Biblical Scripture. Who wrote the Bible and when - interesting facts

Bible

Christians talk about it all the time, although it is not always clear what they mean by the word “Bible.” That is, except catchphrase“The Word of God,” I don’t know what the Bible means to many who claim it to be a sacred text to guide their lives. I'm sure we're not all on the same page, so to speak.

Sometimes Christians want to make the Bible into something it is not and this leads to some disastrous conversations and dangerous assumptions, especially in conversations with other Christians.

Here are five facts about the Bible that I wish more believers would notice:

1. The Bible is not a magic book

The Bible is not easy "Good Book"(the name of the Bible among non-religious people - approx. per.). This is not a book at all. That's a lot of books. This is a whole library.

These are 66 separate books that reveal a diverse range of writing styles (poetry, history, biographies, church doctrine, letters), and these books were written by dozens of authors: from shepherds and prophets to doctors, fishermen and kings. Each of these very different writers had very different target audiences, disparate life circumstances, and specific goals and plans; so we can't approach every book the same way; it's like reading a poem about leaves and a botany textbook in the same way. In one of the books you will find inspiration, and in the other - information; we perceive and see them differently.

If we treat the Holy Scriptures this way; as with many varied works that together form a collection of one story, Christians can be freed from confusion about what is meant when they say “literally.” We should not equate history with allegory and poetry, or read them in the same way. We can also see the Bible as a record not only of God, but of God's people, and we can find ourselves in it.

2. The Bible is not as clear as we would like it to be.

Often (especially during arguments) Christians like to begin with the phrase, “The Bible clearly says that...” followed by the most appropriate passage of Scripture.

These people do not always take into account the context of the entire Bible.

To be honest, the Bible contains a lot of contradictions and, in general, a lot of incomprehensibility on various issues. For example, in the Old Testament we can read God's clear commandment not to kill, and then we see Jesus telling His disciples that violence is not the path His people should choose.

But we also see God telling the Israelites to destroy every living thing in the enemy villages (including women and children), and we read about Moses killing an Egyptian soldier.

This is why some Christians believe that all violence is sinful, while others think that it is okay to kill someone in self-defense. Some believe that war is justified in some cases, while others believe that all wars are inherently immoral.

The same Bible. Same question. Several points of view.

This does not mean that truth is relative and that God does not have an opinion about violence or that He has not revealed His opinion to us in the Bible. It just means that the answer may not be as clear and simple as we like to present it.

Many times when Christians say the phrase, “The Bible clearly says...” what they really mean is, “The way I interpret this verse allows me to justify my view.”

When you read and study this library of books of the Bible in its entirety, of course there are themes and concepts that are amazingly connected, but if we are honest, we also admit that there are ambiguities. It does not detract from Scripture if we acknowledge that the Bible is complex. On the contrary, these are the greatest works throughout history.

3. The Bible was inspired by God, not dictated by God

Christians often rightly say that the Bible was “inspired by God,” and I completely agree. However, this idea is often replaced in translation.

The Bible is the “Word of God,” but we must be careful what we mean when we say it was “written” by God. These are the words of people who were moved by God to say something, but it is not only what they claim to have heard from God, but also everything that was happening inside and around them - their struggles, their personal reasons for writing this or that words and their own experience of God. Of course, they were inspired by God, but they remained inspired people, not God's puppets who left their free will at the door and came like zombies to record God's monologue.

Timothy says that Scripture is “God-breathed,” that it comes from God, but it does not claim that it is dictated by God.

4. We are all selective about what we believe, preach, and defend in the Bible.

Christians often accuse believers with differing opinions of "selectively quoting" the Bible: holding tightly to verses they agree with while easily discarding scriptures they don't agree with.

The only problem is that every time someone makes this claim, they are claiming to be objective: as if they somehow have a solid, unbiased understanding of the integrity of Scripture, without bias or prejudice, while others violate this.

As we grow in our faith, some of us are able to let go of our personal biases and move closer to the true meaning of Scripture. But until then, most of us read our own Bible, tailored slightly to our understanding. There are as many specific personal interpretations of Scripture in history as there are readers. Our understanding and belief in the Bible is a product of our upbringing, the study we have had, the opinions of the friends we have lived with, the part of the world in which we live, our experiences, and many other factors.

Is it really fair to accuse someone else of selectively using Scripture if we are not willing to admit the same crime?

5. God is bigger than the Bible itself

Last week I was walking along the beach watching the ocean. If you have ever seen it, you will understand the enormity, the amazing beauty and strength, the relentless power of the ebb and flow of the tides. You know how small you feel then; and the overwhelming scale of creation that you come face to face with.

Billions of words have been written about the ocean. I could collect every one of them, the most beautiful, vivid, accurate descriptions of fishermen, marine biologists and poets. I could read every word about the ocean to someone who has never been there, but he would never appreciate such a description.

It is simply impossible to adequately describe the ocean in words. You have to experience it personally.

I wish more Christians would recognize that the inspired Bible, in all its perfection, is a collection of words about the ocean. But these words are not yet the ocean itself.

The ocean is God.

The words in the Bible point to the One for whom there are simply no words. Words give us a worldview, but ultimately God is too big to be confined to words.

The Bible is not God. The Bible is like a library of inspired words about God. We can learn, explore, and find comfort in the Bible. In its pages we can discover the character of God and the message of Christ, and the path we need to take.

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We may even love the Bible. I definitely love her.

But we must worship the God who inspired the authors of the Bible.

→ The essence of the Bible, its composition and structure

General characteristics of the Bible

In this article we will briefly look at the essence of the Bible, as well as the composition and structure of the Bible.

The word "bible" comes from Greek and means "books." Apparently, it is no coincidence that the book, which is undoubtedly one of highest values acquired by humanity. For at least three thousand years, the word “bible” has inspired people, and the circle of those who connect with this source is constantly expanding.

However, there were other times. The Bible was actually banned by the Soviet government, it was not printed and was withdrawn from circulation and libraries, its images and words were carefully crossed out or lost hints of their source, or were simply ridiculed.

Therefore, in our historically Christian country, several generations of people have grown up who do not know the Bible at all or almost not, and have not read it. It should be noted that this is not only religious, but also cultural ignorance, since European culture, especially the culture of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Modern times, as well as modern culture cannot be comprehended without knowledge of biblical characters, images, and events. The Bible can be viewed from at least three perspectives:

• First‒ and the main thing ‒ is that it Holy Bible Christian religion. This statement, however, requires some clarification. On the one hand, a significant part of the Bible - the Old Testament - was written in pre-Christian times and is the property of the Jewish tradition. The Holy Scripture of the Jews - the Torah - is actually integral part Bible. And Islam, which arose later than Christianity, widely uses biblical images as one of the sources of the Koran. On the other hand, some denominations of Christianity treat certain parts of the Bible differently, either excluding the so-called non-canonical books, or preferring the New Testament as a purely Christian revelation. But despite this, it is precisely as Holy Scripture that the Bible has its exclusive meaning, and it is from this point of view that it should be approached in the first place.

• Secondly, The Bible can be perceived as historical source. It, indeed, contains evidence concerning the history of many peoples of the Ancient East from the 2nd millennium BC. before the beginning new era. Of course, using the Bible as a historical source requires scientific analysis and verification from other sources, but this should not be perceived as criticism and rejection of Holy history.

• Third‒ The Bible can be seen as important literary or cultural monument. Many biblical texts can be noted for their literary excellence - not to mention the fact that this book has the value of any written monument of antiquity. By the way, in terms of the number of editions and translations into different languages, the Bible far exceeds any other works. But, again, this is a consequence of its influence not as a masterpiece of art, but as a Holy phenomenon.

