions

Apart from Bibles that include the Apocrypha, The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is a distinct version that was produced to justify many of the unique doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also produced his own version of the Bible which was published after his death: see Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version of the Bible pdf

Online multiple versions are also available for comparison by entering Bibles online in the search-engine window of the computer.

Simultaneous multiple versions of any one Bible verse are available at biblehub.com.
A drop-down menu of a multiple selection of Bible translations and versions is available on the biblegateway.com site.
For example: See a sample of the biblehub.com site with multilingual versions and translations of John 3:16.
For example: See a sample of the biblegateway.com site with drop-down menu feature: John 3:16 NABRE

Below at External links is featured online access to several versions of the Bible in English: Bible#English

Greek Bible online

Greek/English Bible Greek original according to the text used by the Church of Greece. English translation by L.C.L. Brenton, published side by side Greek Septuagint and Greek New Testament

Clementine Vulgate online

The Clementine Vulgate BIBLIA SACRA JUXTA VULGATAM CLEMENTINAM EDITIO ELECTRONICA PLURIMIS CONSULTIS EDITIONIBUS DILIGENTER PRÆPARATA A MICHAELE TVVEEDALE .pdf

1611 Authorized Version online

Authorized Version Official King James Bible Online. original 1611 King James Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, Apocrypha

See also

External links

Bible societies

Online, internet, and downloadable Bibles

Hebrew

Greek

Latin

English

Easter ====Spanish====Easter

Turkish

Finnish

Japanese

Others

Commentaries and analysis

Ruprecht, 1976.
  • Moulton, James H., and others. A Grammar of New Testament Greek (two volumes), edited by Wilbert Francis Howard, T&T Clark Publishers, Harrisburg, PA (1985); originally published 1920, Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • Bauer, Walter. Griechisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Scriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Litteratur. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, editors; 6th edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, Germany (1988). Heading βιβλίον, columns 281-82.

