In this world or this system of times there are lots of people who long for a surprising fact about someone or something that was previously secret and is now made known to them, though several people still may be on the look out for an act of revealing or communicating divine truth.

When looking at the Book of books, the Bible people should be able to find many revealing words.

Some people claim everything is already revealed and for mankind there are not many secrets any more. Others do know there is quite a lot that man does not know and still has to get to discover and/or uncover.

In religion, we may find the revealing or disclosure of divine or sacred reality or purpose to humanity, in some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. In Christadelphia we believe that such disclosure may come through mystical insights, historical events, or spiritual experiences that transform the lives of individuals and groups, but that we as human beings need the Spirit of God, or God's Power to enrich us with insight.

The Divine Creator let His Voice be heard and having notate that what He wanted all to know. Jehovah wanted people to come to understand that His Word is alive and exerts power, able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

“The Word of God” is His word of promise, recorded in an assembly of books, hence Book of books or Biblia, the Bible. That collection of ancient divinely inspired documents was composed and compiled in written form over a period of 16 centuries. All together this collection of documents forms what Jerome well described in Latin as the Bibliotheca Divina, or the Divine Library. This library has a catalogue, or official listing of publications, which is limited to those books pertaining to the scope and specialisation of that library. Up to today there are no unauthorized books in that collection which is considered to have Jehovah God as the Great Librarian who sets the standard that determines which writings should be included. So the Bible has a fixed catalogue that contains 66 books, all products of God’s guiding Holy Spirit.

Several people may tell you it are very dusty old works of fantasy, though when they would come to know it better, by reading it, they would come to see that it is not dead history but is alive and irresistibly moves toward fulfilment. As it does so, the true heart motivations of persons who are brought in touch with it become manifest as to meeting the conditions.

Its influence is far more powerful than anything that we personally might say.

The writings of Moses under the direction of God’s Spirit were from the very beginning accepted by the Israelites as inspired, of divine authorship. When completed, the Pentateuch constituted the canon up to that time. Further revelations concerning Jehovah’s purposes given to men under inspiration would need to follow logically and be in harmony with the fundamental principles concerning true worship that are set forth in the Pentateuch.

In the Bible one can find a grand theme, the sanctification of Jehovah’s Name and the vindication of His sovereignty by means of the Kingdom under Christ, the Promised Seed.

An examination of each of the prophetic books of the Hebrew Scriptures along with the Bible as a whole and secular history establishes beyond doubt that “the word” they spoke was in Jehovah’s name, that it did “occur or come true,” either completely or in a miniature or partial way when it had to do with things yet future, and that it turned the people toward God. Meeting these requirements established the prophecy as being genuine and inspired.

Jewish tradition credits Ezra with beginning the compiling and cataloguing of the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures, and it says that this was completed by Nehemiah. Ezra was certainly well-equipped for such a work, being one of the inspired Bible writers himself as well as a priest, scholar, and official copyist of sacred writings.

We today list 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures; the traditional Jewish canon, while including these same books, counts them as 24. Some authorities, by putting Ruth with Judges and Lamentations with Jeremiah, counted the number of books as 22, though still holding to exactly the same canonical writings.

This made the number of inspired books equal the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The following is the list of the 24 books according to the traditional Jewish canon:

The Law (The Pentateuch)

1. Genesis

2. Exodus

3. Leviticus

4. Numbers

5. Deuteronomy

The Prophets

6. Joshua

7. Judges

8. Samuel (First and Second together as one book)

9. Kings (First and Second together as one book)

10. Isaiah

11. Jeremiah

12. Ezekiel

13. The Twelve Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, as one book)

The Writings (Hagiographa)

14. Psalms

15. Proverbs

16. Job

17. The Song of Solomon

18. Ruth

19. Lamentations

20. Ecclesiastes

21. Esther

22. Daniel

23. Ezra (Nehemiah was included with Ezra)

24. Chronicles (First and Second together as one book)

Messianic era writings

This was the catalogue, or canon, that was accepted as inspired Scripture by the Nazarene master teacher Jeshua, who became better known as Christ Jesus. The rebbe quoted several times from those books he knew very well. In the early Christian congregations those scrolls or books were constantly used and referred to.