Composition and structure of the Bible

The Bible is a fairly large book that has a complex structure and contains many relatively independent books. The main thing is its division into two components - the Old and New Testaments.

• Old Testament- this is a pre-Christian, Jewish Bible (in fact, Jews do not perceive the Bible as a whole - the New Testament, naturally, is not recognized at all, and only the Holy Scripture is considered Torah ‒ Pentateuch of Moses). He was accepted by the Christian Church as component Holy Scripture, just as Christianity grew to a large extent on Jewish soil; these books were recognized by Christ and used by him as the Word of God; after all, these books contain many prophecies about the appearance of Christ himself and his mission.

• Part Two - New Testament‒ this is already our own Christian tradition, these are texts related to the life and work of Jesus Christ and his disciples.

There are discrepancies in different translations and editions of the Bible regarding the names of the books and the order in which they are placed. Moreover, there is disagreement about the number of books that make up the Bible. This applies only to the Old Testament and is connected with two circumstances: with the counting system and with the division into the so-called canonical and non-canonical books.

Thus, the Jewish tradition, which some Christian theologians adhered to, numbered 24 or even 22 books, which in modern Christian publications, as a rule, are divided into 39 books (due to the fact that they are presented as two instead of one book of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, as well as 12 books of minor prophets instead of one, etc.). Another was the grouping of books according to their content in Hebrew Bible (TaNaKha), which consists of Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Scriptures).The Christian tradition identifies the following sections of the canon (the canonical composition of the Bible):

• legislative books: The Pentateuch of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy;

• history books, that is, those that present primarily the Holy History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II books of Samuel (in Russian translation - 1 and 2 books of Kings), I and II books of Kings (3 and 4 books of Kings, respectively), 1 ta 2 books of Chronicles (or Chronicles), Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther;
• educational poetry books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs (Proverbs of Solomon), Preacher (Ecclesiastes), Song of Songs;
• prophetic books: great prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and small ones - Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

Regarding non-canonical books, then they appeared later than other books of the Old Testament and were not included in the Jewish canon or were excluded from it. Christian tradition accepted them, but with some prejudices. They were advised to be read by those who were preparing to join the Christian church, since they are distinguished by their instructive character (however, among them we also find historical and prophetic books).

The Catholic Church considers such books to be deuterocanonical (deuterocanonical), Orthodoxy continues to consider them non-canonical, but the Slavic and Russian Orthodox Bibles print them next to the canonical ones. Protestants, on the contrary, do not print these books in the texts of the Bible, not considering them divinely inspired.

There are 11 of these books: Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon), Sirach (Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach), Tobit, Judit, Epistle of Jeremiah, Baruch, 2 and 3 books of Ezra (Catholics consider them apocryphal), three books of Maccabees (Catholics have only two). This also includes passages that are added to some canonical books (for example, chapters 13 and 14 of the book of Daniel). New Testament contains 27 books, which church tradition also divides into groups:

• Towards legislative equals four Gospels(from Greek - Good News) - from Matey (Matthew), from Mark, from Luke, from John (John). The first three Gospels, which are similar in content, are called synoptic; The Gospel of John is very different from them both in content and in character.
• Historical considered a book Acts of the Apostles.
• Educational books consist of 14 epistles of the Apostle Paul and 7 epistles of other apostles.
• Finally, prophetic book The New Testament is Revelation of John the Evangelist (Apocalypse).

Thus, part of the canonical Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, include 66 books(39 + 27) - this composition is recognized by Protestants; A included in the complete Bible ‒ 77 books(50 + 27) for the Orthodox and 74 (47 + 27) for the Catholics, divided into canonical and not canonical (deuterocanonical) books.

References:

1. Religion: a handbook for students of advanced knowledge / [G. E. Alyaev, O. V. Gorban, V. M. Meshkov et al.; for zag. ed. prof. G. E. Alyaeva]. - Poltava: TOV "ASMI", 2012. - 228 p.

Jewish rabbis, starting from the 4th century. BC e., and the people who stood at the cradle of Christianity in the 2nd-4th centuries. n. e., they selected books for the “word of God” from a considerable number of manuscripts, writings, and monuments. What was not included in the selected canon remained outside the Bible and constitutes apocryphal literature (from the Greek apokryufos - hidden), accompanying the Old and New Testaments.

At one time, the leaders of the ancient Jewish “Great Synagogue” (the administrative-theological scientific synclite of the 4th-3rd centuries BC) and subsequent Jewish circles and communities that were authoritative for believers, and in Christianity the figures who formed it on the initial path, worked a lot, cursing, banning as heretical and divergent from the generally accepted text, and simply destroying books they dislike. That is why relatively few apocrypha have survived - a little over 100 Old Testament ones and about 100 New Testament ones. Science has been especially enriched by recent excavations and discoveries near the Dead Sea and in Egypt. The Apocrypha, in particular, helps us understand the paths through which Christianity was formed and what elements its dogma was composed of. The Old Testament apocrypha was less cleaned up by later adherents of the strictest monotheism and therefore helps to understand the political roots of the Hebrew religion.

Apocryphal literature is very useful for the atheistic exposure of the “sacred” secrets of religious teaching.

As we have already mentioned, for Judaists and Christians the canonical content of the bibles they accept is the “word of God,” the revelation of God himself to the sinful earth and people. That's why they talk about the "inspiration" (in other theological works - divine inspiration) of the Bible.

However, even here, not everyone puts the same content into this concept.

Thus, the ancient Jewish theologians-Sopherim (scribes) even counted the number of letters in the Torah and how many times which letter of the alphabet appears in which book, so that anything from the “God-given scripture” would not fall out or be distorted.

Protestants today, without denying the idea of ​​​​the “divine inspiration” of the Bible, leave in it, however, only certain parts as the “word of God”. Here, for example, are the views of Anglican theologians. "Holy Scripture", like the person of Christ, has two natures - divine and human. The divine nature of the writers was inspired by the holy spirit; human nature, in its purely human being, is brought in by the writers themselves. This nature is not controlled by the holy spirit. Divine nature shows us history, life, morality, human nature introduces drama, poetry, myths.

Even Catholics today are retreating from the Gospel concept of “inspiration.”

Of the Christian movements, perhaps the most conservative in their views on the Bible and its “divine inspiration” are Orthodoxy, especially Russian, and sectarians. However, the Orthodox also consider the entire Bible to be the “word of God,” but allow human variations in the presentation of its “truths” by writers “inspired” by God.

The different contents that churchmen and sectarians put into the concepts of “the word of God” and “inspiration” allow them to maneuver in intra-church practice and in clashes with non-believers. To believers who are fanatically inclined or trustingly rely on their shepherds, they talk about the verbal, i.e., literal, “inspiration” of the Bible and use its most naive legends. In front of believing intellectuals and wavering ones, they talk about all the slippery and revealing passages of the Bible as “human additions”; in disputes with non-believers, they leave only moral instructions and a few prophecies to God, and they themselves recognize everything else as human documents of ancient eras and thereby bypass dangers for them places.

It is impossible not to note another important difference in views. The Old Testament undoubtedly took shape among the Jews, partly in Palestine and partly in Mesopotamia during the period of captivity. It also included elements borrowed from surrounding peoples. A number of myths from the book of Genesis and others go back to Sumer and Babylonia, the book of Job is of Arabian origin, the book of Proverbs is rooted in Egyptian aphoristic literature, the book of Ecclesiastes is related to the Greek philosophy of the Hellenistic era, many psalms have Meso-Potamian and Egyptian parallels, the novel about Joseph the Beautiful has something in common with the Egyptian tale of two brothers, etc.

