From - Hahn, S. (Ed.). (2009). In Catholic Bible Dictionary (pp. 110–111). New York; London; Toronto; Sydney; Auckland: Doubleday.
BIBLE (Greek biblia, “books”) The collection of seventy-three books that the Church believes is the written expression of God’s revelation. These books form a single “Book,” since God is the divine author of them all, and collectively they bear witness to God’s unified plan for salvation.
In its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council taught: “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord. She has always regarded the Scriptures together with Sacred Tradition as the supreme rule of faith, and will ever do so. For, inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the word of God himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and ruled by sacred Scripture” (§21).
Since God is the principal author of the Bible, it is both inspired and inerrant. (See also Inspiration.) The specific writings, or “books,” of the Bible are enumerated according to the authentic list, called the canon, accepted by the Church. These works, written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, constitute the rule of Catholic faith, in conjunction with the tradition and teaching authority of the Church. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, which is committed to the Church (DV §10). That sacred deposit is the basis of all the doctrine of the Church.
There are seventy-three books in the Bible: forty-six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. Some lists separate or combine certain OT books, so the number might be slightly different, but the contents are the same.
The Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments, which bear witness to two covenants, old and new, between God and his people as part of the fulfillment of the divine plan of salvation. The Catholic Church, in Dei Verbum, declares, “Now the books of the OT, in accordance with the state of mankind before the time of salvation established by Christ, reveal to all men the knowledge of God and of man and the ways in which God deals with men. These books show us true divine pedagogy … The books of the OT with all their parts, caught up into the proclamation of the Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the NT (cf. Matt 5:17; Luke 24:27; Rom 16:25–26; 2 Cor 3:14–16) and in turn shed light on it and explain it” (DV §16). Regarding the NT, Dei Verbum states: “The word of God is set forth and shows its power in a most excellent way in the writings of the NT. For when the fullness of time arrived (cf. Gal 4:4), the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in the fullness of grace and truth (cf. John 12:32). This mystery had not been manifested to other generations as it was now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 3:4–6), so that they might preach the Gospel, stir up faith in Jesus, Christ and Lord, and gather the Church together. To these realities, the writings of the NT stand as a perpetual and divine witness” (DV §17). (See also Testament.)
The chapter and verse divisions of the Bible are not original to the inspired writings; they were devised by later scholars to make it easier to refer to particular passages. The divisions came about gradually. Some early manuscripts, such as the Vaticanus collection from the fourth century (see Codex), make certain divisions in the text. The first division of the Bible into chapters was undertaken by Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury (d. 1228) in about 1205; with some refinements his divisions are the ones we use today. The further division of the chapters into verses was made around 1551 by Robert Estienne (d. 1559), also known as Robert Stephanus, a printer in Paris.
BIBLE (Greek biblia, “books”) The collection of seventy-three books that the Church believes is the written expression of God’s revelation. These books form a single “Book,” since God is the divine author of them all, and collectively they bear witness to God’s unified plan for salvation.
In its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council taught: “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord. She has always regarded the Scriptures together with Sacred Tradition as the supreme rule of faith, and will ever do so. For, inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the word of God himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and ruled by sacred Scripture” (§21).
Since God is the principal author of the Bible, it is both inspired and inerrant. (See also Inspiration.) The specific writings, or “books,” of the Bible are enumerated according to the authentic list, called the canon, accepted by the Church. These works, written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, constitute the rule of Catholic faith, in conjunction with the tradition and teaching authority of the Church. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, which is committed to the Church (DV §10). That sacred deposit is the basis of all the doctrine of the Church.
There are seventy-three books in the Bible: forty-six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. Some lists separate or combine certain OT books, so the number might be slightly different, but the contents are the same.
The Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments, which bear witness to two covenants, old and new, between God and his people as part of the fulfillment of the divine plan of salvation. The Catholic Church, in Dei Verbum, declares, “Now the books of the OT, in accordance with the state of mankind before the time of salvation established by Christ, reveal to all men the knowledge of God and of man and the ways in which God deals with men. These books show us true divine pedagogy … The books of the OT with all their parts, caught up into the proclamation of the Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the NT (cf. Matt 5:17; Luke 24:27; Rom 16:25–26; 2 Cor 3:14–16) and in turn shed light on it and explain it” (DV §16). Regarding the NT, Dei Verbum states: “The word of God is set forth and shows its power in a most excellent way in the writings of the NT. For when the fullness of time arrived (cf. Gal 4:4), the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in the fullness of grace and truth (cf. John 12:32). This mystery had not been manifested to other generations as it was now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 3:4–6), so that they might preach the Gospel, stir up faith in Jesus, Christ and Lord, and gather the Church together. To these realities, the writings of the NT stand as a perpetual and divine witness” (DV §17). (See also Testament.)
The chapter and verse divisions of the Bible are not original to the inspired writings; they were devised by later scholars to make it easier to refer to particular passages. The divisions came about gradually. Some early manuscripts, such as the Vaticanus collection from the fourth century (see Codex), make certain divisions in the text. The first division of the Bible into chapters was undertaken by Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury (d. 1228) in about 1205; with some refinements his divisions are the ones we use today. The further division of the chapters into verses was made around 1551 by Robert Estienne (d. 1559), also known as Robert Stephanus, a printer in Paris.