It was only from these writings that the inspired writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures quoted, and by introducing such quotations with expressions like “as it is written,” they confirmed these as being the Word of God. The writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures made no quotations from any so-called inspired writings written after the time of Nehemiah and Malachi down to the time of Christ. This confirms the traditional view of the Jews, and also the belief of the Christian congregation of the first century C.E., that the Hebrew Scripture canon ended with the writings of Nehemiah and Malachi.

The apostles wrote their books and letters so that these also could become part of guiding words to build-up the faith and the ecclesia.As time passed, the writings of the apostles were also considered inspired by God and assembled as Messianic Scriptures or New Testament, made up of the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen epistles of Paul, the Apocalypse of John, probably three epistles of his, Jude, and probably I Peter, while the opposition to another of Peter’s writings was not yet silenced.

Origen, about the year 230 C.E., accepted among the inspired Scriptures the books of Hebrews and James, both missing from the Muratorian Fragment. While he indicates that some doubted their canonical quality, this also shows that by this time, the canonicity of most of the Greek Scriptures was accepted, only a few doubting some of the less well-known epistles. Later, Athanasius, Jerome, and Augustine acknowledged the conclusions of earlier lists by defining as the canon the same 27 books that we now have.

It was not until critics like Marcion came along in the middle of the second century C.E. that an issue arose as to which books Christians should accept. Marcion constructed his own canon to suit his doctrines, taking only certain of the apostle Paul’s letters and an expurgated form of the Gospel of Luke. This, together with the mass of apocryphal literature by then spreading throughout the world, was what led to statements by cataloguers as to which books they accepted as canonical.

Faith in the almighty God, who is the Inspirer and Preserver of his Word, makes us confident that He is the one who has guided the gathering together of its various parts. So we confidently accept the 27 books of the Christian Greek Scriptures along with the 39 of the Hebrew Scriptures as the one Bible, by the One Author, Jehovah God. His Word in its 66 books is our guide, and its entire harmony and balance testify to its completeness.

All praise to Jehovah God, the Creator of this incomparable book! It can equip us completely and put our feet on the way to life. Let us use it wisely at every opportunity.

There is no revelation among the Jews now, because God has hidden His face from them. The hiding of His face is testified (Deut. xxxii. 20; Isa. viii. 17).

The suspension of revelation was plainly foretold (see Mic.iii. 6; also Amos viii. 9-12). You seem to think the fact of there having been revelation is discountenanced by the fact of its non-occurrence now. The argument really works the other way. Its non-occurrence now proves its occurrence then, in view of the prediction that it would cease : for here is the prophecy fulfilled.

Robert Roberts

Read " God and the Bible ", by R. Roberts.

In the early centuries of the Christian Era, when persecution arose, there was much destruction of Christian writings, and especially of copies of the Scriptures. Probably the original documents of the New Testament thus perished. This may cause some to ask:

"Why should such a calamity be permitted?"

But like many hard and trying things, it had a providential side. There was a wholesale destruction and disappearance of false gospels, writings of the "Fathers", and corrupted versions. But the very attempt to obliterate the in-spired Books had the effect of causing them to be specially cared for, hidden, multiplied, and handed on. For the purposes of the Deity, it was a far better thing that the Word should be largely reproduced, under the conditions of reverent care, which persecution created, than that original manuscripts should be stored up in some Monkish conventicle, to become the objects of superstitious veneration.

G.F. Lake

The learning of the day is not wholly against the Bible, though mostly so. There is a weighty consideration in the saying of Christ that divine truth has been hid from the wise and prudent (Matt. xi. 25); and the words of Paul, that "Not many wise men after the flesh" are, in the wisdom of God, permitted to know it.

A man requires to be of a very humble and docile mind to receive Bible truth, and it is well known that this is not the frame of mind in which learning is cultivated and practised. Learned men, as a rule, are proud men, and live on the incense of public admiration, which is a mood that inclines a man against the Bible and not in favour of it; for the Bible lowers man and exalts God throughout.

Robert Roberts

Read "Christ and the Critics", by C. C. Walker.

"Is not this written in the Book of Jasher? (Joshuax. 18).

"Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher" (2 Sam. i. 18)

Josephus says this book of Jasher was "laid up in the Temple" (" Antiquities " v. i. 17). Nothing, however, is really known about the book. All that has been written about it has been mere guesswork, and speculation. The supposition has been that it was a collection of songs, relating to notable historical events and people in Israel's early times, and that the events referred to in Joshua and Samuel were among them.

