Circulation of the Bible in the world. Moscow Sretensky Theological Seminary. the most persecuted book in the world

Asks Victoria
Answered by Maxim Balaklitsky, 10/16/2009

Victoria!

Read about it, for example:

Sixteen Differences of the Bible

Today, the question is often asked why the Bible belongs to special place among other books, while there are a great many of them - various sacred and philosophical works, treatises.

Others agree that the Bible is a special Book, but at the same time they believe that it can hardly help in everyday practical life, in business, study, career, everyday life, because it rather speaks of some kind of limitations, about past and future than about the present.

Still others believe that the messages contained in the Bible, of course, can be called treasures, but only purely spiritual, of little use in the present life, and this group of people often includes those who consider themselves Christians.

Why, then, should the Bible be preferred to other religious or philosophical books? Why is this book special?

The fact is that the Bible has several striking differences that distinguish it from all other books. Let's look at these differences in terms of facts, without any biased and unbiased comments that we invite our readers to make.

So the Bible for today is:

the most widely published book in the world.

The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies (one Bible is printed every second in the world). The number of printed Bibles in the 20th century alone amounts to many tens of billions. This book on statistics is followed by the works of Mao Zedong, which are several tens of thousands of times inferior to it in number.

the most translated book in the world.

To date, it has been translated into more than 2036 languages and dialects of the earth.

most read book.

Despite the huge circulations in which the Bible is published, the demand for it constantly exceeds the supply, and every year publishers are forced to increase its circulation.

most popular book.

It is known from the history of literature that in different years there were especially popular books, for which, as they say, there was a real “chase”. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared. So in the 60-70s, subscription editions of Russian and foreign classics were very rare, in the 80s - books by V. Pikul and A. Christie. Today, these books can easily be purchased at any counter.

The Bible, on the other hand, has enjoyed increasing interest and popularity for almost 2,000 years, being the No. 1 bestseller today.

the most accessible to everyone with any level of education.

Today we will not name books that are read with equal interest by an illiterate resident of a remote Siberian village and a Moscow academician, and the level of understanding of the truths and events set forth in the Bible by them is practically the same. The Bible can be read and understood without any special training. And try, without a special education, to read, and even with understanding and interest, works in chemistry or physics, to understand the intricacies of poetry, not to fall asleep over “thick” novels and not to get confused in a series of historical events set out in chronicles and annals.

the most varied book.

The Bible literally amazes any reader with a variety of literary genres - this is a historical chronicle (Books of Kings, Chronicles), and lyrics, poetry (Songs of Songs of Solomon, Psalter, Book of Job), parables (Book of Proverbs of Solomon, Book of Ecclesiastes), biographies (Gospels), diaries (Acts of the Apostles), allegory (Revelation), prophecies (Books of the Prophets), laws (Books of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), etc.

No other book not only contains all these genres at the same time, but even the presence of 2-3 of them is a huge rarity. Thanks to this diversity, the Bible can be read at any time in your life, in any mood, finding answers to literally all the exciting questions and requests of the soul.

the largest in terms of the number of authors.

longest written.

The books that make up the Bible were written from the 15th century BC. until the 1st century AD, i.e. for 1600 years!

the most complete and without a single contradiction.

Despite the fact that the Bible was written by 40 authors who lived in different centuries, who had the most diverse education and social status, who were of different nationalities and cultural traditions, its books not only do not contradict, but complement one another and contribute to a deep understanding of the truths set forth in them. . We mentioned above that often even in the works of the same author, devoted to the same topic, there are often contradictions or changes in views and opinions, this fact is especially well known to scientists, and this is completely understandable and natural, as science moves forward. , and what previously seemed undeniable and correct, over time becomes obsolete and changes, giving way to new facts, often proving the opposite. What can we say about the fact that if we take the works of 40 different scientists for research on the same topic, then how many opinions and the most diverse evidence we can meet. And if we go even further and try to explore some scientific problem, which was also studied by, say, 40 scientists, but who lived not only in different centuries, but also in different eras, then will we meet the unity of their views - absolutely without any contradictions? Answer this question yourself.

This wonderful phenomenon of the perfect integrity and "unity" of the Holy Scriptures could not be explained even by the most ardent opponents of the Bible in Soviet times.

largest in volume.

The Holy Scriptures is a whole library, consisting of 66 books and occupying the first place in terms of volume among all the books that have ever existed and exist.

the most commented book.

