Bible

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The Holy Bible (1865) by Gustave Doré

"It is not too much, then, to claim for the Bible, that, as a classic, it stands without a rival at the head of all human literature. It is not too much to say, that it has eventually controlled and impregnated, with its own immortal spirit, the literature of every people, into whose vernacular it has been translated. And at this moment, there is not, perhaps, in the whole world of letters, a more important and effective work going forward, than that work of translation, which, under the silent but sublime labors of the missionary, is making the Bible a classic book in every human tongue."--The Literary Attractions of the Bible (1858) by Leroy J. Halsey

"Does the Bible come within the ruling of the Lord Chief Justice as to obscene literature? Most decidedly it does, and if prosecuted as an obscene book, it must necessarily be condemned, if the law is justly administered." --"Is the Bible Indictable?" (c. 1877) by Annie Besant

"Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself."--About the Holy Bible (1894) by Robert G. Ingersoll

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The Bible (from Koine Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures, some, all, or a variant of which, are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, Islam, Baha'i'ism and many other religions. The Bible is an anthology, a compilation of texts of a variety of forms, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. These texts include instructions, stories, poetry, and prophecies, and other genres. The collection of materials that are accepted as part of the Bible by a particular religious tradition or community is called a biblical canon. Believers in the Bible generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration, but the way they understand what that means and interpret the text varies.

The religious texts were compiled by different religious communities into various official collections. The earliest contained the first five books of the Bible. It is called the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch (meaning five books) in Greek; the second oldest part was a collection of narrative histories and prophecies (the Nevi'im); the third collection (the Ketuvim) contains psalms, proverbs, and narrative histories. "Tanakh" is an alternate term for the Hebrew Bible composed of the first letters of those three parts of the Hebrew scriptures: the Torah ("Teaching"), the Nevi'im ("Prophets"), and the Ketuvim ("Writings"). The Masoretic Text is the medieval version of the Tanakh, in Hebrew and Aramaic, that is considered the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible by modern Rabbinic Judaism. The Septuagint is a Koine Greek translation of the Tanakh from the third and second centuries BC; it largely overlaps with the Hebrew Bible.

Christianity began as an outgrowth of Second Temple Judaism, using the Septuagint as the basis of the Old Testament. The early Church continued the Jewish tradition of writing and incorporating what it saw as inspired, authoritative religious books. The gospels, Pauline epistles, and other texts quickly coalesced into the New Testament.

With estimated total sales of over five billion copies, the Bible is the best-selling publication of all time. It has had a profound influence both on Western culture and history and on cultures around the globe. The study of it through biblical criticism has indirectly impacted culture and history as well. The Bible is currently translated or is being translated into about half of the world's languages.

[edit]

Etymology

From Latin biblia, a collection of books (since there are many books in the Bible), eventually from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material.

[edit]

Literature and the arts

"As formerly [painters] had searched through classic authors, so now they searched through the Bible for erotic scenes; and what they found there was not as harmless as the joyous legends of the Hellenes, but such scenes as Lot and his daughters, the expulsion of Hagar, the two elders peeping at Susanna in the bath, or Herodias confounding by her dance the senses of old Herod. If Judith is represented with especial frequency as the murderess of Holofernes, the reason probably is that the thought was akin to the episode of Beatrice Cenci."--The History of Painting: From the Fourth to the Early Nineteenth Century (1893/94) by Richard Muther

The Bible has directly and indirectly influenced literature and art. In the republic of letters, there is St Augustine's Confessions, the Summa Theologica and Dante's Divine Comedy.

Many masterpieces of Western art were inspired by biblical themes: from Michelangelo's David and Pietà sculptures, to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Raphael's various Madonna paintings. There are hundreds of examples. Eve, the temptress who disobeys God's commandment, is probably the most widely portrayed figure in art.

[edit]

