Session 1: Lesson 2 - The Bible is a library
Introducing the Bible, an amazing collection of ancient books.
As you come to this session, take a moment to pause, to breathe and ask God to be with you.
Watch
Read
2 Peter 1.16–21
16For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, 18we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Review
The Bible is big! Whatever size Bible you own, there’s a lot of content inside the cover.
Have a quick guess at roughly how many words, verses and chapters are in the Bible. Click the links to reveal the answers.
... around 800,000 words in English, depending on the translation
... around 31,000 verses
... around 1,200 chapters
The Bible is a unique collection of books written over a period of 1500 years by various authors including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen and scholars. It includes three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) and covers hundreds of controversial subjects. Yet is has a harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation.
The word Bible (in Greek, Biblia) means ‘books’. It is like a library with two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Test your Bible knowledge with the following questions:
1. Which book in the Bible is the oldest?
Wrong! Try again
Wrong! Try again
Correct! Probably Job.
2. Which is the shortest book in the Bible?
Correct!
Wrong! Try again
Wrong! Try again
3. Which of these books do not mention God?
Correct!
Correct!
Wrong! Try again
4. What is the last book of the Old Testament?
Wrong! Try again
Correct!
Wrong! Try again
5. What is the first book of the New Testament
Correct!
Wrong! Try again
Wrong! Try again
Just as bookshops arrange titles by genre (sci-fi, crime etc), so the Bible also contains different genres.
Click on the genres to see where they appear in the Bible.
Click 'Explore' and zoom in to explore the Storyline and reveal more information.
Reflect
As you consider the Bible as a library, which books are you most looking forwards to exploring further? Pray that God will help you grow in understanding through The Bible Course.
Lord, thank you for this amazing collection of stories, events and people in the Bible. Thank you that as I read and engage with your word I can grow in knowledge, understanding and relationship with you.
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Next up:
Session 1: Lesson 3 - The Bible is a Story
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Discover how this amazing collection of books forms a unified story
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