Apostle Paul

The Bible is the most readable book in the world, in addition, millions of people build their lives on it.
What is known about the authors of the Bible?
According to religious doctrine, God himself is the author of the Bible.
Studies have shown that the Bible was written and refined over the course of 1000 years by different authors in different historical eras.

As far as actual historical evidence of who wrote the Bible, that's a longer story.

Who Wrote the Bible: The First Five Books


Portrait of Moses by Rembrandt

According to Jewish and Christian dogma, the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (the first five books of the Bible and the entire Torah) were written by Moses around 1300 BC. The problem is that there is no evidence that Moses ever existed.
Scholars have developed their own approach to who wrote the first five books of the Bible, mostly using internal cues and writing style. It turned out that there are many authors, but they all diligently wrote in the same style.
Their names are unknown and scientists themselves gave them conditional names:

Eloiist - wrote the first collection of the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis, circa 900 BC
Yahweh - is considered the author of most of Genesis and some chapters of Exodus, about 600 BC. during Jewish rule in Babylon. Considered the author of the chapters on the appearance of Adam.

Destruction of Jerusalem under the rule of Babylon.

Aaron (high priest, brother of Moses in the Jewish tradition), lived in Jerusalem at the end of the 6th century BC. He wrote about kosher laws, the holiness of the Sabbath - that is, he practically created the foundations of the modern Jewish religion. Wrote the entire Leviticus and Numbers.

King Josiah

Joshua and Yahweh stop the sun in one place during the battle at Gibeon.

The following answers to the question of who wrote the Bible come from the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, which are believed to have been written during the Babylonian captivity in the mid-sixth century BC. Traditionally thought to have been written by Joshua Himself and Samuel, they now frequently clash with Deuteronomy due to their similar style and language.

However, there is a significant gap between the "discovery" of Deuteronomy under Josiah in 640 BC and the middle of the Babylonian captivity sometime around 550 BC. However, it is possible that some of the youngest priests who were alive in Josiah's time were still alive when Babylon took the whole country captive.

Whether it is these priests of the Deuteronomy era or their successors who wrote Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, these texts represent a highly mythologized story of their newfound people through the Babylonian captivity.


Jews, forced to work, at one time in Egypt.
With a complete and accurate examination of all the texts of the Bible, only one conclusion suggests itself - religious doctrines attribute the authorship of the Bible to God and the prophets, but this version of science does not stand up to scrutiny.
There are a great many authors, they lived in different historical eras, wrote entire chapters, while historical truth is intertwined with mythology.
As for the most famous prophet-authors of the Bible, Isaiah and Jeremiah, there is indirect evidence that they existed.

Gospels. The four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell the story of the life and death of Jesus Christ (and what happened after that). These books are named after the apostles of Jesus, although the actual authors of the books may have simply used those names.

The author of the first gospel to be written may have been Mark, who then inspired Matthew and Luke (John was different). In any case, the evidence suggests that Acts appears to have been written simultaneously (late 1st century CE) by the same author.

The Bible is the Book of books. Why is the Holy Scripture so called? How is it that the Bible remains one of the most widely read common and sacred texts on the planet? Is the Bible really an inspired text? What place is given to the Old Testament in the Bible and why should Christians read it?

What is the Bible?

Holy Scripture, or bible, is called a collection of books written by prophets and apostles, like us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The word "Bible" is Greek and means "books". main theme Holy Scripture is the salvation of mankind by the Messiah, the incarnate Son of the Lord Jesus Christ. IN Old Testament it speaks of salvation in the form of types and prophecies about the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. IN New Testament the very realization of our salvation through the incarnation, life and teaching of the God-man, sealed by His death on the Cross and Resurrection, is set forth. According to the time of their writing, the sacred books are divided into Old Testament and New Testament. Of these, the first contain what the Lord revealed to people through divinely inspired prophets before the Savior came to earth, and the second contains what the Lord Savior Himself and His apostles revealed and taught on earth.

On the Divine Inspiration of Holy Scripture

We believe that the prophets and apostles wrote not according to their own human understanding, but according to inspiration from God. He cleansed them, enlightened their minds and revealed secrets inaccessible to natural knowledge, including the future. That is why their Scriptures are called divinely inspired. “Prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21), testifies the holy Apostle Peter. And the apostle Paul calls the Scriptures inspired by God: “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). The image of Divine revelation to the prophets can be represented by the example of Moses and Aaron. To tongue-tied Moses, God gave his brother Aaron as mediators. To Moses’ perplexity, how he could proclaim the will of God to the people, being tongue-tied, the Lord said: “You” [Moses] “will be to him” [Aaron] “speak and put words (Mine) into his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and by his mouth, and I will teach you what you should do; and he will speak instead of you to the people; so he will be your mouth, and you will be to him instead of God” (Ex. 4:15-16). While believing in the divine inspiration of the books of the Bible, it is important to remember that the Bible is the Book of the Church. According to God's plan, people are called to be saved not alone, but in a society that is led and inhabited by the Lord. This society is called the Church. Historically, the Church is divided into the Old Testament Church, to which the Jewish people belonged, and the New Testament Church, to which Orthodox Christians belong. The New Testament Church inherited the spiritual wealth of the Old Testament - the Word of God. The Church has not only preserved the letter of the Word of God, but also has a correct understanding of it. This is due to the fact that the Holy Spirit, who spoke through the prophets and apostles, continues to live in the Church and guide it. Therefore, the Church gives us the right guidance on how to use her written wealth: what is more important and relevant in it, and what has only historical meaning and not applicable in New Testament times.

Summary of Important Translations of Scripture

1. Greek translation of the seventy interpreters (Septuagint). Closest to the original text of Scripture Old Testament- Alexandrian translation, known as the Greek translation of the seventy interpreters. It was started by the will of the Egyptian king Ptolemy Philadelphus in 271 BC. Desiring to have in his library the sacred books of Jewish law, this inquisitive sovereign ordered his librarian Demetrius to take care of acquiring these books and translating them into the Greek language that was generally known at that time and the most widespread. From each Israelite tribe, six of the most capable person and sent to Alexandria with an exact copy of the Hebrew Bible. The translators were placed on the island of Pharos, near Alexandria, and completed the translation in a short time. Orthodox Church has been used since apostolic times holy books according to the translation of seventy.

2. Latin translation, Vulgate. Before the fourth century AD, there were several Latin translations of the Bible, among which the so-called Old Italic, made according to the text of the seventy, enjoyed the greatest popularity for its clarity and special closeness to the sacred text. But after the blessed Jerome, one of the most learned Fathers of the Church of the 4th century, published in 384 his translation of the Holy Scriptures in Latin, made by him according to the Hebrew original, the Western Church gradually began to abandon the ancient Italic translation in favor of the translation of Jerome. In the 16th century, the Council of Trent put Jerome's translation into general use in the Roman Catholic Church under the name of the Vulgate, which literally means "common translation."

