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