The Holy Bible is a culturally complex, ancient literary masterpiece. Our intent here is to convey a very simple, basic summary of the Bible's history and message.
 
The Holy Bible is no ordinary book. It’s a book about history, and it is history. It's a book about God, and it is the very Word of God. It is literally "The Book" given us by the One true God and Creator of all things. The Bible is unique in comparison to all other books, because it is the only book authored by God. It predates all other writings about the One true God. It was not written by one deceptive or delusional person as other religious writings, but by many chosen and inspired persons, over thousands of years, starting more than 1400 years BC. God Himself instructed and supervised faithful, chosen persons to write out the narrative of history and theology, telling His story, the story of time and eternity, the story of the beginning and ending of all things, the story of love and judgment, the story of salvation and damnation, the story that reaches endlessly to the hearts of wayward humanity.
 
The Holy Bible endures the ages. It has survived thousands of years of translation and interpretation through relentlessly changing cultures and empires. Copied thousands of times by ancient scribes, the original writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek have long been lost, but the copies, though fragmented have endured. From these copies, pieced together over the centuries, under the supervision of God by the grueling scrutiny of ancient scholars, the Hebrew Bible emerged in the 5th century BC. By the 3rd century BC Greek had become the predominate language of the culture, and therefore, the Hebrew Bible was thus translated into Greek. From these, all other subsequent translations of the Old Testament portion of the Bible have been composed. By the 4th century AD the books of the New Testament portion of the Bible are canonized by the early Church Fathers, thus completing The Holy Bible. This was not the end of the amazing legacy of The Holy Bible. It endured numerous translations into various languages, including English in the 14th century AD. Some early English Bible translators were persecuted and killed for their work, yet with the invention of the printing press, literary works flourished, and the Bible excelled above them all. From that time forth the Holy Bible remains the undisputed champion over all literary works, considering its effect on humanity and numbers printed.  It has endued kings and philosophers, scientist and scholars. They have come and gone, but it remains. It’s endured false religions, wars, and natural disasters, and though numerous generations have tried to destroy or diminish it, its message continues. Out of all the literary works of mankind, it is by far, the greatest literary work of all time.
 
Although The Holy Bible is inerrant in it's original manuscripts, some modern translations are inferior to others. The best translations are those translated from the oldest and most original manuscript copies. Those translated word for word are also superior to those translated thought for thought or those paraphrased by a single person. Some of the most popular translations are the King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New International Version, and New Living Translation.
 
The Holy Bible is a collection of ancient writings or books that were written between approximately 1400 BC and 95 AD. These books are divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The books of the Old Testament were completed approximately 400 years before Christ or BC, and basically make up the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible is the holy book of the Jewish religion. The books of the New Testament were written after Christ AD (In the year of our Lord) and pertain to the ministry of Jesus. Though the New Testament books were completed around 95 AD, they were not canonized or collected as the New Testament until around the 4th century AD. As a whole the Jewish religion accepts the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament, but rejects the New Testament. As a whole the Christian religion accepts both Old and New Testaments as the Word of God.
 
The Holy Bible consists of two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Basically, the Old Testament or Old Covenant God made with mankind was to temporarily atone for the sins of the people through the sacrificial death of certain innocent animals. The New Testament or New Covenant God made with mankind was to permanently atone for the sins of people through the sacrificial death and resurrection of the innocent, sinless, Jesus.  Bare in mind, the word "testament" is associated with what we better know today as a "last will and testament." The New Testament was not a change to Gods plan for the redemption of mankind, but a preplanned, predetermined change in the way He would bring it about. The Bible tells us Jesus was ordained as Messiah, Savior, and Lord before the creation of the world. Throughout ancient history, the Old Testament books foretold and pointed to the coming Messiah or Christ, and to the changing of the covenant. The Old Testament's foretelling of the Messiah was fulfilled with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Basically, the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.