What exactly is THE BIBLE?

What exactly is THE BIBLE? and how do you read it?

What is the Bible?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 81). “All scripture is inspired by God andprofitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). The Sacred Scriptures within the Bible are a collection of writings which the Church has recognized as inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the Deposit of Faith which closed after the death of the last Apostle. The term “Bible” comes from the Greek expression ta biblia (the books), a term used in early Christianity to refer to the whole sacred volume. This became “Bible” through translations into Latin and ultimately singular to mean “The Book” (GIGOT). The Bible was compiled over time from around 1200BC to 100AD (New Catholic Bible, 10).

The Old Testament

The books of the Bible are separated into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament are the Hebrew Scriptures originally held in the Septuagint. The Hebrew Scriptures are separated into three categories, the Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim (Tanakh, V-VIII).

The Torah (also called the Pentateuch) are the five books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. There were many hymns among the Jewish people during the time of Moses, however they needed to be able to explain the history of how they arrived in the Promised Land, and so the first authors of the Torah wrote the story of God and Israel from Creation up until that present day, around 950 BC (New Catholic Bible, 10). The authors at this time were called the Yahwists, because they wrote referring to God by name as Yahweh. They compiled their writings from oral tradition as well as stories passed down held at various shrines throughout the land (New Catholic Bible, 10).

A century later around 850BC, the Elohists arose as a school of writers in the northern kingdom of Israel. Their writings referred to God as Elohim, which means “mighty one” in a more subservient way compared to the Yahwists referring to God by name. While the Yahwists wrote more literally and anthropomorphically about God, the Elohists wrote about God through a more spiritualized view. The Elohists repeated some of the stories told in Yahwist stories, resulting in the Elohist writings being placed side-by-side with the Yahwist versions, or at other times intertwined (New Catholic Bible, 10).

Around 550BC, the Priestly school arose while the Jews lived in exiled in Babylon. The Priestly writings emphasized the importance of ritual and law in an effort to preserve Jewish identity for the people living in exile (New Catholic Bible, 11).

There was a final and fourth source for completing the Torah, the Deuteronomists, naturally deriving their name from the book of Deuteronomy, which had been found in the temple around 622BC. Their writings speak of how things should have happened in Israel’s history, for example wiping out all the pagans from their land to prevent Israel from being tempted from leaving God. They often edited materials written prior to them to better reflect their point of view (New Catholic Bible, 11).

After the exile in Babylon, which ended around 539BC, the five books of Moses were put together and called the Torah, becoming the core of what Israel believed about God and His relationship with the people of Israel (New Catholic Bible, 11).

The Nevi’im contains the writings of the prophets. Some of the books of the prophets were written by disciples of the prophets, such as Amos and Hosea, while others were written by the prophets themselves, such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel. There are also others that actually a compilation of prophecies of different prophets from different eras, for example Isaiah and Zechariah. The prophets spoke through various means such as visions, oracle statements, poems, parables, and prophetic actions. In retrospect, we can see the prophets often addressed their own times while the Holy Spirit gave another more profound meaning to their words and actions to foretell later events, particularly about the Messiah. Though there are prophets mentioned earlier in time, the age of the prophets started around 750BC and ended around 445BC (New Catholic Bible, 11). Rabbinic traditions that developed later asserted that prophecy age ceased with the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332BC meaning anything written after that was not considered prophetic and was often included in the Kethuvim if it was to be part of the Hebrew Scriptures, such as Daniel (Schiffman).

The Kethuvim contains “the writings” also referred to as wisdom literature. These writings contain the Psalms, proverbs, and others. It was originally a collection of sayings that were compiled to instruct princes on how to govern their people. This concept changed around 300BC when Judaism began to be influenced by Greek philosophical ideas during the Hellenistic period, which emphasized the transcendence of God (New Catholic Bible, 11). Due to God’s transcendent nature, the Jewish people began to view God’s attributes as an intermediary, such as God’s Holiness or Spirit. The most frequently used attribute we see is God’s wisdom which is portrayed as a woman, seeking to instruct the ignorant and lead them in God’s ways (New Catholic Bible, 12).

These groups of Scriptures, the Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim saw the first translations around the 300BC. As the Greek language replaced Hebrew and Aramaic among the Jews, the Torah was no longer commonly understood, thus a translation in Greek was made for the Jewish community of Alexandria, Egypt. This translation is known as the Septuagint, Latin for “seventy” because of the legend that the committee of translators was composed of seventy-two, six elders from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. There was also an Aramaic translation called the Targums for the Jews who lived north and east of Judea. Christians continued to follow the methods of the Jewish translators who created the Septuagint while also following their renderings of the original Hebrew (Tanakh, XV). The Septuagint was utilized by the first Jewish Christians as their Scriptures.

