Portal:Bible/Featured article/March, 2006

The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, "(the) books", is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity. Many Christian English speakers refer to the Bible as "the good book" (Gospel means "good news"). Most sects of Christianity and Judaism regard the Bible as the revealed word of God in some sense, or an authoritative record of the relationship between God, the world and mankind, or some combination of the two. Differences about what those terms mean, and even how precisely to express the idea, are some of the most important distinctions among sects.

Both Bibles have been the most widely distributed of books. They have been translated more times and into more languages (more than 2,100 languages) than any other book. It is said that more than five billion copies of the Bible have been sold since 1815, making it the best-selling book of all-time.

Because of Christian domination of Europe from the late Roman era to the Age of Enlightenment, the Bible has influenced not only religion but language, law and, until the modern era, the natural philosophy of mainstream Western Civilization. The Age of Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution in Europe and America brought skepticism regarding the divine origin and historical accuracy of the Bible. Although some critical scholars, including archeologists, continue to use the Bible as a point of reference in the study of ancient Near Eastern history, most have come to view it as a cultural and literary document.

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