It has been published in billions of copies and record shows that there are no close seconds in the all-time bestseller list. No book has been more widely disseminated and has more broadly influenced the course of global event than has the Bible. It has been translated into over one thousand languages and dialects representing more than ninety percent of the world's population. These books have influenced more thought, inspired more art, and motivated more discoveries than any other book.

The name “Bible” is derived from the Greek word biblos (meaning “book”). This “Book,” actually composed of sixty-six separate books, is a collection of ancient Hebrew and Christian writings, each complete in itself.

The Bible (From Greek biblia, meaning "books", which in turn is derived from byblos meaning "papyrus", from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. The Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible (so called because it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language), is also part of the Jewish faith. It is also called "the Word of God", from the belief that the writings were inspired by an all-powerful creator. These scriptures are groups of what were originally separate books, written over a long period of history, but sharing the same overall God-view. The first group, which later formed the Jewish Bible (Tanakh), consisted of 24 books, though Protestant groups count this as 39 books. The Roman Catholic faiths have even more books in their Old Testament, called deuterocanonical books. Later additions after the birth of Jesus made up the New Testament, consisting of 27 books.

The Bible is not simply one book. It is an entire library of books covering the whole range of literature. It includes history, poetry, drama, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science and inspirational reading. Little wonder then that there are more than 1,200 languages, and every year more copies of the Bible are sold than any other single book.

The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been written. In it God Himself speaks to men. It is a book of divine instruction. It offers comfort in sorrow, guidance in perplexity, advice for our problems, rebuke for our sins, and daily inspiration for our every need.

The Bible is the most widely read book in history. As such, it is probably the most influential collection of books in human history. More copies of the Bible have been distributed than of any other book. The Bible has also been translated more times, and into more languages, than any other book. The complete Bible, or portions, has been translated into more than 2,100 languages. Therefore, the Bible is available in whole or in part to 90% of the world's population. Each year, it is estimated that approximately 60 million copies of the entire Bible or significant portions are distributed.

Many educators strongly feel that because the Bible has become so firmly embedded in Western culture, "anyone, believer or unbeliever, who is not familiar with Biblical teachings and accounts will be culturally illiterate." (Emerging Trends, November 1994, p. 4.)

The Hebrew Bible consists of the five books of Moses (the Torah or Pentateuch), a section called "Prophets" (Neviim) , and a third section called "Writings" (also Ketuvim or Hagiographa). The term "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from these three names. Though the Hebrew Bible is predominantly in Biblical Hebrew, it has some small portions in Biblical Aramaic.

The Christian Bible is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is in large part identical to the Jewish Tanakh, but with the books differently ordered. In addition, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox include several other books that have not been preserved in Hebrew, but rather only in the Greek Septuagint, a translation allegedly made by Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria between the third and first centuries BC.

The various books of the New Testament were written in koine Greek, and there is almost no dispute about the contents of the New Testament among Christians today. Early Christian Bibles used texts of the Old Testament dependent on the Greek Septuagint, which differs in some places from the primarily Hebrew Masoretic text. Beginning with Jerome's Vulgate, most modern translations of the Old Testament in Western Christianity are based primarily on the Masoretic text; in Eastern Christianity, translations based on the Septuagint prevail. Some modern editions of the Old Testament also adopt different readings found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. For more information, see the entry on Bible translations.

The Hebrew scriptures of the Bible—portions of which contain stories traditionally held to be historical accounts of much of the early history of the Hebrew Nation—teach that there is one God, whose name is represented by the Tetragrammaton (usually transliterated as Yahweh). He is "creator of Heaven and Earth" who created man "in his own image", and details the relationship between Man and his Creator.

For Christians, the New Testament continues—with the birth of Jesus—the story begun in the Hebrew Scriptures, and is both a primary source of religious doctrine and a foundation for their spiritual beliefs. The New Testament is divided into the four Gospels, History (Acts of the Apostles), the Letters to Christian churches by Paul and other apostles, and the Book of Revelation. Some religious groups, notably, several of the Protestant Christian groups, believe the Bible to be the ultimate and authoritative guide in all spiritual matters, following a principle called sola scriptura (The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 3rd edition, Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil, 2002).