F. G. J.

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, 'Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints' " (Jude 14).

This Enoch must not be confounded with the son of Cain, who was the third from Adam (1 Chron. i. 1). Much has been written about this book of Enoch; but, seeing that it was not included in the "writings" regarded by Christ as "The Scriptures", we need not trouble about the book itself, but be satisfied with the mere fact cited by Jude.

It might well be that the word translated "prophesied" has no deeper meaning than preached, or declared (see Rev. x. 11; xi. 3).

F. G. J.

Letter to the Hebrews

The evidence in favour of the Apostle Paul having written the Epistle to the Hebrews may be summarised as follows:

In the West, Clement (c. A.D. 100) quotes it along with Paul's letters without naming the author. Later, its authority was disputed, and Hippolytus (A.D. 220) denied Pauline authorship, showing existence of a belief that Paul was the writer.

From the Fourth Century Paul was universally accepted as author. In the East, Pauline authorship was admitted from earliest times without question. Origen, late in life, quotes Hebrews as Paul's.

Throughout ancient times no other name was ever put forward as author.

At the Reformation and since, various names have been put forward, from Apollos to Priscilla, only to be rejected.

Internal evidence

Criticism on grounds of divergences of doctrine or of points of view springs only from ignorance of the Scriptures. Hebrews rounds off and completes the doctrinal teachings of Romans and Galatians, the interpretations and practical applications of Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians.

Language and style

Superficially regarded, there appears considerable difference between Hebrews and the rest of Paul's letters. Deeper examination shows their close correspondence.

Fifty-five words occur in Hebrews which are found elsewhere in New Testament only in Paul's letters and speeches; 22 words in Hebrews having very closely related forms in Paul's works, only in New Testament; 26 words in Hebrews and Paul's works, elsewhere only in Luke, James, or Peter.

Absence of certain "Pauline" words is of no weight, as some of them are absent from five or six of the other letters. Examination of STYLE, which is the sum of characteristic details, bring out the identity of authorship, parenthesis, turns of phrase and peculiar phrases, treatment of similar matters in similar fashion, way of introducing quotations, self-suppression and self-manifestation, modesty of manner, show numerous parallels with Paul's other letters; the closing salutation is Paul's own, as an example, 1 Cor. xvi. 1-13 is closely comparable with Hebrews iii. 12; iv. 2.

Allusions of James and of Peter confirm the view that Paul wrote Hebrews. No adequate alternative name has ever been suggested.

W. J. Young

There can be no question as to the manner in which the Scriptures were regarded in the early years of the Christian Era.

The so-called "Fathers" spoke very clearly in regard to them. Thus, for example, Clement (A.D. 70-96) referred to them as "the true utterances of the Holy Spirit", and speaks of Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, as "divinely inspired".

Justin Martyr (A.D.140-150) says, "The expressions go forth .... from the divine Word", while Irenaeus (c. A.D. 180) refers to the Scriptures as "perfect, inasmuch as they were uttered by the Word of God and His Spirit".

All this, of course, shows that their estimate of the Scriptures was in accord with the well-known passage, 2 Tim. iii. 16.

W. H. Boulton

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“ Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” (2Ti 3:16 ASV)

Salvation depends upon the assimilation of the mind to the divine ideas, principles, and affections, exhibited in the Scriptures. This process commences with a belief of the Gospel, but it is by no means completed thereby; it takes a lifetime for its scope, and untiring diligence for its accomplishment.

The mind is naturally alien from God and all His ideas (Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14), and cannot be brought at once to the divine likeness. This is a work of slow development, and can only be achieved by the industrious application of the individual to the expression of God’s mind in the Scriptures of truth.

The infallible advice then to every man and woman anxious about their salvation is — READ THE SCRIPTURES DAILY.

Succeeding to read the whole Bible

It is only in proportion as this is done, that success may be looked for. The man who sows sparingly in this respect, will only reap sparingly. Much spiritual fructification is only to be realised in connection with fructifying influences of the Spirit in the Word. To enable Bible readers conveniently to carry out the suggestion of the foregoing remarks, the Christadelphians use a chart or tables going from one book to another.