The New Testament

The New Testament was developed over time as well, though in a much shorter timeframe than the Hebrew Scriptures. The New Testament is compiled of the Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse). Paul’s letters, the bulk of the Epistles, were written between 50AD and 67AD. There is evidence that there were collections of Paul’s letters by the end of the first century AD (New Catholic Bible, 13). Peter, James, Jude, and John also have letters attributed to them, although there is doubt that they were actually written by them, just as the Letters to Hebrews is likely not written by Paul (New Catholic Bible, 14).

The Gospels are the core of our beliefs, attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first Gospel written was according to Mark, around 70AD by John Mark, a disciple of Peter, in Rome. It is often ungrammatical and filled with clumsy transitions, which would make sense for a disciple of the Apostle Peter who died 64AD (Saints & Martyrs), while writing for a community undergoing persecution (New Catholic Bible, 14). The Gospels according to Matthew and Luke were written around 80-85AD. Matthew wrote particularly for a Jewish-Christian community being persecuted by Jewish authorities. Due to the audience and area, Matthew focuses heavily on presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the Scriptures and Jewish expectations for the Messiah. Matthew includes quotes from the Old Testament and teaches that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (New Catholic Bible, 14). The Gospel according to Luke was filled with Jesus’ compassion for the Anawim, the poor ones of the God of Israel: the poor, sinners, foreigners, women, etc. Luke was a gentile and a disciple of Paul. Luke wrote both the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles particularly for Gentile audiences (New Catholic Bible, 15). The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as synoptic due to their similar contents.

Matthew and Luke included writings about the infancy of Christ to combat the heretical group called the adoptionists, who argued that God adopted Jesus as His Son after the baptism of Jesus, where Mark’s Gospel begins. John took the argument against the adoptionists a step further by speaking of Jesus being God’s Son “in the beginning” (John 1:2). The Gospel according to John is not considered part of the synoptic Gospels due to his writings offering a different view to offer more Christology. John’s Gospel is believed to be written around 90AD, possibly produced by a community founded by John. The divinity of Jesus is heavily emphasized throughout the Gospel, utilizing intense symbolism (New Catholic Bible, 15)

Around 150AD, the four Gospels were widely accepted as Scripture. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria noted the first complete list of the twenty-seven New Testament books that we use today. The council of Rome gathered in 382AD to determine the Biblical Canon of Scriptures. The council used three major criteria, 1) Authorship: whether the text was understood to have been written by an apostle or by someone who has apostolic authority behind him; 2) content: whether the content of the documents conformed to the traditions handed on by the apostles or contradicted them; 3) the use of the texts in the sacred liturgies of the major Churches founded by the apostles. The Septuagint and proposed New Testament books were reviewed. Most of the Septuagint was canonized for the Old Testament, except a few books such as 3 and 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, and Prayer of Manasseh due to their content not showing evidence of being inspired by the Holy Spirit.

 The books of the Christian Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament were recognized as meeting these criteria to become the complete Biblical Canon in 382 in the Council of Rome (The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 21). This decision was ratified by the councils at Hippo (393), Carthage (397, 419), II Nicea (787), Florence (1442), and Trent (1546) (Evert 2000).

The Deuterocanonical books

This canon of Scriptures was recognized by all Christians until Martin Luther started the Protestant reformation in 1517 (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses)
. Protestants decided not to include the deuterocanonical books (they refer to them as apocrypha) of 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, Tobit, and Judith (Evert 2000)
. Protestants state that the Jewish Canon did not include these books and the Catholic Church added them, however this is false. Although the Septuagint was not an official Jewish Canon of Scriptures, it contains the deuterocanonical texts and was the most popular Old Testament compilation among the Jews. It was not until 132AD that a Rabbi proposed a Canon of Hebrew Scriptures that omitted the deuterocanonical books found in the Septuagint due to the time they were written. The Rabbi was Akiba, who rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and promoted a second Jewish revolution under the pretense of the “messiah” who turned out to be false (Michuta 2016)
. Ultimately, the decision for the Jewish people to remove the deuterocanonical texts from their Scriptures was due to a Rabbi who showed his poor ability to judge who is the Messiah in rejecting Jesus and declaring someone else the Messiah that turned out to be a false messiah. It is fair to assume that he also was not suited for determining which writings were divinely inspired. The Protestants ultimately went against the Catholic Church’s Canon which was determined by the Church Fathers who had received teachings from their predecessors and ultimately from the Apostles.

