📜 Law
The first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy. They tell of creation, the first people of God and the laws he gave, including the Ten Commandments in Exodus.
Christianity: Origins and Their Impact on the Community » The Bible: Structure and Authority
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Christianity (4RS1/2B), 1.2
- How the Bible is built: two parts and the kinds of book in each
- Why Christians call it the word of God
- Literal, conservative and liberal ways of understanding its authority
- What these views mean for Christians today
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Unlock This CourseThe Bible as a library
The Bible is the holy book of Christians. It is not one book but a library of 66 books in most Protestant Bibles, written by many authors over hundreds of years. It has two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Key terms:
- Old Testament (recap from Christian Attitudes to Conflict, Holy War and the Bible): the first part of the Bible, written before the time of Jesus. Christians share much of it with Jews.
- New Testament (recap from Christian Attitudes to Conflict, Holy War and the Bible): the second part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early Church.
- Gospel (recap from Christians, Other Faiths and Other Denominations): one of the four books about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The word means "good news".
- Inspired: guided by God. Christians believe God was at work in the people who wrote the Bible.
- Authority: the right to be listened to and obeyed. The authority of the Bible is how much weight Christians give it when they decide what to believe and do.
The Old Testament
Most Protestant Bibles have 39 Old Testament books. They fall into four groups.
🏰 History
Books that tell the story of the people of Israel, such as Joshua, Judges and 1 and 2 Kings.
📢 Prophets
Books of messengers who spoke for God and called people back to him, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah.
🎵 Writings
Poetry, songs and wise sayings, such as the Psalms, Proverbs and Job.
The New Testament
The New Testament has 27 books.
- The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell the story of Jesus.
- Letters: most of the rest are letters sent to early Christians to teach and encourage them. Many were written by Paul, such as Romans and 1 Corinthians.
- Acts tells how the first Christians spread the faith, and Revelation is a book of visions about the end of time.
The word of God
Christians call the Bible "the word of God". The New Testament letter 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is inspired by God. Christians believe the Bible matters because:
- it teaches what God is like and what he has done, above all in Jesus;
- it shows how God wants people to live;
- it connects Christians with the first followers of Jesus and with each other across the world.
Not all Christians own exactly the same Bible. Catholic Bibles have 73 books because they include extra Old Testament books such as Tobit and Judith. Orthodox Bibles include these and a few more. Protestants leave these out of their main text or print them in a separate section.
Understanding its authority
Almost all Christians agree the Bible has authority. They differ on how to read it. Think of three positions, which are a guide rather than three sealed boxes.
🔒 Literal
You met literalists in Creation, Stewardship and Imago Dei. They read the words as they stand and believe God is the author and so every word is true as it is written. They treat the Bible as without error.
⚖️ Conservative
This view sits between the other two. Conservative Christians hold the Bible to be the inspired and trustworthy word of God, and the final guide to belief and behaviour. They read each passage for the type of writing it is: history, poetry, parable or letter.
🌿 Liberal
Liberal Christians hold that the writers were inspired but were people of their time. A metaphorical reading says truth is told through story, poetry and symbol. What matters is the message, which is read in the light of reason and modern knowledge.
Catholic and Orthodox Christians add that the Bible belongs inside the Church. It is read together with the Church's tradition and teaching, not on its own.
What this means for Christians today
- Genesis: a literalist may believe the world was made as Genesis describes. Others read the creation stories as showing that God made everything and that it is good, while accepting what science says about how.
- Moral questions: a literalist or conservative Christian often looks for a direct command or teaching. A liberal Christian may ask what principle, such as love of neighbour, lies behind the words and how to apply it now.
- Disagreement: these views explain why Christians can read the same verse and reach different decisions.
Common mistakes
- Saying the Bible is one book written at one time. It is a library of many books.
- Saying all Christians read the Bible literally. Many read it in other ways.
- Saying liberal Christians do not take the Bible seriously. They do, and they treat it as God's word read with care.
- Forgetting that Catholic and Orthodox Bibles have more books.
Exam-style question
(a) Outline two parts of the Bible. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why the Bible is important for Christians. [6 marks]
(c) "The Bible should be read literally." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include: reference to teachings; other (divergent) points of view, either within the religion or from other religions; your opinion or point of view using reasoned arguments. [10 marks]
Model answer
(a) One part is the Old Testament (1), which has books of law, history, prophets and writings such as the Psalms (1). Another is the New Testament (1), which contains the four Gospels about Jesus and letters to early Christians (1).
(b) The Bible is important because Christians believe it is the word of God (1). 2 Timothy 3:16 says all scripture is inspired by God, so it has authority over what Christians believe (1). It is important because it tells the story of Jesus in the Gospels, which shows Christians who he was and what he did (1). It teaches how to live, for example in the Ten Commandments and the teaching of Jesus, so believers use it as a guide for their choices (1). It also links Christians to the first followers of Jesus and to other Christians, whichever church they belong to (1), and many read it as a source of comfort (1).
(c) Plan. For: if God is the author, every word must be true. 2 Timothy 3:16 says scripture is inspired by God. A literal reading is clear and gives believers a firm guide. Picking and choosing could make people follow their own opinions. Against: the Bible has many kinds of writing, such as poetry, parable and letters, which are not meant to be read the same way. Jesus taught in parables. Liberal Christians say the writers were people of their time, and a literal reading can clash with science. Catholic and Orthodox Christians read it with the Church's tradition. Conclusion: a reasoned view might be that the Bible should be taken seriously as God's word, but that reading each part for the type of writing it is gives a truer meaning than reading everything literally.
Exam tip
In a 10-mark question, show at least two ways Christians read the Bible, such as literal and liberal, and say what each means for how they live.