3. The Slavic translation of the Bible was made according to the text of seventy interpreters by the holy Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius in the middle of the 9th century AD, during their apostolic labors in the Slavic lands. When the Moravian prince Rostislav, dissatisfied with the German missionaries, asked the Byzantine emperor Michael to send capable teachers of the faith of Christ to Moravia, Emperor Michael sent Saints Cyril and Methodius to this great work, who knew the Slavic language thoroughly and had begun to translate the Holy Scripture into this language while still in Greece.
On the way to the Slavic lands, the holy brothers stopped for some time in Bulgaria, which was also enlightened by them, and here they did a lot of work on the translation of sacred books. They continued their translation in Moravia, where they arrived about 863. It was completed after the death of Cyril by Methodius in Pannonia, under the auspices of the pious prince Kotsel, to whom he retired due to civil strife in Moravia. With the adoption of Christianity under the holy Prince Vladimir (988), the Slavic Bible, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius, also passed to Rus'.

4. Russian translation. When, over time, the Slavic language began to differ significantly from Russian, reading the Holy Scriptures became difficult for many. As a result, the translation of books into modern Russian was undertaken. First, by decree of Emperor Alexander I and with the blessing of the Holy Synod, the New Testament was published in 1815 at the expense of the Russian Bible Society. Of the Old Testament books, only the Psalter was translated - as the most commonly used book in Orthodox worship. Then, already in the reign of Alexander II, after a new, more accurate edition of the New Testament in 1860, a printed edition of the law-positive books of the Old Testament appeared in Russian translation in 1868. The following year, the Holy Synod blessed the publication of historical Old Testament books, and in 1872 - teaching books. Meanwhile, Russian translations of individual sacred books of the Old Testament began to be frequently printed in spiritual journals. So the complete edition of the Bible in Russian appeared in 1877. Not everyone supported the appearance of a Russian translation, preferring Church Slavonic. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, and later St. Theophan the Recluse, St. Patriarch Tikhon, and other prominent archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke out in favor of the Russian translation.

5. Other translations of the Bible. On French The Bible was first translated in 1160 by Peter Wald. The first translation of the Bible into German appeared in 1460. Martin Luther in 1522-1532 again translated the Bible into German. On English language The first translation of the Bible was made by Beda the Venerable, who lived in the first half of the 8th century. A modern English translation was made under King James in 1603 and published in 1611. In Russia, the Bible was translated into many languages ​​of small peoples. So, Metropolitan Innokenty translated it into the Aleutian language, the Kazan Academy - into Tatar and others. Most successful in translating and distributing the Bible in different languages British and American Bible Society. The Bible has now been translated into over 1200 languages.
It should also be said that every translation has its advantages and disadvantages. Translations that seek to literally convey the content of the original suffer from heaviness and difficulty in understanding. On the other hand, translations that seek to convey only the general meaning of the Bible in the most understandable and accessible form often suffer from inaccuracies. The Russian synodal translation avoids both extremes and combines the maximum proximity to the meaning of the original with the lightness of the language.

Old Testament

The Old Testament books were originally written in Hebrew. Later books from the time of the Babylonian captivity already have many Assyrian and Babylonian words and turns of speech. And the books written during the Greek rule (non-canonical books) are written in Greek, the Third Book of Ezra is in Latin. The books of Holy Scripture came out of the hands of the holy writers appearance not the way we see them now. They were originally written on parchment or on papyrus (which was made from the stems of plants native to Egypt and Palestine) with a cane (a pointed reed stick) and ink. Strictly speaking, it was not books that were written, but charters on a long parchment or papyrus scroll, which looked like a long ribbon and was wound around a shaft. Scrolls were usually written on one side. Subsequently, parchment or papyrus ribbons, instead of being glued into scroll ribbons, began to be sewn into books for ease of use. The text in the ancient scrolls was written in the same large capital letters. Each letter was written separately, but the words were not separated from one another. The whole line was like one word. The reader himself had to divide the line into words and, of course, sometimes did it wrong. There were also no punctuation or stress marks in ancient manuscripts. And in the Hebrew language, vowels were also not written - only consonants.

The division of words in books was introduced in the 5th century by the deacon of the Church of Alexandria Eulalius. Thus, gradually the Bible acquired its modern look. With the modern division of the Bible into chapters and verses, reading the sacred books and searching for the right places in them has become a simple matter.

Sacred books in their modern fullness did not appear immediately. The time from Moses (1550 B.C.) to Samuel (1050 B.C.) can be called the first period of the formation of the Holy Scriptures. God-inspired Moses, who wrote down his revelations, laws, and narratives, gave the following command to the Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord: “Take this book of the law and lay it on the right hand of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God” (Deut. 31:26). Subsequent sacred writers continued to attribute their creations to the Pentateuch of Moses with the command to keep them in the same place where it was kept - as if in one book.

Old Testament Scripture contains the following books:

1. Books of the Prophet Moses, or Torah(containing the foundations of the Old Testament faith): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

2. Historical books: Book of Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Ruth, Books of Kings: First, Second, Third and Fourth, Books of Chronicles: First and Second, First Book of Ezra, Book of Nehemiah, Book of Esther.

3. teacher books(edifying content): the Book of Job, the Psalter, the book of Solomon's parables, the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Book of Song of Songs.

4. prophetic books(mostly prophetic content): The Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, the Book of the Prophet Daniel, the Twelve Books of the “minor” prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

5. In addition to these books of the Old Testament list, the Bible contains the following nine books, called "non-canonical": Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, the Book of Jesus, the son of Sirach, the Second and Third Books of Ezra, the three Maccabean Books. They are called so because they were written after the list (canon) of sacred books was completed. Some modern editions of the Bible do not have these "non-canonical" books, while the Russian Bible does. The above titles of the sacred books are taken from the Greek translation of the seventy interpreters. In the Hebrew Bible and in some modern translations of the Bible, several Old Testament books have different names.

New Testament

gospels

The word gospel means "good news", or - "pleasant, joyful, good news." This name is given to the first four books of the New Testament, which tell about the life and teachings of the incarnated Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, about everything that He did to establish a righteous life on earth and save us sinful people.

The time of writing each of the sacred books of the New Testament cannot be determined with absolute accuracy, but it is absolutely certain that they were all written in the second half of the 1st century. The first of the New Testament books were the epistles of the holy apostles, caused by the need to establish in the faith the newly founded Christian communities; but soon there was a need for a systematic exposition of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings. For a number of reasons, we can conclude that the Gospel of Matthew was written before everyone else and not later than 50-60 years. according to R.H. The Gospels of Mark and Luke were written a little later, but in any case earlier than the destruction of Jerusalem, that is, before the year 70 A.D., and the Evangelist John the Theologian wrote his Gospel later than everyone else, at the end of the first century, being already in extreme old age , as some suggest, around 96 years old. Somewhat earlier, the Apocalypse was written by him. The book of Acts was written shortly after the Gospel of Luke, because, as can be seen from its preface, it serves as a continuation of it.

All four Gospels, according to the story, tell about the life and teachings of Christ the Savior, about His suffering on the Cross, death and burial, His glorious Resurrection from the dead and ascension to. Mutually complementing and explaining each other, they represent a single whole book that does not have any contradictions and disagreements in the most important and fundamental.

