[bahy-buh
l] Pronunciation Key | 1. | the collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments. |
| 2. | Also called Hebrew Scriptures. the collection of sacred writings of the Jewish religion: known to Christians as the Old Testament. |
| 3. | (often lowercase ) the sacred writings of any religion. |
| 4. | (lowercase ) any book, reference work, periodical, etc., accepted as authoritative, informative, or reliable: He regarded that particular bird book as the birdwatchers' bible. |
] Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| Bi·ble
(bī'bəl) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin biblia, from Greek, pl. of biblion, book, diminutive of biblos, papyrus, book, from Bublos, Byblos.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Bible
| bible | |
noun | |
| 1. | the sacred writings of the Christian religions; "he went to carry the Word to the heathen" |
| 2. | a book regarded as authoritative in its field |
Bible
The book sacred to Christians, which they consider to be the inspired word of God. The Bible includes the Old Testament, which contains the sacred books of the Jews, and the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus.
Thirty-nine books of the Old Testament are accepted as part of the Bible by Christians and Jews alike. Some Christians consider several books of the Old Testament, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, to be part of the Bible also, whereas other Christians, and Jews, call these the Old Testament Apocrypha. Christians are united in their acceptance of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament; Jews do not consider the writings of the New Testament inspired. The Bible is also called “the Book” (bible means “book”).
Note: By extension, any book considered an infallible or very reliable guide to some activity may be called a “bible.”Books of the Bible













