Verse: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Summary/ TL;DR
An ancient collection of books, divided into the Old and New Testament, beginning with the creation of mankind and finalizing with its judgement. Christians use the unity of the Old and New for scripture.
Introduction
What is the Bible? A commonly asked question, with varying answers due to differing perspectives. The “Historian” may use the Bible as a document to trace back historical events in a quest to dig into the past. The “Adventurer” may view the Bible filled with wonderful tales and thrills. The “Faithful” may use it as a resource to strengthen their relationship with God or to discover purpose. Others may view it through a more negative lens, as a collection of books of tribulations, darkness, and suffering. Regardless of how you view the Bible, it is the most influential book in human history.
Body
So what is the Bible? The name derives from the Greek term “biblia”, meaning books, or library. Therefore it is a collection of 66 books (Protestant Bible), written in 3 primary languages: Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, attributed to approximately 40 authors over a span of 1500 years. The Bible begins with Genesis, the beginning of creation and mankind, and ends with Revelation, the final judgement of mankind. The Bible is split into 2 divisions, the Old and New Testament, in other words, an old and new covenant (agreement) between God and his people. Judaism uses the Old Testament (the Tanakh) for their scripture, whereas Christians, who are under the New Covenant, use the unity between Old/ New Testaments as scripture.
As previously mentioned in my Introduction post, our focus is on the New Testament. Jesus is the central figure of the Bible, being prophesied in the Old, and living out his ministry and church in the New.
The New Testament can be divided into itself, into 5 separate divisions:
- The Gospels (good news)
- Synoptics (general view, shares similar structure, events, wording)
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- Independent Account
- John
- Synoptics (general view, shares similar structure, events, wording)
- History
- Acts(of the Apostles)
- Establishment of the Church, the acts of the Apostles
- Attributed to Luke
- Acts(of the Apostles)
- Pauline Epistles (letters to communities by Paul)
- Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
- Letters to targeted communities/ persons filled with teachings and theology
- Attributed to Paul
- Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
- General Epistles (letters to communities)
- Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude
- Letters to targeted communities/ persons filled with teachings and theology
- Authors are connected to each epistle titles, Hebrews author remains unknown
- Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude
- Prophecy
- Revelation
- Judgement day, a salvation of mankind
- Attributed to John the Apostle
- Revelation
Throughout the blog, as it stands at the moment, most of the blog posts I’ll be writing about will be primarily focusing on The Gospels, followed by Acts. As mentioned in my 5 division breakdown, the Gospels and Acts remain rooted in history, as the remaining divisions primarily focus on teachings, theology, and events to come.
Conclusion
This post remains to be a brief overview, offering a general summary of what the Bible is, but future posts will hone in on specifics. That includes dating the Bible, who the authors were, historic locations and events, reliability, etc. For this blog’s identity, we’re the earlier mentioned “Historian”, and we seek to bring the past back to life. Let’s unravel the truth.