Bible story

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Bible stories, retellings of certain portions of the Bible, have long had a place in family religious worship, spiritual instruction, literature, and the cultural underpinnings of many Christian and Jewish and Muslim societies. In many Christian churches, they are regular ingredients of Sunday School curricula. The underlying spiritual principles in many of these stories are also used in preaching and teaching for Jewish, Muslim and Christian adults as well. The Tanakh, also known as the Old Testament, contains stories about the creation and fall of humanity, the covenant God established with Abraham, and the history of the 'Chosen People' of Israel. The New Testament in the Christian Bible contains stories about the life of Jesus, the parables he told, and about the first period of apostolic activities. The Quran or the Muslim holy book, also contains many of the same stories.

Contents

Purpose

The reason that people read the Bible is because it is a way for them to communicate with God. [1] Christians believe that the Holy Spirit was speaking through the authors of any given part of the Bible, therefore any stories are direct words from God. Stories in the Bible also help to show examples of how Christians should live their lives on a day to day manner. Any story that a person can learn a lesson from is called a parable, and the Bible is full of them.

Authors

Although some believe that it is God's direct word in the Bible, humans actually physically wrote the words. A lot of the Hebrew Bible authors were prophets, including Abraham and Ezekiel, but there were also many other unknown authors. [2] All of the stories in the Hebrew Bible are from before the birth of Jesus. This includes the beginning of the earth story in Genesis and other stories about the Jews interacting with God through prophets. The New Testament is the story of Jesus, along with the earliest written Christian materials. [3] A large portion of the New Testament is the Gospels attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, also known as the four Evangelists. The Evangelists were disciples of Jesus, and all told his story in a different way.

Timeline and Location

It is believed that the Hebrew Bible started to be put together in the 8th century B.C. Deuteronomy and Judges were added in the 6th Century B.C., and within the years leading up to the birth of Jesus the rest of it was put together. The Hebrew Bible was originally written in Hebrew, but was later translated into Greek. [3] The New Testament was gathered and put together after Jesus's death. St. Paul's letters were circulated until they were eventually gathered into books, and later the Gospels were written and added. At this time people started to tell the stories of Jesus and his miracles, starting an oral tradition that still continues today.

Popularity

The Bible is the most published book ever with over 50 billion copies sold and distributed. [2] It has been translated completely into 683 languages, but small parts of it have been translated into thousands of languages and dialects around the world. About one-third of the world's population is Christian. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Matthew the Apostle Christian evangelist and apostle

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New Testament Second division of the Christian biblical canon

The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity. The New Testament's background, the first division of the Christian Bible, is called the Old Testament, which is based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible; together they are regarded as sacred scripture by Christians.

Prophet Person claimed to speak for a divine being

In religion, a prophet is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the supernatural source to other people. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy.

Revelation The revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity

In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.

A. Roy Eckardt, a pioneer in the field of Jewish-Christian relations, asserted that the foundation of antisemitism and responsibility for the Holocaust lies ultimately in the New Testament. Eckardt insisted that Christian repentance must include a reexamination of basic theological attitudes toward Jews and the New Testament in order to deal effectively with antisemitism. While the consensus among historians is that Nazism as a whole was either unrelated to Christianity or actively opposed to it.

The religious perspectives on Jesus vary among world religions. Jesus' teachings and the retelling of his life story have significantly influenced the course of human history, and have directly or indirectly affected the lives of billions of people, even non-Christians. He is considered by many to be one of the most influential persons to have ever lived, finding a significant place in numerous cultural contexts.

Four Evangelists New Testament authors

In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles: Gospel according to Matthew; Gospel according to Mark; Gospel according to Luke and Gospel according to John.

Jesus Central figure of Christianity

Jesus, c. 4 BC – AD 30 / 33, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited messiah, prophesied in the Old Testament.

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New Covenant Christians believe that the promised New Covenant was instituted at the Last Supper

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Rich man and Lazarus

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Parables of Jesus Parables taught by Jesus of Nazareth according to Christian gospels

The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the words of Jesus.

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Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen Parable of Jesus

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Luke 16

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This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.

Islamic holy books are the texts which Muslims believe were authored by Allah through various prophets throughout humanity's history. All these books, in Muslim belief, promulgated the code and laws that God ordained for those people.

Prophets and messengers in Islam Individuals who Muslims believe were sent by Allah to various villages and towns in order to serve as examples of ideal human behavior and to spread Gods message on Earth

Prophets in Islam are individuals to serve as examples of ideal human behavior and to spread God's message on Earth. Some prophets are categorized as messengers, those who transmit divine revelation, most of them through the interaction of an angel. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran states: "There is a Messenger for every community". Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith.

Apostle

An apostle, in its most literal sense, is an emissary, from Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (apostéllein), "to send off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include "ambassador" and "envoy".

References

  1. "Why Do Christians Read the Bible?". CBN.com - The Christian Broadcasting Network. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  2. 1 2 "Who Wrote the Bible? Is it Really God's Word?". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  3. 1 2 "The Bible". history.com. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  4. "World's largest religion by population is still Christianity". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2019-04-23.