Bible edition. Interesting facts about the bible. Famous people about the Bible

12.08.2020

In Soviet times, there lived one of the most famous scientists, Academician I.P. Pavlov, the founder of the doctrine of higher nervous activity. One day he was sitting on a park bench reading the Bible. And then several people from among the Soviet youth passed by. Seeing him with a book in handah, one of them asked:
- What are you, grandfather, reading?
"The Bible," came the reply.
- Ah, darkness! The young people waved their hands. They, of course, did not suspect that beforea great scientist sat by them.
So what is the Bible?

1. The Bible is published in the largest circulation.

The total circulation of the Bible is about 6 billion. The number of printed Bibles in the 20th century alone amounts to many tens of billions. (This book on statistics is followed by the works of Mao Zedong in China, which, however, are also several tens of thousands of times smaller in number.)

2. The Bible is the most read book in the world.

Despite the huge circulations in which the Bible is published, the demand for it constantly exceeds supply, and every year publishers are forced to increase its circulation. Every nation has its famous poets and writers. For example, in Russia these are books by Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin. All of them in our country at least once read. How many of you have even heard of Henry Lawson or Paterson? How did you not hear? After all, these are the most famous writers in Australia. And who has heard of Rabindranath Tagore or Shorotchondro Chottopadkhai? Well, these names are not easy for us to pronounce. But they are one of the most famous writers of India.
But the Bible is a book for all nations. She is widely known all over the world.

3. The Bible has been translated into the largest number of languages.

In more than 2300 languages and dialects around the world. And this number is supplemented every year with new, even if little-known languages and dialects. For example, in last years the opportunity to join the Bible on your own mother tongue received by representatives of such small nationalities as Iraqv (in Tanzania), Sgav (in Burma), Gumuz (in Ethiopia), etc.

So why is the Bible the most famous book in human history?

What makes it unique, different from all other books? What is its real value?

The Bible is the Book through which God Himself is revealed to mankind.
This is the Word of God.

God Himself gave this Book to people. In it, He revealed to man His essence and the nature of His relationship with people. The Bible answers such eternal questions as: the origin of the Universe and man, the meaning of life, what awaits a person after death, what is happiness, etc.
They say how once the famous English physicist Michael Faraday was sitting at desk and read the Bible. His friend came in and saw that Faraday was sitting with his head in his hands. The friend asked in fright, "What's the matter with you, Michael? Are you not feeling well?" “Oh no,” Faraday replied, “I wonder why people on so many important issues choose to wander in the unknown, when God gave them such a wonderful book of Revelation?!”

How, after all, did this Book appear, did God really write its words with his own hand?

Of course not. The words of the Bible were written by about 40 different people over a period of about 1600 years. But what these people wrote did not come from themselves, but from the One who gave them the right words for this, inspired them. Here is what the Bible says about her:

"For prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit." 1 "All Scripture is inspired by God." 2

In other words, God is the inspirer, the Author of the Bible. This is clearly seen when you realize that the Bible was written in perfect different people who lived in different centuries and even millennia, who had the most diverse education and social status, came from different nationalities and cultural traditions - and, nevertheless, there are no contradictions between what they wrote, on the contrary, they only complement each other, contributing to a deeper understanding of the truths. This remarkable phenomenon of the perfect integrity and unity of Holy Scripture baffled even the most ardent opponents of the Bible in Soviet times. As the famous French philosopher Emmanuel Kant once wrote: "By its content, the Bible itself testifies to its Divine origin. The existence of the Bible as a book is of the greatest benefit to all people."

Famous people about the Bible:

Many famous writers, philosophers, scientists treated the Bible with deep reverence, believing in it as in the Word of God. Here is what some of them said:

IN AND. Belinsky:

"There is a book in which everything is said, everything is decided, after which there is no doubt, the book is immortal, holy, the book of eternal truth, eternal life- Gospel. The whole progress of mankind, all the successes in the sciences, in philosophy, consist only in a greater penetration into the secret depths of this divine book.

A.S. Pushkin:

"I don't think we'll ever give the people anything better than the Scriptures... The Bible is universal. This is the only book in the world; it has everything."

Isaac Newton:

"The Bible contains more signs of authenticity than all secular history."

M. Faraday:

"As tears come from the heart and are directed to the heart, so the Bible comes from God. And whoever is from God, he listens to her voice."