Many works of the New Testament, although they speak of Palestine, were created outside Palestine, and their authors did not know the situation in Palestine well enough. Sources created by Palestinian Christians go back to certain passages in the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Hebrews. The author of the Gospel of John apparently used the writings of the Qumran sectarians.

Historical Content of the Bible

The Bible contains historical materials. These are the books of Joshua (very relatively) and Judges, the books of Kings and Chronicles, partly the books of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, some minor prophets, the books of I Ezra, Nehemiah and the Three Maccabees. Some other books also provide something for history - the Pentateuch, Psalms, etc. But here it should be remembered everywhere that all these books are not chronicles, not historical records, but repeated processing of historical sources and traditions by religious figures of the ancient Jews - prophets and priests, compiled with the utilitarian purpose of consolidating and exalting certain religious ideas. Hence the bias of these documents, clearly falsified elements in them, distortion of historical perspective, anachronisms, etc.

Example. Important historical figures in the history of the ancient Jews were King Saul, King Jeroboam II and several others. But they were realist politicians and did not indulge the priests of the cult of Yahweh. Therefore, they are vilified and belittled in every possible way. Kings David and Solomon were not distinguished by cleanliness and morality in personal life, were ferocious exploiters of their own and surrounding peoples, but fully supported the religion and cult of Yahweh, and therefore the Bible presents them as examples of holiness, greatness and piety.

Second example. An analysis of the I-III books of Kings shows that the cult of Yahweh in the era they describe only began to stand out from the ancient Jewish henotheistic polytheism of the tribes, and the Bible is compiled in such a way that supposedly Jews by the era they describe (X-IX centuries BC) were already almost for not half a millennium they were consistent monotheists, worshipers of the one god Yahweh.

Thus, in a comparative study, involving different materials, we can isolate the historical grain from individual books of the Bible. The Bible then becomes an important historical document.

If an ordinary unprepared believer, touched in advance by their “divine” origin, turns to these same materials, these books and materials will hopelessly confuse him and strengthen him in gross superstitions and ahistorical ideas.

Myths and Tales in the Bible

The Bible includes a large number of ancient tales and myths. This should include the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis, and myths about the ancestors of the Jewish people - the “patriarchs” Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons, and myths about the “lawgiver” Moses, the stay of the Jews in Egypt, in the Sinai desert, and myths about the Jewish invasion of Palestine and many others

For a research scientist, these myths are like any ancient historical monuments human society, provide important data about the connections of Jews with surrounding peoples. After all, it is far from an accident that the cosmogony and anthropogony of the Jews clearly goes back to the Chaldean myths; the legends of the flood and pandemonium have their roots in Babylonian literary monuments and history. Myths about the patriarchs paint pictures of the life of the ancient tribal system. The myth of Cain’s murder of Abel depicts the emergence of conflicts between pastoralists and farmers from the perspective of nomadic pastoralists.

The Bible and ancient literary monuments

The Bible has absorbed a number of ancient literary monuments, which are the national treasure of the Hebrew and some other peoples and the universal cultural heritage.

This may include novels about Abraham, Jacob and his sons, about Joseph the Beautiful, about Samson the Bogatyr, short stories about judge Jephthah and his daughter, about Tobit, Judith, Ruth, Esther, about Susanna, a poem about the meaning of suffering - about Job Long-suffering, a poem about love that is not afraid of difficulties - the Song of Songs, many songs and ballads of historical, heroic, mourning, praising nature, like the song of Devorah, the song of David on the death of Saul and his sons, the 103rd Psalm and others. This includes didactic aphoristic collections such as Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, two books of Wisdom, etc... This includes a number of fables-parables and the New and Old Testaments...

Scientists and literary scholars study these works of art of antiquity with interest. But as soon as a person who believes in the “divine inspiration” of “scripture” approaches them, Judith, Ruth, Esther, and Susanna end up in the Orthodox calendar as historical characters, although they are not akin to historical figures, but to such literary images as Tatyana Larina, Natasha Rostova, etc. The love-ethical poem Song of Songs, glorifying the warm embrace and caresses of lovers, turns into an allegory of the love of Yahweh and the chosen people (in the mind of a mudaist ), Christ and the Church (in the minds of a Christian). It interprets the church and other literary monuments included in the Bible in the way it needs.

Socio-political documents

The works included in the Bible were not created in an abstract theoretical way. Their authors loved and hated them, and waged intense social and political struggles. That is why the Bible gives us a whole series of socio-political and class documents of the corresponding eras. Here are the subtle policies of the representatives of the reigning dynasty, a highly educated man for his time - the prophet Isaiah - the author of chapters 1-39 of the book of Isaiah (VIII century BC), and cruel jeremiads - denunciations of the prophet of the bazaars and squares of Jerusalem - Jeremiah (VII- VI centuries BC), and the sharp attacks of the shepherd Imos on the rich, and the bitter attempts to understand the causes of the catastrophe that befell the country of the captured patriot priest Ezekiel and his dreams of the future revival of the people.

In the Bible we find the first editions of the records of the Yahwist and Elohist codes, and apocalyptic reflections on the destinies of the world and the Jews, belonging to the leader of Palestine enslaved by the Greco-Syrians, known as the prophet Daniel, and the same reflections of the author of the first book of Christianity - the Apocalypse - on the destinies of Christians and Jews groaning under the heel of Rome.

Medical materials

There are medical and sanitary-hygienic instructions in the Bible from ancient times, evidence of the purely human character of the Bible. They are generated not by the omniscience of heaven, but by the corresponding level of human development.

For example, chapter 13 of Leviticus, speaking about leprosy, a disease that medicine rarely cures even today, indicates the existence of a curable and incurable form. In fact, it turns out that by the term “tsaraat” (leprosy) the Bible refers to skin diseases: from scabies and eczema to syphilis and leprosy itself. Similarly, people used to say that at one time he died “from the stomach,” while medicine today distinguishes dozens of gastric diseases.

The medical and hygienic prescription, which states what a priest should do with a person who has been healed of leprosy, or more precisely, of some skin disease, turns into outright witchcraft. The priest must slaughter the victim (ram) and anoint with its blood “the edge of the right ear of the one being cleansed,” and “the thumb of his right hand,” and “the big toe of his right foot.” Then, having poured oil into your left palm, sprinkle it “from your right finger seven times” before the altar, and then, having anointed the same places that were anointed with blood, place the rest of the oil “on the head of the one being cleansed” in order to “cleanse” him before the Lord" (Lev. 14:24-29).

The New Testament also knows the same witchcraft instructions. The Epistle of James (chapter 5, vv. 14-15) says that elders should anoint the sick with oil. It was this passage of the Bible that gave birth in Orthodoxy to the “sacrament” of consecration of oil, or unction, with witchcraft anointings by seven priests, seven anointings, seven times, of a number of certain places of the sick person with a mixture of wine and vegetable oil.

Some instructions are quite understandable as requirements of folk, human cleanliness of those times and the rules of community life. Thus, in Deuteronomy, in the name of God, all Israelites are ordered to have a shovel on the campaign and bury their excrement with it, so as not to pollute the camp.

Religious texts and injunctions

The religious texts and injunctions contained in the Bible speak not of the glory of God, not of the spirituality of the deity, but of the politics of the priests who fed from the altar; about ancient magic and superstitious beliefs.

So, in the book of Leviticus (chapters 1-7; God, by personal revelation to Moses, gives instructions on what kind of sacrifices to bring to him. He does not forget either meat (calf, goat, ram, poultry) or grain (bread, cakes, porridge, flour), neither fats (oils), does not forget the requirement to salt this food. Salt was an expensive delicacy then. Does not forget about dessert (fruits).

God provides the best cuts for his cooks - the priests-sacrifices-offenders. At the same time, God is satisfied - he smells a “pleasant aroma” (Lev. 1: 17; 2: 12; 3: 5, etc.).

