What the Bible Is

The word Bible means books. As do other Christians, Lutherans understand this collection we call The Bible to be authoritative for faith and life. Together the 66 books in The Bible read by most Protestant Christians today, including Lutherans, comprise what is called the canon, or canonical (approved) books. This canon came into being over several centuries. At first individual books were used for teaching and worship during both the Jewish Old Testament period and the Christian New Testament era. At various times and places a combination of books was recognized as canonical. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians include an additional number of Old Testament canonical books, often called deutero-canonical, which are sometimes printed between the testaments in Protestant Bibles. (See "Apocrypha" for an explanation of this material and how Lutherans utilize it.)

The 39 Old Testament books were written over many centuries, the last one around 165 B.C., and, as in the Hebrew Bible they are grouped by literature type rather than chronologically. Most Christians group these books into several blocks of literature which, except for the interspersed "Writings," are found in this order in our Bibles:

The Law — Genesis through Deuteronomy — first recognized as Holy Scripture by about 400 B.C. and often called The Books of Moses or Torah

History — Joshua through Esther (except for Ruth)

Wisdom Literature (Job through Song of Songs)

The Prophets (The major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and the so-called 12 minor prophets — recognized as Scripture by 200 B.C.)

The Writings, a group (including Ruth and Jonah) which gained stature over the years until they were accepted into the present Old Testament of Hebrew Bible about A.D. 100, well into the first Christian century.

In the third century B.C., the Hebrew Bible began to be translated into Greek in order to meet the needs of many Greek-speaking Jews who were living outside of Palestine. This translation, which took several centuries to complete, is called The Septuagint and includes deutero-canonical books. The Roman Catholic canon has been based on the traditional inclusions of this translation, whereas Lutherans and other Protestant denominations have followed what was included in Hebrew Scripture.

The New Testament books were written over a period of time beginning about the middle of the first century. Various of these, as well as other writings sometimes called the New Testament Apocrypha, enjoyed widespread use throughout the early church. By A.D. 200 the letters of Paul (probably the first New Testament era writings), the four Gospels and several other books were considered canonical. The 27 New Testament books, as we know them, were not firmly recognized until around A.D. 350.

ELCA Lutherans find the creative and redemptive acts of God disclosed in Scripture — first revealed in the history and faith of the Jewish people, then in God’s ultimate self revelation in Jesus. God’s emptying of self into Jesus provides not only the promise but the precursor for gathering all humanity into this divine relationship. We turn to the Bible to see where God has been and, guided and instructed by it, discover God’s activity in our world and God’s will for all creation.