Some Quick Bible Facts

Learn some quick facts about the Bible and a little Bible trivia.

Discover intriguing insights about the Bible.

​Basic Bible Facts
 

• No original transcriptions of the Bible have been discovered.
  There are many true copies of the ancient scriptures.
  No originals exist.
   

• The standard Christian Bible has 66 books.
  The Bible is not one book.
  It is a collection of 66 books bound together into one publication.
   

• The most popular Bibles are divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
  The Old Testament was written before Christ was born.
  The New Testament was written after Christ was born.
   

• The Pentateuch is a collection of the first five books of the Old Testament.
  Moses wrote the Pentateuch.
  Therefore, it is known as the Mosaic Laws.
  The five books of the Pentateuch are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
   

• The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament.
  These are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
  The Gospels reveal the ministry of Jesus.
   

• ​Three major religions recognize the Old Testament as valid scripture.
  Christianity—Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox.
  Islam—Muslims, Jihadists, Sunnis, and the Shias.
  Judaism—the Jewish faith.
  
   

We must remember that Father Abraham was the first Hebrew and began God's church.​

The roots of the three major religions are traced back to Abraham.
 

• Christianity:
  Jesus arrived as the Messiah for all of humanity and initiated the Christian revolution.
  Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
  Jesus preached the "Good News," which was the message that He brought salvation, served as the new sacrificial lamb for all of mankind's sins, and offered the promise of life after death for those who believed in Him.
  The New Testament was specifically written for the Gentiles.
  Only the Gentiles believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
  The Hebrews considered Jesus a false prophet and executed Him.
  Muslims view Jesus as a significant prophet, but they do not consider him to be the Messiah.
  Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that he has already arrived.
   

• Islam: 
  Gabriel's visitation with Mohammad initiated the Islamic faith.
  His visitation with Mohammed led to the separation of Islam from Judaism.
  Muslims hold the belief that God revealed the Old Testament, but man has corrupted it.
  Islamists believe that the angel Gabriel dictated the Islamic Koran to Muhammad, which they consider the uncorrupted revelation of God.
  Therefore, the Koran is considered their ultimate truth and the foundation of their faith, surpassing the Bible.
  The Islamic faith anticipates the coming of the Messiah.
   

• Judaism:
  God's visitation with Moses fully consecrated the original Jewish faith.
  The books known as the "Laws of Moses" were written for the followers of the Old Testament.
  These books constitute the Torah, which is the core of the Jewish faith.
  The Jewish faith anticipates the coming of the Messiah.
   

• The original manuscripts were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
  Ancient Hebrew is the language of the Old Testament and was written before Jesus was born.
  Koine Greek is the language of the New Testament and was written after the death of Jesus.
  Aramaic was the spoken language during the time of Jesus.
  This phase was the time between the Old and New Testaments. "The silent period."
  
   

Several significant manuscripts and Bibles have shaped the faith of the followers.

• Ketef Hinnom Inscription:
  The Ketef Hinnon inscription is the oldest known biblical writing and was created during the 7th century BC.
  It is a silver scroll rolled up as an amulet with writing so tiny that it is impossible to read with the human eye.
   

• Dead Sea Scrolls:
  The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish religious manuscripts written mostly in Hebrew and some in Arabic.
  In the late 1940s, researchers discovered the scrolls in caves near Qumran by the Dead Sea.
  They contain almost all of the Old Testament.
   

• Vetus Latina:
  The Vetus Latina was the first translation ever made from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.
  
   

• Latin Vulgate:
  The Latin Vulgate was a translation from Greek to Latin and used by the church during the Roman Empire.
  It was written in 382 AD and was supervised by the Catholic priest Saint Jerome on the order of Pope Damascus.
  The Vulgate was simultaneously used along with the Vetus Latina until it was officially recognized by the church in 1546 AD.
  It's important and recognized as the most accurate translation ever and has been the standard for over 1,000 years.
   

• Wycliffe Bible:
  The Wycliffe Bible was the first English translation.
  John Wycliffe was a Catholic priest who translated the Latin Vulgate into Middle English in 1395 AD.
  The church burned Wycliffe's body for being a heretic that went against the church's norm.
   

• Gutenberg Bible:
  The Gutenberg Bible was the first complete Bible printed on a printing press.
  Johannes Gutenberg printed this Bible in Mainz, Germany, in 1450 AD, on a movable metal type printing press.
  This Bible is a copy of the Latin Vulgate.
   

• The Great Bible:
  The Great Bible was the first officially authorized church Bible that was printed in English.
  It was written in 1539.
   

• Geneva Bible:
  The Geneva Bible was the primary Bible of 16th-century English Protestantism.
  William Whittingham supervised several prestigious individuals in writing the Bible and printed it in 1576 AD.
  The Geneva Bible was the first English version to be translated directly from the original manuscripts written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
  The bolder language, smaller size, and added notes and annotations made the Geneva Bible popular.
   

• Greek Septuagint:
  The Septuagint is the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into early Koine Greek.
   

• King James Bible:
  The King James Bible has been the most dominant version for centuries.
   

• Codex Gigas:
  The world's largest ancient biblical manuscript is known as the Codex Gigas.
  It is also known as the "Devil's Bible" because it features a depiction of the devil on page 577.
  The Codex Gigas contains scripture from both the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as additional works by Flavius Josephus.
  This Bible manuscript includes a medical book, a calendar, and several other items of interest.
  The book has 310 leaves and weighs 165 pounds. 
   

• The world's largest modern Bible is the Louis Waynai Bible.
  The Bible is a copy of the King James Version.
  Louis Waynai, a Hungarian immigrant, created this Bible in Los Angeles between 1928 and 1930.
  The Bible weighs over 1,000 pounds.
  
   

Verses found in the Bible.
 

• "Amen" is the last word in the New Testament.
  Revelation 22:21
  ​​​

• The phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" is the opening sentence of the Bible.
  Genesis 1:1
   

• Jesus will return to Earth and take all believers, both the dead and the living, to meet Him.
  No one, not even Jesus, knows when such an event will happen; only God knows.
   

• All believers will be judged as to whether their work glorifies God.
  Spreading the "good news" is work that glorifies God.
  Creating a successful business is not work that glorifies God.
   

• The epic Battle of Armageddon will happen.
  This contest pits good against evil, with Jesus confronting Satan.
  Jesus will triumph by casting Satan into a "bottomless pit" for a millennium.
  During this time, Jesus will reign on earth for 1,000 years of peace.
  ​

• ​Swearing on the Bible in a court of law is against the teachings of Jesus.
  Swearing is taking an oath and specifically forbidden.
  Matthew 5:33-37.
  
   

The Catholic and English churches enforced strict discipline during their early years.
 

• Death was a common punishment.
  The "government" supported the church's desire for complete control over its subjects.
  Although the church officially opposed the death penalty, the government still enforced these sentences.
  Common punishments included lashings, excommunication, and the seizing of property.
  The church used the excuses of heresy, blasphemy, and treason to punish those they disagreed with.
  ​The church executed anyone who did not fully obey its rules or who dared to speak against it.
   

• Only the church owned and was allowed to have Bibles.
  The church possessed all the Bibles, which were written in Latin, and only priests could understand and read them.
  Public printing or possession of English-printed Bibles was illegal at that time.
  The church had a greater interest in its sovereignty than its interest in preaching