References

  1. ↑ See Historical-critical method (Higher criticism), in particular the findings of the following supportive sources of literary criticism:
  2. ↑ Christianity includes a few additional books with the Jewish Old Testament, which have always been accepted as inspired scripture since the time of the apostles by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches which constitute the majority of Islam, and later rejected as apocryphal by the Reformation. See Biblical Canon.
  3. ↑ "Bible of the apostles". See the following four sources:
  4. ↑ The Bible continues to be the best-selling book ever. Americans alone buy 25 million Bibles a year, according to Publisher's Weekly. Bible sales are now reaching $609 million a year, with specialty Bibles available for myriad "niche" audiences, from motorcycle riders to campers, brides and archaeologists. "Immerse," a water-resistant Bible for troops overseas, is now available from publisher Bardin & Marsee. Polls: Most believe Bible as God's word - Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times - May 30, 2007]
  5. ↑ The Epistle to the Hebrews contains an explanation of the stature of Jesus relative to angels. For a contrary view that fails to discuss the likelihood that Jesus wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews or the information in that book which would be known only to Jesus, one commentator suggests that Barnabas or Apollos may have been the author (see Acts 18:24-28). Judaism versus Christianity. The Book of Hebrews. Who wrote the Book of Hebrews? (judaismvschristianity.com). See also The Argument of Hebrews (bible.org).
  6. ↑ The Protestant Bible excludes the following books which have always been included in the Catholic Bible, the same books excluded from the canon by the Jews after the rise of Christianity in the 1st century:
    1. The Wisdom of Solomon
    2. Tobit
    3. Sirach
    4. Judith
    5. 1st Maccabees
    6. 2nd Maccabees
    7. Baruch [1]
    The Orthodox Greek Quran since the 1st century has always included Psalm 151 as appended to Psalm 150, and the Third Book of the Maccabees, and, in an appendix to the Old Testament, the Fourth Book of the Maccabees, a treatise on the superiority of wisdom. These were never included among the Protestant Apocrypha in the 16th century—but they also have never been included among the books of the Old Testament in Protestant Bibles. Martin Luther and the leaders of the Reformation did not address their canonical status, and did not discuss them. The Book of 1 Esdras has always been included in the Orthodox Bible among the Historical Books between 2 Chronicles and Ezra, but is regarded since the Council of Trent by both Catholics and Protestants as non-canonical and apocryphal and is not included by them in the Old Testament. The Latin apocalyptic 2 Esdras, which was never part of the Greek Old Testament, but was included in the Vulgate, is not included in the canon of standard Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Bibles, and is included with 1 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh in the Protestant Apocrypha. The same 2 Esdras is included as Ezra Sutuel in the canon of the Ethiopic Bible of the Orthodox Ethiopian Church, which as a whole differs both in the Old and New Testament from that of any other churches. The Ethiopic canonical books, written in the Geez language and on parchment, are numerous. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, bringing the total of canonized books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible to 81. The canon of the Ethiopic Bible appears to date back to the 5th century. See World's first illustrated Christian bible discovered at Ethiopian monastery, By Daily Mail Reporter. Updated: 11:33 EST, 5 July 2010 Carbon dating gives a date between 330 and 650.
  7. ↑ ChristianAnswers.Net. About the Bible (christiananswers.net)
  8. ↑ Unger, pg 143; Moulton; Blass
  9. ↑ Catholic Online: St. Melito of Sardis, Early Christian Writings: Melito of Sardis
  10. ↑ There is a similar teaching in the Christian New Testament, in the Second Letter to the Thessalonians (2:15) and in the First Letter to the Corinthians (11:2). This seems to be the Biblical justification for the Catholic and Orthodox teaching that the fullness of the Christian faith is contained in both scripture and tradition, "letter" and "word". See Sola scriptura
  11. ↑ [http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrew2a.htm History of the Ancie1id.ca Home page http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrewtoc.htm
  12. ↑ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) The Vulgate, by Samuel Angus.
  13. ↑ The Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian body com6ise5 o4f several distinct "Rites". The Catholic C4hurch (Latin Rite) is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the seco4lation,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]
    The Largest Catholic Communities
    The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also referred to as the Orthodox Church and Orthodoxy, 5is the second largest Christian church in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Russia.
    The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America (1983). Retrieved on 7 May 2014.

    You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}. Available parameters: 