A common symbol for the four Gospels is the mysterious chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw at the river Chebar (Ezek. 1:1-28) and which consisted of four creatures that resembled a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle in their appearance. These beings, taken individually, became emblems for the evangelists. Christian art, starting from the 5th century, depicts Matthew with a man or, Mark with a lion, Luke with a calf, John with an eagle.

In addition to our four Gospels, in the first centuries up to 50 other writings were known, which also called themselves "Gospels" and attributed to themselves an apostolic origin. The church classified them as "apocryphal" - that is, unreliable, rejected books. These books contain distorted and dubious narratives. Such apocryphal gospels include the First Gospel of James, the Story of Joseph the Carpenter, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Nicodemus, and others. In them, by the way, for the first time legends relating to the childhood of the Lord Jesus Christ are recorded.

Of the four gospels, the contents of the first three are from Matthew, brand And Luke- coincides in many respects, close to each other both in terms of the narrative material itself and in the form of presentation. The fourth gospel is from John in this respect, it stands apart, differing significantly from the first three, both in the material presented in it, and in the very style and form of presentation. In this regard, the first three Gospels are usually called synoptic, from the Greek word "synopsis", which means "exposition in one general image." The Synoptic Gospels narrate almost exclusively about the activities of the Lord Jesus Christ in Galilee, and the Evangelist John - in Judea. Forecasters tell mainly about miracles, parables and external events in the life of the Lord, the Evangelist John discusses its deepest meaning, cites the Lord's speeches about the lofty objects of faith. Despite all the differences between the Gospels, there are no internal contradictions in them. Thus, the synoptics and John mutually complement each other and only in their totality give an integral image of Christ, as he is perceived and preached by the Church.

Gospel of Matthew

Evangelist Matthew, who also bore the name of Levi, was one of the 12 apostles of Christ. Prior to his calling to the apostle, he was a publican, that is, a tax collector, and, as such, of course, he is not loved by his compatriots - the Jews, who despised and hated publicans because they served the unfaithful enslavers of their people and oppressed their people by collecting taxes, and in in their desire for profit, they often took much more than they should. Matthew tells about his calling in chapter 9 of his Gospel (Matt. 9:9-13), calling himself by the name of Matthew, while the evangelists Mark and Luke, talking about the same, call him Levi. The Jews used to have several names. Touched to the depths of his soul by the grace of the Lord, who did not disdain him, despite the general contempt for him by the Jews and especially the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people, scribes and Pharisees, Matthew wholeheartedly accepted the teachings of Christ and especially deeply understood his superiority over the Pharisees' traditions and views that bore the seal of external righteousness, conceit and contempt for sinners. That is why he gives such a detailed account of the Lord's powerful diatribe against the
the lowlies and the Pharisees - hypocrites, which we find in the 23rd chapter of his Gospel (Matt. 23). It must be assumed that for the same reason he especially took to heart the work of saving his native Jewish people, who by that time were so saturated with false concepts and Pharisees, and therefore his Gospel was written mainly for Jews. There is reason to believe that it was originally written in Hebrew and only a little later, perhaps by Matthew himself, translated into Greek.

Having written his Gospel for the Jews, Matthew sets as his main goal to prove to them that Jesus Christ is exactly the Messiah about whom the Old Testament prophets foretold, that the Old Testament revelation, obscured by the scribes and Pharisees, is clarified and perceives its perfect meaning only in Christianity. Therefore, he begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, wishing to show the Jews His origin from David and Abraham, and makes a huge number of references to the Old Testament in order to prove the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies on Him. The purpose of the first Gospel for the Jews is evident from the fact that Matthew, mentioning Jewish customs, does not consider it necessary to explain their meaning and meaning, as other evangelists do. It likewise leaves without explanation some of the Aramaic words used in Palestine. Matthew preached for a long time in Palestine. Then he retired to preach in other countries and ended his life as a martyr in Ethiopia.

Gospel of Mark

Evangelist Mark also bore the name of John. By origin, he was also a Jew, but he was not among the 12 apostles. Therefore, he could not be the constant companion and listener of the Lord, as Matthew was. He wrote his Gospel from the words and under the guidance of the Apostle Peter. He himself, in all likelihood, was an eyewitness only last days earthly life of the Lord. Only one Gospel of Mark tells of a young man who, when the Lord was taken into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane, followed Him, wrapped around his naked body in a veil, and the soldiers seized him, but he, leaving the veil, fled naked from them (Mark 14:51-52). In this youth, ancient tradition sees the very author of the second Gospel - Mark. His mother Mary is mentioned in the Book of Acts as one of the wives most devoted to the faith of Christ. In her house in Jerusalem, believers gathered for. Mark subsequently participates in the first journey of the Apostle Paul, along with his other companion Barnabas, to whom he was a nephew by his mother. He was with the Apostle Paul in Rome, from where the Epistle to the Colossians is written. Further, as can be seen, Mark became a companion and collaborator of the Apostle Peter, which is confirmed by the words of the Apostle Peter himself in his first Catholic Epistle, where he writes: “The Church in Babylon, chosen like you, and Mark, my son, greet you” (1 Pet. 5:13, here Babylon is probably an allegorical name for Rome).

Icon "Saint Mark the Evangelist. First half of the 17th century

Before his departure, the apostle Paul again calls him to himself, who writes to Timothy: “Take Mark ... with you, for I need him for my ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). According to legend, the Apostle Peter made Mark the first bishop of the Alexandrian Church, and Mark ended his life as a martyr in Alexandria. According to Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, as well as Justin the Philosopher and Irenaeus of Lyons, Mark wrote his Gospel from the words of the Apostle Peter. Justin even explicitly calls it "Peter's memorabilia." Clement of Alexandria argues that the Gospel of Mark is essentially a recording of the oral sermon of the Apostle Peter, which Mark made at the request of Christians living in Rome. The very content of the Gospel of Mark testifies that it is intended for Gentile Christians. It says very little about the relationship of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Old Testament and very few references to the Old Testament sacred books. However, we meet in it latin words, like speculator and others. Even the Sermon on the Mount, as explaining the superiority of the New Testament Law over the Old Testament, is omitted. On the other hand, Mark pays his main attention to giving in his Gospel a strong, vivid account of the miracles of Christ, thereby emphasizing the Royal majesty and omnipotence of the Lord. In his Gospel, Jesus is not the "son of David", as in Matthew, but the Son of God, Lord and Commander, King of the Universe.

Gospel of Luke

The ancient historian Eusebius of Caesarea says that Luke came from Antioch, and therefore it is generally accepted that Luke was, by origin, a pagan or a so-called "proselyte", that is, a pagan, prince

who was Judaism. By the nature of his occupation, he was a doctor, as can be seen from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians. Church Tradition adds to this the fact that he was also a painter. From the fact that his Gospel contains the instructions of the Lord to 70 disciples, set forth in full detail, they conclude that he belonged to the number of 70 disciples of Christ.
There is evidence that after the death of the Apostle Paul, the Evangelist Luke preached and accepted

Evangelist Luke

martyrdom in Achaia. Under the emperor Constantius (in the middle of the 4th century), his holy relics were transferred from there to Constantinople along with the relics of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. As can be seen from the very preface of the third Gospel, Luke wrote it at the request of a noble man, the “venerable” Theophilus, who lived in Antioch, for whom he then wrote the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, which serves as a continuation of the gospel narrative (see Luke 1: 1 -4; Acts 1:1-2). At the same time, he used not only the accounts of eyewitnesses of the ministry of the Lord, but also some of the written records that already existed at that time about the life and teachings of the Lord. In his own words, these written records were subjected to the most thorough research, and therefore his Gospel is distinguished by particular accuracy in determining the time and place of events and a strict chronological sequence.