F.M. Dostoevsky:

"Lord! what a book this Holy Scripture is, what a miracle and what power given to man with it! And how many mysteries resolved and revealed! I love this book! Death to the people without God's Word."

How to read the Bible to understand its meaning?

The Bible is an amazing book. Despite the fact that it is very ancient (it began to be written 3.5 thousand years ago and was completed 1.9 thousand years ago), nevertheless it is accessible and relevant for a person living in the 21st century. But at the same time, to read it, you need a special approach to it. If you read the Bible like a morning paper, it will seem boring and incomprehensible to you. The Bible is not for that. It was given to people of all times and peoples, who lived in different centuries and in different cultures. And therefore, to understand it, you need to read it correctly.
Here are some tips on how to read the Bible to understand its truth.

1. Refer to its Author - God.

It is obvious. Who better to discover the meaning of a book than its author. So turn to God and ask Him to help you understand the Bible. You can say something like this to God: "God, I believe that the Bible is Your Word, and I want to understand it, please help me."

2. Honestly accept everything written in it.

What does it mean?
There is one children's fairy tale, which tells about the Behemoth, who considered himself very beautiful. And then one day they gave him a mirror so that he could look at himself. When Behemoth looked at what he really is, he shouted: "It's not true, this mirror is lying! I'm not like that!" And out of anger, he smashed it to the ground.
The Bible is also a kind of mirror. She speaks directly about who I am. It also reveals all the bad things that I have. Thus, a person faces a choice: either listen to her, honestly recognizing who I am, and, repenting, ask God to help change and improve my life. Or just slam the Bible shut and say: this Mirror is lying, there is nothing terrible here, because almost everyone lives like this now. The Bible itself says this:

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword: it penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is nothing hidden from Him, but everything is naked and open before His eyes: We will give Him report". 3

Why was the Bible a forbidden book in Soviet times? Why also in the Middle Ages, even church rulers under fear death penalty forbade ordinary people to read the Bible? Because the Bible reveals the truth. Am I ready to accept the pure truth? Or will it depend on whether I like it?

3. Don't stop at the incomprehensible.

If you ask God to help you understand the truth of the Bible, accept honestly everything written in it, and take the time to read at least New Testament then you will see for yourself what result this will bring in your life. This is the most important book ever written. And most of the troubles of mankind are rooted in the fact that many people in their entire lives have not even discovered it. No wonder the Bible itself says this:

"The time will come when people will not listen to sound teaching. They will invite and listen eagerly to those teachers who will tell them only what they themselves want to hear. They will stop listening to the truth and turn to fiction." 4

Today, we are surrounded by a huge amount of daily information everywhere: on the Internet, on TV, in newspapers, radio, etc. But the one who stops to listen to what is really important, the Word of God, builds his life on imperishable eternal truths, and he will never regret it.

The total circulation of the Bible is about 8 billion. Almost all of this number of Bibles has been printed during the last two centuries. No other book at all times has ever been published in such quantity.

Despite the huge circulations in which the Bible is published, the demand for it is constantly growing, and every year publishers are forced to increase its circulation. Every nation has its famous poets and writers. For example, in Russia these are books by Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin. All of them in our country at least once read. How many of you have even heard of Henry Lawson or Paterson? How did you not hear? After all, these are the most famous writers in Australia. And who has heard of Rabindranath Tagore or Shorotchondro Chottopadkhai? Well, these names are not easy for us to pronounce. But they are one of the most famous writers of India. But the Bible is a book for all nations. She is widely known all over the world.

The Bible has been translated into over 2,500 languages and dialects around the world. And this number is supplemented every year with new, even if little-known, languages and dialects. For example, in recent years representatives of such small nationalities as Irakw (in Tanzania), Sgav (in Burma), Gumuz (in Ethiopia), etc. have received the opportunity to partake of the Bible in their native language.

There is no analogue to this book. It is written in such a language that everyone is able to comprehend its meaning - from a simple hard worker to professors of the first universities in the world.

There is an opinion that the Bible is the most readable book due to the number of Christians in the world - the followers of this religion are the most in the world and they are the most educated. Another version lurks in the comprehension of the unknown - according to others, the Bible keeps the secrets of life and the destiny of the future.