Even some of the early Church Fathers disagreed on the deuterocanonical books, however they ultimately conceded to the authority of the Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ (Evert 2000). To quote Saint Augustine, “We have no other assurance that the books of Moses, the four Gospels, and the other books are the true word of God, but by the canon of the Catholic Church.”

Different translations and versions

As shown throughout the history of the Bible’s development, there are various translations and versions. This often becomes a point of contention with non-Christians crying out “WHICH ONE DO WE USE?!” To answer their questions plainly, the best version and translation is the one you can pick up and start reading. Despite the simplicity of that answer, it is best to learn a bit about the differences.

Translations have been a common thing from the time of the Septuagint and Targums, around 300BC. These and subsequent translations have been developed to help those of other languages and cultures to understand the Word of God. The Septuagint was translated into the languages of various Christian communities in the first few centuries. As Latin began to take its place as the language of the Roman Empire, Saint Jerome produced the official Latin version, known as the Vulgate in 405AD, to offer the Bible to the people in the common language (Tanakh, XVI-XVII). Saint Jerome developed the Vulgate while drawing on Jewish tradition and consulting Jewish teachers to maintain the essence of the writings.  This and other Latin translations have been used for subsequent translations, offering a level of assurance that new translations maintain the influence of the Jewish commentators and teachers who were originally consulted (Tanakh, XVI).

As reassuring as that is, it is important to know a bit about the source of the translation in hand. Jehovah’s Witness translations, called “New World Translation,” are known for at least one major modification to the original Scriptures that can quickly lead a person to heresy. The first verse of the Gospel according to John typically reads as, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” however Jehovah’s witnesses change the last phrase to read “the Word was a god” (According to John). This is because Jehovah’s witnesses believe Jesus is a god created by God and not the Second Person of the Trinity. In fact, JWs do not believe in the Holy Trinity. The JW Bible is written under the belief that all other Bibles mistranslated John 1:1, however the translations that developed in early Christianity were derived with the understanding of the teachings passed down from the Apostles, meaning, the first Christian translators understood what was meant in John 1:1 due to pairing Scripture with the oral teachings handed down from the Apostles through their disciples, mirroring the way the Jewish Scriptures came together before Christ. Due to this notorious alteration of John 1:1, it is safe to assume JW translations have other crucial changes throughout.

I also suggest avoiding Mormon (Latter Day Saints) translations because they also lack Trinitarian beliefs.

Personally, I suggest trying to acquire a Catholic Bible containing the complete Canon of Scripture established in 382AD. However, if that is not readily available to you, then whatever Bible you can get that is in your vernacular is the best one for you to read. I started with a 1949 King James Version in olde English, and I was ultimately led to the Catholic Church that Jesus Christ established.

How do we know the Bible is reliable?

In some of the information I mentioned, there are some things that make one wonder, is the Bible reliable? There are many different authors of the Torah, the Deuteronomists even re-wrote earlier writings to reflect their own point of view, and many things have been handed down orally or as copies of copies. Many crucial parts of the New Testament have unknown or questionable authorship, such as the Gospel according to John and the Epistle to the Hebrews.

First, the concern of only having copies of copies is not a major one. Many major works are only retained through copies of copies, like Plato’s Republic and other records of history. If one determines the Bible is invalid because it is composed of writings that are based off of copies due to not having the original, the that same logic determines that countless other writings that are crucial for society are no longer valid and instead cannot be trusted.

Another concern is the Hellenistic influence around 300BC. Christian Trinitarian belief holds that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. As mentioned earlier, Hellenism influenced the Jews to anthropomorphize traits of God, such as the Spirit. This does not mean that the personage of the Holy Spirit was conjured up due to influence from the Greeks. The Holy Spirit is referred to as a person by Jesus Christ Himself.

“…the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

The Holy Spirit is referred to the Advocate, and spoken with the pronoun whom, and described with the abilities to teach and remind the Apostles of everything Jesus has said to them. These are all traits of a Person, the Third Person of the Trinity, and not of a trait of God. Additionally, the Greek philosophers were able to understand the world enough to get pretty close to understanding the One True God, so it is not a surprise to hear they described the Spirit as a Person. And to close on this point of Hellenistic influence, God uses humans for all sorts of means. Hellenism helped paved the way for understanding the Holy Spirit as a person just as the Roman Empire was utilized to evangelize the world.