The Gospel of Luke was clearly affected by the influence of the Apostle Paul, whose companion and collaborator was the Evangelist Luke. As an "apostle of the Gentiles," Paul tried most of all to reveal the great truth that the Messiah - Christ - came to earth not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, and that He is the Savior of the whole world, of all people. In connection with this main idea, which the third Gospel clearly pursues throughout its narrative, the genealogy of Jesus Christ is brought to the ancestor of all mankind, Adam, and to God Himself, in order to emphasize His significance for the entire human race (see Luke 3:23-38). ).

The time and place of the writing of the Gospel of Luke can be determined, guided by the consideration that it was written earlier than the Book of Acts of the Apostles, constituting, as it were, its continuation (see Acts 1:1). The book of Acts ends with a description of the two-year sojourn of the Apostle Paul in Rome (see Acts 28:30). This was about A.D. 63. Therefore, the Gospel of Luke was written no later than this time and, presumably, in Rome.

Gospel of John

Evangelist John the Theologian was a beloved disciple of Christ. He was the son of the Galilean fisherman Zebedee and Solomiya. Zebedee was, apparently, a wealthy man, since he had workers, he was apparently not an insignificant member of Jewish society, for his son John had an acquaintance with the high priest. His mother Solomiya is mentioned among the wives who served the Lord with their property. Evangelist John was at first a disciple of John the Baptist. Hearing his testimony about Christ as about the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, he immediately followed Christ together with Andrew (see John 1:35-40). However, he became a constant disciple of the Lord a little later, after a miraculous catch of fish on the Gennesaret (Galilee) lake, when the Lord Himself called him along with his brother Jacob. Together with Peter and his brother James, he was honored with special closeness to the Lord du, being with Him in the most important and solemn moments of His earthly life. This love of the Lord for him was also reflected in the fact that the Lord, hanging on the Cross, entrusted him with His Most Pure Mother, saying to him: “Behold your Mother!” (see John 19:27).

John traveled to Jerusalem via Samaria (see Luke 9:54). For this, he and his brother Jacob received from the Lord the nickname “Boanerges”, which means “sons of Thunder”. From the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor became the place of life and activity of John. In the reign of the emperor Domitian, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse (see Rev. 1:9). Returned from this exile to Ephesus, he wrote his Gospel there and died a natural death (the only one of the apostles), according to legend, very mysterious, at a ripe old age, being about 105 years old, in the reign of Emperor Trajan. According to tradition, the fourth gospel was written by John at the request of the Ephesian Christians. They brought him the first three Gospels and asked him to supplement them with the words of the Lord that he had heard from Him.

A distinctive feature of the Gospel of John is also clearly expressed in the name given to it in antiquity. Unlike the first three Gospels, it was predominantly called the Spiritual Gospel. The Gospel of John begins with the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ, and further contains whole line the most exalted speeches of the Lord, in which His Divine dignity and the deepest mysteries of faith are revealed, such as, for example, a conversation with Nicodemus about being born again with water and the Spirit and about the mystery of redemption (John 3:1-21), a conversation with a Samaritan woman about living water and about worshiping God in spirit and in truth (John 4:6-42), a conversation about the bread that came down from heaven and about the sacrament of communion (John 6:22-58), a conversation about the good shepherd (John 10:11-30 ) and especially remarkable in its content the farewell conversation with the disciples at the Last Supper (John 13-16) with the final wondrous, so-called "high-priestly prayer" of the Lord (John 17). John deeply penetrated into the sublime mystery of Christian love - and no one, like him in his Gospel and in his three Catholic Epistles, revealed so fully, deeply and convincingly the Christian teaching about the two main commandments of the Law of God - about love for God and about love. to the neighbor. Therefore, he is also called the apostle of love.

Book of Acts and Epistles

As Christian communities spread and increased in different parts of the vast Roman Empire, naturally, Christians had questions of a religious, moral and practical nature. The apostles, not always having the opportunity to personally analyze these issues on the spot, responded to them in their letters-messages. Therefore, while the Gospels contain the foundations of the Christian faith, the apostolic epistles reveal some aspects of the teaching of Christ in more detail and show it. practical use. Thanks to the apostolic epistles, we have a living testimony of how the apostles taught and how the first Christian communities were formed and lived.

Book of Acts is a direct continuation of the gospel. The purpose of its author is to describe the events that took place after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and to give an outline of the initial structure of the Church of Christ. This book tells in particular detail about the missionary work of the apostles Peter and Paul. St. John Chrysostom, in his conversation about the Book of Acts, explains its great significance for Christianity, confirming the truth of the gospel teaching with facts from the life of the apostles: “This book contains primarily evidence of the resurrection.” That is why on Easter night, before the glorification of the resurrection of Christ, chapters from the Book of Acts are read in Orthodox churches. For the same reason, this book is read in its entirety during the period from Pascha to Pentecost at the daily liturgies.

The book of Acts tells about the events from the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ to the arrival of the Apostle Paul in Rome and covers a period of about 30 years. Chapters 1-12 tell about the activities of the Apostle Peter among the Jews of Palestine; Chapters 13-28 - about the activities of the Apostle Paul among the pagans and the spread of the teachings of Christ already beyond the borders of Palestine. The narrative of the book ends with an indication that the apostle Paul lived in Rome for two years and preached the doctrine of Christ there without restraint (Acts 28:30-31).

Cathedral Epistles

The name "Cathedral" refers to seven epistles written by the apostles: one - James, two - Peter, three - John the Theologian and one Judas (not Iscariot). In the composition of the books of the New Testament of the Orthodox edition, they are placed immediately after the Book of Acts. They were called catholic by the Church in early times. "Cathedral" is "district" in the sense that they are addressed not to individuals, but to all Christian communities in general. The entire composition of the Epistles of the Council is named by this name for the first time by the historian Eusebius (beginning of the 4th century A.D.). The Catholic Epistles differ from the Epistles of the Apostle Paul in that they have more general basic doctrinal instructions, while the content of the Apostle Paul is adapted to the circumstances of those local Churches to which he addresses, and has a more special character.

The Epistle of the Apostle James

This message was intended for the Jews: "the twelve tribes scattered", which did not exclude the Jews living in Palestine. Time and place of the message are not specified. Apparently, the message was written by him shortly before his death, probably in the years 55-60. The place of writing is probably Jerusalem, where the apostle resided permanently. The reason for writing was those sorrows that the Jews of the dispersion suffered from the Gentiles and, in particular, from their unbelieving brothers. The trials were so great that many began to lose heart and waver in faith. Some murmured against outward calamities and against God Himself, but still saw their salvation in descent from Abraham. They looked at prayer incorrectly, did not underestimate the importance of good deeds, but willingly became teachers of others. At the same time, the rich were exalted above the poor, and brotherly love grew cold. All this prompted James to give them the necessary moral healing in the form of an epistle.

