The Holy Bible [antikvár]

WELCOME TO THE BIBLE Start here for a journey of discovery WELCOME TO THE BIBLE, a book which is Hke no other in the world. It is a collection of 66 different books, written by at least 40 different authors from a variety of cultures over a period of at least 1500 years. Yet it has the common theme of God's love and practical concern for the world running through it. In it you will find tales of great courage, faith and daring— matched by examples of extreme human stupidity and evil. It contains teaching about who God is and what his purposes are for the world; it gives guidelines for personal conduct and practical instructions about how to know and worship God. It includes accounts of the life of Jesus Christ and how God showed his love and purposes in a unique way through him. And it has the story of the early church which, its critics alleged, "caused trouble all over the world" because of the dynamic life-changing effect of the risen Christ on their lives. In many ways, the Bible is simple and straightforward. It has made sense to people old and young, educated and uneducated, in first world cities and third world villages, at every period of history. That is part of its genius. But in other ways, it can be a puzzling book to explore. It is not written like a novel which you simply begin at page one and read through to the end. Nor is it organised like a manual with sections on different topics. Currently translated into over 320 languages, with portions of it available in over 1,650 others*, the Bible has provided many nations with a basis for social relationships and moral values. It has helped millions of individual people to find meaning, hope and strength as they have discovered God speaking through it. We have included in this edition a few guidelines and ideas about beginning to read the Bible. They will start you off on a journey of discovery—not just of a great book, but of the God who stands behind it.