Various literary, historical, philosophical, etc. books are often subject to varying numbers of comments, the volume of which often exceeds the volume of the book itself. The more comments devoted to a particular work, the more valuable it is considered, because this indicates that its appearance aroused great interest.

So the Bible is today recognized as the Book on which it is written largest number comments. In the Oxford Library alone, for one First Epistle of the Apostle John, such a number of works are written, the volume of which occupies a room of more than 20 square meters. m.

most expensive book.

The most expensive book in the world, for which the largest amount was paid, is the Codex Sinaiticus (an ancient manuscript of the Bible), sold by the Soviet government to Great Britain for 510,000 dollars of the 1923 course!

The Ostroh Bible by Ivan Fedorov and the Latin Vulgate by Gutenberg are slightly inferior in price.

cheapest book.

At the same time that the Bible is the most expensive Book, it is also the cheapest, and sometimes its multi-million copies are generally distributed free of charge.

the most persecuted book in the world.

Despite the huge demand and veneration, the Bible is the most persecuted Book. History knows no examples when, for 2000 years, state laws were issued against any book, violators of which would be punished by death.

V Nazi Germany and in the USSR, many books were banned, the owners of which were persecuted, but this did not last for a very long time. The paradox of the persecution of the Bible lies in the fact that it was forbidden not only by the opponents of Christianity, but also by the official Christian church! Such church laws, in particular, include the decisions of the Council of Toulouse in 1229, when it was forbidden under pain of death to read the Bible to secular persons. At the Council of Terracona, held 15 years later, in 1244, the ban on reading the Bible also applies to clergy! Let us give a typical example for that time: on the orders of one Catholic bishop, a whole edition of Bibles was destroyed in a fire flame for fear that they would fall into the hands of people who would be able to read about the truths set forth in it and understand how great the deviation of the official church from the Word of God.

From secular, state laws, one can point out the decree of the emperor Diocletian of 303 AD, in which those who read and keep the Bible were sentenced to death. Very similar was the decision of the government of the French Republic of 1793, according to which all Bibles were burned, and their owners, who continued to honor God, were destroyed. The effect of this law continued until 1797, when the government was forced to cancel this decree due to the fact that the moral and moral decline of society had reached incredible proportions.

In the 1930s, the same laws were in force in our country that the older generation remembers well.

most accurate book.

Despite the huge criticism that the Bible was subjected to, especially in Soviet times, as a false and dangerous Book, today it is recognized by absolutely everyone as one of the most reliable ancient historical sources.

prophetic book.

Prophecy, in the words of one of the scholars, stamps the Bible with the seal of Divinity. According to estimates, the Holy Scripture contains over 3000 prophecies relating both to states -, etc., peoples -, etc., cities -, etc., and to individuals, such as, for example, etc., religions - Canaanite, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc.

In addition, Biblical prophecies refer to, on our planet.

A feature of biblical prophecies, which fundamentally distinguishes them from the predictions of ancient and modern Eastern sages, astrologers, spiritualists, magicians, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, the so-called clairvoyants, including Nostradamus, is that their meaning can be understood by anyone without special comments, but only on the basis of knowledge of the Bible and history. The prophecies of the Bible cannot and simply cannot be interpreted in different ways (unless, of course, such a goal is pursued!), For they are distinguished by the utmost clarity and clarity. Read for example, 14 and you yourself will know their meaning.

So, we have seen that the Bible has several striking features that fundamentally distinguish it from any other books. But one of its main differences is the influence of the Bible both on the development of peoples and states, and on the individual. Compare modern Christian countries with states professing other religions. On the one hand, the USA, Canada and Western Europe, and on the other hand, African countries with their pagan cults, Asia with Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, former USSR and countries of socialist orientation with their . The standard of living in these countries and their development speak for themselves. But more than that, the first group of states also has its own gradation. And we mentioned it above. Countries where the majority of the population are Protestants who especially revere the Bible, and which include the USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, are ahead in their development of purely Catholic and Orthodox countries, where the study of the Bible was either persecuted or not encouraged, these include Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Romania and many other countries.

Sincerely,
Maksim

Read more on the topic "The Bible. About the Book of Books":

Today, the Internet contains a rich library of materials on the history and principles of the Christian faith. The Bible is the most read and published book in the world, because it is truly unique and contains divine revelation.