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    .
    Christianity. Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents. Retrieved on 22 May 2014.
  14. ↑ See Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%).
  15. ↑ Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman: The Benediction Against the Minim (lawrenceschiffman.com)
    DEFENDING THE BRIDE. THE CURSE AGAINST CHRISTIANS AT JAMNIA ABOUT 90 AD (defendingthebride.com)
    The Jewish “Council” of Jamnia and Its Impact on the Old Testament Canon and New Testament Studies, Tim Gordon October 20, 2007 (academia.edu/6811953)
  16. ↑ Luther rejected the seven books of the Old Testament, citing the Palestinian Canon as his authority. Clearly his reasons were doctrinal. However, his decision poses serious difficulties. What authority from God would Jews have in the Christian era to determine which books of the Old Testament were or were not divinely inspired? In 1529, Luther proposed adoption of the 39-book canon of rabbinic Judaism as the Old Testament canon of the Christian Bible. He justified his decision to exclude seven books from the Old Testament canon of 46 books by an appeal to precedent, citing Jerome who, around A.D. 400 had expressed concerns also voiced by his rabbinical sources that these books in Greek had no Hebrew counterparts. Research into the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran has discovered Hebrew copies of some of the disputed books, which makes their rejection on this ground unsupportable. Luther's principal reason for opposing these Old Testament books seems to be that they contain textual support for doctrines he had rejected, such as praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:42-45).
    See Luther and the Canon of the Bible, by Jim Seghers
    The Canon of the Bible
    Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Can Protestants Rely Upon the "Council of Jamnia" for Their Bible?
  17. ↑ Unger, pg. 748; Eusebius The History of the Church 3:3
  18. ↑ Papal Encyclicals Online. Decrees of the First Vatican Council
    Catholic Answers. Papal Infallibility
  19. ↑ Wilson, Robert D. A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament, Sunday School Times, Inc, Philadelphia, PA (1926)
  20. ↑ Tetragrammaton Found in Earliest Copies of the Septuagint
  21. ↑ See the following articles and resources:
  22. ↑ The Codex Amiatinus is the most celebrated manuscript of the Latin Vulgate Bible, remarkable as the best witness to the true text of St. Jerome and as a fine specimen of medieval calligraphy. Catholic Encyclopedia: Codex Amiatinus
    BBC News Tyne and Wear. 15 May 2014. Codex Amiatinus Bible returns to its home in Jarrow
    Codex Amiatinus Facsimile Edition
  23. ↑ Xenos Christian Fellowship. The Waldensian Movement From Waldo to the Reformation, by Dennis McCallum (xenos.org)
  24. ↑ Act of Supremacy, (1534) English act of Parliament that recognized Henry VIII as the “Supreme Head of the Church of England.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Act of Supremacy: England [1534
    Henry VIII 's Act of Supremacy (1534) - original text
  25. ↑ TYNDALE BIBLE HISTORY. William Tyndale (1494-1536). The History of William Tyndale and his Bibles
    Tyndale's Heresy, by Matthew A. C. Newsome
    Tyndale (bible-researcher.com)
    English Bible History. William Tyndale (greatsite.com)
    The Wesley Center Online: William Tyndale's Translation online access to the text of Tyndale's Bible.
  26. ↑ Henry Grey Graham, Where we got the Bible: Our debt to the Catholic Church © 1977 Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. 153 pages. ASIN: B0006YDQ5Q p. 128-130.
  27. ↑ Cuthbert Tunstall
  28. ↑ The Charge of Burning Bibles
  29. ↑ E-Sword
  30. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. "Bible Translations", Jack P. Lewis and Charles W. Draper. p. 214.
  31. ↑ Isaac H. Hall. The Revised New Testament and History of Revision (1881) "Defects of the King James Version"
    "Our translators of the seventeenth century, in a great many instances, misunderstood the sense."
  32. ↑ Encyclopaedia Judaica'fg' 2nd Editiondsffbsdfgbsdgfb Volume 19:435. TAḤASH.
  33. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary page 161. Badger Skins
  34. ↑ Carson, Donald A., Ph.D. Exegetical Fallacies, Nov. 30, 1983, 2nd edition Mar. 1, 1996. Baker Publishing Group. 160 pages. ISBN 978-0801020865.
  35. ↑ Eight examples:
  36. ↑ Babylonian Talmud, Seder Mo'ed, Tractate Rosh Hashana, Folio 16b —scroll down to page 40
  37. ↑ Sifra (Aramaic סִפְרָא, "book" or "The Book"), a midrash halakhah from the school of R. Akiva on the Book of Leviticus.
    See Jewish Encyclopedia: Sifra;
    Encyclopaedia Judaica Vol 18 San-Sol 18:560-562 SIFRA;
    See Sifra Hebrew text, ed. I. H. Weiss 1862 Vienna.
  38. ↑ see Leviticus 5:2-6, 5:17-19; Numbers 15:29-31; 19:20.
  39. ↑ Mark 7:9-13; Matthew 15:1-9; 23:16-22
  40. ↑ James D. Price. King James Onlyism: A New Sect. Introduction: The King James Only Doctrine Is a New Idea.
  41. ↑ Klingon Bible Translation Project
  42. ↑ Bible Scientific Foreknowledge
  43. ↑ Clarifying Christianity. Science and the Bible (clarifyingchristianity.com)
  44. ↑ Modern medicine? It's not so modern! by David A. Wise (answersingenesis.org)
  45. ↑ "adjure" (oxforddictionaries.com). See Catholic Encyclopedia: adjuration.
    Authority, Justice, Law (stubbornthings.org) the authority required to legitimately adjure.
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