Ultimately, it is evident and clear that the Holy Spirit was the author of the Scriptures through various transcribers. This is shown by the fact that all the various authors and groups that wrote the Scriptures reach the same conclusion, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). All the Scriptures point to this truth and the Holy Trinity of God, a Communion of Persons. The authors of Genesis 1:26 did not understand the Communion of Persons in the Trinitarian God but they wrote “God said, “Let us make man in our image”” (emphasis added). The author of Genesis 18 didn’t understand the Trinitarian God however they wrote about Abraham recognizing three Persons as One Lord. This is because the Holy Spirit was the author and they were the transcribers. aa

Combing through the Jewish Scriptures with the lens of the Full Revelation of Jesus Christ, we can see all sorts of Messianic prophecies and connections between the Old and New Testament, much of which was not even noticed prior to the first coming of Christ. The Jews during the time of Christ did not know all the prophecies that were fulfilled by Christ because they did not understand all the prophecies that were recorded in their Scriptures, they only knew what they understood to have been Messianic prophecies. After Christ, we are able to see everything that was written in the Scriptures waiting to be revealed through Our Lord. These are not connections forced by Christians, they are divinely placed prophecies and connections between the Old and the New Covenants. No human could have conjured up the Bible without the help of God.

So with all this considered, the Bible came together in one of three ways; by chance, by human imagination, or by Divine Providence. It couldn’t be chance due to the lack of probability that all these minor details came together so beautifully and seamlessly. It couldn’t be by human imagination because the ones who would have come up with it did not know of all the connections. So it must have been Divine Providence and through the Holy Spirit. It was written and assembled through the Holy Spirit, the Person who coordinated it all so beautifully in ways beyond random chance and anything humans could come up with. 

So, can we trust the Bible with how long it took for things to be written down and compiled throughout its history? Yes. It is the Word of God transcribed by people. How do we know this? All these authors and people of different time periods point to the same conclusion; God loves us, God is a communion of persons, and God became Man to save us from the slavery of sin so we may join Him in the celestial paradise of heaven. 

How NOT to read the Bible?

Do not read the Bible as though it was written to be a science textbook within the past century. Do not take everything in Genesis chapters 1-11 as literal statements. Do not pick up the Bible and expect to understand the 1200-page text during your first reading of it. Most people have to watch the movie Inception twice to think they understand it. The same applies for reading the Bible. You will NOT understand it during your first reading.

Do not pick up the Bible and read the first five pages to conclude that the entire Bible is irrelevant because all you read is an inaccurate timeline for the creation of the world, man was made from dust and woman from his rib, how the snake lost its legs, how all the trades of men came from Cain, and that the entire world was flooded.  The Bible is filled with allegories and poetic writing. The Scriptures were originally passed down orally and few people had enough literacy to read them independently. The modern tradition of reading the Bible at home is a rather new concept in the grand scheme of things.

How to read the Bible?

It is important to understand that the Bible was written as an ancient text for ancient people in ancient cultures with ancient language. This is important because we are not accustomed to reading ancient texts, instead we are a modern people in modern culture with modern language. Although the Bible is translated into English, which is a very literal language, it is not justifiable to expect to read the Bible and understand it as though it is written in plain English.

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, which is far more organic and flexible than the precision and literalism within English. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, which shares similar qualities with Hebrew and lacks the qualities of Latin-based languages. For example, there have been inter-Church issues deriving from the disparity between Latin and Greek even through the beginning of the second millennium.

The Bible contains the story of salvation. Although the Bible contains proverbs and other guidance on how to live our lives, it is filled with far more material than this alone. It is also not filled with weird creation stories from a god of the gaps to explain that which science was not able to explain at the time. Again, it is the story of salvation, a story that needs to be understood before trying to run to conclusions about certain passages.

While reading the Bible, it will be most beneficial to understand that you likely will not understand it during your first reading, however you can take the time to try to study and understand each chapter and story as you go through it. Although it is written that a serpent spoke to Eve, it may not literally mean that a snake was in a tree and spoke from its mouth to Eve, who was completely calm when an animal started to speak to her. This same logic applies throughout the Bible, especially in Genesis 1-11. There is a lot of depth that can be understood if you are able to suspend the literal use of English language and modern culture.