Here are some facts about this amazing book:

1. The Bible is published in the largest circulation

The total circulation of the Bible is more than 8 billion. Almost all of this number of Bibles has been printed during the last two centuries. No other book at all times has ever been published in such quantity. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32876 copies (one Bible is printed every second in the world)

2. The Bible is the most read book in the world

Despite the huge circulations in which the Bible is published, the demand for it is constantly growing, and every year publishers are forced to increase its circulation. Every nation has its famous poets and writers. For example, in Russia these are books by Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin. All of them in our country at least once read. How many of you have even heard of Henry Lawson or Paterson? How did you not hear? After all, these are the most famous writers in Australia. And who has heard of Rabindranath Tagore or Shorotchondro Chottopadkhai? Well, these names are not easy for us to pronounce. But they are one of the most famous writers of India. But the Bible is a book for all nations. It is widely known all over the world and interest in it is constantly growing.

3. The Bible has been translated into the largest number of languages

The Bible has been translated into more than 2,500 languages and dialects around the world. And this number is supplemented every year with new, even if little-known, languages and dialects. For example, in last years the opportunity to join the Bible on your own mother tongue received by representatives of such small nationalities as Iraqv (in Tanzania), Sgav (in Burma), Gumuz (in Ethiopia), etc.

4. The Bible is the most diverse Book

Any reader of the Bible literally amazes with a variety of literary genres - this is a historical chronicle (Books of Kings, Chronicles), and lyrics, poetry (Songs of Songs of Solomon, Psalter, Book of Job), parables (Book of Proverbs of Solomon, Book of Ecclesiastes), biographies (Gospels), diaries (Acts of the Apostles), allegory (Revelation), prophecies (Books of the Prophets), laws (Books of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), etc.

5. The Bible islargest by number of authors

6. The Bible islongest written

The books that make up the Bible were written from the 15th century BC. until the 1st century AD, i.e. for 1600 years!

7. The Bible isthe most complete and without a single contradiction

Despite the fact that the Bible was written by 40 authors who lived in different centuries, who had the most diverse education and social status, who were of different nationalities and cultural traditions, its books not only do not contradict, but complement one another and contribute to a deep understanding of the truths set forth in them. . We mentioned above that often even in the works of the same author, devoted to the same topic, there are often contradictions or changes in views and opinions, this fact is especially well known to scientists, and this is completely understandable and natural, as science moves forward. , and what previously seemed undeniable and correct, over time becomes obsolete and changes, giving way to new facts, often proving the opposite. What can we say about the fact that if we take the works of 40 different scientists for research on the same topic, then how many opinions and the most diverse evidence we can meet. And if we go even further and try to investigate some scientific problem, which was also studied by, say, 40 scientists, but who lived not only in different centuries, but also in different eras, then will we meet the unity of their views - absolutely without any contradictions? Answer this question yourself.

This wonderful phenomenon of the perfect integrity and "unity" of the Holy Scriptures could not be explained even by the most ardent opponents of the Bible in Soviet times.

8. The Bible islargest in volume

The Holy Scripture is a whole library consisting of 66 canonical books (39 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New Testament) and occupies the first place in terms of volume among all books that have ever existed and exist.

9. The Bible is most commented book

So the Bible today is recognized as the Book on which the largest number of commentaries has been written. In the Oxford Library alone, for one First Epistle of the Apostle John, such a number of works are written, the volume of which occupies a room of more than 20 square meters. m.

10. The Bible is most expensive book

The Ostroh Bible by Ivan Fedorov and the Latin Vulgate by Gutenberg are slightly inferior in price.

11. The Bible isthe cheapest book

At the same time that the Bible is the most expensive Book, it is also the cheapest, and sometimes its multi-million copies are generally distributed free of charge.

12. The Bible isthe most persecuted book in the world

History knows no examples when, for 2000 years, state laws were issued against any book, violators of which would be punished by death.

In Nazi Germany and in the USSR, many books were banned, the owners of which were persecuted, but this did not last for a very long time. The paradox of the persecution of the Bible lies in the fact that it was forbidden not only by the opponents of Christianity, but also by the official Christian church itself! Such church laws, in particular, include the decisions of the Council of Toulouse in 1229, when it was forbidden under pain of death to read the Bible to secular persons. At the Council of Terracona, held 15 years later, in 1244, the ban on reading the Bible also applies to clergy! Let us give a typical example for that time: on the orders of one Catholic bishop, a whole edition of Bibles was destroyed in a fire flame for fear that they would fall into the hands of people who would be able to read about the truths set forth in it and understand how great the deviation of the official church from the Word of God.

In the 1930s, the same laws were in force in our country that the older generation remembers well.