In the book of Leviticus (chapter 19, art. 19) there are religious instructions for purely witchcraft, magical properties type of prohibitions - taboos: “do not mix your livestock with another breed; do not sow your field with two kinds of seeds; do not dress in clothes made of different types of threads, from wool and flax.”

In the same chapter of this book (23-25) it is forbidden to touch the first three Harvests fruit trees, the fourth is proposed to be given to the spiritual fathers, and only from the fifth harvest is it allowed to begin to enjoy the fruits of one’s labors. The absurdity of these instructions needs no comment.

Contradictions in the Bible

For a scientist, it is simple and clear that, written in the slave era, which recorded myths, documents and tales of the communal tribal system, patriarchal and the period of eastern despotic monarchies, the Bible must necessarily reflect the level of morality, ethical norms and ideas of that era, everyday traditions, etc. n. The believer believes that God, as the source of morality, necessarily reveals in the Bible once and for all identical sounding, eternal moral principles and laws.

The Bible contains contradictions from different eras and errors in reflecting everyday, moral and ethical standards, since it was created by many people and for a long time.

Here are a few examples of biblical contradictions.

The myths of the two groups of Jewish tribes - the Yahwist and the Elohist, which formed the basis of the first five books of the Bible - gave rise to a number of contradictions in the first chapters of the book of Genesis.

In one place (1:20-27) the process of creating life occurred in the following order: birds and reptiles, fish, animals, then man, and man and woman at the same time.

And in the second chapter (7-25), first man was created, then animals and birds, and finally woman from the rib of man.

In one version of the story about the global flood, every creature was taken into the ark in pairs (7: 14-16), and in another version - unclean ones in pairs, and clean ones in seven pairs (7: 1-3; 8:20).

The duration of the flood was also estimated differently: 40 days (7:4, 11-12, 17; 8:6) and 150 days (7:24).

In the historical books of the Bible (Judges, Kings, 1-2 Chronicles) there are a number of similar contradictions and errors. Thus, the duration of the era of judges, based on different chapters of the Bible, is determined to be 450 years, 400 years, 333 years. In accordance with the data historical science, this period lasted about 200 years.

Numerous contradictions in moral and everyday regulations are explained by the difference in the eras in which they were created.

Thus, in Exodus (20:5) it is said that children up to the third and fourth generation bear responsibility for the sins (crimes) of the fathers. In another book (Ezekiel 18:20) only the sinning soul is responsible for sins; it will die; the son will not bear the guilt of his father.

New Testament contradictions are well known.

Which genealogy of Christ is correct?

Matthew (1:1-17) from Abraham has 42 ancestors, and Luke (3:23-38) from Abraham has 56 generations of ancestors and there are great differences in names.

Where did Christ spend his childhood?

Matthew (2:20-23) names Egypt, where Jesus' parents fled immediately from Bethlehem, where Christ was born, then his family returned to Nazareth.

Luke (2.20-52) says differently, the first 40 days in Bethlehem, then in Nazareth, at least until 12 years.

There are many examples of contradictions and errors.

Miracles and Prophecies in the Bible

In the eyes of a believer, the most reliable evidence of the “inspiration” and divine background of the Bible has always been miracles and prophecies of the “word of God.”

Historians and ethnographers, first of all, identify in the Bible a whole series of miracles that should be attributed to wandering plots, favorite themes of ancient fairy tales and to universal human myths typical of almost all religions. This is what the Bible and the creators of its legends absorbed and adopted from the universal treasury of fairy tales, myths, and legends. This, for example, includes such miracles as the destruction by Elijah the Prophet of those sent to arrest his troops using lightning (2 Kings, 1). This includes the myth of the ascension of Elijah in a chariot drawn by fiery horses (ibid., 2). The ego is very reminiscent of the Greek myth of the sun god Helios, riding across the sky in a chariot.

The miracle of the prophet Elisha with an ax that fell into the water and surfaced when Elisha threw a chip into the river (2 Kings, 4) is a plot known in the fairy tales of dozens of peoples, including Russians. He was born when the first objects made of metal were of great value, their loss was a significant loss, and people in trouble, out of ignorance, resorted to sorcerers, healers, witchcraft and magical techniques, in this case to magic by similarity.

This same category of miracles includes numerous walks on water, as if on dry land, by the same Elijah (1 Kings, 2), Elisha (ibid.), Christ (Matt., 14, Mark, 6, etc.). These are fabulous expressions of the dream of ancient people about domination over the elements, about the triumph of man over nature. They have countless parallels in myths and fairy tales of various peoples. Tales of Elisha feeding hundreds (4 Kings, 4), and Christ feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread (Mark, 6, etc.), about miracles with the multiplication of food among people, who were patronized by the prophets Elijah (3 Kings, 17) and Elisha (2 Kings, 4) - are akin to people’s dreams of satiety, of a “self-assembled tablecloth.” It is characteristic that such miracles in the Bible are always attributed to mythical characters (Elijah, Elisha, Christ), and not to obviously historical, real personalities. Where the chronicles say, miracles recede.

Wandering subjects in the legends about Christ include the myths about his immaculate conception (annunciation) (Luke, 1) and ascension (Luke, 24, and Acts, 1).

The myths of the Middle East, Greco-Roman, Hindu and Buddhist religions are replete with the mysterious conceptions of gods and heroes and the ascent of gods to heaven. These are all the naive dreams of ancient people about communicating with powerful “celestial beings”. After all, if the paths between heaven and earth have already been paved, one can hope that they will open for others.

The second very typical category of miracles in the Bible are natural miracles, as they are sometimes called. Here, essentially, there was no miracle, but a natural phenomenon that at one time captured the imagination of people, and unenlightened people at that. The stories about him, full of amazement, were then overgrown with exaggerations, ended up in songs, where they became hyperbolic, taking the form of absolutely supernatural phenomena. Let us demonstrate this type of “miracle” with several examples.

As science has established, in general the Jews were never in Egypt and never “came from it.” Legends about the exodus and wanderings through the deserts apparently merged into folk memory from the stories of a small group of Jews who, together with the nomadic tribes known collectively as the Hyksos (“lords of foreign lands”), came to Egypt; During the expulsion of the Hyksos, they were captured by the Egyptians and then fled.

Talking about the oppression and their troubles in Egypt, the fugitive Jews added: “Well, God or the gods did not have mercy on the Egyptians” - and told what kind of troubles befell Egypt. Passing from mouth to mouth, these stories were formed into a coherent legend about the systematic “executions” that God sent to the oppressors (see Exod., 7-10).

We find a case of fabricating a miracle from a non-miracle in the book of Joshua (10). Jews, children of deserts and steppes, were bad at besieging cities; they lacked skills and equipment. And so, fortunately for them, the kings of the five Canaanite city-kingdoms entered into a coalition and decided to give the Jews battle. This suited the steppe people. They had to defeat and destroy the enemy in field conditions so that the bloodless cities would then fall into their hands without much resistance. But the battles then stopped at night. And so the Jews passionately dreamed that they would have enough time for complete victory and enough time to destroy the enemy’s manpower. From here came the legends that God granted the prayers and stopped the sun in its daily movement.

And one more moment. Trying to hide from the valley into the mountains and escape from extermination, the vanquished climbed the slopes, causing rockfalls and screes - a frequent and natural phenomenon in the mountains. This unexpected assistance of nature to the victors turned into a rain of stones in legends: supposedly God threw boulders from the sky at the retreating ones.

