Most religious followers are guided by beliefs that have
been passed down through the generations, either verbally or in written form.
Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha as was passed down verbally then
composed in the Pali Canon; Sikhs follow the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the Ādi
Granth, which contain the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus and several
saints; Muslims follow the Quran, which is believed to contain the written word
of god as was passed down verbally from god to the Prophet Muhammad through the
angel Gabriel; and Christians follow the Holy Bible.
The Holy Bible is the most sacred text of Christianity, and
is not one book, but a compilation of sixty six books written by different people during
various times in history. Todays Christian Bible is composed of two main parts,
the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is considered the
record of the sacred covenant between God and the people through Abraham and
Moses, and the New Testament is considered the record of the new Christian
covenant through Jesus Christ.
The origins of the Bible are quite complex and not everyone
agrees on who wrote what, or when each part was written, particularly the
different Christian faiths. During each books conception the contents changed
many times; some new books were added and old ones were discarded, so the
Bible, as it is known today, is the product of a long process of writing,
editing, and selecting literature based on Jewish religious ideas.
Because of the complex history of the bible, and the
differences in agreement between the separate Christian faiths, this blog will attempt
to be as neutral as possible, and only deal with what is generally considered
to be true by all Christian faiths.
In upcoming posts we will be discussing the history and
content of the Old and New Testaments in more detail.
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