Under the guidance of those tables Christadelphians or those willing to learn the Scriptures, their daily readings will be methodical and edifying. By strict adherence to this plan from year to year, the reader will reap much profit, gradually losing the insipidity of the natural mind, and taking on the warm and exalted tone of the Spirit’s teaching, which qualifies for the inheritance of the Saints in light.

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The Bible is so large; it can be intimidating; and some parts of it are hard to understand. What would really help is an easy-to-follow Bible reading aid. And for those who are ready to do some in-depth study of God's Word, a step-by-step study course.

Most Christadelphians follow a plan of Bible Reading called The Bible Companion. There is nothing special at all about this plan. It is simply a method by which you can be sure that by the end of a year, you have read the whole of the Bible, Old Testament once and New Testament twice. The plan starts on January 1st in Genesis, Psalms and Matthew and works its way through the scriptures as the year goes along providing around 4 chapters per day.

A certainty to go through the entire Bible in one year and not to miss any book of the Bible

The Christadelphian Bible Companion is the perfect solution for you.

Reading from its three sections daily, you will complete the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice. In 365 days you will read the entire Bible; Genesis to Revelations, cover to cover. Unlike other Bible reading programs, The Christadelphian Bible Companion doesn't try to relate the readings to each other, doesn't try to explain what you are reading, and there's nothing more to read than the Scripture itself.

It's a simple, straight forward, reading plan with one or two chapters, per section, per day.

Can you spare a half-hour a day?

The Bible is the most valuable book in the world because it is the Creator's revelation of Himself and His purpose. However, to discover its full message, reading is essential. In less than half an hour every day.The Christadelphian Bible Companion (devised by Robert Roberts more than a hundred years ago), enables you to read the entire Bible.

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The daily reading plan you might find at The Bible Companion: Tables for the Profitable Daily Reading of the Holy Scriptures and is also available as a 2-page PDF document.

To obtain this reading plan on three laminated bookmarks, please visit our Bible Study Aides page.

Bible Reading Companions in other languages

You are also invited to do your daily Bible readings online.

Visit Daily Bible Readings - Read and contribute comments on the daily readings

Agora Bible Reading Exhortations

In spite of hearing numerous criticisms of the method, and as a result of several experiments on my own part, I am convinced that we cannot do better than follow the scheme laid down in "The Bible Companion" for our daily readings.

I have heard such a method condemned as "mechanical", "uneducational", etc., even from the platform; but I have yet to find a better way suited to our particular difficulties. It ensures that we become acquainted with every part of the Bible. It is not left to individual choice to decide what books we shall read; I dare say if we consulted our own preferences, some of the Scriptures would receive constant attention, whilst others would never be read at all.

"The Bible Companion" ensures that we get "the whole counsel of God", if we carry out its suggestions. This acquaintance with every part of Scripture is an advantage which alone outweighs every objection that can be urged against the method.

F. W. Turner

Insert a "Bible Companion" in every Bible in your house.

F. G. J.

Bible marking is undoubtedly a help to securing a grip upon important passages. An excellent guide to Bible reading is to undertake the marking of foundation verses as they occur in the daily reading. A neat ruled line in red ink, with a marginal note, fixes it for us, and the constant revision every time the chapter is referred to deepens the impression. But just a word of warning. Don't overdo Biblemarking. We mark in order to emphasise, but emphasis is lost if every other verse is underlined. It reminds me of a certain young teacher who was recommended to use coloured chalks on his blackboard to secure emphasis for the main points, and promptly wrote every word in a different colour! The result was emphatic, but not in the sense he desired.

P. W. Turner

The best answer to those who claim to be able to prove from the writing that more than one Isaiah wrote the Book bearing that name is what is found in the following article culled from London "Evening News",24th July, 1911:

"Here is a singular literary rumour. It is said that a relative of the late Charles Reade has discovered the MS. of an unpublished novel, called 'Androgynism', which is to appear in the August number of the 'English Review'. The title strikes one as an odd one to be chosen by Charles Reade, but it is never safe to say that a book 'couldn't have been written' by any particular author. This is the mistake made by some of the so-called 'Higher Critics'. They prove that Book A is very different from Book Β; that is often easy enough. But then they go on to say that "there-fore" A and Β couldn't have been written by the same man. There isn't any 'therefore'.

