Bibles

Scope Note: Refers to books, scrolls, rolls, or other document forms containing the sacred scriptures of Judaism or Christianity. Bibles may also contain illuminations, which are painted scenes or decorations. The Bible is composed of two parts: The Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament, written originally in Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) and including the writings of the Jewish people, and the New Testament, composed in Greek and recording the story of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament are somewhat larger than the Protestant Bible because they accept certain books and parts of books considered apocryphal by Protestants. The Jewish Bible includes only the books known to Christians as the Old Testament. The arrangements of the Jewish and Christian canons differ considerably. Traditionally the Jews have divided their scriptures (the Old Testament) into three parts: The Torah (the "Law"), or Pentateuch; the Nevi'im (the "Prophets"); and the Ketuvim (the "Writings"), or Hagiographa. The stories, moral teachings, and theological doctrines in the bible have provided subjects for an immense body of visual art in both Christian and Jewish imagery. For Christians, a canon of biblical books was established in the Early Christian period; however, several apocryphal books continued to circulate long afterwards. Beginning in the late medieval period, poetic and dramatic interpretations of biblical narratives were very popular, providing ample extra-canonical literature that contributed to the development of important subjects in Christian art.

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