The Bible -Is It Just a Good Book?

Is the Bible Just a Good Book?

The Bible was completed about two thousand years ago.   Since then, countless other books have come and gone.  But not  the Bible.  Consider the following. 

The Bible has survived many vicious attacks by powerful people. For example, during the Middle Ages in certain "Christian lands, "the possession and reading of the Bible in the vernacular [the language of the common people] was increasingly associated with heresy and dissent," says the book An Introduction to the Medieval Bible.  Scholars who translated the Bible into the vernacular or who promoted Bible study risked their lives. Some were killed. 

Despite its many enemies, the Bible became-and continues to be-the most widely distributed book of all time. In whole or in part, an estimated five billion copies have been printed in more than 2,800 languages.  This is in sharp contrast with books on philosophy, science, and related fields, which may have a limited circulation and may quickly go out-of-date. 

The Bible has helped to preserve and shape some of the the languages into which it has been translated.  The German translation by Martin Luther had a big influence on that language.  The first edition of the King James version has been described as "probably the single most influential book ever published" in English. 

The Bible "has profoundly affected Western culture, influencing not just religious belief and practice, but also art, literature, law, politics, and other fields too numerous to mention." -The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible.

Those are just some of the facts that set the Bible apart.  Why, though, is it so popular?  Why have people risked their lives for it?  The many reasons include the following:  The Bible contains moral and spiritual teachings that reflect exceptional wisdom.  The Bible helps us to understand the root cause of human suffering and conflict.  Better still, it promises an end to those problems, even revealing how that will come about.  

Next time: The Bible-Is It Just a Good Book?/The Bible Gives Moral and Spiritual Insight

From the Awake! magazine