Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. Romans 4:16

There are many things in life in which we find will transcend and pass away. When I was young, I always wonder whether there is anything in this world that truly lasts forever. As look at sad events around me and even temporary happiness, I see that they never truly last forever. When I was a young believer, I always have pounding questions about God, the Bible, and especially the Bible with its longstanding history. Is it possible for one such book containing so many stories actually last through thousands of years? Who wrote the Bible? If the Bible is the Word of Bible, why did God record so many things for us to read? I have problem reading an entire magazine for long before I put it down once I hit a boring article. Let’s admit it, how many of you Christians out there can truly say you have read the Bible cover-to-cover at least once since you became a Christian?

Do you get embarrassed when a non-believer ask you about the Bible, the characters, the history, the authors (who physically wrote the Bible), what were their motivations and purpose, when was it written and under what conditions were the books written, how many books are there in the first place, and etc, etc? Hence, I went on a journey in the early days of my newly acquired faith to find out more about the Bible which every Christian holds in their hands. I want to understand more especially when someone tells me God speaks to me through the Bible which is His heart beat, His Spirit, His guidance, His comforts for me, His saving grace, Hi plan for my life now and eternity. I was on fire and I was hungry for the Word of God. But being a careful and inquiring person, I tend to find out more before I take any actions or put my conviction based on truth.

Hence, I began my journey 25 years ago to search the truth about the Bible. What I found was beyond words and descriptions for my journey has brought a renewed mind, many revelations, became my comforts in times of sorrows, and my strength to continue with my life journey. And I hope this article and many more to come about the Word of God which is our breath of life will bring a great revelation to you just as it did for me.

Well, before we cook, we check the cookbook for the right ingredients for the right amount to apply using the right techniques and at the right time produces a delicious dish for enjoyment. So, before we discover what the Bible can do for us, let us first discover what the Bible is and is not.

This article may sound “technical” in the beginning but it is the basis or structure of what the Bible is today. Please bear with until the final dish is served.

Let’s look at the ingredients that form the structure of the Bible.

1.    Introduction to the Bible

Names of the Bible

The word Bible is not in the English version of Scripture. It is the equivalent of the Greek word, Biblia, meaning books. The term the Books (‘ta Biblia’ in Greek) occurs in Daniel 9:2 of the Septuagint, referring to the prophetic writings. The usage was taken up by the Christian Church for the O.T., and later was extended to mean the whole of the Scriptures. The Bible came to be termed such by Clement in the middle of the 2nd Century; he called the sacred writings ‘ta Biblia’ – The Books. Jerome’s name for the Bible (4th centry) was The Divine Library. Afterward there was an important change, from the plural to the singular meaning. In the 13th century The Books, by common consent, became The Book – The Bible.

Languages of the Bible

The O.T., with the exception of Ezra 4:8 – 6:18; 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4-7:28 was written in Hebrew. These passages were written in Aramaic (the so-called ‘Chaldee’), a dialect related to Hebrew which gradually took its place as the spoken language, after the exile.

The language of the N.T. was the common (Hellenistic) Greek, or Hebrew-Greek, so-called because the Jews introduced so many of their own idioms into the Greek which became well known through the influence of the Septuagint and Jewish business men who traveled everywhere. This was the commercial language spoken throughout the Roman Empire at the time of Christ; and it was most adapted to express Christian doctrine. The Bible is now printed in over 1,100 languages and dialects.

Divisions of the Bible

The O.T. 5 Divisions – 39 books:

1. The Pentateuch – 5 books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
2. The 12 historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
3. The 5 poetical books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (Canticles)
4. The 5 books of the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
5. The 12 books of the Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The N.T. 5 Divisions – 27 books:

1. The 4 Gospels: History of the Messiah: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
2. The historical book: Acts of the Holy Spirit and the apostles
3. The 14 Pauline epistles: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
4. The 7 general epistles: James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
5. The Prophetical book: Revelation