Module 06: The Bible

The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, with small portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek. Unless a reader knows these ancient languages, the words on the page have already passed through a process of translation before they are read. Therefore, almost all Christians today read the Bible in translation.

Christians believe that God communicates with human beings. The Bible describes God communicating through prophets, dreams, visions, wisdom, conscience, the Holy Spirit, the teachings of Jesus, and human speech and writing. Christians commonly use the word inspiration when discussing the relationship between God’s Spirit and human expression, but what does it actually mean for something to be inspired by God?

The collection of books recognized as Scripture is known as the biblical canon. The word canon comes from a Greek word meaning “rule,” “measuring rod,” or “standard.” In Christianity, the term refers to the collection of writings that a religious community recognizes as authoritative Scripture.

The New Testament is the second major section of the Christian Bible. It focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the growth of the early Christian movement, and the beliefs that shaped the first Christian communities.

The Old Testament is the first major section of the Christian Bible. It contains the writings that Christians inherited from ancient Israel and shares much of its content with the sacred Scriptures of Judaism.

The Old Testament contains writings associated with ancient Israel and is traditionally organized into several major categories. The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—are often called the Five Books of Moses, the Law, the Torah, or the Pentateuch.

The Bible is the central sacred text of Christianity. Christians believe the Bible contains writings that reveal God’s character, God’s relationship with humanity, and God’s purposes for the world. It serves as the primary source for Christian beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, morality, worship, and the history of God’s interaction with humanity.

See all of the sections in Module 6.