The Epistles of the Apostle Peter

First Epistle the Apostle Peter is addressed to "newcomers scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia" - the provinces of Asia Minor. By "newcomers" one should understand mainly the believing Jews, as well as the pagans who were part of the Christian communities. These communities were founded by the apostle Paul. The reason for writing the epistle was the desire of the Apostle Peter to “strengthen his brothers” (see Luke 22:32) in the event of discord in these communities and persecution that befell them from the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Appeared among Christians and internal enemies in the face of false teachers. Taking advantage of the absence of the Apostle Paul, they began to distort his teaching on Christian freedom and patronize all moral immorality (see 1 Pet. 2:16; Pet. 1:9; 2, 1). The purpose of this epistle of Peter is to encourage, console and confirm the Christians of Asia Minor in the faith, as pointed out by the apostle Peter himself: the grace of God in which you stand” (1 Pet. 5:12).

Second Epistle written to the same Asia Minor Christians. In this epistle, the apostle Peter warns believers with particular force against depraved false teachers. These false teachings are similar to those denounced by the Apostle Paul in the epistles to Timothy and Titus, and also by the Apostle Jude in his Catholic Epistle.

There is no reliable information about the purpose of the Second Catholic Epistle, except for those contained in the Epistle itself. Who were named "the chosen lady" and her children is unknown. It is only clear that they were Christians (there is an interpretation that “Mistress” is the Church, and “children” are Christians). As for the time and place of writing this epistle, one can think that it was written at the same time that the first one was written, and in the same Ephesus. The Second Epistle of John has only one chapter. In it, the apostle expresses his joy that the children of the chosen lady are walking in the truth, promises to visit her and insistently exhorts them not to have any fellowship with false teachers.

Third Epistle: addressed to Gaia or Kai. Who it was is not exactly known. From the apostolic writings and from Church Tradition it is known that several persons bore this name (see Acts 19:29; Acts 20:4; Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14, etc.), but to whom of them or to whom this epistle was written, there is no way to determine. Apparently, this Guy did not hold any hierarchical position, but was simply a pious Christian, a stranger. About the time and place of writing the third epistle, it can be assumed that: both of these epistles were written at approximately the same time, all in the same city of Ephesus, where the apostle John spent last years his earthly life. This message also consists of only one chapter. In it, the apostle praises Gaia for his virtuous life, firmness in faith and "walking in the truth", and especially for his virtue of accepting strangers in relation to the preachers of the Word of God, reproaches the power-hungry Diotrephes, reports some news and sends greetings.

The message of the Apostle Jude

The writer of this epistle calls himself "Judas, a servant of Jesus Christ, brother of James." From this we can conclude that this is one person with the apostle Judas from among the twelve, who was called Jacob, as well as Levi (not to be confused with Levi) and Thaddeus (see Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6: 16; Acts 1:13; John 14:22). He was the son of Joseph the Betrothed by his first wife and the brother of Joseph's children - Jacob, later Bishop of Jerusalem, nicknamed the Righteous, Josiah and Simon, later also Bishop of Jerusalem. According to legend, his first name was Judas, he received the name Thaddeus by being baptized by John the Baptist, and he received the name Leuveus by joining the ranks of the 12 apostles, perhaps to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot of the same name, who became a traitor. On the apostolic ministry of Judas after the Ascension of the Lord, tradition says that he preached first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and the Marching, and then in Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia, Persia and Armenia, in which he died a martyr, crucified on the cross and pierced with arrows. The reasons for writing the epistle, as can be seen from verse 3, were Jude's concern "for the general salvation of souls" and anxiety about the strengthening of false teachings (Jude 1:3). Saint Jude directly says that he writes because impious people have crept into Christian society, turning Christian freedom into a pretext for debauchery. These are, undoubtedly, false Gnostic teachers who encouraged depravity under the guise of "mortification" of sinful flesh and considered the world not a creation of God, but a product of lower forces hostile to Him. These are the same Simonians and Nicolaitans who are denounced by the Evangelist John in chapters 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse. The purpose of the epistle is to warn Christians against being carried away by these false teachings that flatter sensuality. The epistle is intended for all Christians in general, but its content shows that it was intended for a certain circle of people, into which the false teachers found access. It can be assumed with certainty that this epistle was originally addressed to the same Churches of Asia Minor, to which the apostle Peter later wrote.

The Epistles of the Apostle Paul

Of all the New Testament sacred writers, the apostle Paul, who wrote 14 epistles, was the most laborious in expounding the Christian doctrine. Due to the importance of their content, they are rightly called the "second Gospel" and have always attracted the attention of both thinkers-philosophers and ordinary believers. The apostles themselves did not disregard these edifying creations of their “beloved brother”, younger in time of conversion to Christ, but equal to them in the spirit of teaching and grace-filled gifts (see 2 Pet. 3:15-16). Constituting a necessary and important addition to the gospel teaching, the epistles of the Apostle Paul should be the subject of the most careful and diligent study of every person who seeks to gain a deeper knowledge of the Christian faith. These epistles are distinguished by a special height of religious thought, reflecting the extensive scholarship and knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures of the Apostle Paul, as well as his deep understanding of the New Testament teachings of Christ. Not found sometimes in modern Greek necessary words, the apostle Paul was sometimes forced to create his own verbal combinations to express his thoughts, which later came into wide use among Christian writers. Such phrases include: “to be resurrected”, “to be buried with Christ”, “to put on Christ”, “to put off the old man”, “to be saved by the bath of resurrection”, “the law of the spirit of life”, etc.

Book of Revelation or Apocalypse

The Apocalypse (or in Greek - Revelation) of John the Theologian is the only prophetic book of the New Testament. It predicts the future fate of mankind, the end of the world and the beginning of a new eternal life, and therefore, naturally, is placed at the end of Holy Scripture. The Apocalypse is a mysterious and difficult book to understand, but at the same time, it is the mysterious nature of this book that attracts the eyes of both believing Christians and simply inquisitive thinkers who are trying to unravel the meaning and significance of the visions described in it. There is an enormous number of books about the Apocalypse, among which there are also quite a few absurd works, this especially applies to modern sectarian literature. Despite the difficulty of understanding this book, the spiritually enlightened fathers and teachers of the Church have always treated it with great reverence as inspired by God. So, Dionysius of Alexandria writes: “The darkness of this book does not prevent one from being surprised at it. And if I do not understand everything in it, then only because of my inability. I cannot be a judge of the truths contained in it, and measure them by the poverty of my mind; guided more by faith than by reason, I find them only beyond my understanding.” Blessed Jerome speaks of the Apocalypse in the same way: “There are as many secrets in it as there are words. But what am I saying? Any praise for this book will be below its dignity. During the divine service, the Apocalypse is not read because in ancient times the reading of the Holy Scriptures during the divine service was always accompanied by its explanation, and the Apocalypse is very difficult to explain (however, in the Typicon there is an indication of the reading of the Apocalypse as edifying reading at a certain period of the year).
About the author of the Apocalypse
The author of the Apocalypse calls himself John (see Rev. 1:1-9; Rev. 22:8). According to the common opinion of the holy fathers of the Church, this was the Apostle John, the beloved disciple of Christ, who received the distinctive name “Theologian” for the height of his teaching about God the Word. His authorship is confirmed both by the data in the Apocalypse itself and by many other internal and external signs. The inspired pen of the Apostle John the Theologian also includes the Gospel and three Epistles. The author of the Apocalypse says that he was on the island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9). From church history it is known that of the apostles, only John the Theologian was imprisoned on this island. The proof of the authorship of the Apocalypse of the Apostle John the Theologian is the similarity of this book with his Gospel and epistles, not only in spirit, but also in style, and especially in some characteristic expressions. An ancient tradition dates the writing of the Apocalypse to the end of the 1st century. So, for example, Irenaeus writes: "The Apocalypse appeared shortly before this and almost in our time, at the end of the reign of Domitian." The purpose of writing the Apocalypse is to portray the coming struggle of the Church against the forces of evil; to show the methods by which the devil, with the assistance of his servants, fights against good and truth; give guidance to believers on how to overcome temptations; depict the death of the enemies of the Church and the final victory of Christ over evil.

Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Apostle John in the Apocalypse reveals common methods seduction, and also shows the sure way to avoid them in order to be faithful to Christ until death. Similarly, the Judgment of God, about which the Apocalypse repeatedly speaks, is the Last Judgment of God, and all the private judgments of God over individual countries and people. This includes the judgment on all mankind under Noah, and the judgment on the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah under Abraham, and the judgment on Egypt under Moses, and the double judgment on Judea (six centuries before Christ and again in the seventies of our era), and judgment over ancient Nineveh, Babylon, over the Roman Empire, over Byzantium and, more recently, over Russia). The reasons that caused the righteous punishment of God were always the same: the unbelief of people and lawlessness. In the Apocalypse, a certain extratemporality or timelessness is noticeable. It follows from the fact that the apostle John contemplated the fate of mankind not from the earthly, but from the heavenly perspective, where the Spirit of God led him. In an ideal world, the flow of time stops at the Throne of the Most High, and the present, the past and the future appear before the spiritual gaze at the same time. Obviously, therefore, the author of the Apocalypse describes some events of the future as past, and the past as present. For example, the war of the Angels in Heaven and the overthrow of the devil from there - events that happened even before the creation of the world, are described by the Apostle John as having happened at the dawn of Christianity (Rev. 12 ch.). The resurrection of the martyrs and their reign in Heaven, which covers the entire New Testament era, is placed by them after the trial of the Antichrist and the false prophet (Rev. 20 ch.). Thus, the seer does not tell about the chronological sequence of events, but reveals the essence of that great war evil with good, which goes simultaneously on several fronts and captures both the material and the angelic world.

From the book of Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

Bible Facts:

Methuselah is the main long-liver in the Bible. He lived for almost a thousand years and died at the age of 969.

More than forty people worked on the texts of Scripture, many of whom did not even know each other. However, there are no obvious contradictions or inconsistencies in the Bible.

From a literary point of view, the Sermon on the Mount, written in the Bible, is a perfect text.

The Bible was the first machine-printed book in Germany in 1450.

The Bible contains prophecies that were fulfilled hundreds of years later.

The Bible is published annually in tens of thousands of copies.

Luther's translation of the Bible into German marked the beginning of Protestantism.

The Bible was written for 1600 years. No other book in the world has undergone such a long and scrupulous work.

The Bishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton divided the Bible into chapters and verses.

49 hours of continuous reading is required to read the entire Bible.

In the 7th century, an English publishing house published a Bible with a monstrous misprint. One of the Commandments looked like this: "Commit adultery." Almost the entire circulation was liquidated.

The Bible is one of the most commented and quoted books in the world.

Andrey Desnitsky. Bible and archeology

Conversations with the father. Getting Started in Bible Study

Conversations with the father. Bible Study with Children

Not all people can answer the question: what is the Bible, although it is the most famous and widespread book on the planet. For some, this is a spiritual landmark, for others - a story that describes several thousand years of the existence and development of mankind.

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions: who invented the Holy Scripture, how many books are in the Bible, how old is it, where did it come from, and at the end will be given a link to the text itself.

What is the Bible

The Bible is a collection of writings compiled by various authors. The Holy Scriptures are written in different literary styles, and the interpretation proceeds from these styles. The purpose of the Bible is to bring the words of the Lord to the people.

The main topics are:

• creation of the world and man;
• the fall into sin and the expulsion of people from paradise;
• the life and faith of the ancient Jewish peoples;
• the coming of the Messiah to earth;
• life and suffering of the Son of God Jesus Christ.

Who Wrote the Bible

The word of God is written different people and in different time. Its creation was carried out by holy people close to God - the apostles and prophets.

Through their hands and minds, the Holy Spirit conveyed to people the truth and righteousness of God.

How many books are in the bible

The composition of the Holy Scripture of the Russian Orthodox Church includes 77 books. The Old Testament is based on 39 canonical writings and 11 non-canonical ones.

The Word of God, written after the birth of Christ, contains 27 sacred books.

What language is the Bible written in?

The first chapters were written in the language of the ancient Jews - Hebrew. The texts, compiled during the life of Jesus Christ, were written in Aramaic.

For the next few centuries, the Word of God was written in Greek. Seventy interpreters were involved in translating into Greek from Aramaic. Servants of the Orthodox Church use texts translated by interpreters.

The first Slavic Holy Scripture was translated from the Greek language and is the first book to appear in Rus'. The translation of the sacred assemblies was entrusted to the brothers Cyril and Methodius.

During the reign of Alexander I, the Bible texts were translated from Slavic language into Russian. It was then that the Synodal Translation appeared, which is also popular in the modern Russian Church.

Why is it the Holy Book of Christians

The Bible is not just a holy book. This is a handwritten source of human spirituality. From the pages of Scripture, people draw the wisdom sent by God. The Word of God is a guide for Christians in their worldly life.

Through the Bible texts, the Lord communicates with people. Helps to find answers to the most difficult questions. The books of Holy Scripture reveal the meaning of being, the secrets of the origin of the world and the definition of a person's place in this world.

By reading the Word of God, a person comes to know himself and his actions. Getting closer to God.

Gospel vs Bible - What's the Difference?

Holy Scripture is a collection of books divided into the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament describes the time from the creation of the world until the coming of Jesus Christ.

The gospel is the part that makes up the Bible texts. Included in the New Testament portion of Scripture. In the Gospel, the description begins from the birth of the Savior to the Revelation that he gave to His Apostles.

The gospel consists of several works written by different authors and tells the story of the life of Jesus Christ and His deeds.

What are the parts of the Bible?

Biblical texts are divided into canonical and non-canonical parts. Non-canonical include those that appeared after the creation of the New Testament.

The structure of the canonical portion of Scripture includes:

• legislative: Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus;
• historical content: those that describe the events of holy history;
• poetic content: Psalms, Proverbs, Songs of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Job;
• prophetic: writings of great prophets and small ones.

Non-canonical texts are also divided into prophetic, historical, poetic and legislative texts.

