The Bible is central during the church service where there is a reading from the Old TestamentThe first part of the Christian Bible which corresponds to the Hebrew Bible but is arranged differently. and the New TestamentThe second part of the Christian Bible containing 27 books consisting of four types of literature: letters (epistles), gospels, history and prophecy..
Prayers and creedA summary statement of religious beliefs, often recited in worship. which are said during the Sunday service often refer to passages from the Bible.
After the Bible is read there will usually be a sermon to explain what the Bible means for people in their daily lives. This means explaining and applying the Bible to worshippers today. This is usually done by the minister or pastor.
Some Protestants use a lectionaryA book that lists the scripture readings to be read at specific church services throughout the year. to help them read relevant parts of the Bible throughout the year.
Different Bible versions
The Old TestamentThe first part of the Christian Bible which corresponds to the Hebrew Bible but is arranged differently. was originally written in HebrewThe ancient language of the Jewish people. The language of the Torah, the Temple and the modern state of Israel. and the New TestamentThe second part of the Christian Bible containing 27 books consisting of four types of literature: letters (epistles), gospels, history and prophecy. was written in Greek.
The Bible was first translated into Latin. For many years it was only available in this language.
About 900 years ago John Wycliffe and then William Tyndale tried to translate the Bible into English, but their efforts were opposed by the Church.
The most significant event was the publishing of the English language Bible during the reign of James VI and IJames was King of Scotland as James VI from 1567 until his death in 1625. In 1603 he became James I of England - uniting the Kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland.. It was known as the King James Version. Since then there have been many versions of the Bible in English which have tried to update the language. These include The New International Version (NIV), The Good News Bible and The Message.