Biblical stories have replenished world literature, painting, classical music with the best works of art. In our time, educational interest in the Bible has really increased.

The Bible has strongly influenced the arts, providing inspiration for the creation of the brightest creations of painting, literature and music.

The Bible has undergone many trials: prohibitions have been imposed on it, it has been burned at the stake, and attempts have been made to discredit it. No other book in the world has ever been so persecuted and hated. However, she survived and continues on her way.

There is no unanimous answer to the question why the Bible is the most read book. However, in general, there is no book that could even remotely compete with the Holy Scriptures in terms of circulation. Moreover, the Bible was the first printed book in history: it was its Latin version, the so-called Vulgate, that Gutenberg made on his printing press.

The Bible is an amazing book, if only because for more than 2000 years it has been the work most in demand by mankind. Interest in the Holy Scripture does not fade away without any advertising, and it does not leave any of its readers indifferent.

In today's TOP, we have collected 50 interesting facts about the Book of Books for our readers. We hope that they will be not only entertaining for you, but also useful.

1. The Bible has no title

The word "Bible" comes from the ancient Greek "βύβλος" - "papyrus, book". The vast majority of books have a title: "Three Comrades", "The Tale of Bygone Years", "Odyssey". But the Bible does not need a title. All people on earth simply say “book” and their interlocutors immediately understand that it is about the “Book of books”.

2. The largest circulation

As of 2013, more than 6,000,000 Bibles or individual Bible books have already been published worldwide, which is more than 6 times the number of copies of the next most popular edition. More than 32,500 new Bibles come out from under the printing press every day around the world.

3. Engine of progress

Printing presses were invented and perfected primarily for the sake of publishing the Bible! In 1300, the value of a handwritten book was equal to that of a castle. Editions printed in 1500 cost as much as a team of thoroughbred horses, and in 1700 - already as a pair of good shoes. Finally, by 1900, the cost of the Bible reached the price of several dozen eggs, and the Holy Scriptures became available to everyone.

More than forty people worked on the texts of Holy Scripture from the 15th century BC to the 1st century after the birth of Christ, that is, for 1600 years, many of whom did not even know each other. However, there are no obvious contradictions or inconsistencies in the Bible.

5. Transfers

The Bible has been fully or partially translated into 2377 languages and dialects, and has already been fully published in 422 languages (according to the German Bible Society at the beginning of 2005).

6. "Collection of fairy tales"

Some people question the inspiration of Scripture. However, the Bible is a book created by a huge number of authors who had the most extensive life experience in completely different areas, so it cannot be a "Collection of stupid tales" a priori.

Among biblical writers: kings (Solomon, David), shepherd (Amos), doctor (Luke), fishermen (Peter and John), prophets (Moses, Isaiah, Daniel), commander (Jesus Nun), craftsman (Apostle Paul), official (Apostle Matthew), etc. Some of them were not Jews, but Greeks or even Roman citizens.

7. Mother of Enlightenment

Today, the proportion of literate and educated people among Christians is higher than among atheists and representatives of other faiths. For men - this share is 88% of the total, and for women - 81%.

Often, previously unenlightened peoples received, along with Christianity, their own script, literature and history and the sharp cultural upsurge associated with them, which was associated with the need to acquire literacy and receive a good education in order to read the Bible and understand their faith.

8. Prophecies

The Old Testament texts contain prophecies that were fulfilled hundreds of years later. There are prophecies in the New Testament, and many of them have also already been fulfilled in history, which additionally indicates the inspiration of Holy Scripture.

9. Canonical and non-canonical books

The Bible consists of two large sections: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament contains 39 canonical, that is, recognized by the Church, books, and the New Testament - 27. Another 11 books of the Old Testament are not included in the church canon, but are present in the Slavic Bible.

10. Chapters and verses

The Bible was divided into chapters by the Bishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton in the 13th century, and into verses in the 16th century by the French printer Robert Etienne, after which the Bible acquired modern look and ease of citation (book: chapter: verse).

11. Badly needed

According to law enforcement officers, the Bible is even stolen more often than other books…

12. Amazingly Accurate Book

In 1947 they discovered Qumran scrolls Bibles dating from the 1st century. When compared with the Bibles of the 10th century, scientists found that for a thousand years the Bible did not undergo any major changes, which would have influenced its content, while many other works have changed noticeably over time during rewriting.