Something very peculiar happens with the miracle of the resurrection of Christ. It is clear to scientists today that Christians, creating the myth of Christ, borrowed the cults of the annually dying and resurrecting gods of green nature, such as Osiris, that were widespread in the East (and in particular in Egypt). In the mysteries of such cults, the nobles and elders performed the burial rite, the “coffin” was mourned by the mourners, at the appointed hour a certain day the priests announced that God had risen and appeared to them as if alive. In the New Testament, stories of burial, resurrection, and ascension are found in all four evangelists and in the Acts of the Apostles.

From these texts we learn that noble people buried Christ, that three Marys mourned him (the name is not only from Mariam, i.e. “mistress of the sea” - Aramaic, but also from Marg - “bitter”, a Hebrew root - this is often the case was the name of the mourners in the East) that the resurrection occurred at dawn on Sunday and Christ then appeared to testify of his revival to the apostle disciples. Before us appears the outline of the ritual of the mysteries of Osiris and other dying and resurrecting gods, transformed into the greatest miracle of Christianity.

Analysis of biblical prophecies also gives us interesting information. It should be noted that in ancient times dreams with the aspirations, fears or superstitions of people revealed in them were often considered as “prophecies” and “revelations from above”. When people still didn’t know much, the line between sleep and reality seemed insignificant to them. Dreams were perceived as observations or information from the soul received during their absences “to the next world,” during the period of sleep of the body. These dreams were interpreted and conclusions were drawn from them.

So, for example, Abraham was going to change his place of residence. God appeared to him in a dream and showed him where to go (Gen. 12). Abraham is heartbroken about childlessness. And God supposedly consoles him in a dream: “Be patient, you will have more offspring” (Gen. 15).

This is especially clearly expressed in the books of the Prophets. The New Testament also speaks about dreams-revelations of the future, the “revelation” in a dream of Joseph not to drive the sinner Mary out of the house (Matt. 1:20); the dream of the Magi - not to visit Herod (Matt. 2:12); Joseph's dream was to flee to Egypt (Matt. 2:13).

Along with the superstitious attitude towards dreams, hallucinations and self-hypnosis, which were considered as prophecies, there are also prophecies of a realistic order in the Bible. These are prophecies about conquests, invasions, occupations, and military disasters. The “father” of these prophecies was, of course, not God, but human common sense and a realistic assessment of the emerging political situation.

In the ancient world, Palestine was truly the “navel of the earth,” a great global crossroads.

Each of the great powers, when fighting with the other, laid their military roads through this Palestinian crossroads. People have always either fought here or expected war, anxiously looking to see which of the neighbors is gaining strength and rising on the crest of the next historical “ninth wave.”

Is it surprising that when in the 8th century. BC e. the entire East trembled in anticipation of the Assyrian invasion, these foreboding prophecies permeated the books of the prophet Isaiah, and when in the 7th-6th centuries. BC e. hegemony passed to the Neo-Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, his contemporary, the prophet Jeremiah, began to prepare the population and government for the impending events (see the book of Jeremiah). Anticipating Jeremiah, the beginning of the strengthening of Babylonia was noted by Habakkuk with agonizing worries for the future of his homeland, and the decline of the Assyrian rapists was heralded by Nahum with vengeful haste.

These premonitions: who will be the next conqueror, what new storm will fall on the inhabitants of Palestine? - permeate a good third of the Old Testament.

Wars and invasions have always been expected here from century to century.

That is why it is easy, with a certain amount of imagination, gullibility and trust in the Bible as a “revelation from above,” to attach biblical forebodings of war to any military thunderstorm of any century... And people, trusting the Bible as the “eternal” “word of God,” did this.

You can make entire lists of which events in world history were not associated with the same events in the Bible!

If such prophecies are real in themselves, and one has to protest only against transferring them to other times and eras, then another type of prophecy of the Bible is based on a deliberate distortion of the truth in the Bible itself.

The Jewish priest Ezekiel, a historical figure, described (Ezek. 38-39) the invasion of the Scythians (Gog from the country of Magog), which took place in the Middle East during his years (VI century BC). He was an eyewitness. Later editors presented his true story as a prophecy. And six centuries later, the ignorant author of the Apocalypse also introduced Gog and Magog into his book as characters who will appear in the world in " last times"And he confused Magog - the name of the country, a geographical concept, and Gog - the prince, the man, with the names of the tribes and made them two peoples (Rev. 20: 7).

Believers are in awe of Gog and Magog, even though this prophecy has been shown to have no rational basis.

The book of Daniel describes the change of four powers - Babylonian, Persian, Greek (Alexander the Great) and Roman (Chapter II), the struggle of the Greeks and Persians, the fate of the Greco-Syrian and Greco-Egyptian powers (Chapters VII and VIII), the sequence of events in zone of Palestine in the GuG-I centuries. BC e. (Chapter XI). All this is presented by the editors of the Bible as the story of a writer who lived in the 6th century. BC e. This means that these are wonderful prophecies, absolute providence of the future. But in reality? The most serious studies of the book of Daniel have led scientists to the conviction and knowledge that it was written in the 2nd century. BC e., i.e. after the events described.

The third type of prophecy is when what is desired is taken for what is. These are the apocalypses. In them, in a hidden form, people express their aspirations and hopes.

The history of the first Christian book written, the Apocalypse, or the Revelation of John the Theologian, gives us a brilliant example of this. Let us focus our attention specifically on the Apocalypse of John, since among Christians, among other prophecies, it is literally a scarecrow for the gullible and gullible.

The Apocalypse is the final book of the Bible. This is a relatively small work, consisting of 404 verses. According to Christians, this is the last work of the Bible, dating back to the first half of the 2nd century. n. e. Its author is allegedly the Apostle John, the youngest disciple of Jesus Christ, who outlived everyone else and died at the age of over 100 years. These are the data of church legends and traditions.

In fact, everything is not like that. A philological analysis of the language, vocabulary, style and words shows that the book cannot in any way be recognized as written by the author of the Gospel of John and the three Council Epistles of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian. There is no reason to believe that these works were written by the Apostle John. This eloquent fact itself testifies to the failure of church tradition. Judging by the text of the book, it was written by a man who enjoyed great authority in the early Christian communities, whose name, in all likelihood, was John. But we can’t say more about him yet.

Chapter 17 of the Apocalypse tells of a vision of the “harlot of Babylon” sitting on a beast with seven heads. And here is a transcript of what was described:

“And the angel said to me: Why are you marveling? I will tell you the secret of this woman and of the beast that bears her, which has seven heads and ten horns” (7).

"Here is a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are the seven mountains on which the woman sits..." (9).

For the ancients, this was a genuine decipherment: after all, only one city of antiquity “sat on seven mountains” - Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. This is who, in the eyes of the writer, is the accursed “Whore of Babylon.” But why is it then “Babylonian” and not Roman? Rome was very strong, and it was clearly unsafe to criticize it. And Babylon had been in ruins for centuries. And only by placing the “harlot of Babylon” on seven mountains, the author thereby gave a complete decoding of the true address against whom his writing was directed.

When was this done? Let's read. “And there are seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is, but the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he will not be long” (10).

Rome was a republic for a long time. Kings (Caesars) appeared in it at the turn of our era. They are easy to count: the “five fell” are Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. “There is one” - this is the sixth Caesar Galba. He reigned from June 9, 68 to January 15, 69. At this time, there was already an uprising of the legions, of which some predicted Vitellius to the throne, others Otto (it was Otto who ascended the throne). One of them is the one who “has not yet come.”

“And the beast that was and is not is the eighth, and from among the seven, and will go to destruction” (11).

At this time, the uprising of the False Nero thundered in the East. This is who the “beast” is, the “antichrist”. Not something distant, future, future. No, the writer suffered from the pain of his time and dreamed of God punishing today’s enemies, his own and his people, all the offended and oppressed.