13. The Bible is most accurate book

14. The Bible is a prophetic Book

Prophecy, in the words of one of the scholars, stamps the Bible with the seal of Divinity. According to estimates, the Holy Scriptures contain over 3,000 prophecies relating to both the states - Babylon, Rome, Greece, Assyria, the USA, Turkey, Egypt, the Arab Caliphate, etc., the peoples - the Israelites, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, etc., cities - Damascus, Jerusalem, Thebes, Memphis, etc., and to individual personalities, such as, for example, Alexander the Great, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, etc., religions - Canaanite, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc.

In addition, Bible prophecy refers to natural disasters, the history of the church, the spread of the Gospel throughout our planet.

According to the site: bible and science

In our mission, we will give the New Testament to anyone who wishes.

History of the Synodal Bible

The Bible is an amazing book, if only because for more than 2000 years it has been the work most in demand by mankind. Interest in the Holy Scripture does not fade away without any advertising, and it does not leave any of its readers indifferent.

In today's TOP, we have collected 50 for our readers interesting facts about the book of books. We hope that they will be not only entertaining for you, but also useful.

1. The Bible has no title

The word "Bible" comes from the ancient Greek "βύβλος" - "papyrus, book". The vast majority of books have a title: "Three Comrades", "The Tale of Bygone Years", "Odyssey". But the Bible does not need a title. All people on earth simply say “book” and their interlocutors immediately understand that it is about the “Book of books”.

2. The largest circulation

As of 2013, more than 6,000,000 Bibles or individual Bible books have already been published worldwide, which is more than 6 times the number of copies of the next most popular edition. More than 32,500 new Bibles come out from under the printing press every day around the world.

3. Engine of progress

Printing presses were invented and perfected primarily for the sake of publishing the Bible! In 1300, the value of a handwritten book was equal to that of a castle. Editions printed in 1500 cost as much as a team of thoroughbred horses, and in 1700 - already as a pair of good shoes. Finally, by 1900, the cost of the Bible reached the price of several dozen eggs, and the Holy Scriptures became available to everyone.

More than forty people worked on the texts of Holy Scripture from the 15th century BC to the 1st century after the birth of Christ, that is, for 1600 years, many of whom did not even know each other. However, there are no obvious contradictions or inconsistencies in the Bible.

5. Transfers

The Bible has been fully or partially translated into 2377 languages and dialects, and has already been fully published in 422 languages (according to the German Bible Society at the beginning of 2005).

6. "Collection of fairy tales"

Some people question the inspiration of Scripture. However, the Bible is a book created by a huge number of authors who had the most extensive life experience in completely different areas, so it cannot be a "Collection of Silly Tales" a priori.

Among biblical writers: kings (Solomon, David), shepherd (Amos), doctor (Luke), fishermen (Peter and John), prophets (Moses, Isaiah, Daniel), commander (Jesus Nun), craftsman (Apostle Paul), official (Apostle Matthew), etc. Some of them were not Jews, but Greeks or even Roman citizens.

7. Mother of Enlightenment

Today, the proportion of literate and educated people among Christians is higher than among atheists and representatives of other faiths. For men - this share is 88% of the total, and for women - 81%.

Often, previously unenlightened peoples received, along with Christianity, their own writing, literature and history, and the sharp cultural upsurge associated with them, which was associated with the need to learn to read and write and receive good education to read the Bible and understand their faith.

8. Prophecies

The Old Testament texts contain prophecies that were fulfilled hundreds of years later. There are prophecies in the New Testament, and many of them have also already been fulfilled in history, which additionally indicates the inspiration of Holy Scripture.

9. Canonical and non-canonical books

The Bible consists of two large sections: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament contains 39 canonical, that is, recognized by the Church, books, and the New Testament - 27. Another 11 books of the Old Testament are not included in the church canon, but are present in the Slavic Bible.

10. Chapters and verses

The Bible was divided into chapters by the Bishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton in the 13th century, and into verses in the 16th century by the French printer Robert Etienne, after which the Bible acquired modern look and ease of citation (book: chapter: verse).

11. Badly needed

According to law enforcement officers, the Bible is even stolen more often than other books…

12. Amazingly Accurate Book

In 1947, the Qumran Bible scrolls dating back to the 1st century were discovered. When compared with the Bibles of the 10th century, scientists found that for a thousand years the Bible did not undergo any major changes that would affect its content, while many other works changed noticeably over time during rewriting.

