B I B L E I N T R O DU C T I O N

Lesson One

GETTING AQUAINTED WITH THE BIBLE

Welcome to an exciting adventure-the most important one you have ever taken!
There is nothing as exciting and important as becoming acquainted with and
really getting to know-THE BIBLE! The Bible is God’s Word, and to become
acquainted with it is to become acquainted with God Himself! The true and living
God who created all things desires to reveal Himself to each of us in a very
beautiful and wonderful way. As you open your Bible, open your heart also, and
let the God who brought the Bible into existence speak to you!

THE WORD “BIBLE”

The English word “Bible” comes from the Greek word “biblia”, which means
“collection of writings,” or “biblio,” which means “book”. Early copies of the
Scriptures were made on papyrus, a writing material made from the pith of the
papyrus plant. The English work “paper” finds its beginning from the word
“papyrus”. This tall, reed-like water plant was found in abundance both in the
Nile region of Egypt, and in Syria. In fact, large quantities of papyrus were sent
through the Syrian port of Byblos, and thought by some that this is where the
Greek word for “book” got its name.

For years, the word “Bible” has come to mean the sacred book accepted by
Christians as “The Word of God”. To differentiate between the Bible and other
books, the word “holy” is used before it; thus, the Holy Bible.

DIVISION OF THE BIBLE

The Bible is divided into two main division – the Old Testament and the New
Testament. The word “testament” comes from the Latin word “testis”, which
means a “witness”.

The Old Testament gives a witness of the reality of the true God. The New
Testament gives an even clearer picture of this God, because it records the
beautiful history of how He took upon Himself a body of flesh and blood, and
came into this world-revealing Himself to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ!

The word “testament” also means “a will”. The legal document in which a person
expresses his will and wishes in regards to his burial and the distribution of his
 belongings is called “the last will and testament”. We can therefore understand
that the Bible, which is divided into two testaments discloses to us the will of
God!

THE BOOKS

We shall see in more detail later that the Bible has only one author – God! The
forty men who wrote the Bible did so as the Holy Spirit moved upon them in a
supernatural way. Therefore, they were simply the writers-God is the author and
the originator. Since there is only one author of all sixty-six books, it is alright to
think of the Bible as only one book.

However, it is also correct to think of the Bible as a whole library of books. The
Old Testament has thirty–nine books. It is easy to remember this! Count the
number of letters in the word “Old”, then count the number of letters in the word
“Testament”. 3 and 9 put together is thirty-nine (39). The New Testament has
twenty-seven books. The number of letters in “New Testament” is the same as in
“Old Testament”. Simply multiply 3 x 9 which is equal to twenty-seven (27).

The sixty-six books are divided into chapters and verses. There are 1189 chapters
in the Bible, and 31,163 verses. These chapters and verses were not a part of the
original manuscript, but were added to enable the study of the Bible. Imagine
trying to find something in the book of Isaiah if this large book were not divided
into chapters and verses!

The Old Testament is divided as follows:

1. LAW (ALSO CALLED PENTATEUCH) (5 BOOKS)

Genesis Leviticus Deuteronomy
Exodus Numbers

2. HISTORY (12 BOOKS)

Joshua II Samuel II Chronicle
Judges I Kings Ezra
Ruth II Kings Nehemiah
I Samuel I Chronicles Esther

3. POETRY (5 BOOKS)
Job Proverbs Song of Solomon
Psalms Ecclesiastes
 4. PROPHECY (17 BOOKS)
Isaiah Joel Habakkuk
Jeremiah Amos Zephaniah
Lamentations Obadiah Haggai
Ezekiel Jonah Zechariah
Daniel Micah Malachi
Hosea Nahum

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The New Testament is divided as follows:

1. GOSPELS (4 BOOKS)
Matthew Mark Luke John

2. HISTORY (1 BOOK)
Acts of the Apostles

3. EPISTLES (21 BOOKS)

Romans I Thessalonians James
I Corinthians II Thessalonians I Peter
II Corinthians I Timothy II Peter
Galatians II Timothy I John
Ephesians Titus II John
Philippians Philemon III John
Colossians Hebrews Jude

4. PROPHECY (1 BOOK)
Revelation

FINDING THE BOOKS

All Bible contains an index before the first book, listing the books and the page
numbers where they may be found. Some indexes also include the books
alphabetically arranged for easier reference. Students of the bible, however, are
encouraged to memorize the books of the Bible as soon as possible, as this will
save you much time in searching for Scriptures in your Bible.

As we continue our study of the Bible, we will now begin to use the Bible itself as
our textbook. Find and carefully read all reference give. (Example Mark 7:13
means the book of Mark, Chapter 7, and verse 13)
OTHER NAMES AND TITLES OF THE BIBLE

1. The Word of God. Of all the names given to the Bible, this is perhaps the most
significant, impressive and complete. It expresses the idea that the Bible is “God
speaking to man.” This title is used frequently in both the Old and New
Testaments.

2. The Scriptures. This title is used only once in the Old Testament, but was
used frequently (52 times) by the New Testament writers. It comes from the Greek
work “kathab”, which means “writing”. It is used only in reference to sacred
writings.

REFERENCES

Daniel 10:21; Matthew 22:29; Mark 7:13; Luke 24:27, 44-45; John 5:39; Acts 17:11;
Romans 1:2; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12; II Timothy 3:15-16; Ephesians 6:17

VOCABULARY
originator - creator

differentiate - to be or make a difference in

manuscript - a written, or typewritten book, article, etc.

supernatural - existing outside man’s normal experience, or the known

laws of nature