BIBLE, THE HOLY - (Gr. the books) A collection of Sacred Writings divided into the Old Testament, consisting of 39 books written before the Incarnation of our Lord, and the New Testament, 27 books written after the life of Christ on earth. The Bible contains truths revealed by God through inspired writers. The Church, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the rightful interpreter of the Bible. The original Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language, and the New Testament in the Greek. Today the Bible is translated into every language.

The written record of God’s revelation is the Bible, which means the book, or the books. The Bible is also called the Holy Scriptures. Scripture as a word simply means writings.

The Bible was written over thousands of years by many different people. It is divided into two testaments or covenants. These words signify agreements, pacts, or we might say, “deals.” The two basic covenants are the old and the new; each has its own scriptures. As a book, the Bible contains many different kinds of writings: law, prophecy, history, poetry, stories, aphorisms, prayers, letters and symbolical visions.