The title of this book, ‘Holy Bible’, is known to almost everyone, but most people know very little about it or its contents! Here are some little known but vital facts about the Bible.

The word ‘Bible’ simply means books
There are a total of 66 individual books in it separated between Old and New Testaments, so it is really a holy library. The word ‘testament’ as used in the Bible means a covenant or agreement between God and mankind.

There are 39 books in the first part of the Bible called the Old Testament, and 27 books in the second part called the New Testament. It was written in three ancient languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and the New Testament in everyday Greek, the almost universal language when the New Testament was written 2,000 years ago.

The Oldest Book in the World
The Bible was written over a time span of 1,500 years, from roughly 1450 BC (the time of Moses) to about 100 AD (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), and is therefore the oldest real book in the world. It was written by over 40 different authors. The men who wrote the Bible came from every walk of life, shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the vast span of years it took to write, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.

The Divine Library
It is its incredible unity, unfolding the creation, development, and history of mankind, that has caused the most profound thinkers to see more than the mind of man in the Bible – they see it as a miracle of God communicating His word to His creation man! That is why the Bible is often called ‘the Divine library’ because the authors of the Bible were inspired by God to write the messages and histories which they wrote. The Bible explains that holy men of God spoke as they were borne along by the Holy Spirit. So the Bible is actually God’s own Word, inspired from Himself, and when we read it God is in fact speaking to us and communicating the reality of His Person, and His mind and will to us!

The Central Theme of the Bible
The central theme of the Bible is God’s salvation lovingly provided for mankind, and its central character is the person of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. He is prophesied in the Old Testament, and the story of his birth, life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, are historically given in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in the New Testament.

Translated into Over 2000 Languages
The Bible has been translated into more than 2,018 languages – in comparison Shakespeare, the great English-language playwright, has been translated into only 50 languages!

First Book Ever Printed
The first English translation of the Bible was made by John Wycliffe in 1382 AD. It was the first book ever printed using the original ‘type mold’ on the newly invented printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1454 AD. The Bible contains 1,189 chapters and it takes about 70 hours to read it all through!

World’s Best Seller
It is estimated over 800 million copies of the Bible have been sold since 1611. Over 2 million per year, and over 5,000 per day. It has changed more lives than any other book in world history. Nations and individuals always prosper when Bible principles are followed.

Best Known Verse in the Bible
The best known verse in all the Bible is John chapter 3 and verse 16 from the old King James Version of the Holy Bible,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

Have YOU got your own copy of the Bible and if not would you like to receive a copy?

Please e-mail manvers@manversgospelhall.org.uk with your name and address and we will be pleased to send a FREE copy of the Holy Bible, God’s Word to you (UK & NI only).