Any play on the Apocalypse, as on a book that predicts the future destinies of the world, is speculation by dark and sometimes unscrupulous people with the aim of intimidating believers.

The prophecies of the Old Testament, which are interpreted in the New Testament as fulfilled, deserve special attention. This makes a considerable impression on believers who read the gospel and helps strengthen them in their faith.

Scientists have long established that between the books of the Old and New Testaments there is not direct, but reverse continuity. It was not the Old Testament that predicted the events of the New, and it is not the New Testament that is the fulfillment of the Old, but the writers and editors of the New Testament books, but mainly the compilers of the later books of the New Testament, the gospels, looked for texts of the Old Testament that, in their opinion, could relate to the messiah, and from them legends about Jesus were composed and shaped.

So what we have here is not “the fulfillment of prophecy,” but a counterfeit of prophecy.

Bible parables

In the preaching activities of today's churchmen and sectarians, the Gospel parables of Christ are very popular. A parable is a very popular form of allegorical story in the East, leading the reader or listener to certain thoughts and considerations. In modern parlance, this is a fable.

The entire Ancient East knew parables. Many of them have come down to us in the literature of eastern peoples.

The Old Testament, the literature of the ancient Jews, also knew them.

There are especially many political and moral accusatory parables there.

Thus, in the book of Judges (9: 7-20), Jotham, who survived the massacre committed by his half-brother, but illegitimate (from a concubine), addresses a parable-fable (about trees choosing a king for themselves) to the residents of the city of Shechem that received the usurper.

In the book of Ezekiel (16 and 22), in the parables-fables about a thrown girl, raised by God and then giving in to debauchery and deceiving God, and about two sisters who fornicated with people they met and crossed, Ezekiel allegorically depicts the betrayal of the Jewish people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. God - Jehovah.

Parables and fables were the literature of bazaars, squares, and a favorite form of teaching for wandering preachers. It is not surprising that many of them were included in the gospels, reflecting the usual and most everyday stories and phrases.

a) Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 ... grain sown in the field. The enemy sowed weeds there. While everything is growing together. At harvest the grain will be gathered and the weeds will be burned.

b) Matthew 13: 31-32 ...mustard seed. They sow it - it is tiny, but it will grow into a mighty tree.

c) Matthew 13: 38 ...leaven in three measures of flour, which leavens the whole lump.

d) Matt., 13-44 ...a treasure, having found it, a man sells everything in order to acquire a plot with a treasure.

e) Matthew 13: 45-46 ...a pearl, for the acquisition of which a man sells everything...

f) Matthew 13: 47-50 ...a net that pulls out all kinds of fish. The good ones are taken, the bad ones are thrown away.

These same parables are found in parallel texts of other gospels.

Parables “a” and “e” replace the moral incentive for human behavior with intimidation with the “whip” - the fear of hell. Both end with the expression: “And they will be thrown into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Parables “b” and “c” are built on the idea that a person must surrender himself entirely to God.

Parables “d” and “d” develop this idea in the direction that one must “sell” everything that is available (earthly, one’s own human, universal) and surrender only to the “acquisition” of God. Here selfish personal salvation becomes the norm of behavior. It is not without reason that merchants and money-grubbers use fable images to inspire this. The explanations given are not our interpretation; they are built on the basis of “patristic” interpretations of the “word of God.”

Along with this, those seeking personal salvation are instilled with the idea that the world and life in it cannot be given to them.

nothing, and even the good things they experience in life happen only by the grace of God, therefore, in the first place, again, God and his “kingdom” should be in first place, and not life, people, society:

a) Luke 16:13 - you cannot serve two masters, that is, God and life, the world, people.

b) Matthew 6:26 - even the birds neither reap nor sow, but God fed them, without participating in worldly life.

c) Matthew 6: 27-30 - and the flowers grow carefree with God’s help.

Not to mention the absurdity of comparisons (birds and plants live in the struggle for existence, and are far from dependent on the Lord God), here a person is called to turn his back on the works and worries of the world and go into the mysticism of faith. After all, even monks in monasteries cannot live if they do not work or exploit the work of those who worship them and believers.

The gospels also included some popular everyday parables and close observations. Thus, Matthew (7:24-27) and Luke (6:48-49) have discussions about a house built on sand and a house on a rock foundation - a symbol of a cause, a society built on false and correct teaching. Of course, Christians consider themselves “correct” here.

A number of peoples have similar sayings and sayings.

Matthew (9:16-17) has parables about how new wine is poured into new wineskins, but old clothes are not patched with new cloth - a symbol that new content requires new forms for its expression.

There are also parables in the gospels that kept Christians in suspense of constant anticipation of the second coming and the Last Judgment:

a) Matthew 24:42-44 - about the waking master.

b) Matthew 24:45-51, Luke 12:36-48 - about slaves who did not expect the arrival of the owner, who took them by surprise.

Thus, with rare exceptions, the parables and fables of the Gospels serve ideas that are hostile to people, lead away from life, call for selfish personal salvation, and are permeated with echoes and concepts of long-gone eras.

Apostolic Epistles

Very important The Bible has messages for understanding the principles and practices of Christianity. These are, in essence, letters of instruction and agreement, which were exchanged between early Christian communities during their formation, often through apostolic envoys.

From the messages it is clear that early Christianity was born in a struggle of opinions and personalities, and not in a reverent gathering of people around the truth given once and for all, that in Christianity there were good people and rather unsympathetic carriers of various vices and that this was by no means an iconographic collection of holy examples of Christianity for all centuries, but representatives of human society with all the inherent advantages and disadvantages of people.

From here we learn about the points of view of the church on a number of practical issues that faced the new form of religion (church and state, church and government, believers and non-believers, family relationships, fathers and children, attitude towards women, etc.).

What is the Bible

The Bible is a set of religious texts related to Judaism and Christianity and recognized as sacred by these religions. Texts proclaimed by confessions are called canonical. In Christianity, the Bible consists of two significant parts - the Old and New Testaments. In Judaism, the New Testament is not recognized, just as everything connected with Christ is disputed. Its very existence is questioned or accepted with great reservations.

Old Testament

The Old Testament is the part of the Bible created in the pre-Christian era. This also applies to the beliefs of the Jews. The Testament consists of several dozen books, the number of which varies in Christianity and Judaism. The books are organized into three sections. The first is called the Law, the second the Prophets, and the third the Scriptures. The first section is also called the "Pentateuch of Moses" or "Torah". Jewish tradition traces it back to Moses' recording of divine revelation on Mount Sinai. The books in the "Prophets" section include writings created during the period from the Exodus from Egypt to the Babylonian Captivity. The books of the third section are attributed to King Solomon and are sometimes called by the Greek term psalms.

New Testament

The books of the New Testament constitute the second part of the Christian Bible. They relate to the period of the earthly existence of Jesus Christ, his sermons and messages to his disciples-apostles. The basis is the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The authors of the books, called "evangelists", were disciples of Christ and direct witnesses of his life, crucifixion and miraculous Resurrection. Each of them presents events related to Christ in their own way, depending on what they highlighted as the main one. The Gospels contain the words of Jesus, his sermons and parables. The Gospel of John is considered the latest in terms of creation. It somewhat complements the first three books. An important place in the New Testament is occupied by the books of the Acts of the Holy Apostles and the Epistles, as well as the Revelation of John the Theologian. The Epistles reflect the interpretation of Christian teaching from the Apostles to the church communities of that era. And also called the Apocalypse, it gives a prophetic prediction of the Second Coming of the Savior and the End of the World. The Book of Acts of the Holy Apostles refers to the period following the Ascension of Christ. It, unlike other sections of the New Testament, has the form of a historical chronology and describes the areas in which the events unfolded and the people who participated in them. In addition to the canonical books of the New Testament, there are also apocrypha that are not recognized by the Church. Some of them are classified as heretical literature, others are considered insufficiently reliable. The Apocrypha is mainly of historical interest, contributing to the understanding of the formation of Christian teaching and its canons.

