Learn from the Bible
Buy Bibles Online
Archive for January, 2010
Hidden Texts of the Bible
The canon for the New Testament of the bible has been developed over several thousand years. Outside the canon, there are ancient scriptures which exist, but most do not feel are pertinent to the bible. These forgotten scriptures are called apocrypha, a term derived from the Latin meaning “that which was hidden”. Rejected by Catholics, orthodox, and protestants alike, common apocrypha for the New Testament are mostly gospels and accounts of the lives of apostles.
Though these hidden scriptures often have little relation to key bible events, they are sometimes included in printings or in bibles designed for a specific sect of a religion. Apocrypha can be quite interesting for examining and extricating passages as they do provide fragments of mostly unknown history from the times of Christ, but don’t expect to find them in your New American bibles.
The KJV Bible
In 1604, King James I of England gave translators instructions to retranslate the various books of the bible and compile a new version. In 1611, the labors of several years were realized and the KJV Bible was created. This Bible was conceived in response to problems of inaccuracies in earlier translations, and is hailed to this day as one of the most exact translations. The translators of the King James Bible used original scriptures written in Hebrew and Greek as their sources for the translations, and compiled both the Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocrypha.
The King James Bible is often the choice for studies of literature conducted at universities, and for bible study. In terms of sales, there are more copies of the King James Bible today than most any other printed book throughout history.