The Bible Facts!
Key Bible Facts and
Issues to Consider:
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a
collection of books (Biblos) revealing God's Salvation plan for
man. The Bible is a superb symphony of orchestrated
interrelated themes, such
as the Blessed Trinity, Creation, Praise, sin, the Ark,
Sacrifice, Heaven, Hell, Judgement, Revelation, and
Redemption.
These themes are
initiated in the Old Testament, and developed and fulfilled in
the New Testament. Bible themes are expressed in modes
such as narratives, poetry, letters, biographies,
chronicles, examples, sermons and
parables.
Who determined which Books were to be
included or excluded from the Bible?
The Catholic Church
determined which books were to be included and excluded from
Bible. To accept the Bible, while denying the early Church
(with its Bishops, Bishop of Rome, Priests and Councils) that
composed the Bible is an absurdity.
What was the basis for including or excluding
certain books of the Bible?
Early
Church Councils reviewed submitted books, and
tested them against Church
tradition. Books contradicting Catholic Church Tradition
(for example denying the Divinity of Jesus) were
excluded. The final canon (list) of Bible books was
issued by the Council of Rome in 382 AD, and promulgated by
Pope Damasus.
Why was the Bible
written?
The
Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so
that we might learn how God loves, thinks and what he expects
from us. The original New Testament, in
particular, was
written by Catholic men, married to the Church, under the
Spirit's inspiration, so that we might learn about the God's
plan for the Church and His people.
What are the
Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha are
those books rejected as non-Bibical and contrary to Catholic
Church tradition, and are not included in the canon of the
Bible.
How many Versions of the Bible are
there?
There are more than 80,000 versions of the
Bible. New versions of the Bible continue to be added or
updated. Popular English versions include American
Standard, Jerusalem and King James
versions.
How do Bible versions differ from one
another?
Versions of the
Bible differ from another in age, languages, books they include
and translations from original texts.
What are the
original languages of the Bible?
The original languages
of the Bible are Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
Who wrote the
Bible?
While the Catholic Church states
that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, the
human authors of the Bible are many, both known and
unknown. The only portion of the Bible written directly
by God, is the Ten Commandments. The original ten
Commandments (together with the manna and Aaron's rod)
had been preserved in the Ark of the Covenant, but that
is now lost.
We do not learn about the
existence of the new Ark of the Covenant until the 11th
Chapter of the Book of Revelations in the New Testament,
when the gates of the new temple of Jerusalem are opened
revealing the Ark. In the 12th Chapter of Revelations,
the woman (Mary, the new Eve) who carries Jesus, is
revealed.
In a similar
manner, the mistake made by Adam in the garden of Eden, is
redeemed by Jesus in The Garden of Gethsemane in the New
Testament.
This common
thread between Old and New Testaments, although greatly varied
in time and language, points to a common
author.
How old is the
Bible?
Parts of the
Bible are thousands of years old. The first canonical complete
Bible is from the time of the Council of Rome (382
AD).
How is the Bible organized?
The Bible is divided
into the Old and New Testament.
The Old
Testament records Salvation History prior to the time of Jesus.
Jews call the Old Testament, The Tanakh, and is divided into 3
parts, the first of which is the Torah.
The New Testament
records the life of Jesus, as well as the acts of the early
Church.
Who can interpret the meaning of the
Bible?
While it is tempting
to suppose that everyone interprets the Bible in the same way,
such is not the case. While in many sections, the meaning of
the Bible is clear, in other sections, the Church is required
to interpret the Bible. Early interpretations of New
Testament Scripture are by the Fathers of the
Church.
The Bible
Facts
Continued
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