13. Grandfather of mankind

The oldest person described in the Bible is Methuselah, who was the great-great-great-great-grandson of the forefather Adam (8th generation). He died at the age of 969. But in those days, most people lived for about 900 years… Later, “iniquity multiplied” in humanity, and the Lord shortened people's lives to modern 80-120 years.

14. Words in the Bible

The words "Don't be afraid" appear 365 times in the Bible, equal to the number of days in a year. The word "Christian" appears only 3 times. In the Hebrew text, the verb "Bara" - "Create from nothing" occurs three times: during the creation of the world, the creation of living beings (living souls) and the creation of man.

15. Comments and quotes

Holy Scripture is the most quoted and commented on in the world. Only in the Oxford Library and on the 1st Epistle of the Apostle John the Theologian alone, such a number of works have been collected that occupy a room of 20 sq.m.

16. Reading time

17. Scottish curiosity

The Bible has not been fully translated into Scots. However, there is a Scottish translation of the New Testament by William Lorimer. It is notable for the fact that Satan's speech is rendered in plain English.

18. Biblical names

The longest name found in the Bible is Mager-shelal-hash-baz. The Lord told the prophet Isaiah to give this name to his son, born of the prophetess. It means "swift in prey" and "swift in execution" (Isaiah 8:3).

19. King and Prophet David

The creator of the Psalter, King David, was very much loved by God. If only because after the name of Jesus Christ, his name is mentioned in biblical texts most often: 1118 times.

The smallest Bible (New Testament) was printed in late XIX century using the method of photomechanical reduction. The resulting book was 1.9 x 1.6 cm in size, and less than 1 cm thick. A small magnifying glass was inserted into the cover of each Bible to read the text.

21. Muslims

The founder of Islam, Muhammad, was familiar with the texts of the Holy Scriptures and used them when writing the Koran. Muslims revere the Old Testament forefathers and Jesus Christ, whom they consider one of the prophets.

22. Oath on the Bible

The American tradition of swearing on the Bible contradicts the text of the Holy Scriptures: “You have also heard what was said of the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; but what is more than this is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:33-37).

The most expensive Bible is considered to be the Bible of the German pioneer Johannes Gutenberg, published in 1456. Gutenberg printed 180 copies of the Bible, of which only 21 books have survived. Various copies of it are estimated at $ 25-35,000,000.

Even more expensive was the Codex Sinaiticus, which belonged to the Russian imperial house and sold by the Bolsheviks to Great Britain for $510,000,000.

24. Biblical kings

The longest reigning king in the Bible was Manasseh, who was on the throne for 55 years (2 Kings 21:1). King Zemri ruled least of all, who wore the crown for only seven days (1 Kings 16:15).

25. Brothers and Sisters of the Lord

The Gospel mentions the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. But these are not His siblings, but the sons and daughters of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage. Joseph himself was only the named husband of the Mother of God and kept her virginity all his life. And the Brothers of the Lord later became His apostles. One of them, James the Brother of the Lord, led the first Christian community in Jerusalem.

26. Codex Sinaiticus

The most ancient full list New Testament is part of the Codex Sinaiticus (4th century). Parts of it are stored in Russia, Great Britain, Germany and Sinai.

27. Canon of the New Testament

The first of the most authoritative authors to list all the canonical books of the New Testament was Pope Athanasius the Great of Alexandria. Later, the canon was fixed at the local Council of Laodicea in 360 and finally confirmed at the VI Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 680.

It is interesting that all 4 Gospels that fell into the canon were distributed in a huge number of handwritten copies among Christians of the 1st-2nd centuries and were universally accepted as true.

28. Persecution

The Bible is the most persecuted book. Throughout history, no other work is known against which laws were issued, for the violation of which the death penalty was imposed. For example, in North Korea for reading the Bible can be executed. In the Soviet Union, Bibles were forcibly confiscated from the population, and those in whose possession copies were found could be subjected to repression.

29. Ancient finds

The oldest biblical verses refer to Numbers 6:22-27 and are engraved on two pieces of silver found under the Scottish Church in Jerusalem in 1979. Products and engraving date back to the beginning of the 6th century BC.

30. Words and letters

There are 3,566,480 letters in the Holy Scriptures, grouped into 773,692 or 773,746 words, depending on the counting method.

31. The shortest verse

The shortest verse in the Bible is found in John 11:35 and sounds like "Jesus wept."

32. Longest verse

The longest verse in the Bible belongs to the book of Esther. This is the ninth verse of the eighth chapter, consisting of 90 words and describing the empire of the Persians.