 [[Image:Tommaso.Laureti.Triumph.of.Christianity.jpg|left|thumb|200px|This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is part of the [[Christianity]] series]]
-[[Image:Crucifixion in Doré's English Bible.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[The Holy Bible (Gustave Doré)|Doré's ''Holy  Bible'']]]]
+[[Image:Crucifixion in Doré's English Bible.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours|''The Holy Bible'' (1865) by Gustave Doré]]]]
 {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
 | style="text-align: left;" |
+"It is not too much, then, to claim for the [[Bible]], that, as a [[classic]], it stands without a rival at the head of all [[human literature]]. It is not too much to say, that it has eventually controlled and impregnated, with its own immortal spirit, the literature of every people, into whose vernacular it has been [[Bible translations|translated]]. And at this moment, there is not, perhaps, in the whole [[world of letters]], a more important and effective work going forward, than that work of translation, which, under the silent but sublime labors of the [[missionary]], is making the Bible a [[classic book]] in every [[human tongue]]."--''[[The Literary Attractions of the Bible]]'' (1858) by Leroy J. Halsey
+<hr>
 "Does the [[Bible]] come within the ruling of the Lord Chief Justice as to [[Obscenity|obscene literature]]? Most decidedly it does, and if prosecuted as an obscene book, it must necessarily be condemned, if the law is justly administered." --"[[Is the Bible Indictable?]]" (c. 1877) by Annie Besant
+<hr>
+"Somebody ought to tell the [[truth]] about the [[Bible]]. The [[preachers]] dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. [[Professors]] in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. [[Politicians]] dare not. They would be defeated. [[Editors]] dare not. They would lose subscribers. [[Merchants]] dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even [[clerks]] dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself."--''[[About the Holy Bible]]'' (1894) by Robert G. Ingersoll
 |}
 {{Template}}
 From Latin ''biblia'', a collection of books (since there are many books in the Bible), eventually from the ancient [[Phoenicia]]n city of ''[[Byblos]]'' which exported this writing material.
-==Biblical illustrations by Doré==
+==Literature and the arts==
-:''[[Biblical illustrations by Doré]]''
+{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
-[[The Creation of Light]], [[The Formation of Eve]], [[Adam and Eve Driven out of Eden]], [[Cain and Abel Offering Their Sacrifices]], [[The Death of Abel]], [[The World Destroyed by Water]], [[The Deluge]], [[The Dove Sent Forth from the Ark]], [[Noah Cursing Canaan]], [[The Confusion of Tongues]], [[Abraham Journeying into the Land of Canaan]], [[Abraham and the Three Angels]], [[The Flight of Lot]], [[The Expulsion of Ishmael and His Mother]], [[Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness]], [[The Trial of Abraham’s Faith]], [[The Burial of Sarah]], [[Eliezer and Rebekah]], [[The Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah]], [[Isaac Blessing Jacob]], [[Jacob’s Dream]], [[Jacob Keeping Laban’s Flocks]], [[The Prayer of Jacob]], [[Jacob Wrestling with the Angel]], [[The Meeting of Jacob and Esau]], [[Joseph Sold by His Brethren]], [[Joseph Interpreting, Pharaoh's Dream]], [[Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brethren]], [[Jacob Goeth into Exypt]], [[The Child Moses on the Nile]], [[The Finding, of Moses]], [[Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh]], [[The Murrain of Beasts]], [[The Plague of Darkness]], [[The Firstborn Slain]], [[The Egyptians Urge Moses to Depart]], [[The Egyptians Drowned in the Red Ses]], [[Moses Striking the Rock in Horeb]], [[The Giving of the Law Upon Mount Sinai]], [[Moses Coming Down from Mount Sinai]], [[Moses Breaking the Tables of the Law]], [[Return of the Spies from the Land of Promise]], [[Death of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram]], [[The Brazen Serpent]], [[The Angel Appearing to Balaam]], [[The Children of Israel Crossing Jordan]], [[The Angel Appearing to Joshua]], [[The Walls of Jericho Falling Down]], [[Joshua Spares Rahab]], [[The Stoning of Achan]], [[Joshua Committing the Town of Ai to the Flames]], [[Destruction of the Army of the Amorites]], [[Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still]], [[Jael and Sisera]], [[Deborah]], [[Gideon Choosing His Soldiers]], [[The