The greatest book ever written is the Holy Bible. It has the greatest number of reprints and linguistic varieties; it is available to religious leaders, scholars of all persuasions, Christians of all categories, the inquisitive Moslem searching for the Christian truth, the ordinary reader who just loves to read a good story, and even the diehard atheist who is desperately searching for literary proofs against the existence of God. Virtually everyone owns at least a copy, while some have multiple copies of different versions. But Biblical exegesis or interpretation varies from person to person, and the book is mired in endless disputations.

The Bible is not a single book; neither is it a collection of works on a homogeneous subject. The Bible is actually a mini-library, a compendium of books on Christian religion, from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is the work of great inspiration by several anonymous authors, all working under the single authorship of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is a library of 73 books, divided into two major sections: 46 books of the Old Testament (from Genesis to Malachi), and 27 books of the New Testament (from the Gospel according to St. Matthew to Revelation). The Old Testament takes the story from the beginning of Creation through the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to the birth of Cain and Abel, through the days of Noah and the Great Flood. Then, the story continues with the birth of Abram (who later became Abraham), and the great friendship that developed between him and God as a result of his extraordinary obedience to God’s commands, leading to the covenant that God struck with him. The gradual settlement of the Israelites into Egypt was also told in Exodus, until they had grown in such numbers that they became a threat to the Egyptian authorities who now began to oppress them, until God sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them after over four hundred years of persecution in Egypt.

The Israelites fled from Egypt, but Pharaoh chased after them in hot pursuit, until they were all drowned in the Red Sea. The Israelites thus embarked upon a long, meandering journey to the Promised Land, led by Moses and Aaron, and the journey of less than forty days took them forty years when almost the entire generation that left Egypt had passed away. It was in the course of that long-winding journey that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on behalf of humanity. God showed Moses the Promised Land but denied him the privilege of entering it, due to an act of transgression. Hence, it was Joshua, the son of Nun, who eventually led the Israelites into the Promised Land. The rest of the Old Testament sums up the various experiences of the Israelites under different kings and prophets after getting to the Promised Land. Thus, the Old Testament reads more like the History of the Jews

The New Testament starts with the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the more distinct and unique gospel of John, followed by the Acts of the Apostles, consisting of events after the Ascension. Then, there are a series of letters by St. Paul to the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, and the Thessalonians, followed by other letters to Timothy, Philemon, and the Hebrews.

Most of these letters were written by the converted St. Paul, either singly or in collaboration with others. James, Peter, and John, also wrote a number of letters to different groups, and Jude, brother of James, also authored some. 

 The last book of the New Testament is Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse, a book of 22 Chapters, most likely received by John, one of the favourite disciples of Christ, the only one that escaped death by martyrdom. It was received on the isle of Patmos, off the coast of Asia, not far from Ephesus (Rev. 1:9-10). Unlike the other books concerned with the past, the Book of Revelation is about the last days, and the Second Coming of Christ. It falls into two parts: Chapters 1 to 3 deal with issues contemporaneous with John’s time, and the remaining chapters (4 to 22) focus on futuristic events, based on the vision of Jesus that John saw. “Ascend to here, and I will reveal to you what must occur after these things” (Rev. 4:1).

In the Gospel according to St. John, Jesus alluded to the fact that John offered testimony about the last things, “and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24), another evidence that John most probably wrote the Book of Revelation.

The authorship of the Bible is generally shrouded in mystery, but there are indications of those who wrote what, under inspiration. Moses is believed to have authored Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; David wrote most of the Psalms; Solomon, wrote the Proverbs, some of the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon; Ezra, wrote 1st and 2nd Chronicles (Internet Source). But the most important point about the Bible is not the authorship, but what message is being conveyed.

The Bible is the Word of God; it is God speaking to us either directly, or indirectly through the messages of the prophets and the inspired writers of the words. The Bible is so comprehensive that there is hardly any issue under the sun that is not covered, and clever preachers are able to draw out quotations specific to any topic under discussion. The New Testament makes important modifications on the Old. In Exodus 21:23-25, the principle of reciprocity is advocated: “…an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” whereas this Mosaic principle is reversed in the New Testament. “But I say to you. Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38), thus making for peace and harmony. But the earlier principle soon leaves everybody blind and toothless.

The ten commandments given through Moses in the Old Testament were condensed into two by Jesus in the New Testament: “You shall love the Lord your God…You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40).  Of course, if you truly love your neighbour, you will automatically obey all the other commandments, which are mostly about being good to your neighbour, and you will be in right standing with God.