Compare Tennyson's "Fatima" with his "May Queen"; set "Sherlock Holmes" by the side of the 'Stark Munroe Letters' and 'Brigadier Gerard'!"

Read "Christ and the Critics", by C. C. Walker.

The distinguishing feature of Christadelphian public teaching and private practice has been the insistence on personal study of the Bible. That is the sheet anchor of our position.

Brother Islip Collyer sums up the matter in a recent publication when he states that

"we accept the author-ship of the Bible with a whole-hearted belief such as is rare in these days, and we study the Bible with an attention such as has been rare at all times".

Any success we may have achieved as a body must be attributed to that cause. We claim to teach only what is contained in the Bible; we urge our hearers to search the Scriptures for themselves; we commend unto them the example of the Bereans of old, who

"searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so".

And let us here remember the debt we owe to the older brethren for their work in the past, and for the ideal they have bequeathed to us.

F.W. Turner

See "The Bible Companion"

The controversy on the Inspiration of the Bible arose in October, 1884, and originated in an article in the "Exegetist", a magazine founded by an ex. "Rev." — R. Ashcroft.

Before this time the brethren had always held that the Bible was wholly inspired in its original production, and that apparent discrepancies and contradictions were mainly due to errors made in transmission and reproduction. Reference to early volumes of "The Christadelphian" will show this to have been their position.

When it is said,

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake unto the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. i. 1),

we are able to see that, while at one time, holy men of old spake by command (Jer. vii. 27; Ezek. ii. 7, etc.), at another time they spake "by permission" (1 Cor. vii. 6).

All that we can legitimately or reasonably conclude from such statements is that there may be degrees of inspiration, but no question whatever as to the fact of inspiration; and where that fact is recognised, there will be no question as to the infallibility of what was said and recorded (2 Tim. iii. 16).

We well remember at the time of the great "Inspiration Controversy" in 1885 how that Paul's statement was made to read,

"All Scripture given by inspiration of God",

instead of

"All Scripture is given by inspiration",

although it was not long before the "Partial Inspirationalists" were so ashamed of their contention that they dropped it, and printed the Authorised Rendering in full at the top of their editorials in their new magazine, which followed their first two literary ventures, known as "The Exegetist" and "The Truth".

Are there not inaccuracies and errors in the Bible?

Yes, humanly speaking, so far as our modern versions are concerned; but this cannot be said of the original source of which they are a more or less good representation. We have intelligently to recognise the agency of transmission, perfect enough for the purpose intended, not the least grain of divine truth necessary for our information and guidance being allowed to slip.

This aspect of the matter may well be represented by two coins of the realm — one fresh from the mint, and another somewhat worn so that you can scarcely read the inscription upon it — yet sufficient of the inscription is decipherable with care and patience to show that the two coins are equally genuine.

Henry Sulley

Very likely those who are anxious to "reconstruct" our Bible would eliminate some portions of the Book of Judges. But we need the whole of it; it presents to us not only the favourable but the unfavourable side of Israel's history. There are some very inconvenient things recorded in the Bible, but we have to remember that it presents us with a picture of human nature as God sees it, and He sees all round it, and right through it, and knows all about those who are interested in His Word, and all about those who in the past have formed the history which has produced that Word.

S. A. Garside

The testimony of the Jewish historian Josephus as to what comprised the Holy Scriptures in his (Christ's) day is most valuable and telling.

He says:

"We have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another (as the Greeks have), but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them, five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their'times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life" ("Against Apion", ch. L, sect. 8)

A 19th century writing:

No work that has come down to us from classical writers presents so many valuable MSS. of ancient date as that of the Holy Scriptures. Three have a world-wide reputation; the first is that known as the Vatican (Codex Vaticanus), now in the Vatican Library at Rome, and dates back to the 4th Century, A.D. The second is known as the Sinaitic (Codex Sinaiticus ), so-called because it was discovered by Tischendorf in the Convent of S. Catherine, on Mount Sinai, in 1859; and the third is the Alexandrian, now in the British Museum, having been presented to King CharlesI. in 1627.

The above are all Greek versions. There are no very ancient MSS. of the Hebrew Bible. The earliest dated known MS. in Hebrew was written A.D. 916; but.another, undated, in the British Museum, is supposed to be a little older.

