Who is Allah?

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Codex Sinaiticus, 4th century, one of the oldest complete Christian Bibles; most of it is in the British Library

Scripture

The Bible

The Word of God, as Christians say

Written by many hands over more than a thousand years, in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and read aloud in churches every Sunday for two thousand years.

▶ Listen: John chapter 1The one-minute snapshot
Codex Sinaiticus, 4th century, one of the oldest complete Christian Bibles; most of it is in the British Library · Wikimedia Commons · CC0

The one-minute snapshot

Christians call the Bible the Word of God: inspired by God and written by many human authors. It has two parts. The Old Testament holds the scriptures of Israel, shared with the Hebrew Bible but ordered differently. The New Testament, 27 books in Greek, tells of Jesus and the first churches.

“v”

2 Timothy 3:16, World English Bible, British Edition · eBible.org
  • 66books in most Protestant BiblesBibleGateway
  • 73in Catholic Bibles; 76 in Eastern Orthodox; 81 in the Ethiopian Orthodox ChurchBibleGateway
  • 27books of the New Testament, shared by all
  • 1,189chapters in a 66-book Bible
  • 4th centuryCodex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest complete Bibles, mostly in the British Library
  • 1526Tyndale's New Testament, the first printed in English

Hear the Bible read aloud

Codex Sinaiticus at Matthew 6, the chapter of the Lord's PrayerBritish Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Listen

Every chapter, read aloud

All 66 books and 1,189 chapters of the World English Bible, read by Winfred Henson, with the British Edition text on screen. Tap any verse to hear it, repeat it or share it.

Open the player
John 1Psalm 23The Lord's Prayer1 Corinthians 13Genesis 1

Go deeper

Seven short layers. Open whichever you like, in any order.

What it isInspiration, and the Word, as Christians describe them

Christians believe God speaks through the Bible: through the prophets and the apostles, in human words and human languages. The Gospel of John begins with a line that gives Christians another meaning of “the Word”:

“n”

John 1:1, World English Bible, British Edition · eBible.org

For Christians “the Word” here is Christ himself, and the whole Bible is read in his light. That is why this site says “Scripture” for the books, and keeps “The Word” for the meaning of the name Allah.

The Book of Kells, c. 800: the decorated opening of John's Gospel (detail)
The Book of Kells, c. 800: the decorated opening of John's Gospel (detail). Trinity College Dublin · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
How it came to beAs Christians hold, and as scholars discuss
The fortified monastery of St Catherine at the foot of the Sinai mountains.
St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, where Codex Sinaiticus was kept for centuries. American Colony (Jerusalem) Photo Dept. / Matson Photo Service, Library of Congress (public domain)

As Christians hold

God spoke through prophets and apostles, and the churches, guided by the Spirit, recognised which books belonged.

As scholars discuss

Paul's letters (the 50s CE) are the earliest New Testament writings, and the Gospels are usually dated between about 65 and 100 CE. Early Christians read the Old Testament largely in Greek, in the Septuagint. Lists of the 27 New Testament books appear by the 4th century, as in Athanasius's letter of 367 CE. Among the oldest manuscripts are P52, a scrap of John often dated to the 2nd century and kept in Manchester, and the great 4th- and 5th-century codices Sinaiticus, Vaticanus and Alexandrinus.

P52, the Rylands fragment of John's Gospel, often dated to the 2nd century
P52, the Rylands fragment of John's Gospel, often dated to the 2nd century. John Rylands Library, Manchester · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
How it is builtTwo testaments, and different Bibles for different churches
A page of Greek text in a Byzantine Gospel book with commentary in the margins.
A Gospel book with commentaries, Constantinople, about 1000–1100: the text with its commentary around it. Byzantium, Constantinople, Cleveland Museum of Art (CC0)
ChurchBooksNotes
Most Protestant6639 Old Testament, 27 New
Catholic73Adds Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, and parts of Esther and Daniel
Eastern Orthodox76Adds further books, such as the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151
Ethiopian Orthodox81Includes Enoch and Jubilees

Old Testament: Law, History, Wisdom and Poetry, Prophets. New Testament: Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation. Chapter and verse numbers came much later, in the Middle Ages and the 16th century.

Codex Vaticanus, 4th century, at Matthew 1–2
Codex Vaticanus, 4th century, at Matthew 1–2. Vatican Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
How it is read and honouredLectionaries, the Gospel procession, the eagle lectern
An open medieval Latin Bible written in small Gothic script.
Gothic Bible (Vulgate), southern France, about 1275–1300. Southern France, Toulouse or Avignon, 13th century, Cleveland Museum of Art (CC0)
  • Many churches read set passages through the year from a lectionary: the Revised Common Lectionary's three-year cycle is used, with local changes, by the Church of England, the Methodists and the United Reformed Church; the Catholic Church has a three-year Sunday cycle.
  • In Orthodox churches the Gospel book is carried in procession and chanted, and the people stand. In many churches everyone stands for the Gospel.
  • English parish churches often read from a brass eagle lectern, and a Bible is presented at ordinations and at the coronation.
  • Prayerful reading (Lectio Divina) and Bible study groups.