Midianites Put to Flight]], [[Death of the Sons of Gideon]], [[Death of Abimelech]], [[Jephthah’s Daughter Coming to Meet Her Father]], [[The Daughters of Israel Lamenting the Daughter of Jephthah]], [[Samson Slaying a Lion]], [[Samson Destroying the Philistines with the Jaw-bone of an Ass]], [[Samson Carrying Away the Gates of Gaza]], [[Samson and Delilah]], [[Death of Samson]], [[The Levite Finding the Corpse of the Woman]], [[The Levite Bearing Away the Body of the Woman]], [[The Children of Benjamin Carrying Off the Virgins of Jabesh-gilead]], [[Naomi and Her Daughters-in-Law]], [[Boaz and Ruth]], [[Return of the Ark to Beth-shemesh]], [[Samuel Blessing Saul]], [[Death of Agag]], [[David and Goliath]], [[Saul Attempts the Life of David]], [[The Escape of David Through the Window]], [[David and Jonathan]], [[David Showing Saul That He Had Spared His Life]], [[Saul and the Witch of Endor]], [[Death of Saul]], [[The Inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead Recovering the Bodies of Saul and His Sons]], [[Combat Between the Champions of Ish-bosheth and David]], [[David Punishing the Ammonites]], [[Death of Absalom]], [[David Mourning the Death of Absalom]], [[Rizpah’s Kindness unto the Dead]], [[Plague of Jerusalem]], [[Abishai Saves the Life of David]], [[Judgment of Solomon]], [[Cutting Down Cedars for the Construction of the Temple]], [[Solomon Receiving the Queen of Sheba]], [[Solomon]], [[The Disobedient Prophet Slain by a Lion]], [[Elijah Raiseth the Son of the Widow of Zarephath]], [[Slaughter of the Prophets of Baal]], [[‘Elijah Nourished by an Angel]], [[Slaughter of the Syrians by the Children of Israel]], [[The Destruction of the Armies of the Ammonites and Moabites]], [[Death of Ahab]], [[Elijah Destroys the Messengers of Ahaziah by Fire]], [[Elijah Taken up to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire]], [[The Children Destroyed by Bears]], [[The Famine in Samaria]], [[The Death of Jezebel]], [[Jehu’s Companions Finding the Remains of Jezebel]], [[Death of Athaliah]], [[The Strange Nations Slain by the Lions of Samaria]], [[Amos]], [[Isaiah]], [[Micah Exhorting the Israelites to Repentance]], [[Destruction of the Army of Sennacherib]], [[Slaughter of the Sons of Zedekiah Before Their Father]], [[Jeremiah]], [[Baruch Writing Jeremiah’s Prophecies]], [[The People Mourning Over the Ruins of Jerusalem]], [[Ezekiel Prophesying]], [[The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones]], [[The Queen Vashti Refusing to Obey the Command of Ahasuerus]], [[Triumph of Mordecai]], [[Esther Accusing Haman]], [[Daniel]], [[Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the Fiery Furnace]], [[Daniel Interpreting the Writing on the Wall]], [[Daniel in the Den of Lions]], [[The Vision of the Four Beasts]], [[Isaiah's Vision of the Destruction of Babylon]], [[The Destruction of Leviathan]], [[The Vision of the Four Chariots]], [[Cyrus Restoring the Vessels of the Temple]], [[Artaxerxes Granting Liberty to the Jews]], [[Ezra in Prayer]], [[Ezra Reading the Law in the Hearing of the People]], [[Nehemiah Viewing Secretly the Ruins of the Walls of Jerusalem]], [[The Rebuilding of the Temple]], [[Job Hearing of His Ruin]], [[Job and His Friends]], [[Jonah Cast Forth by the Whale]], [[Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites]], [[Tobias and the Angel]], [[The Angel Raphael and the Family of Tobit]], [[Judith and Holofernes]], [[Judith Showing the Head of Holofernes]], [[Esther Before the King Baruch]], [[Susanna in the Bath]], [[Justification of Susanna]], [[Daniel Confounding, the Priests of Bel]], [[Mattathias and the Apostate]], [[Mattathias Appealing to the Jewish Refugees]], [[Judas Maccabeus Pursuing Timotheus]], [[Death of Eleazar]], [[Jonathan Destroying the Temple of Dagon]], [[Heliodorus Cast Down]], [[The Apparition of the Army in the Heavens]], [[Martyrdom of Eleazar the Scribe]], [[Courage of a Mother]], [[The Punishment of Antiochus]], [[The Angel Sent to Deliver Israel]], [[Judas Maccabeus Before the Army of Nicanor]], [[The Annunciation]], [[The Nativity]], [[The Wise Men Guided by the Star]], [[The Flight into Egypt]], [[The Massacre of the Innocents]], [[Jesus with the Doctors]], [[John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness]], [[The Baptism of Jesus]], [[The Temptation of Jesus]], [[The Marriage in Cana]], [[Jesus and the Woman of Samaria]], [[Christ in the Synagogue]], [[Jesus Healing the Man Possessed with a Devil]], [[Jesus Preaching at the