Each generation of Christians discovers the Bible as Scripture. The English word Scripture comes from the Latin word which means "to write." Scripture is a collection of documents that speaks to the relationship between God and humanity and is shaped by a religious community.
In the case of the Bible, these documents
have been preserved and interpreted within the ongoing life of
the religious community for thousands of years.
Before the Bible was written, it was spoken. The stories were told and passed on within the community.
Even after the earliest Scriptures were
written down, they were still read out loud in community.
Individuals were encouraged to memorize large portions of
scriptures as a means of creating a strong sense of identity and
preserving the traditions.
"We are the inheritors of both the ancient Scriptures and the centuries of interpretation they have inspired.
We hear the Bible;
we read the Bible;
we sing the Bible;
we pray the Bible;
we preach the Bible;
we study the Bible;
and all of this shapes our understanding."*
1. The Old Testament was formed over a long time.
2. Can you imagine a world without a printed Bible?
3. Does your family have a family Bible? How many generations are recorded in it? Do you remember your first Bible? Did you purchase it or did a person(s) give it to you? How old were you when you received it? What did the Bible mean to you then and now?
From Stories to Scrolls to One Sacred Book The Bible is not a single book. Rather, it is more like a library. The Jewish Bible is called the TaNaKh.
1. Explore the Time Line of Biblical and World Events, which begins 3,000 years before the birth of Christ and ends at the birth of Christ. You can even print this chart out and use it for continuing study.
2. The Origins of the Hebrew Bible and Its Components by Mark Hamilton. The sacred books that make up the
anthology modern scholars call the Hebrew Bible - and Christians
call the Old Testament - developed over roughly a millennium.
(PBS Frontline, "From Jesus to Christ")
Next Page: From Stories to Scrolls to One Sacred Book
Option: No Frames
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*Maxine Clarke Beach, The Bible: The Book That Bridges the Millennia, p. 14.
Photos by Toge Fujihira (top right) and Paul Jeffrey (top left). Copyright © General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church. United Methodists, you can reproduce this picture on your web pages. See Reproduction and Copyright Information.
Disclaimer: Some links jump to outside sites for further information on the Bible, interpretations, the canon, translations, manuscripts, resources, and other perspectives. Links do not constitute an endorsement by the Women's Division of the information on other web sites. External web sites offer us diverse perspectives; afford us an opportunity to compare them to United Methodist positions; and, encourage us to critically analyze the issues raised by The Bible: the Book that Bridges the Millennia web pages.