33. Children's bible

Editions, which are an adapted retelling of biblical events for children and richly supplied with vivid illustrations, appeared relatively recently - in the second half of the 19th century, but quickly gained popularity. The most famous of them was compiled by Borislav Arapovich and Vera Mattemlaki and published by the Stockholm Bible Translation Institute in 30 languages with a total circulation of approximately 8,000,000 copies.

34. Russian Bible Society

The Russian Bible Society was founded in 1813 to replicate and distribute the Holy Scriptures among the peoples of Russia and by 1826 had managed to translate the Bible into 26 languages of the peoples of the country and publish more than half a million editions, after which it was closed. In 1990, the Russian Bible Society revived and in 2011 released the complete Bible in a modern Russian translation.

35. First and Last

The first word of the Bible is “In the beginning”, the last is “Amen”, that is, from the Hebrew “truth”.

36. Ball and Gravity

During the "Age of Enlightenment" (from the 15th century A.D.) scientists only began to understand the laws of gravity and that the earth is spherical, but this was reported in the Bible ten centuries before Christ: Isaiah 40:22 and Job 26:7 .

37. Harmoniousness of the Bible

There are 1189 chapters in the Bible: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament. The middle chapter is Psalm 117. At the same time, Psalm 116 of the Psalter is the shortest, and 118 is the longest. The central verse of Psalm 117 is: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in Man.”

38. The most most

by the most wise man in the world, according to the Bible, there was the Jewish king Solomon, the most powerful was Samson, who single-handedly tore out the fortress gates and carried them up the mountain, the most victorious was Gideon, who killed 135,000 Midianites with a squad of 200 Jewish soldiers.

39. Illustrations

The first illustrations of the Bible were made by Jews living in Alexandria around the 3rd century BC, but most modern illustrated publications use the paintings of the famous French artist of the 19th century, Gustave Dore, who were universally recognized as the most successful.

The largest Bible in the world was made in two years by a carpenter from Los Angeles (California, USA) Louis Veynay. For his copy of the King James Bible, he used a prefabricated homemade printing press. The height of the book was 110.5 centimeters, the width when open was 249 centimeters, and the weight was 496 kilograms.

41. Bible in Zion

In ancient times, for the volumes of the Holy Scriptures, a special book depository was often made in the form of a church or a chapel, where the volumes were placed on the side in special openings - “Zion”. V modern Russia Deutsch publishing house decided to repeat this experience and released a 6-volume "Bible in Zion" of bronze and silver with gilding.

42. Saves lives

The Bible not only saves human souls from eternal perdition, instructing in the truths revealed by God, but, often, and in the literal sense, saves the lives of its bearers, stopping bullets and shell fragments. So, during the First World War, the German soldier Kurt Geller, reading the Bible in a dugout, was saved by it from fragments of a shell that fell into the room. All his colleagues died, and the shard intended for him was stuck in the Book of Books. And there are many such cases.

In the world there is a special organization "Voice of the Martyrs", the purpose of which is proclaimed the distribution of the Bible where it is prohibited by law. Its founder, Richard Wurmbrand, rescued Jewish children from ghettos during World War II and preached in German bomb shelters, and in 1945-1947 distributed more than 1,000,000 Gospels to Soviet soldiers in Europe, disguising the books as Soviet propaganda.

44. Rainbow

According to the Bible, the rainbow appeared for a reason. This beautiful atmospheric phenomenon has become a symbol of the covenant between God and the family of the forefather Noah that humanity will never be destroyed by a flood again.

45. Soviet Bible

The world famous children's writer Korney Chukovsky was a believer and spent his whole life thinking about how to introduce the Bible to Soviet children. Under the yoke of censorship, he had to disguise the biblical stories as "ancient legends", and replace the word "God" with "The Magician Yahweh." But even in this form, his Tower of Babel and Other Ancient Legends, published in 1968, irritated the authorities so much that the already published books were almost completely withdrawn from circulation and destroyed.

46. Joseph Bhopal Bible

An enthusiast from India, Joseph Bhopal, copied all the verses of the New Testament by hand in 123 days. Later, he continued his work, the result of which was the creation of the world's largest handwritten Bible of 16,000 pages. The calligrapher's edition weighs 61 kilograms.

47. Biblical Studies

The scientific discipline that deals with the study of the Bible from various angles is called biblical studies. It took shape around the 16th century and is actively developing in most of the largest universities in the world. Sweden, the USA, Israel, Great Britain, Germany and Spain have become modern centers of biblical studies.

