The Bible is a collection of books, written through centuries, by different individuals and groups, each with a particular community in mind. Every book reflects the social and cultural circumstances and theological understandings of the time.

The first five books of the Bible are called the Torah by Jewish people who consider these the most sacred of all texts. Christians refer to these books as the Pentateuch (Gk ‘Five scrolls’).

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, stories and memories of him circulated by word of mouth. Jesus’ disciples, including Paul and his companions traveled and founded new communities.

Follow the links to for introduction to St Paul, his co-workers, communities he founded and letters.

The four Gospels present the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ, his life and teachings, suffering, death and resurrection. Each is written in Greek decades after Jesus died (around 30 CE) for particular communities.

(Paragraph numbers for the Catechism are shown)

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS OF SACRED SCRIPTURE  Nos 120-130

Apocalyptic forms of writing gave encouragement and hope in times of crisis and danger. This type of writing appeared before Jesus was born (eg. Daniel 7). The most important task of apocalyptic literature was to convince readers that God is more powerful than any forces of evil.