The Bible h) It reveals that God The Bible is a collection of

controlled what was being books arranged in series.

The Bible is the sacred book written and what He
containing God’s revelation intended the writers to pass b) The Bible is a reference
to people. It is the inspired to the people. book for Christians.
word of God.
The Bible as a library The authors of the Bible had
It is the book through which a special spiritual guidance;
God communicates with His The Bible is referred to as a hence each book was written
people. library since it is a collection for a purpose.
of inspired scriptures or
The Bible as the word of God books. c) The books were written at
different times in history.
The Bible is the word of God The Bible contains 66 books.
because: d) The Bible has literary
The Bible is divided into the works.
a) The written scripture Old Testament and the New
contain God’s word. Testament. e) The Books written contain
different topics.
b) Through the Bible God The Old Testament contains
communicates his will to 39 books while the New f) The Bible has different
humans. Testament contains 27 books written by different
books. authors.
c) It contains word written by
inspired authors such as the However, the Roman g) The books of the Bible
prophets who were sent by Catholic Church accepts 7 were written under different
God. additional books referred to situations and circumstances.

d) God himself took part in as Apocrypha or Deutero or The Bible: Major Divisions
the writing of the Bible. E.g. canonical books. and Its Books
God is believed to have The word Apocrypha means
written the Ten Major divisions of the Bible
hidden or secret.
Commandments The bible is divided into two
They are Esdras (1, 2), Tobit, major divisions.
e) It contains the history of Judith, Ecclesiaticus, Baarch
salvation realized through and Maccabees. These are the Old Testament
Jesus Christ. with (39 Books) and the New
Why the Bible is a library Testament with (27 Books).
f) The Word gives revelation
to mysteries. Several studies show that: The word Testament means
g) The Bible contains a a) The Bible contains (66) covenant or agreement with
message of hope and book just like a library has God.
reconciliation. many books. The Old Testament books are
divided into:
a. Books of the law or the (iv) 1, 2 Samuel These are divided into major
Pentateuch or Torah. and minor prophets.
(v) 1, 2 Kings
b. Historical books. A prophet is a messenger of
(vi)1, 2 Chronicles God, or God’s spokesperson.
c. Poetic Books A prophet is a mouthpiece of
(vii) Ezra
d. Prophetic books. God.
(viii) Nehemiah
Law books or the Pentateuch Prophets pass information
or Torah (ix) Esther. and messages from God to
the people. They are
The books of law are These 12 books record the
messengers from God.
history of the Israelites. They
(i)Genesis also contain information Their messages from God
about the life and concern the future.
(ii) Exodus achievements of some
prophets, for example, the Five Major Prophetic Books
(iii) Leviticus
life history of Elisha and I. The major prophetic books
(iv) Numbers Elijah. Exercise 1 – Go are by
through the 12 books and
(v) Deuteronomy.
check page by page the (i) Isaiah
Moses wrote these books. names of other prophets.
(ii) Jeremiah
They contain the law of God
Poetic Books
as it was given to the people (iii) Lamentations
of Israel through Moses. The books are poetic in
nature. (iv) Ezekiel and
They also contain the history
of the Israelites from The poetic books contain (v) Daniel
creation to the time they wise sayings, songs, and . The books are named after
entered the Promised Land. prayers. the prophets who
The author Moses is The poetic books are (1) prophesied and probably
regarded as a lawgiver, Psalms which was written by wrote them.
teacher and prophet. David Jeremiah wrote
Historical books There are (ii) Proverbs lamentations. These
the 12 consecutive books prophets are called Major
from (iii) Ecclesiastes Prophets because they cover
a longer period of time.
(i) Joshua (iv) Song of Solomon written
by Solomon and Their prophecies are long,
(ii) Judges and they prophesied over a
(v) Job. long period of time.
(iii) Ruth
Prophetic books II. Minor Prophets.
There are 12 books of Gospel means Good News. They are 13 letters that Paul
The disciples of Jesus wrote wrote to
(1) Hosea the biographical books.
(1) Romans
(2 Joel They contain information
about the birth, life, ministry, (2,3) 1, 2 Corinthians
(3) Amos
death, and resurrection of (4) Galatians
(4) Obadiah Jesus Christ.
(5) Ephesians
(5) Jonah The biographical books are
four. (6) Philippines
(6) Micah
(i) Mathew – Written by (7) Colossians
(7) Nahum
Mathew
(8, 9) 1, 2 Thessalonians
(8) Habakkuk
(ii) Mark – Written by Mark
(10, 11) 1, 2 Timothy
(9) Zephaniah
(iii) Luke – Written by
(12) Titus and Philemon.
(10) Haggai Luke,the doctor and
General Epistles are letters
(11) Zechariah and (iv) John – written by John
written to the church by
(12) Malachi. (the beloved disciple of Jesus other people.
Christ)
These books are by Minor The letters are 8 in number.
Prophets who are said to b) Historical books
1. They (1) Hebrews
have prophesied over a
There is one historical book,
shorter period of time if you (2) James
which is the Acts of the
compare them with the
Apostles. (3,4) 1, 2 Peter
Major Prophets.
Luke, the writer of the (5,6,7) 1, 2, 3, John and
New Testament books are:
St.Luke’s Gospel, wrote it.
a. Biographical books or The book of Acts tells us the (8) Jude
Gospels. history of the early church.
d) Apocalyptic or Prophetic
b. Historical books (Acts of c) The Epistles book
the Apostles). This is the book of
There are two Epistles:
c. The Epistles. Revelation.
Pauline Epistles and
d. Apocalyptic or Prophetic It is the last book in the New
General Epistles. Pauline Testament.
book
Epistles are letters written by
a) Biographical book or Paul. It is different from other
Gospels books.
This is because it is prophetic Between 386 – 420 A.D. Kikuyu in 1951, Kikamba in
of things to come. Jerome, a great Christian 1956, Kimeru in 1964,
Scholar, translated the entire Kalenjin in 1968, and Luhya
It is about the future. It was bible from Greek into Latin, in 1974.
written by John the beloved the language of the Romans.
disciple of Jesus Christ. By 1980 the Bible had been
This translation was called translated into 29 Kenyan
Major Bible Translations Vulgate. languages. To date (2010)
From the Original Languages the Bible has been translated
To Local Languages Christians used the Latin into 42 languages of Kenya.
translation of the Bible up to
These books of the Bible are the 16th century. Translation and versions
accepted as the Canon of the used in Kenya today
Bible. During the reformation in
the 16th Century, Christians Besides bible translation into
The term Canon means were encouraged to use their several languages, there are
Standard or guidance or rule. own native languages in many English translation
Translation means worship. versions, which are
expression of books by commonly used in Kenya.
From that time, the Bible
words and pictures, poems was translated into English These are
and songs from one language and German.
to another. (i) King James Version
As Christianity spread to
The Old Testament was different parts of the world, (ii) Jerusalem Bible
originally written in Hebrew, there was the need for
the language of the (iii) New International
translations of the Holy Bible version
Israelites. into various languages.
Then between 250 – 100 BC, (iv) English Bible
In 1804, the British formed
it was translated to the the Foreign Bible Society, (v) The Authorized Version
Greek language. The Greek which translated the Bible
translation of the Bible was (vi) Good News
into many languages.
known as Septuagint.
(vii) Revised Standard
Johann Ludwig Krapf
This term refers to 70 Version
translated the New
translators. Testament into Kiswahili. (viii) New King James Version
The Jews in dispersion or This was the first Bible (ix) Amplified Bible
Diaspora used this translation in East Africa.
translation. (x) The living Bible
Since that time, the Bible
These were the Jews living Society of Kenya has (xi) The African Bible
outside Palestine. translated the Bible into
(xii) Common Bible
other languages such as
(xiii) Today’s English Bible d) Read any Psalm and any ii) Led to increased literacy.
verse from Job. What do you After Africans acquired
(xiv) American version notice? literacy skills, they read the
among others. Bible and improved their
Other literary forms that are literacy skills.
Writing of the Bible used in the Bible are:
By 2010, the Bible Society of Christian missionaries
i) Prose in Leviticus, which is established schools in order
Kenya had translated the a Legislative text
Bible into 42 Kenyan to teach literacy that helped
languages. ii) Wise sayings in Proverbs African to read the Bible.