It is also important to remember how the Bible was compiled in the first place. The Bible was compiled with Jewish texts in the Old Testament that were orally passed down until they were finally written over the course of several centuries. The New Testament was compiled by the Church Fathers who reviewed the proposed books in 382 in the Council of Rome. Recall that the council used three major criteria, 1) Authorship: whether the text was understood to have been written by an apostle or by someone who has apostolic authority behind him; 2) content: whether the content of the documents conformed to the traditions handed on by the apostles or contradicted them; 3) the use of the texts in the sacred liturgies of the major Churches founded by the apostles. These criteria are crucial to understanding how to read the Bible. The council wanted to make sure the texts of the New Testament were written by one of the Apostles or someone close to them, and that these documents conformed to the traditions handed on by the apostles, while also being used in the sacred liturgies of the Churches founded by the Apostles. What all this means is that “it was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.” (CCC 120). This Sacred Tradition was established by and inherited from the Apostles. If the reader omits the Sacred Tradition of the Church, they will be missing the core factors that were used to compile the Bible in the first place. Thus, it is crucial to understand that the Bible is meant to be read in union with the Tradition of the Church. Through the combination of Sacred Tradition and Scripture, people can continue to understand what it means to have Faith in Jesus Christ and to follow His commandments

Different methods

There are several different methods that can be utilized to read the Bible. We all have a unique relationship to the same God, and the same goes for reading His Word.

1. Daily readings. The Catholic Church lists the daily readings with a Gospel reflection on the USCCB website, found here. This offers an easy-to-follow method to read from the Old Testament, the Epistles, Psalms, and Gospels while being able to read the Gospel reflection as well. This can help gain an understanding of the Scriptures. Please note, this method does not go through the entire Bible word for word, but instead takes you on a trip through the Bible to gain a general understanding, though with some in-depth spiritual guidance as well.
2. Just open it and start on page 1. This is how I did it and how I personally like to read the Bible. Be prepared to have to force yourself to keep reading through it. There are times where it is easy such as Genesis and Exodus then other times where it is extremely challenging, such as Leviticus. With this method, the important thing is to read it all so as to familiarize yourself with the text. You most likely will not be able to cite and quote individual verses nor will you connect all the dots. But what you will be able to expect is to recall certain stories, possibly even remember certain verses when you hear them from others, and be able to converse on some level about the Bible while also being surprised what is written in there. You may even laugh.
3. Read the Bible in a year following the Bible timeline from Jeff Cavins, found here. Jeff Cavins is a Catholic Bible teacher and now offers a reading plan to go through the entire Bible in 365 days. This helps the reader to get through some of the more challenging books such as Leviticus while reading the other books of the Bible. He also color codes the 12 different time periods to help the reader understand where they are in Salvation history.  
4. Walking with God by Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray is a great addition to reading the Bible. The authors walk you through the Bible while helping to understand some of the passages that pose as hurdles to readers. This book will help you understand how to read Genesis 1-11, what is meant by odd verses such as when Ham saw Noah’s nakedness and God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (see Genesis 9:22 and Exodus 7:13). This is a great, easy-to-read resource to add to your Bible reading.
5. Bibles with commentary. I am currently reading a Catholic Bible that has footnotes throughout which help to understand various aspects about the scenarios in the Scriptures. There are many cultural notes, linguistic clarifications, and brief explanations about other things going on as well as connections to other passages. There is also the Ignatius Press Study Bible which is filled with deep commentary and connections to Scripture as well as mentions of Jewish history and tradition. The Ignatius Bible took about 25 years to complete and will be a valuable tool for studying the Bible.
6. Bible in a year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. This is a very popular means people use. You can listen to Fr. Mike Schmitz read the Bible each day while he follows Jeff Cavins’ Bible timeline. Father also gives a reflection and insight into the Scripture each day to help better understand what is going on in each reading.
7. Bible studies are a great tool if your local Catholic Church offers them. This is a more in-depth study that can help readers gather together to understand the Bible, however I will note it does not replace your time of simply reading the Bible. It is always good to have your one-on-one time with the Living Word of God. But again, it can be great to attend a Bible study to gain more understanding of certain parts of the Bible

How to understand the Bible

It is important to try to understand the big picture of this monstrous and deep text. I am a big advocate for reading the Bible multiple times. The first read will be more of a familiarization with the Bible and stories. The second read will allow for a more in-depth study as you apply your understanding of the big picture and other stories throughout the reading. Subsequent reads will build on this to gain an even deeper understanding while breaking out seemingly small passages of the Bible.