13. Grandfather of mankind

The oldest person described in the Bible is Methuselah, who was the great-great-great-great-grandson of the forefather Adam (8th generation). He died at the age of 969. But in those days, most people lived for about 900 years… Later, “iniquity multiplied” in humanity, and the Lord shortened people's lives to modern 80-120 years.

14. Words in the Bible

The words "Don't be afraid" appear 365 times in the Bible, equal to the number of days in a year. The word "Christian" appears only 3 times. In the Hebrew text, the verb "Bara" - "Create from nothing" occurs three times: during the creation of the world, the creation of living beings (living souls) and the creation of man.

15. Comments and quotes

Holy Scripture is the most quoted and commented on in the world. Only in the Oxford Library and on the 1st Epistle of the Apostle John the Theologian alone, such a number of works have been collected that occupy a room of 20 sq.m.

16. Reading time

17. Scottish curiosity

The Bible has not been fully translated into Scots. However, there is a Scottish translation of the New Testament by William Lorimer. It is notable for the fact that Satan's speech is rendered in plain English.

18. Biblical names

The longest name found in the Bible is Mager-shelal-hash-baz. The Lord told the prophet Isaiah to give this name to his son, born of the prophetess. It means "swift in prey" and "swift in execution" (Isaiah 8:3).

19. King and Prophet David

The creator of the Psalter, King David, was very much loved by God. If only because after the name of Jesus Christ, his name is mentioned in biblical texts most often: 1118 times.

The smallest Bible (the New Testament) was printed at the end of the 19th century using the photomechanical reduction method. The resulting book was 1.9 x 1.6 cm in size, and less than 1 cm thick. A small magnifying glass was inserted into the cover of each Bible to read the text.

21. Muslims

The founder of Islam, Muhammad, was familiar with the texts of the Holy Scriptures and used them when writing the Koran. Muslims revere the Old Testament forefathers and Jesus Christ, whom they consider one of the prophets.

22. Oath on the Bible

The American tradition of swearing on the Bible contradicts the text of the Holy Scriptures: “You have also heard what was said of the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; but what is more than this is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:33-37).

The most expensive Bible is considered to be the Bible of the German pioneer Johannes Gutenberg, published in 1456. Gutenberg printed 180 copies of the Bible, of which only 21 books have survived. Various copies of it are estimated at $ 25-35,000,000.

Even more expensive was the Codex Sinaiticus, which belonged to the Russian imperial house and sold by the Bolsheviks to Great Britain for $510,000,000.

24. Biblical kings

The longest reigning king in the Bible was Manasseh, who was on the throne for 55 years (2 Kings 21:1). King Zemri ruled least of all, who wore the crown for only seven days (1 Kings 16:15).

25. Brothers and Sisters of the Lord

The Gospel mentions the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. But these are not His siblings, but the sons and daughters of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage. Joseph himself was only the named husband of the Mother of God and kept her virginity all his life. And the Brothers of the Lord later became His apostles. One of them, James the Brother of the Lord, led the first Christian community in Jerusalem.

26. Codex Sinaiticus

The most ancient full list New Testament is part of the Codex Sinaiticus (4th century). Parts of it are stored in Russia, Great Britain, Germany and Sinai.

27. Canon of the New Testament

The first of the most authoritative authors to list all the canonical books of the New Testament was Pope Athanasius the Great of Alexandria. Later, the canon was fixed at the local Council of Laodicea in 360 and finally confirmed at the VI Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 680.

It is interesting that all 4 Gospels that fell into the canon were distributed in a huge number of handwritten copies among Christians of the 1st-2nd centuries and were universally accepted as true.

28. Persecution

The Bible is the most persecuted book. Throughout history, no other work is known against which laws were issued, for the violation of which the death penalty was imposed. For example, in North Korea for reading the Bible can be executed. In the Soviet Union, Bibles were forcibly confiscated from the population, and those in whose possession copies were found could be subjected to repression.

29. Ancient finds

The oldest biblical verses refer to Numbers 6:22-27 and are engraved on two pieces of silver found under the Scottish Church in Jerusalem in 1979. Products and engraving date back to the beginning of the 6th century BC.