The place of the Bible in world religions

The books that make up the Bible are not only from the Jewish and Christian traditions. They are no less important for Islam, which recognizes some of the revelations and the persons whose actions are described in them. Muslims recognize not only Old Testament characters, such as Abraham and Moses, as prophets, but also consider Christ to be a prophet. Biblical texts in their meaning are connected with the verses of the Koran, and they thereby serve as confirmation of the truth of the teaching. The Bible is a source of religious revelation common to three world religions. Thus, the largest faiths in the world are closely connected with the Book of Books and recognize what is said in it as the basis of their religious worldview.

First Bible translations

Different parts of the Bible were created at different times. The most ancient traditions of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew, and some of the later ones were written in Aramaic, which was the colloquial dialect of the "Hebrew street." The New Testament was written down in a dialect version. With the spread of Christianity and the preaching of its teachings among different nations, the need arose to translate the Bible into the most accessible languages ​​of its time. First famous translation became the Latin version of the New Testament. This version is called the Vulgate. Early Bible translations include books in Coptic, Gothic, Armenian languages and some others.

Bible in Western European languages

The Roman Catholic Church had a negative attitude towards translating the Bible into other languages. It was believed that in this case the transmission of meaning would be disrupted due to the difference in terminology inherent in dissimilar languages. Therefore, the translation of the Bible into German and English was not only an event in the field of linguistics, but reflected significant changes in the Christian world. The German translation of the Bible was carried out by Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. His activities led to a deep split catholic church, the creation of a number of Protestant movements, which today make up a significant part of Christianity. English translations Bibles created since the 14th century also formed the basis for the isolation of some Christians around the Anglican Church and the formation of separate Protestant teachings.

Church Slavonic translation

An important milestone in the spread of Christianity was the translation of the Bible into Old Slavonic language, executed by the monks Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century AD. e. The retelling of liturgical texts from Greek required the solution of several problems. First of all, it was necessary to decide on a graphic system and create an adapted version of the alphabet. Although Cyril and Methodius are considered the authors of the Russian alphabet, the assertion that they used already existing sign systems used in Slavic writing, standardizing them for their task, also looks quite convincing. The second problem (maybe even more important) was the adequate transfer of the meanings expressed in the Bible in Greek terms into the words of the Slavic language. Since this was not always possible to achieve, a significant array of Greek terms was introduced into circulation through the Bible, which received unambiguous interpretations through the disclosure of their meaning in the Slavic interpretation. Thus, the Old Church Slavonic language of the Bible, supplemented by the conceptual apparatus of Greek terminology, formed the basis of the so-called

Russian translation

Although Old Church Slavonic is the basis of later languages ​​spoken by many peoples, over time differences accumulate between the commonly used modern language and the original basis. It becomes difficult for people to understand the meaning conveyed by words that have fallen out of everyday use. Therefore, adapting the source text to modern versions of the language is considered a difficult task. Translations of the Bible have been carried out repeatedly since the 19th century. The first of them was carried out in the second half of the named century. The Russian Bible received the name “synodal”, since the translation was approved by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. It conveys not only the factual side associated with the life and preaching of Christ, but also the spiritual content of his views in words understood by a contemporary. The Bible in Russian is designed to make it easier for modern people to correctly interpret the meaning of the events described. Religion operates with concepts that sometimes differ significantly from the usual everyday terminology, and reveals the inner meaning of phenomena or relationships spiritual world requires deep knowledge not only of the Church Slavonic and Russian languages, but also a special mystical content that is conveyed in words. New Bible, translated into Russian, makes it possible to continue the transmission of the Christian tradition in society, using accessible terminology and maintaining continuity with the ascetics and theologians of previous times.

satanic bible

The influence of Christianity on society has caused a reaction from opponents of religion. In contrast to the Bible, teachings were created, expressed in texts of a similar form, some of which are called satanic (another term is the Black Bible). The authors of these treatises, some of which were created in ancient times, preach value priorities that are radically opposed to Christianity and the preaching of Jesus. They underlie many heretical teachings. The Black Bible affirms the uniqueness and primacy of the material world, placing man with his passions and aspirations at its center. Satisfaction of one's own instincts and needs is declared the only meaning short earthly existence, and for this purpose any forms and actions are considered acceptable. Despite the materialism of Satanism, it recognizes the existence other world. But in relation to it, the right of earthly man to manipulate or control the entities of this world for the sake of serving his own passions is preached.

The Bible in Modern Society

Christianity is one of the most widespread religious teachings in the modern world. He maintains this position for a considerable time - at least more than a thousand years. The teachings of Christ, which the Bible gives, covenants and parables constitute the moral and ethical basis of civilization. Therefore, the Bible has become the most famous book in world history. It has been translated into almost everything modern languages and many obsolete adverbs. Thus, ninety percent of the population of our planet can read it. The Bible is also the main source of knowledge about Christianity.

— We Orthodox Christians are often reproached for not reading the Bible as often as, for example, Protestants do. How fair are such accusations?

- The Orthodox Church recognizes two sources of knowledge of God - the Holy Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. Moreover, the first is an integral part of the second. After all, initially the sermons of the holy apostles were delivered and transmitted orally. Sacred Tradition includes not only Holy Scripture, but also liturgical texts, decrees of Ecumenical Councils, iconography and a number of other sources that occupy important place in the life of the Church. And everything that is said in the Holy Scriptures is also in the Tradition of the Church.

Since ancient times, the life of a Christian has been inextricably linked with biblical texts. And in the 16th century, when the so-called “Reformation” arose, the situation changed. Protestants abandoned the Holy Tradition of the Church and limited themselves to only studying the Holy Scriptures. And therefore, a special kind of piety appeared among them - reading and studying biblical texts. Once again I want to emphasize: from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, Holy Tradition includes the entire scope of church life, including the Holy Scriptures. Moreover, even if someone does not read the Word of God, but regularly attends the temple, he hears that the entire service is permeated with biblical quotations. Thus, if a person lives a church life, then he is in the atmosphere of the Bible.

— How many books are included in the Holy Scriptures? What is the difference between the Orthodox Bible and the Protestant Bible?

— The Holy Scriptures are a collection of books, different books according to the time of their writing, and by authorship, and by content, and by style. They are divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are 77 books in the Orthodox Bible, and 66 in the Protestant Bible.

—What causes this discrepancy?

— The fact is that in the Orthodox Bible, more precisely in the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament, in addition to 39 canonical books, there are 11 more non-canonical books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, Epistle of Jeremiah, Baruch, the second and third books of Ezra, three books of Maccabees. In the “Long Christian Catechism” of St. Philaret of Moscow it is said that the division of books into canonical and non-canonical is caused by the absence of the latter (11 books) in Jewish primary sources and their presence only in Greek, i.e. in the Septuagint (translation of 70 interpreters). In turn, Protestants, starting with M. Luther, abandoned non-canonical books, mistakenly assigning them the status of “apocryphal”. As for the 27 books of the New Testament, they are recognized by both Orthodox and Protestants. We are talking about the Christian part of the Bible, written after the Nativity of Christ: the New Testament books testify to the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the first decades of the existence of the Church. These include the four Gospels, the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles of the apostles (seven - conciliar and 14 - of the Apostle Paul), as well as the Revelation of John the Theologian (Apocalypse).

— How to study the Bible correctly? Is it worth starting knowledge from the first pages of Genesis?

