1. WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE?
- The Christian Bible is the sacred scriptures in Biblical Christianity and it is comprised of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
- The word “Bible” itself comes from the Greek word; bíblos (βίβλος), meaning "book”.
2. WHO WROTE AND COMPILED THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE?
- Technically speaking, it was penned in different languages, over a number of millennia, across different continents, by a wide range of authors (who differed in educational level, social status, occupation, lifestyle etc).
- However, it was essentially authored by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, John 16:13, Hebrews 1:1-2, Acts of the Apostles 4:24-25, Matthew 22:43-44, etc)
- Also, the way that the Old Testament was compiled (Exodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 31:9, etc) is not exactly the same way that the New Testament was compiled (Luke 1: 1-4, 1 Timothy 3:14-15, etc)
[Kindly note that this is a highly simplified description concerning the: origins, transmission, preservation and history of the Christian Bible].
3. WHAT DOES THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE CONTAIN?
- The Christian Bible is not just a book, but it is a compilation of ancient books (some of which themselves are collections).
- Most modern Christian Bibles contain 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
4. WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE?
- The original documents written (in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) by those who penned the Christian Bible are no longer available. However, copies were made, and these were also used to make copies. This process continued and enabled us to have access to copies that still exist today.
- There are copies which exist in various languages: Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, etc.
- When these are translated into languages that we can understand, different factors will determine the finished product.
- This is because different languages have differences in: vocabulary, range of meanings for individual words, figures of speech, idiomatic expressions, word order of subject-verb-object, etc.
- Also, languages change over time, so revisions may be necessary so as to maintain the meaning in the receptor language.
- Therefore, “word-for-word” translations from the source material will not always be comprehensible (or possible) in some cases. Hence; “thought-for-thought” translations.
[kindly note that this is a highly simplified explanation].
TO BE CONTINUED...
