The Bible of Judaism
The Jewish Bible focuses on the religious experiences of the ancient nation of Israel. It contains 24 books divided into three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The books were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic.
The Law
The first five books of the Jewish Bible are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Together, they are known as the Law because they explain and interpret God's laws. The five books also are sometimes called the Torah.
The Prophets
The prophetic books are divided into two groups: the Former Prophets and the Latter Prophets. Prophets were people of ancient Israel who spoke to the nation on behalf of God. They interpreted Israel's behavior in the light of God's laws and warned that punishment would come for breaking the laws. Many believers considered the frequent conquering of Israel by other nations as a sign that the prophets' warnings were true.
The Writings
The Writings section includes a variety of books. One of the most used books among the Writings is the Psalms, a collection of hymns and songs from various periods in the history of Israel.
The books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are books of wisdom. They use wise sayings, stories, and other types of literature to teach people about proper behavior and to explore problems such as good versus evil.
Many other works are included in the Writings as well. The books of Ruth and Esther are short stories, while the book of Daniel features stories and visions. The books Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) and Lamentations are collections of poems. Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles are books that interpret the history of Israel.
The Bible of Christianity
The Christian Bible is made up of two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is very similar to the Jewish Bible, but the books are arranged and numbered differently.
Not all Christian Bibles are exactly alike. Besides the 39 books of the Christian Old Testament, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches include some additional books that are not accepted by Protestants. These books are known as the Apocrypha. The Jewish Bible does not contain the Apocrypha either.
While Christians accept the Old Testament completely, they see it as incomplete without the New Testament. This outlook gets to the heart of a major difference between Judaism and Christianity. Jews are still waiting for God's promises, as revealed in their Bible, to be fulfilled. Christians see the promises of the Old Testament as having been already fulfilled by the life and works of Jesus Christ.
Like the Old Testament, the New Testament was written by many authors over a period of time. Christians created the New Testament after the death and resurrection of Jesus to aid in their mission of spreading the message about Jesus to the world. They also wanted to make sure information was correctly preserved for future generations. The material in the New Testament is thought to have been written between about AD 50–150.
The New Testament is made up of four different kinds of books: the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (letters), and Revelation. All of the books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek.
The Gospels
The Gospels give information on the life and teachings of Jesus. They are believed to have been written by four of Jesus' closest followers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Biblical scholars think that Matthew and Luke used the works of Mark to help write their Gospels. The Gospel of John contains much information not found in the other Gospels.
The Acts of the Apostles
Following the death of Jesus, followers came together in an organization known as the church. The early history of the church and its messengers (apostles) is discussed in the Acts of the Apostles.
The book can be divided into two main sections, the “acts of Peter” and the “acts of Paul.” Peter was one of Jesus' original followers and later became the first of the apostles. Paul was a missionary to the non-Jewish world of the Roman Empire. Roman authorities are believed to have killed both men.
The Epistles
Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 21 are Epistles, or letters. Many of these letters were written by St. Paul. He addressed some of them to individuals and others to churches. All of them were later copied and spread among the churches in the Roman Empire to give followers interpretations of the Gospel, solutions to local problems in the churches, and instructions on how to live a Christian life.
Perhaps the best-known Epistle is the Letter to the Hebrews, which scholars have decided was not written by Paul but by someone unknown. This book attempts to show how the ministry of Jesus fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament.
Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse of St. John the Divine, deals with the end of the world and the events leading up to it. A church leader named John is thought to be the book's author. The book sends a message of hope to Christians reminding them to keep their faith through trying situations because the Kingdom of God is near.
The Bible through the years
There were many pieces of religious writing in ancient Israel and in the days of the early church. Religious leaders debated which ones should be included in the Bible. The literature that was agreed upon to be part of the Bible is known as the canon of the Old and New Testaments.
It is believed that by the late 6th or early 5th century BC Jews thought of the books that came to make up the Law section of the Jewish Bible as authoritative. Since these books were the foundation of the religion, other books included in this Bible had to be in agreement with the Law. Although the various books of the prophets had probably been accepted by the late 4th century BC, no attempt was made to make a final selection to the Writings section until the end of the 1st century AD.
Likewise, the New Testament took centuries to shape. The early leaders of the Christian church knew they needed a reliable record of their beliefs. Original witnesses of the life of Jesus were dying. Thus, soon nobody would be left to give a first-hand account; new followers would have to repeat what they had heard, leading to error and misinterpretation. It took at least another 200 years, however, for the canon, or the accepted version, to be finalized.
The invention of printing in the late 15th century helped to put an end to human errors introduced when the canon was copied by hand. Printing also enabled the Bible to reach more people.
There have been many translations of the Bible. One of the most famous English translations was the King James Version. It was published during the reign of King James I of England in 1611. Modern translations of the Bible are often rephrased to help people better understand the works. Some versions use the word “person” instead of “man” to show that both sexes are being addressed.