30. Words and letters

There are 3,566,480 letters in the Holy Scriptures, grouped into 773,692 or 773,746 words, depending on the counting method.

31. The shortest verse

The shortest verse in the Bible is found in John 11:35 and sounds like "Jesus wept."

32. Longest verse

The longest verse in the Bible belongs to the book of Esther. This is the ninth verse of the eighth chapter, consisting of 90 words and describing the empire of the Persians.

33. Children's bible

Editions, which are an adapted retelling of biblical events for children and richly supplied with vivid illustrations, appeared relatively recently - in the second half of the 19th century, but quickly gained popularity. The most famous of them was compiled by Borislav Arapovich and Vera Mattemlaki and published by the Stockholm Bible Translation Institute in 30 languages with a total circulation of approximately 8,000,000 copies.

34. Russian Bible Society

The Russian Bible Society was founded in 1813 to replicate and distribute the Holy Scriptures among the peoples of Russia and by 1826 had managed to translate the Bible into 26 languages of the peoples of the country and publish more than half a million editions, after which it was closed. In 1990, the Russian Bible Society revived and in 2011 released the complete Bible in a modern Russian translation.

35. First and Last

The first word of the Bible is “In the beginning”, the last is “Amen”, that is, from the Hebrew “truth”.

36. Ball and Gravity

During the "Age of Enlightenment" (from the 15th century A.D.) scientists only began to understand the laws of gravity and that the earth is spherical, but this was reported in the Bible ten centuries before Christ: Isaiah 40:22 and Job 26:7 .

37. Harmoniousness of the Bible

There are 1189 chapters in the Bible: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament. The middle chapter is Psalm 117. At the same time, Psalm 116 of the Psalter is the shortest, and 118 is the longest. The central verse of Psalm 117 is: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in Man.”

38. The most most

The wisest man in the world, according to the Bible, was the Jewish king Solomon, the strongest was Samson, who single-handedly pulled out and carried the fortress gates up the mountain, the most victorious was Gideon, who killed 135,000 Midianites with a squad of 200 Jewish soldiers.

39. Illustrations

The first illustrations of the Bible were made by Jews living in Alexandria around the 3rd century BC, but most modern illustrated publications use the paintings of the famous French artist of the 19th century, Gustave Dore, who were universally recognized as the most successful.

The largest Bible in the world was made in two years by a carpenter from Los Angeles (California, USA) Louis Veynay. For his copy of the King James Bible, he used a prefabricated homemade printing press. The height of the book was 110.5 centimeters, the width when open was 249 centimeters, and the weight was 496 kilograms.

41. Bible in Zion

In ancient times, for the volumes of the Holy Scriptures, a special book depository was often made in the form of a church or a chapel, where the volumes were placed on the side in special openings - “Zion”. AT modern Russia Deutsch publishing house decided to repeat this experience and released a 6-volume "Bible in Zion" of bronze and silver with gilding.

42. Saves lives

The Bible not only saves human souls from eternal death, instructing in the truths revealed by God, but, often, and in the literal sense, saves the lives of its bearers, stopping bullets and shell fragments. So, during the First World War, the German soldier Kurt Geller, reading the Bible in a dugout, was saved by it from fragments of a shell that fell into the room. All his colleagues died, and the shard intended for him was stuck in the Book of Books. And there are many such cases.

In the world there is a special organization "Voice of the Martyrs", the purpose of which is proclaimed the distribution of the Bible where it is prohibited by law. Its founder, Richard Wurmbrand, rescued Jewish children from ghettos during World War II and preached in German bomb shelters, and in 1945-1947 distributed more than 1,000,000 Gospels to Soviet soldiers in Europe, disguising the books as Soviet propaganda.

44. Rainbow

According to the Bible, the rainbow appeared for a reason. This beautiful atmospheric phenomenon has become a symbol of the covenant between God and the family of the forefather Noah that humanity will never be destroyed by a flood again.

45. Soviet Bible

The world famous children's writer Korney Chukovsky was a believer and spent his whole life thinking about how to introduce the Bible to Soviet children. Under the yoke of censorship, he had to disguise the biblical stories as "ancient legends", and replace the word "God" with "The Magician Yahweh." But even in this form, his Tower of Babel and Other Ancient Legends, published in 1968, irritated the authorities so much that the already published books were almost completely withdrawn from circulation and destroyed.