— The main thing is to have a sincere desire to learn the Word of God. It's better to start with the New Testament. Experienced pastors recommend getting acquainted with the Bible through the Gospel of Mark (that is, not in the order in which they are presented). It is the shortest, written in simple and accessible language. Having read the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, we move on to the book of Acts, the Apostolic Epistles and the Apocalypse (the most complex and most mysterious book in the entire Bible). And only after this can you begin to read the Old Testament books. Only after reading the New Testament, it is easier to understand the meaning of the Old. After all, it was not for nothing that the Apostle Paul said that the Old Testament legislation was a teacher to Christ (see: Gal. 3: 24): it leads a person, as if a child by the hand, to let him truly understand what happened during the Incarnation, What in principle is the incarnation of God for a person...

— What if the reader does not understand some episodes of the Bible? What to do in this case? Who should I contact?

— It is advisable to have books on hand that explain the Holy Scriptures. We can recommend the works of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria. His explanations are short, but very accessible and deeply ecclesiastical, reflecting the Tradition of the Church. The conversations of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospels and Apostolic Epistles are also classic. If any questions arise, it would be a good idea to consult with an experienced priest. It is necessary to understand that reading the Holy Scriptures is part of a spiritual achievement. And it is very important to pray, to cleanse your soul. Indeed, even in the Old Testament it was said: wisdom will not enter an evil soul and will not dwell in a body enslaved to sin, for the Holy Spirit of wisdom will withdraw from wickedness and turn away from foolish speculations, and will be ashamed of the approaching unrighteousness (Wisdom 1: 4-5) .

- So, you need to prepare for reading the Holy Scriptures in a special way?

— Experienced elders in monasteries gave the novice a rule: before studying the Holy Scriptures, you first need to familiarize yourself with the works of the holy fathers. Bible readings are not just studying the Word of God, they are like prayer. In general, I would recommend reading the Bible in the morning, after prayer rule. I think it’s easy to set aside 15-20 minutes to read one or two chapters from the Gospel, the Apostolic Epistles. This way you can get a spiritual charge for the whole day. Very often, in this way, answers to serious questions that life poses to a person appear.

— Sometimes the following situation happens: you read it, understand what it’s about, but it doesn’t suit you because you don’t agree with what’s written...

— According to Tertullian (one of the church writers of antiquity), our soul is Christian by nature. Thus, biblical truths were given to man from the very beginning; they are embedded in his nature, his consciousness. We sometimes call this conscience, that is, it is not something new that is unusual for human nature. The main tenets of the Holy Scriptures are the voice of God, sounding in the nature of each of us. Therefore, you need, first of all, to pay attention to your life: is everything in it consistent with the commandments of God? If a person does not want to listen to the voice of God, then what other voice does he need? Who will he listen to?

— Saint Philaret was once asked: how can one believe that the prophet Jonah was swallowed by a whale with a very narrow throat? In response, he said: “If it were written in the Holy Scriptures that it was not a whale that swallowed Jonah, but Jonah a whale, I would believe that too.” Of course, today such statements can be perceived with sarcasm. In this regard, the question arises: why does the Church trust the Holy Scripture so much? After all, the biblical books were written by people...

— The main difference between the Bible and other books is revelation. This is not just the work of some outstanding person. Through the prophets and apostles, the voice of God Himself is reproduced in accessible language. If the Creator addresses us, then how should we react to this? Hence such attention and such trust in the Holy Scriptures.

— In what language were the biblical books written? How their translation influenced modern perception sacred texts?

— Most of the Old Testament books are written in Hebrew. Some of them survive only in Aramaic. The already mentioned non-canonical books have reached us exclusively in Greek: for example, Judith, Tobit, Baruch and the Maccabees. The third book of Ezra is known to us in its entirety only in Latin. As for the New Testament, it was mainly written in Greek - in the Koine dialect. Some biblical scholars believe that the Gospel of Matthew was written in Hebrew, but no primary sources have reached us (there are only translations). Of course, it would be better to read and study biblical books based on primary sources and originals. But this has been the case since ancient times: all books of Holy Scripture were translated. And therefore, for the most part, people are familiar with the Holy Scriptures translated into their native language.

— It would be interesting to know: what language did Jesus Christ speak?

— Many people believe that Christ used Aramaic. However, when talking about the original Gospel of Matthew, most biblical scholars point to Hebrew as the language of the Old Testament books. Disputes on this topic continue to this day.

— According to Bible societies, back in 2008, the Bible was translated in whole or in part into 2,500 languages. Some scientists believe that there are 3 thousand languages ​​in the world, others point to 6 thousand. It is very difficult to define the criterion: what is a language and what is a dialect. But we can say with absolute certainty: all people living in different corners people around the globe can read the Bible in whole or in part in their own language.

— Which language is preferable for us: Russian, Ukrainian or Church Slavonic?

— The main criterion is that the Bible must be understandable. Traditionally used during church services Church Slavonic language. Unfortunately, it is not studied in secondary schools. Therefore, many biblical expressions require explanation. This, by the way, applies not only to our era. This problem also arose in the 19th century. At the same time, a translation of the Holy Scriptures into Russian appeared - the Synodal Translation of the Bible. It has stood the test of time and had a huge impact on the development of the Russian language in particular and Russian culture in general. Therefore, for Russian-speaking parishioners, I would recommend using it for home reading. As for Ukrainian-speaking parishioners, the situation here is a little more complicated. The fact is that the attempt at the first complete translation of the Bible into Ukrainian language was undertaken by Panteleimon Kulish in the 60s of the XIX century. He was joined by Ivan Nechuy-Levitsky. The translation was completed by Ivan Pulyuy (after Kulish’s death). Their work was published in 1903 by the Bible Society. In the 20th century the most authoritative were the translations of Ivan Ogienko and Ivan Khomenko. Currently, many people are attempting to translate the entire Bible or parts of it. There are both positive experiences and difficult, controversial issues. So it would probably be inappropriate to recommend any specific text Ukrainian translation. Now the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is translating the Four Gospels. I hope that this will be a successful translation both for home reading and for liturgical services (in those parishes where Ukrainian is used).

— In some parishes, during the service, a biblical passage is read in their native language (after reading in Church Slavonic)...

— This tradition is typical not only for ours, but also for many foreign parishes, where there are believers from different countries. In such situations, liturgical passages from the Holy Scriptures are repeated in native languages. After all, spiritual food must be given to a person in a form in which it can bring spiritual benefit.

— From time to time, information appears in the media about some new biblical book that was allegedly previously lost or kept secret. It necessarily reveals some “sacred” moments that contradict Christianity. How to treat such sources?

— In the last two centuries, many ancient manuscripts have been discovered, which has made it possible to coordinate the view on the study of the biblical text. First of all, this concerns the Qumran manuscripts discovered in the Dead Sea area (in the Qumran caves). Many manuscripts were found there - both biblical and gnostic (that is, texts that distort Christian teaching). It is possible that many manuscripts of a Gnostic nature will be found in the future. It should be recalled that even during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The Church fought against the heresy of Gnosticism. And in our time, when we are witnessing a craze for the occult, these texts appear under the guise of some kind of sensation.

— By what criteria can one determine a positive result from regular reading of the Holy Scriptures? By the number of memorized quotes?

— We read the Word of God not for memorization. Although there are situations, for example in seminaries, when exactly this task is set. Biblical texts are important for spiritual life in order to feel the breath of God Himself. In this way, we become familiar with the grace-filled gifts that exist in the Church, we learn about the commandments, thanks to which we become better, and draw closer to the Lord. Therefore, studying the Bible is the most important part of our spiritual ascent, spiritual life. With regular reading, many passages are gradually memorized without special memorization.