According to Time magazine, the Bible has had a greater impact on art, politics, business, and society than any other book in history.
It’s a bold claim, yet it’s tough to refute. What other book may be seen on the nightstands of various hotels across the world? How many other works of literature have catchphrases like “an eye for an eye” and “eat, drink, and be merry?” The Bible’s availability has increased over time, and many online stores now have bibles for sale.
When one considers the number of versions purchased over the centuries – may be in the range of five billion to the present, boosted by an extra 100 million given away for free each year – there’s no denying that the Bible has had a huge influence on the Western society.
Including over 2 billion members, Christianity is the biggest and most popular institution. 42 million Britons consider themselves essentially Christian, with 6 million practising individuals.
Origination of Bible
Archaeologists’ analysis of written records have shed light on the origins of both sections of the Bible: the Old Testament, which narrates the story of the Jews’ peaks and troughs millennia before Christ’s birth, and the New Testament, which commemorates Jesus’ life and ministry. These discoveries may be incomplete and hotly contested, but they have helped historians build a picture of how the Bible came into existence.
Perhaps the greatest place to start the story is in sunny northern Egypt, where the Bible and anthropology may collide for the first time.
For millennia, the Old Testament has been widely interpreted as a story of tragedy and restoration, of the Israelites falling out of favour before rising, brushing themselves off, and finding redemption. This notion is most evident in Departure, the magnificent second volume of the Old Testament commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt to the great future.
It was commonly thought until the 17th century that the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – were penned by a single author, Moses. Since then, the concept has been heavily contested.
Who Wrote the Bible?
Scholars now believe that the narratives that became the Bible were passed down through the centuries through hearsay, in the form of verbal storytelling and songs – maybe as a way of forging a shared identity among some of Israel’s people. Many stories were eventually collected and carefully documented.
The Bible is focused on the one and only Lord, the Creator of all things. God’s purpose and aim are viewed as just, loving, and ultimately triumphant. The Hebrew Bible begins with an account of God’s creation of the earth, followed by the storey of the Israelites and their trek to the Promised Land. The New Testament is concerned with Jesus’ life, character, and ideas and the establishment of the Christian church.
The first of the three parts of the book is crafted in poetry style. It focuses on creating a passion for Christian faith and practice, with an increasing focus on the supremacy of religion over immorality. The second, a combination of literary works, celebrates Wisdom. The third, again a combination of poetry and narrative forms, demonstrates that Wisdom has led all of Israelite historical past. This passage also opposes the worship of idols.
The original book was most likely written in Greek; parts were unearthed in the Essene library in Palestine’s Qumran.
Since then, a lot of editions and abridged versions have been released and are on the market. One can avail them from online sources and get bibles for sale. And most probably, you can find many versions of the Bible there.