46. Joseph Bhopal Bible

An enthusiast from India, Joseph Bhopal, rewrote all the verses of the New Testament by hand in 123 days. Later, he continued his work, the result of which was the creation of the world's largest handwritten Bible of 16,000 pages. The calligrapher's edition weighs 61 kilograms.

47. Biblical Studies

The scientific discipline that deals with the study of the Bible from various angles is called biblical studies. It took shape around the 16th century and is actively developing in most of the largest universities in the world. Sweden, the USA, Israel, Great Britain, Germany and Spain have become modern centers of biblical studies.

48. Historicity of the Bible

The historicity of Holy Scripture is recognized by scholars only partially, and only starting from the era of Ancient Israel (VIII-VII centuries BC and later). However, the earlier events described in the Bible - the Flood, the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are now and then confirmed by the discoveries of biblical archeology, geology and other scientific disciplines.

49. Synodal Bible

This is the name of one of the most authoritative Russian-language editions of the Bible, published in the 19th century. Holy Synod. This translation of the Bible was close in form to prose poems, as it had a special emotionality and rhythm. Shortly after its publication, Bible study circles began to appear en masse among Russian peasants.

50. Biblical languages

Most of the original Bible was written in Hebrew, some of its books in Aramaic, and most of the New Testament - the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and their epistles - immediately in Greek. The first of the most authoritative translations of the Bible were made into Greek ("Septuagint" - "translation of the seventy") and Latin ("Vulgate" by Blessed Jerome of Stridon).

Andrey Segeda's selection

Today, the Internet contains a rich library of materials on the history and principles of the Christian faith. The Bible is the most read and published book in the world, because it is truly unique and contains divine revelation.

Here are some facts about this amazing book:

1. The Bible is published in the largest circulation

The total circulation of the Bible is more than 8 billion. Almost all of this number of Bibles has been printed during the last two centuries. No other book at all times has ever been published in such quantity. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32876 copies (one Bible is printed every second in the world)

2. The Bible is the most read book in the world

3. The Bible has been translated into the largest number of languages

The Bible has been translated into more than 2,500 languages and dialects around the world. And this number is supplemented every year with new, even if little-known, languages and dialects. For example, in recent years representatives of such small nationalities as Irakw (in Tanzania), Sgav (in Burma), Gumuz (in Ethiopia), etc. have received the opportunity to partake of the Bible in their native language.

4. The Bible is the most diverse Book

Any reader of the Bible literally amazes with a variety of literary genres - this is a historical chronicle (Books of Kings, Chronicles), and lyrics, poetry (Songs of Songs of Solomon, Psalter, Book of Job), parables (Book of Proverbs of Solomon, Book of Ecclesiastes), biographies (Gospels), diaries (Acts of the Apostles), allegory (Revelation), prophecies (Books of the Prophets), laws (Books of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), etc.

No other book not only contains all these genres at the same time, but even the presence of 2-3 of them is a huge rarity. Thanks to this diversity, the Bible can be read at any time in your life, in any mood, finding answers to literally all the exciting questions and requests of the soul.

5. The Bible islargest by number of authors

6. The Bible islongest written

The books that make up the Bible were written from the 15th century BC. until the 1st century AD, i.e. for 1600 years!

7. The Bible isthe most complete and without a single contradiction

Despite the fact that the Bible was written by 40 authors who lived in different centuries, who had the most diverse education and social status, who were of different nationalities and cultural traditions, its books not only do not contradict, but complement one another and contribute to a deep understanding of the truths set forth in them. . We mentioned above that often even in the works of the same author, devoted to the same topic, there are often contradictions or changes in views and opinions, this fact is especially well known to scientists, and this is completely understandable and natural, as science moves forward. , and what previously seemed undeniable and correct, over time becomes obsolete and changes, giving way to new facts, often proving the opposite. What can we say about the fact that if we take the works of 40 different scientists for research on the same topic, then how many opinions and the most diverse evidence we can meet. And if we go even further and try to investigate some scientific problem, which was also studied by, say, 40 scientists, but who lived not only in different centuries, but also in different eras, then will we meet the unity of their views - absolutely without any contradictions? Answer this question yourself.

This wonderful phenomenon of the perfect integrity and "unity" of the Holy Scriptures could not be explained even by the most ardent opponents of the Bible in Soviet times.