It is important to not narrowly focus on singular passages and verses. While that is a big aspect of Scripture study, it is important to not miss the forest for the trees. When deeply studying a single passage or verse, it is important to remember the context of the surrounding passages and verses in addition to the big picture of the entire Bible, otherwise a single verse or passage may easily be distorted into something that is not.

The Catholic Church is also very open to people having their own private interpretations. The Church does cite Scripture throughout her teachings, but this does not mean the Church is declaring an absolute interpretation of these or other verses. With that said, we are not to absolutize our own interpretations, especially if they contradict the Church teachings and Traditions passed down from the Apostles.

It is also good to ask questions as you read. In your first read, they may remain unanswered for a while, but it is still good to practice to wonder what certain things mean and consider the possibilities. Always try to remain objective during this process and do not try to find your own thoughts in the Bible, but instead be open to the Word of God and submitting to the Truth. You can always consult with your local Priests and Deacons if there is anything unsettling or questions you would like answered sooner than later.

Always keep in mind what Peter wrote about Paul’s Epistles, “There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.” (2 Pet 3:16). By ignorant, Peter is referring to those who have not be taught the ways of reading the Scriptures. We must understand our own ignorance so as not to allow it to inhibit us in developing our relationship with God.

Misconceptions

The Bible is not meant to be a startup manual for a Church. It was never meant to be. Yes, it contains writings from the Apostles that were written to help the Churches that were new but that does not mean the Bible was compiled with the intent to instruct people on how to start a Church. It wasn’t written as a manual to start a Church because the Catholic Church, which canonized the Bible, had already been established by Jesus Christ and was already routinely establishing new Churches as people were evangelized. 

Instead, the Bible is meant to be read and coupled with Sacred Tradition. This is just like the Jews who were predecessors of the Jewish Christians. They have their written Scriptures and also their oral tradition. This concept is nothing new, whereas the belief that all you need are the Scriptures is an entirely new concept when compared to the ancient history of Scripture and Tradition. Christianity is a continuation and the fulfillment of Judaism and it maintains this aspect of Jewish tradition as well.  

Scripture was born out of Tradition. The Tradition of the Catholic Church was not born out of Scripture. Objectively speaking, those who establish a tradition out of Scripture end up in confusing territory which is why there are over 30,000 denominations (World Christianity). Simply put, the Bible was not meant to be used as an independent Church startup manual and it should be read as such. It was meant to be understood within the Tradition it was born out of, that is the Tradition of the Catholic Church.

Conclusion

The Bible is a massive and deep ancient text. It is important to read it while understanding that the depth of study required will take quite a bit of time, spanning over years through multiple readings. There are many different ways to navigate through the Bible and while gaining an understanding of the story and what it means for you. The Tradition that the Bible was born out of is necessary for a proper understanding of the Bible and how Jesus commanded us to follow Him and to keep His commandments. The story of salvation is beautiful and life changing. I hope you open your heart to the Word of God.  

References

n.d. “According to John.” Jehovah’s Witnesses. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/.

Evert, Jason. 2000. “How to Defend the Deuterocanonicals.” Catholic Answers. September 1. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-defend-the-deuterocanonicals.

GIGOT, FRANCIS E. n.d. “Bible.” Catholic Answers. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/bible.

HISTORY.com Editors. n.d. “Martin Luther and the 95 Theses.” HISTORY. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses.

Michuta, Gary. 2016. “The False Prophet and the Deuterocanon.” Catholic Answers. October 27. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/the-false-prophet-and-the-deuterocanon.

2020. New Catholic Bible. Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.

n.d. “Saints & Martyrs.” Treasures of Heaven. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://projects.mcah.columbia.edu/treasuresofheaven/saints/Peter.php.

Schiffman, Lawrence H. n.d. “Creating the Canon.” My Jewish Learning. Accessed October 27, 2025. http://myjewishlearning.com/article/creating-the-canon/.

Stagnaro, Angelo. 2021. “Why Did Martin Luther Remove Inspired Books From the Bible?” National Catholic Register. June 26. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/why-did-martin-luther-remove-books-from-bible#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20Luther’s%20first%20German,the%20books%20he%20had%20removed.

1985. Tanakh. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society.

2024. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.

n.d. “World Christianity.” Wesleyan University. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.wesleyan.edu/christianitystudies/pathways/world.html.