For those who wish for a readable treatise on the facts of "How we got our Bible", the little work bearing that title can be highly recommended, although the same cannot be said of other works by the same author on account of his views concerning the Inspiration of the Scriptures.

20th century findings

Throughout the 20th century several archaeologists continued looking for ancient materials which could prove the existence of biblical and other historical figures.

The Aleppo Codex (c. 920 CE) and Leningrad Codex (c. 1008 CE) were once the oldest known manuscripts of the Tanakh in Hebrew. A great revelation of Biblical text material was the discovery in 1947 CE when the first part of Dead Sea scrolls at Qumran pushed the manuscript history of the Tanakh back a millennium from such codices.

In the second part of the 20th century it was incredible what was found. Every year, several New Testament manuscripts handwritten in the original Greek format were discovered. In the beginning of the 21st century the latest substantial find was in 2008, when 47 new manuscripts were discovered in Albania; at least 17 of them unknown to Western scholars.

Most English translations of the New Testament made in the 20th Century were based on more recently found manuscripts, which gave value to the 4th-century-CE Alexandrian text-type, the Western text-type, and the Byzantine text-type, which includes over 80% of all manuscripts, the majority comparatively very late in the tradition.

All those new findings could only confirm what until now was printed in the Bible versions. the found M.S. could only shed a better light and could provide more accurate translations, giving perhaps new textual variants but never changing the basic content or meaning of the earlier texts or affecting key Christian doctrine.

The "Septuagint Version" is so called because it was the work of seventy Greek Scholars, and was made by order of Ptolemy Philadelphus in the 4th Century B.C.

This version being largely used by the people in Christ's day, it was but natural he should use such version when quoting the Scriptures to them. Because he did so, however, is no reason for accepting the "Septuagint Version" in all its parts in preference to the "Hebrew Version", and in which form they were delivered to the Jews.

F. G. J.

From the Hebrew lamad, to learn, study doctrine, the great body of Jewish traditional commentary ex-position, etc., that has been compiled mainly since the Fall of Jerusalem before Titus in A.D. 70.

Graetz, in his "History of the Jews", tells how the Palestinian Jews, especially in the school of Tiberias, compiled in the 4th Century A.D. what has become known as "The Jerusalem Talmud". While the Jews of the Eastern dispersion, in the schools of Sora and Pumbeditha, compiled in the 5th and 6th Centuries "The Babylonian Talmud". This last is about four times as voluminous as that of Jerusalem, and is what is generally meant when "The Talmud" is spoken of.

The divisions of Mishnah and Gemara, and the distinctions between the Sopherim (scribes), Tenaim (doctors), and Amoraim (speakers) are described by Graetz, who, in the end of vol. ii. of his "History", gives a sketch of the completion and character of the "Talmud".

"The Talmud" is a flood of Rabbinical lore; but the Bible is the Ark.

C. C. Walker

From the Latin vulgatus, common, the Latin Version of the Bible accepted by the Roman Catholic Church

Really the Revised Version, made in the 4th Century by Jerome, partly from the original Hebrew and partly by revision of old Latin versions. It is the parent of the Bibles of Western Christendom, and the source of the English Bible down to Tyndale.

It was the first book printed (about 1455), and was approved by the Council of Trent as the standard Bible. Authorized editions were published by Sixtus v. (1590) and Clement viii. (1592-3). A revision was projected by Pius x. (1908).

The influence of the Vulgate is quite perceptible in the Authorized Version. Not until the Revised Version have we a thorough focalising of the evidences of MSS.,"Versions" and "Fathers".

C. C. Walker

See "How we got our Bible", J. Paterson Smyth.

The "Apocrypha" is a collection of separate books, not found in any catalogue of inspired writings recognised during the first four centuries after Christ, and the Jews never received them as a part of "the Canon". Nor were they quoted either by the Lord or his Apostles.

It is evidently the performance of private writers, smitten with the idea of imitating Bible books. It is a very poor imitation, but easily passes current with those who are not very familiar with the Bible. The Roman Church, which forbade general reading of the Bible, was zealous for the authority of the "Apocrypha", which it pronounced part of the rule of faith. The Council of Trent passed a decree to this effect in1545, but this can have no weight with those who are able to rightly estimate the character of ecclesiastical councils.

Robert Roberts