As of the 2000s, it sells approximately 100 million copies annually. Its influence on world history is unparalleled, and shows no signs of abating." With estimated total sales of over five billion copies, it is widely considered to be the best-selling book of all time. According to the March 2007 edition of Time, the Bible "has done more to shape literature, history, entertainment, and culture than any book ever written. The Bible has had a profound influence on literature and history, especially in the Western world, where the Gutenberg Bible was the first book printed using movable type. Others, though, advance the concept of prima scriptura in contrast, meaning scripture primarily or scripture mainly. This concept rose to prominence during the Reformation, and many denominations today support the use of the Bible as the only infallible source of Christian teaching. Roman Catholics, High Church Anglicans, Methodists and Eastern Orthodox Christians stress the harmony and importance of both the Bible and sacred tradition, while many Protestant churches focus on the idea of sola scriptura, or scripture alone. Among Christian denominations there is some disagreement about what should be included in the canon, primarily about the biblical apocrypha, a list of works that are regarded with varying levels of respect or recognition.Īttitudes towards the Bible also differ among Christian groups. A number of biblical canons have evolved, with overlapping and diverging contents from denomination to denomination.
The books that are included in the Bible by a tradition or group are called a biblical canon. The Christian New Testament is a collection of writings by early Christians written in Koine Greek. The Hebrew Bible shares most of its content with its ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint, and in turn was the basis for the Christian Old Testament. Believers also generally consider the Bible to be a product of divine inspiration. These texts include theologically-focused historical accounts, hymns, prayers, proverbs, parables, didactic letters, admonitions, essays, poetry, and prophecies. It appears in the form of an anthology, a compilation of texts of a variety of forms. The Bible (from Koine Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, 'the books') is a collection of religious texts, writings, or scriptures sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, Rastafari, and many other faiths.