8. The Bible islargest in volume

The Holy Scripture is a whole library consisting of 66 canonical books (39 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New Testament) and occupies the first place in terms of volume among all books that have ever existed and exist.

9. The Bible is most commented book

Various literary, historical, philosophical, etc. books are often subject to varying numbers of comments, the volume of which often exceeds the volume of the book itself. The more comments devoted to a particular work, the more valuable it is considered, because this indicates that its appearance aroused great interest.

So the Bible is today recognized as the Book on which it is written largest number comments. In the Oxford Library alone, for one First Epistle of the Apostle John, such a number of works are written, the volume of which occupies a room of more than 20 square meters. m.

10. The Bible is most expensive book

The most expensive book in the world, for which the largest amount was paid, is the Codex Sinaiticus (an ancient manuscript of the Bible), sold by the Soviet government to Great Britain for 510,000 dollars of the 1923 course!

The Ostroh Bible by Ivan Fedorov and the Latin Vulgate by Gutenberg are slightly inferior in price.

11. The Bible isthe cheapest book

At the same time that the Bible is the most expensive Book, it is also the cheapest, and sometimes its multi-million copies are generally distributed free of charge.

12. The Bible isthe most persecuted book in the world

History knows no examples when, for 2000 years, state laws were issued against any book, violators of which would be punished by death.

In Nazi Germany and in the USSR, many books were banned, the owners of which were persecuted, but this did not last for a very long time. The paradox of the persecution of the Bible lies in the fact that it was forbidden not only by the opponents of Christianity, but also by the official Christian church itself! Such church laws, in particular, include the decisions of the Council of Toulouse in 1229, when it was forbidden under pain of death to read the Bible to secular persons. At the Council of Terracona, held 15 years later, in 1244, the ban on reading the Bible also applies to clergy! Let us give a typical example for that time: on the orders of one Catholic bishop, a whole edition of Bibles was destroyed in a fire flame for fear that they would fall into the hands of people who would be able to read about the truths set forth in it and understand how great the deviation of the official church from the Word of God.

From secular, state laws, one can point out the decree of the emperor Diocletian of 303 AD, in which those who read and keep the Bible were sentenced to death. Very similar was the decision of the government of the French Republic of 1793, according to which all Bibles were burned, and their owners, who continued to honor God, were destroyed. The effect of this law continued until 1797, when the government was forced to cancel this decree due to the fact that the moral and moral decline of society had reached incredible proportions.

In the 1930s, the same laws were in force in our country that the older generation remembers well.

13. The Bible is most accurate book

Despite the huge criticism that the Bible was subjected to, especially in Soviet times, as a false and dangerous Book, today it is recognized by absolutely everyone as one of the most reliable ancient historical sources.

14. The Bible is a prophetic Book

Prophecy, in the words of one of the scholars, stamps the Bible with the stamp of divinity. According to estimates, the Holy Scriptures contain over 3,000 prophecies relating to both the states - Babylon, Rome, Greece, Assyria, the USA, Turkey, Egypt, the Arab Caliphate, etc., the peoples - the Israelites, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, etc., cities - Damascus, Jerusalem, Thebes, Memphis, etc., and to individual personalities, such as, for example, Alexander the Great, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, etc., religions - Canaanite, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc.

In addition, Bible prophecy refers to natural disasters, the history of the church, the spread of the Gospel throughout our planet.

A feature of biblical prophecies, which fundamentally distinguishes them from the predictions of ancient and modern Eastern sages, astrologers, spiritualists, magicians, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, the so-called clairvoyants, including Nostradamus, is that their meaning can be understood by anyone without special comments, but only on the basis of knowledge of the Bible and history. The prophecies of the Bible cannot and simply cannot be interpreted in different ways (unless, of course, such a goal is pursued!), For they are distinguished by the utmost clarity and clarity. Read for example Ezek. 26:3-5, Jer. 51:37, Nahum 1:8, Matt. 24:7, 14 and you yourself will know their meaning.

According to the site: bible and science

So, we have seen that the Bible has several striking features that fundamentally distinguish it from any other books. But one of its main differences is the influence of the Bible both on the development of peoples and states, and on the individual.

In our mission, we will give the New Testament to anyone who wishes.

History of the Synodal Bible