The need to read the Bible iii) Prophetic speeches by ii) Made it easy for
led to writing of Bible Jeremiah missionaries to spread the
reading materials to teach gospel to the African
literacy in local languages. iv) Prayers by Nehemiah communities.

Those who wrote the Bible v) Love Songs, for example, iii) Increased the demand for
used different styles, and the Songs of Solomon the Bible. This led to writing
figures of speech to make of Books and setting up of
vi) Letters. Here see Pauline
their message vivid and printing presses in African
Epistles (Romans)
clear. countries.
vii) Gospels, for example,
Several literary forms were iv) Made it easy for the
Mark’s Gospel
used in the writing of the expansion of the church i.e.
Bible. viii) Religious events, for more people became
example, Exodus Christians.
These are:
ix) Narratives, for example, v) Led to the emergence of
a. Poetry in Psalms Genesis independent churches and
schools.
Activity x) Philosophical essays, for
example, the book of Job. vi) The missionaries and
a) Read Psalms and notice
colonialists learnt the African
the poetry used by David Here note the use of languages.
when he wrote psalms metaphors and similes in
philosophical essays. vii) The African converts
b) Read Job. Notice the
realized that the missionaries
rhythm of the words The effects of Bible were unfair to them.
c) Turn to your English translations on African
languages Bible translations: There was for example a
textbook – the Integrated
different treatment of
English. Read topic 4 on i) Increased and deepened African by White
sound and pattern in poetry. African faith in God. missionaries. This was
inequality of races, which
was and is even now against As a result, some 7) What is the meaning of
Christian teachings. communities who disagreed the term inspiration?
with Bible translations
viii) Helped Africans to re- established their own Study activities
discover their cultural Christian denominations in
identity. 1. Read the Bible quotations
order to preach the Bible, as given above.
For example the use of they understood it.
African instruments, 2. Carry out role plays e.g.
This was the emergence of the sacrifice of Isaac by
dressings, and practice of independent churches.
polygamy, which David and Abraham.
other kings in the Old Some African communities 3. Visit old people in your
Testament did. built independent schools community and ask them
where their children could about African religious
ix) Led to the writings and learn how to read and write
spread of African languages. traditional practices.
without being forced to
The missionaries learnt local practice all the Christian
languages. teachings.
x) Improved communications Review questions
between missionaries and
the local people because 1) What is the importance of
they could understand each reading the Bible?
other.
2) How is the Bible used in
xi) Increased printing of society today?
reading materials
3) How does the Kenya
The effects of Bible Government use the Bible
translations on Africans today?
communities
4) Name the major divisions
After the first Bible of the Bible in both the New
translations, there were Testament and the Old
immediate effects or Testament
influences on some
communities. 5) What are the effects of
Bible translation on African
For example, some languages?
community leaders did not
agree with the Christian 6) Why is the Bible referred
teachings. Some wanted to to as (a) a Library and
retain aspects of their (b) the Word of God
African religion.