48. Historicity of the Bible

The historicity of Holy Scripture is recognized by scholars only partially, and only starting from the era of Ancient Israel (VIII-VII centuries BC and later). However, the earlier events described in the Bible - the Flood, the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are now and then confirmed by the discoveries of biblical archeology, geology and other scientific disciplines.

49. Synodal Bible

This is the name of one of the most authoritative Russian-language editions of the Bible, published in the 19th century by the Holy Synod. This translation of the Bible was close in form to prose poems, as it had a special emotionality and rhythm. Shortly after its publication, Bible study circles began to appear en masse among Russian peasants.

50. Biblical languages

Most of the original Bible was written in Hebrew, some of its books in Aramaic, and most of the New Testament - the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and their epistles - immediately in Greek. The first of the most authoritative translations of the Bible were made into Greek ("Septuagint" - "translation of the seventy") and Latin ("Vulgate" by Blessed Jerome of Stridon).

Andrey Segeda's selection

Fact number 1. The most widely published book in the world.

Fact number 2. The most translated book in the world.

To date, it has been translated into more than 2036 languages and dialects of the Earth.

Fact number 3. Myself and I duty and I by the time of writing.

The books that make up the Bible were written from the 15th century BC to the 1st century AD, that is, for 1600 years!

Fact number 4. Most Read Book.

Despite the huge circulations in which the Bible is published, the demand for it constantly exceeds supply, and every year publishers are forced to increase its circulation.

Fact number 5. Most accessible and I for everyone with any level of education.

Today we will not name books that are read with equal interest by an illiterate resident of a remote Siberian village and a Moscow academician. The Bible can be read and understood without any special training. And try, without having a special education, to read, and even with understanding and interest, works in chemistry or physics, to understand the intricacies of poetry, not to fall asleep over “thick” novels and not to get confused in a series of historical events set out in chronicles and annals.

Fact number 6. Most Popular Book.

It is known from the history of literature that in different years there were especially popular books, for which, as they say, there was a real “chase”. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared. So in the 60s - 70s, subscription editions of Russian and foreign classics were very rare, in the 80s - books by V. Pikul and A. Christie. Today, these books can easily be purchased at any counter.

The Bible, on the other hand, has enjoyed increasing interest and popularity for almost 2,000 years, being the No. 1 bestseller today.

Fact number 7. Myself and I big and I by the number of authors.

Fact number 8. Myself and I diverse and I Book.

No other book not only contains all these genres at the same time, but even the presence of 2 - 3 of them is a huge rarity. Thanks to this diversity, the Bible can be read at any time in your life, in any mood, finding answers to literally all the exciting questions and requests of the soul.

Fact number 9. Myself and I holistic and I, without contradiction.

Despite the fact that the Bible was written by 40 authors who lived in different centuries, had the most diverse education and social status, of different nationalities and cultural traditions, its books not only do not contradict, but complement one another and contribute to a deep understanding of the truths set forth in them.

The Bible is the most interesting book ever created on earth. It is the most readable, popular, causes the most comments and disputes, and also contains the unique secrets of modern science.

In the history of literature there were many works that became world bestsellers, interest in which lasted for years. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared.

And the Bible without any advertising has been popular for almost 2000 years, being today the No. 1 bestseller. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies, that is, one Bible is printed every second in the world.

The Bible has been translated into more than 1200 languages of the peoples of the world. No other book can even come close to this result.

Despite this, that in some countries of the world there is a ban on reading the Bible, every second one copy of the printed Holy Scripture appears somewhere, this number includes the publishing house of the New Testament, as part of the Holy Book.

2. According to the Bible, the largest number of translations has been made.

The found scrolls are written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek. In the 21st century, Holy Scripture is read in more than 3223 languages and dialects in the world.

3. This is a modern bestseller, the popularity of which is growing every year. The same Book of books is read by people, regardless of their position in society and skin color, age and gender, physics and lyrics. This God's message doesn't need advertising.

4. Under the guidance of the Creator, the Holy Epistle was written by forty authors, among which there are kings like David and Solomon, the shepherd Amos, the healer Luke, the fisherman Peter, the big and small prophets Moses, Daniel, Malachi, Hosea and many others.

national;
age;
cultural;
social.

5. The oldest Bible is also the most expensive book for which more than half a million dollars were paid. For such a price, the Codex Sinaiticus was sold in 1923 by the authorities of the country of the Soviets of England in order to purchase food.