“o”

Psalm 119:105, World English Bible, British Edition · eBible.org
Codex Alexandrinus, 5th century, at the Gospel of Luke: on display in the British Library
Codex Alexandrinus, 5th century, at the Gospel of Luke: on display in the British Library. British Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
In EnglishWycliffe, Tyndale, the King James, and today

Wycliffe's Bible (1380s), Tyndale's New Testament (1526), Coverdale (1535), the Great Bible (1539), the Geneva Bible (1560), Douay–Rheims (1582/1610), the King James Version (1611), then the RV, RSV, Jerusalem Bible, NEB, Good News, NIV, NRSV and ESV.

This site quotes the World English Bible, British Edition, which is in the public domain. Arabic-speaking Christians have read the Bible in Arabic for well over a thousand years: see Paul's letters in Arabic, 867 CE.

William Tyndale's English New Testament (1526): the Gospel of John
William Tyndale's English New Testament (1526): the Gospel of John. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
See it in BritainBibles you can see
  • The British Library, London: Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, the Lindisfarne Gospels and Tyndale's New Testament.
  • The John Rylands Library, Manchester: P52, the fragment of John.
  • The Bodleian Library, Oxford: a Gutenberg Bible.

See Places to visit.

A Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed in Europe with movable type (c. 1455)
A Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed in Europe with movable type (c. 1455). Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
ListenHear it read, as most people first met it

For most of history most Christians heard the Bible rather than read it. Listen to John chapter 1, or choose any of the 1,189 chapters.

01John 102Psalm 2303The Sermon on the Mount04The lost son
Codex Sinaiticus at Matthew 6, the chapter of the Lord's Prayer
Codex Sinaiticus at Matthew 6, the chapter of the Lord's Prayer. British Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Bible in manuscripts

Tap any picture to see it large. Every image is credited; none is ours.

Codex Sinaiticus, 4th century, one of the oldest complete Christian Bibles; most of it is in the British LibraryWikimedia Commons · CC0
P52, the Rylands fragment of John's Gospel, often dated to the 2nd centuryJohn Rylands Library, Manchester · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Codex Vaticanus, 4th century, at Matthew 1–2Vatican Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Codex Alexandrinus, 5th century, at the Gospel of Luke: on display in the British LibraryBritish Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Codex Sinaiticus at Matthew 6, the chapter of the Lord's PrayerBritish Library · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
The Book of Kells, c. 800: the decorated opening of John's Gospel (detail)Trinity College Dublin · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
William Tyndale's English New Testament (1526): the Gospel of JohnWikimedia Commons · Public domain
A Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed in Europe with movable type (c. 1455)Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Keep exploring

The WordGod in Christianity“Our Father”: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one GodThe WordSame word, different mouthsChristians who pray to Allah in ArabicThe WordThe word on the church wall“Allah” in a church inscription, 512 CEThe WordPaul's letters in ArabicSinai Arabic 151, 867 CEWatchScripture on F-ILMFree films about the Bible and its manuscriptsLearnTimelineCodex Sinaiticus and more, in history

Watch more: The Bible

8 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.

  • Discovering Sacred Texts: Christianity

    British Library · 13 min

    British Library: Discovering Sacred Texts, Christianity, the Bible through its manuscripts.

  • How Did the New Testament Form?

    ReligionForBreakfast · 7 min

    ReligionForBreakfast: how the New Testament formed.

  • How the New Testament Canon Was Formed (Interview with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

    ReligionForBreakfast · 24 min

  • Who wrote the Bible? (A history of the Torah)

    Let's Talk Religion · 15 min

    Let's Talk Religion: who wrote the Bible? A history of the Torah.

  • Q is for Qur’an and other Holy Books | A to Z of Religion and Beliefs | BBC Teach

    BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 3 min

    BBC Teach: Q is for Qur'an and other holy books, including the Bible.

  • The journey of Jesus in 3 ½ minutes

    Bible Society · 4 min

    Bible Society: the journey of Jesus in three and a half minutes.

  • The Lord's Prayer

    The Church of England · 1 min

    The Church of England: the Lord's Prayer.

  • Prof John Barton on reading the Bible as Jews and Christians

    TheCCJUK · 14 min

  • More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free