Sea of Galilee]], [[The Sermon on the Mount]], [[The Disciples Plucking Corn on the Sabbath]], [[Mary Magdalene Repentant]], [[The Dumb Man Possessed]], [[Jesus Stilling the Tempest]], [[Jesus Raising Up the Daughter of Jairus]], [[Jesus at the House of Martha and Mary]], [[The Daughter of Herod Receiving the Head of John the Baptist]], [[Jesus Preaching to the Multitude]], [[Christ Feeding the Multitude]], [[Jesus Walking on the Sea]], [[Jesus Healing the Sick]], [[The Transfiguration]], [[Jesus Healing the Lunatic]], [[Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery]], [[The Good Samaritan]], [[Arrival of the Good Samaritan at the Inn]], [[Jesus Blessing the Little Children]], [[The Return of the Prodigal Son]], [[The Prodigal Son in the Arms of His Father]], [[Lazarus at the Rich Man’s House]], [[The Pharisee and the Publican]], [[Resurrection of Lazarus]], [[Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem]], [[The Buyers and Sellers Driven Out of the Temple]], [[Christ and the Tribute Money]], [[The Widow's Mite]], [[The Last Supper]], [[Jesus Praying in the Garden]], [[The Agony in the Garden]], [[The Judas Kiss]], [[St. Peter Denying Christ]], [[Jesus Scourged]], [[The Crown of Thorns]], [[Christ Mocked]], [[Christ Presented to the People]], [[Jesus Falling Beneath the Cross]], [[The Arrival at Calvary]], [[Nailing Christ to the Cross]], [[The Erection of the Cross]], [[The Crucifixion]], [[The Darkness at the Crucifixion]], [[The Descent from the Cross]], [[The Dead Christ]], [[The Burial of Christ]], [[The Resurrection]], [[Jesus and the Disciples Going to Emmaus]], [[The Miraculous Draught of Fishes]], [[The Ascension]], [[The Descent of the Spirit]], [[The Apostles Preaching the Gospel]], [[St. Peter and St. John at the Beautiful Gate]], [[Death of Ananias]], [[Martyrdom of St. Stephen]], [[Conversion of Saul]], [[St. Peter in the House of Cornelius]], [[St. Peter Delivered from Prison]], [[St. Paul Preaching to the Thessalonians]], [[St. Paul at Ephesus]], [[St. Paul Rescued from the Multitude]], [[St. Paul Shipwrecked]], [[St. John at Patmos]], [[The Vision of Death]], [[The Crowned Virgin: A Vision of John]], [[Babylon Fallen]], [[The Last Judgment]], [[The New Jerusalem]]
+| style="text-align: left;" |
+"As formerly [painters] had searched through classic authors, so now they searched through the [[Biblical eroticism|Bible for erotic scenes]]; and what they found there was not as harmless as the joyous legends of the [[Hellenes]], but such scenes as [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot and his daughters]], the [[expulsion of Hagar]], the two [[elders peeping at Susanna in the bath]], or [[Herodias]] confounding by her dance the senses of old Herod. If [[Judith]] is represented with especial frequency as the murderess of [[Holofernes]], the reason probably is that the thought was akin to the episode of [[Beatrice Cenci]]."--''[[The History of Painting: From the Fourth to the Early Nineteenth Century]]'' (1893/94) by Richard Muther
+|}
+The Bible has directly and indirectly influenced literature and art. In the republic of letters, there is [[St Augustine]]'s [[Confessions (St. Augustine)|Confessions]], the ''[[Summa Theologica]]'' and Dante's ''[[Divine Comedy]]''.
+Many masterpieces of [[Western art]] were inspired by biblical themes: from Michelangelo's ''[[David (Michelangelo)|David]]'' and ''[[Pietà]]'' sculptures, to Leonardo da Vinci's ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)|Last Supper]]'' and Raphael's various ''[[Madonna]]'' paintings. There are hundreds of examples. Eve, the temptress who disobeys God's commandment, is probably the most widely portrayed figure in art.
 == See also ==
-*[[Biblical inerrancy]]
+* [[Biblia pauperum]]
-*[[Biblical stories]]
+* [[Biblical art]]
-*[[Bad women of the bible]]
+* [[Biblical eroticism]]
-*[[Illustrated bible]]
+* [[Biblical inerrancy]]
-*''[[Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible]]'' (2001) is a book by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen
+* [[Biblical stories]]
-*[[Doré's English Bible]] (1866)
+* [[Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours]] (1865)
+* [[Christian art]]
+* [[Illustrated bible]]
 * [[Gutenberg Bible]]
 * [[Religious text]]
-* [[Biblical studies]]
+* [[Wisdom literature]]
-* [[Biblia pauperum ]]
-* [[Code of Hammurabi]]
-* [[Sola scriptura]]
-* [[List of major biblical figures]]
 {{GFDL}}

Bible

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