6 .There is no more persecuted printed message in the world than Holy Scripture, both then and now. Many people gave their lives for the right to read the Holy Epistle.

It is not surprising that the distribution of Christian scrolls was punished:

Romans;
the French revolutionaries in 1793 ordered the burning of all Bibles;
the Germans, and then the authorities of the USSR, were thrown into hard labor for keeping the Holy Scriptures.
It is terrible to realize that in 1244 the early Church elevated the Book of Books to the rank of inviolable for secular people, and then for ordinary priests.

Catholic priests burned Bibles to prevent people reading them from discovering the truth about God's power and mercy.

Catholic priests burned Bibles to prevent people from reading God's Word

7. The Bible is a book of prophecy, and 3000 of them have already come true, this is a small list that concerns:

countries such as Rome, Turkey, Greece, USA;
cities, including Jerusalem, Damascus and Thebes;
personalities in the person of Alexander the Great, kings Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar;
religions of Egypt, Babylon, Canaanites.
All the big disasters that occur in modern world already described in God's message.

Attention! You don't have to be a fortuneteller, clairvoyant, or psychic to read prophecies. It is enough to carefully read the text and compare it with the events taking place.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote about the destruction of Babylon (Jer. 51:37), the fall of Nineveh was predicted by Nahum (Nahum 1:8), and the Evangelist Matthew spoke about the war between nations (Matt. 24:7).

8 . The Vatican Museum keeps the most ancient bible written in 350.

9 . The first Holy Epistles were written in one text, chapters and verses in the scriptures appeared thanks to Bishop Stephen Langton. This happened in 1214.

The current division system was first printed in 1560 in English.

10 . God in the messages 365 times said "Rejoice" and "Do not be afraid." For every day of the year, Christians have the Creator's promise that He is always near, but one must be able to trust Him with life, and then one can rejoice.

11 . There is no book in the world on the events of which more comments would be written than the Holy Epistle.

12 . You will spend 37 hours reading the Old Testament, and in just 11 hours you can read the New Testament.

13 . The English edition of the Holy Scriptures in 631 was almost completely destroyed due to a gross mistake, in the 10 commandments they “lost” a piece of “not” and gave out “Adultise!” Unique copies of this edition can only be found in private collections.

It's interesting - facts from the Bible

The oldest person who lived 969 years is Methuselah (Genesis 5:21-27), who was the son of Enoch. Enoch is one of the few righteous people taken to heaven alive. Enoch left the house and evaporated (Gen.5:24).

Judas received an amount equal to the salary of a worker for 4 months for betrayal. The price of betrayal is always low, as is the act.

The strongest biblical hero is Samson.

The wisest man on earth from the creation of the world remains King Solomon, who, thanks to wisdom, built the richest kingdom.

Faithful and obedient to God, the warrior Gideon defeated 135,000 Midianites. (Judges 7:16-21)

A man after God's own heart, King David, being a shepherd boy, killed with one stone the tallest biblical character - Goliath, whose height was 3 meters (1 Sam. 17:8-21).

The age of the earth may be millions of years, but the global flood that destroyed the earth, people, flora and fauna was about 5000 years ago.

For atheists and doubters

Not a single place in the Bible goes against science. With a strong desire, in the holy book you can find answers to all the questions underlying modern discoveries.

The science of genetics began to develop in the last century, exploring chromosomes, refuting the theory of evolution, which claimed the possibility of rebirth from species to species, monkeys into humans, in the end result.

In Genesis 1, it is said that God created several kinds of plants and animals.

Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity in the 18th century, and Job wrote that the earth hangs "on nothing." (Job 26:7).

The Italian Torricelli proved in the 17th century that air could be weighed, but so did Job (Job 28:25).

For a long time, people thought that the earth was flat and supported by three whales, and the prophet Isaiah claimed that the Creator reigns over the "circle of the earth" (Is. 40:22).

God's unique creations

The Almighty created His creations unique, each type is a prototype of one or another scientific discovery made centuries later.

Thanks to batteries, electric fish live.

The unique compass helps migratory birds navigate during their flights.

A natural pump exists in tall trees, helping the water to reach the very top, and sometimes it is 100 meters.

Multi-colored fireflies brighten warm nights with their lanterns, which more efficient than lamps incandescent.

Echolocation helps porpoises, whales and bats move around in space.

Nautiluses and cuttlefish move up and down thanks to microscopic radiolarians.

This is not a complete list of the unique creations of God, exploring which people have learned to create something similar. And how many still unopened gifts of the Creator?