Orthodox Bible in Russian - the text of the Old and New Testaments

Reading Bible texts begins with a desire to know God's Word. The clergy advise the laity to start reading from the pages of the New Testament. After reading the New Testament books, a person will be able to understand the essence of the events described in the Old Testament.

To understand the meaning of what is written, you need to have at hand the works that give the transcript of the Holy Scriptures. An experienced priest or confessor can answer the questions that have arisen.

The Word of God can provide answers to many questions. The study of Bible texts is an important part of the life of every Christian. Through them, people come to know the grace of the Lord, become better and spiritually draw closer to God.

I once watched one of the many non-fiction films that expose faith in Scripture. It was called "Who Wrote the Bible", produced by the Air Force. Apparently, according to the plan of the creators, he was supposed to hit me in the heart - here, simple-minded Christians believe that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch, and British scientists have shown that this is clearly not the case! So believe after this Bible! This is a fairly common line of persuasion and is worth looking at in more detail.

The technique that is used in this kind of films, books and articles is innumerable - this is a "straw scarecrow". Instead of a real opponent, a convenient opponent is created, instead of a real discussion - a demonstrative beating of ignorant Christians by British scientists who proved it. The authors offer as a "Christian position" what could be called "naive fundamentalism" - the belief that, for example, that the entire Pentateuch was written personally by Moses - then they triumphantly show that this is not so, and the text was formed over a long time, with the participation of many people, and reflects a number of events in the history of ancient Israel. “But I thought it was the word of God,” the presenter pretends to be surprised.

Of course, we should exercise restraint in relation to statements that are made with reference to "scientists". Whenever in documentary you are told that "scientists believe that", the authors miss one important word - "some". Among researchers of the Old Testament, there is a very wide range of opinions, moreover, there is a fundamental difference in approaches - the "minimalists" believe that all the statements of the Bible should be considered unhistorical until their historicity is confirmed by some extra-biblical sources, based on a kind of "presumption guilt" of the biblical text, the "maximalists" consider historical everything that is not refuted by external sources, recognizing the "presumption of innocence" for the biblical authors. As a rule, the opinions of experts are more or less plausible guesses that can turn out to be true - or can be refuted, as has happened many times in history.

But in fact, the fact that the Pentateuch was written by many people over a long time, I learned during my conversion, and not from British scientists, but from believers whose books were devoted to this issue - and for whom the Bible, of course, was the word of God.

The argument that the authors of the film (and not only them) are trying to build for us - "The Bible was formed over a long time, its texts were created, united and edited by many people, therefore, the Bible is not the word of God" - is simply erroneous. This is a logical fallacy, which is called non sequitur (literally, "shouldn't be") in logic textbooks. One does not follow from the other.

Let's try to figure this out. How is Divine Revelation accomplished? Who really wrote the Bible? The picture that rises in front of many eyes is that a Book (Superbook, as one Christian animated series was called) falls from the sky, people start reading it, and this is how the Church arises. The revelation of the Book seems to suggest that human participation in its writing was either absent or minimal - ideally, the Book should miraculously fall into the hands of believers, in the worst case, the clergy should play the role of mere secretaries writing under the dictation of God. When British scholars (first German, then British, to be precise) come in and show that it bears little resemblance to divine dictation, but to a text composed by people who lived in a certain era, this picture is called into question.

But was it Biblical from the very beginning? The Biblical picture of Revelation is different - God does not drop texts from heaven, and does not even dictate them to secretaries.

God enters into communication with living people - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and other Prophets. God creates a community of believers and enters into a Covenant with it - these people become His people, and He becomes their God. God reveals Himself through events in the history of this people; as God himself says about himself in the First Commandment: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage"(Exodus 20:2) Not “God who parachuted text to you”, but “God who made a covenant with you and revealed His mercy and His judgment in the events of your history”.

God acts in history, in everything that happens, His plan unfolds. It is so in the life of nations; it is so especially in the lives of His chosen people, and it is so even in the lives of individuals - as the psalmist says, “Your eyes have seen my fetus; in your book are written all the days appointed for me, when not one of them was yet ”(Ps. 139:16)

"Naive fundamentalism" proceeds from the fact that history develops somehow independently of God, and He only from time to time discards the next portions of Revelation; for the Bible, however, God always acts in history - and directs everything that happens to his goals.

This means, in particular, that the process of forming a sacred text can be different, and, naturally, it develops in history (where else can it develop). At the same time, God's plan is invariably accomplished in him - to give us the Bible exactly in the form in which He wants it.

Another feature of biblical revelation is that it is through the people of God. Here we should pay attention to a certain feature of the English-language controversy around the Bible - which gets to us in translated films and books. It implies an extremely Protestant view of the relationship between Scripture and the people of God - Scripture is primary, the people of God are created by Scripture, these are people who accept the Bible as Divine Revelation, believe it, and try to live according to it.

For the Orthodox (as well as for the Catholics), the people of God is primary - first God creates the Old Testament Israel, and within Israel the familiar texts of the Old Testament arise, then God creates the Church, and the Church creates the New Testament. When the holy Apostle Paul writes his epistles, there is, of course, no established text of the New Testament yet - but the Church, to which he addresses, already exists, she already celebrates the Eucharist, the Lord already adds to her those who are being saved.

The text is created by a community of the faithful, people with whom God abides at all turns of their historical fate. The Holy Spirit works through all the faithful who contributed to the creation of the Bible, no matter how many.

At the same time, the action of the Holy Spirit does not destroy the personalities of the clergy - who remain people of their era, use the images of their culture and speak their own language. Unlike "automatic writing" and other occult practices in which fallen spirits use people as tools, God always communicates with people as free individuals. The Holy Spirit carefully guides people to the truth without destroying or suppressing their individuality.

Therefore, for us there is nothing frightening in the fact that the Bible was written by people - well, of course, it directly says "Holy men of God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21), neither in the fact that there were more priests than indicated in the list of Old Testament books, nor in the fact that, apparently, a number of Old Testament texts took on their current form gradually. Such was God's purpose, such were the means He chose to give us His word.

On the announcement - a view of Qumran - a place where hundreds of biblical manuscripts were found in the middle of the twentieth century. Photo source wikipedia.org

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Bible(from Greek βιβλία - books) or Holy Bible- a collection of Books (Old and New Testaments), compiled by the Holy Spirit (ie God) through the chosen, sanctified from God people: prophets and apostles. The collection and erection into a single book is accomplished by the Church and for the Church.

The word "Bible" is not found in the sacred books themselves, and was first used in relation to the collection of sacred books in the east in the 4th century by St. And .

Orthodox Christians, when talking about the Bible, often use the term "Scripture" (it is always written with a capital letter) or "Holy Scripture" (implying that it is part of the Holy Tradition of the Church, understood in a broad sense).

Composition of the Bible

Bible (Holy Scripture) = Old Testament + New Testament.
Cm.

New Testament = Gospel (according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) + Epistles of St. Apostles + Apocalypse.
Cm. .

The books of the Old and New Testaments can conditionally be subdivided into law-positive, historical, teaching and prophetic.
See diagrams: and.

