The Bible
The central A piece of writing that has religious significance. of Christianity is the The holy book of Christians. It has 66 books split into two sections: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books)., which is a collection of books gathered into one volume. There are more books in the Catholic Bible than in versions used by other A group within a religion. Christian denominations include, for example, Roman Catholic and Anglican denominations.:
- 46 books of the The first part of the Christian Bible which corresponds to the Hebrew Bible but is arranged differently., other denominations acknowledge 39 books
- 27 books of the The second part of the Christian Bible containing 27 books consisting of four types of literature: letters (epistles), gospels, history and prophecy., which is the same for other denominations
The Old Testament
The first part of the Bible is called the Old Testament. It begins with God鈥檚 creation of the universe and humanity. The Old Testament was written before the The belief that God took human form in Jesus Christ. It is also the belief that God in Christ is active in the Church and in the world. of The central figure of Christian history and devotion. The second person of the Trinity.. It begins with five books known as the Books of God鈥檚 Law - the rules on how to live a good religious life that God sent to the Jewish people via The man chosen by God to save the Jews from slavery and take them to the promised land. In the Qur'an he is a messenger chosen by God to give the revelation of the Torah to the Israelites.. In Judaism, these five books form the holy scriptures known as the Law; teaching. The word Torah can be used in a narrow sense to mean the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (The Five Books of Moses) and also in a wider sense to include the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud.. As a whole, the Old Testament describes the history, beliefs and culture of the Jewish people before Christianity. The word A person who had been baptised or who is a believer in Jesus and his teachings. means 鈥榝ollower of Christ鈥.
The New Testament
The second part of the Bible is called the New Testament. It starts with the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that each describe the life, death, The Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after the crucifixion. The rising from the dead of believers on the Last Day in a new, or risen, life. and For Christians, when Jesus went up to Heaven 40 days after he rose from the dead. of Jesus. At the very start of the New Testament is Matthew鈥檚 description of the birth of Jesus. Following on from the The teachings of Jesus and the apostles. is the The fifth book of the聽New Testament, its full title is 'Acts of the Apostles'. of the Apostles. The New Testament also contains the letters of leaders of the early (i) The whole community of Christians. (ii) The building in which Christians worship. (iii) A particular denomination., such as Formerly known as Saul, a first-century convert to Christianity who went on to spread the news about Jesus Christ., to the first Christians. It ends with the Book of Revelation, which tells Christians about the end of the world.
The role of the Bible
- Catholics believe the Bible reveals God鈥檚 word and God鈥檚 nature. Catholics believe that they can learn to understand God better by reading the Bible.
- Parts of the Bible are read during A church service which follows a set structure or ritual., for example A Roman Catholic service of worship that involves receiving Holy Communion..
- Worship using the Bible unites Catholics with other members of their faith.
- The Bible also plays a role in private worship, which many Catholics use to build a relationship with God.
The significance of the Bible
- Most Catholics accept the authority of the Bible because they believe its authors were inspired by the The third element of the 'Trinity' (God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit is active as God's presence and power in the world. to write the word of God.
- The Bible contains the The list of rules, revealed by God to Moses, found in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Also known as the Decalogue.. These act as basic guidelines for Catholics, helping them to know what they should and shouldn鈥檛 do.
- The Bible is where Catholics can read the teachings of Jesus. The Religious teaching usually given verbally to a group of believers.on the Mount is an example of a collection of these teachings. Catholics turn to these teachings to understand how to live a good Christian life.
- The Bible also reveals the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This is important as it helps Catholics to understand the place of The healing of a broken relationship between people and God. in their lives. They are able to understand that Jesus died to save their sins.