The main theme of the Bible

The Bible is a religious book. The main theme of the Bible is the salvation of mankind by the Messiah, the incarnated Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament speaks of salvation in the form of types and prophecies about the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. The New Testament sets forth the very realization of our salvation through the incarnation, life and teaching of the God-man, sealed by His death on the cross and resurrection.

Inspiration of the Bible

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.()

The Bible was written by over 40 people who lived in different countries: Babylon, Rome, Greece, Jerusalem ... The authors of the Bible belonged to different social strata (from the shepherd Amos to the kings David and Solomon), had different educational levels (Ap. John was a simple fisherman, Apostle Paul graduated from the Jerusalem Rabbinic Academy).

The unity of the Bible is observed in its integrity from the first page to the last. In their diversity, some texts are confirmed, explained and supplemented by others. In all 77 books of the Bible there is some kind of unartificial, internal consistency. There is only one explanation for this. This Book was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the people chosen by Him. The Holy Spirit did not dictate the Truth from Heaven, but participated with the author in the creative process of creating the Holy Book, which is why we can notice the individual psychological and literary characteristics of its authors.

Holy Scripture is not an exclusively Divine product, but a product of the Divine-human co-creation. Holy Scripture was compiled as a result of the joint activity of God and people. At the same time, man was not a passive tool, an impersonal instrument of God, but was His co-worker, a partner in His good action. This position is revealed in the dogmatic teaching of the Church about the Scriptures.

Correct Understanding and Interpretation of the Bible

No prophecy in Scripture can be resolved by itself. For prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit. ()

While believing in the divine inspiration of the books of the Bible, it is important to remember that the Bible is a book. According to the plan of God, people are called to be saved not alone, but in a society that is led and inhabited by the Lord. This society is called the Church. not only retained the letter of the word of God, but also possessed a correct understanding of it. This is due to the fact that, who spoke through the prophets and apostles, continues to live in the Church and lead it. Therefore, the Church gives us correct guidance on how to use her written wealth: what is more important and relevant in it, and what has only historical significance and is not applicable in New Testament times.

Let us pay attention, even the apostles, who followed Christ for a long time and listened to His instructions, could not themselves, without His help, comprehend the Holy Scripture in a Christocentric way ().

How to deal with things that are not mentioned in the Bible

Holy Scripture is part of the Holy Tradition of the Church. The most important, but still a part. There is something in the Tradition of the Church that is not mentioned in Holy Scripture. The saint writes about this in his epistle “On the Holy Spirit” to Amphilochius:

“If we were to take it into our head to reject the customs that are not set forth in Scripture, as having no great power, then in an inconspicuous way for ourselves we would distort the most important thing in the Gospel, or rather, we would turn the sermon into an empty name. For example, (let me first remind you of the first and most general), who taught those who put their trust in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in writing to sign themselves with the sign of the cross? What scripture has taught us to turn towards the east in prayer? Which of the saints left us on a letter the words of invocation when showing the Bread of Thanksgiving and the Cup of Blessing? For we are not satisfied with those words that the Apostle or the Gospel mentioned, but both before and after them we pronounce others, as having great power to perform the Sacrament, having received them from a teaching not set forth in Scripture. Do we bless both the water of Baptism, and the oil of Anointing, and even the one who is baptized according to what rules set forth in Scripture? Is it not according to the mysterious tradition kept in silence? (ch. 27).

So, for true Christians, the "only that which is in Scripture" (Sola Scriptura) argument is obviously untenable. Moreover, the Protestants themselves, who put forward it, could not justify their words, replacing the real Church Tradition with many of their own "traditions".

Time of writing

The Bible books were written at different times for about 1.5 thousand years - before Christmas and after His birth. The former are called the books of the Old Testament, and the latter the books of the New Testament.

The Bible consists of 77 books; 50 is found in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
11 (Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, the Epistle of Jeremiah, Baruch, 2 and 3 books of Ezra, 1, 2 and 3 Maccabees) are not inspired by God and are not included in the canon of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament.

Language of the Bible

The books of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew (with the exception of some parts of the books of Daniel and Ezra, written in Aramaic), the New Testament - in the Alexandrian dialect of the ancient Greek language - Koine.

The original books of the Bible were written on parchment or papyrus with a pointed reed stick and ink. The scroll looked like a long ribbon and was wound around a shaft.
The text in the ancient scrolls was written in large capital letters. Each letter was written separately, but the words were not separated from one another. The whole line was like one word. The reader himself had to divide the line into words. There were also no punctuation marks, no aspirations, no stresses in the ancient manuscripts. And in the Hebrew language, vowels were also not written, but only consonants.

Bible canon

Both Testaments were first reduced to canonical form at local councils in the 4th century: the Council of Hippo in 393. and the Council of Carthage in 397.

The history of the division of the Bible into chapters and verses

The division of words in the Bible was introduced in the 5th century by the deacon of the Alexandrian church, Eulalius. The modern division into chapters dates back to Cardinal Stephen Langton, who divided latin translation bible, Vulgate in 1205. And in 1551, the Genevan printer Robert Stephen introduced the modern division of chapters into verses.

Classification of books of the Bible

The Bible books of the Old and New Testaments are conventionally divided into Legislative, Historical, Teaching and Prophetic. For example, in the New Testament, the Gospels are Legislative, the Acts of the Apostles are Historical, and the Epistles of Sts. Apostles and the Prophetic Book - Revelation of St. John the Evangelist.

Bible translations

Greek translation of the seventy interpreters – – was started by the will of the Egyptian king Ptolemy Philadelphus in 271 BC. The Orthodox Church since apostolic times has been using sacred books translated by 70.

Latin translation - Vulgate- was published in 384 by the blessed Jerome. Since 382, ​​the blessed one translated the Bible from Greek into Latin; at the beginning of his work, he used the Greek Septuagint, but soon switched to using the Hebrew text directly. This translation became known as the Vulgate - Editio Vulgata (vulgatus means "widespread, well-known"). The Council of Trent in 1546 approved the translation of St. Jerome, and it came into general use in the West.

Slavic translation of the Bible made according to the text of the Septuagint by the holy Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius, in the middle of the 9th century A.D., during their apostolic labors in the Slavic lands.

Ostromir Gospel- the first fully preserved Slavic manuscript book (mid-11th century).

Gennadiev Bible - the first complete handwritten Russian Bible. Compiled in 1499 under the leadership of the Novgorod archbishop. Gennady (until that time, biblical texts were scattered and existed in various collections).

Ostrog Bible - the first complete printed Russian Bible. It was published in 1580 by order of Prince Kons. Ostrogsky, the first printer Ivan Fedorov in Ostrog (the estate of the prince). This Bible is still used by the Old Believers.

Elizabethan Bible - Church Slavonic translation used in the liturgical practice of the church. At the end of 1712, Peter I issued a decree on preparing for the publication of the corrected Bible, but this work was already completed under Elizabeth in 1751.

Synodal translation – the first complete Russian text of the Bible. It was carried out on the initiative of Alexander I and under the leadership of St. . It was published in parts from 1817 to 1876, when the complete Russian text of the Bible was published.
The Elizabethan Bible came entirely from the Septuagint. The synodal translation of the Old Testament was made from the Masoretic text, but taking into account the Septuagint (highlighted in the text in square brackets).