The Bible - Types & Versions
The Bible refers to specific collections of religious writings of Judaism and Christianity that record the history and beliefs of the two faiths. The Bible can also apply to a specific edition of the Scriptures or any collection or book of writings revered by a religion (i.e., The Q'uran is the Muslim Bible).

Bible Versions
There are several versions of the Bible. Listed below are the most popular.

The Hebrew Bible - Contains the Old Testament and is the Bible used by the non-Messianic Jews (most Jews). Jews customarily refer to the Hebrew Bible as the Tanakh.

The Protestant Bible - The Protestant Bible consists of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.

The Catholic Bible - The Catholic Bible consists of 39 books of the Old Testament, the 27 Books of the New Testament and the 14 Books of the Apocrypha.

The Jehovah's Witnesses' Bible - Is called "The New World Translation". Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians... they do not believe that Jesus Christ is God.

The Mormon Bible - It is a new translation done by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism. The Mormon Bible is not to be confused with The Book of Mormon.

The Q'uran (Koran) -The Q'uran's sacred text of Islam is regarded by Muslims as the infallible word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Q'uran demands absolute submission to God and his Word and it serves as the primary source of the Islamic Law.

To learn more about the types and variations of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, click on the links at the bottom of this page.

Types of Bibles (Translations)
The following is a summary of the most popular versions, along with brief summations:

King James Version (KJV) - The most commonly-used English translations in most Protestant churches. The general consensus is that it is oftentimes found difficult to follow and understand by most individuals. In order to help make the KJV less cumbersome to understand, the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) have provided updated versions; thus, replacing the King James Version.

The New American Bible (NAB) - The New American Bible (NAB) was first published in 1970. Readings from the official NAB has been approved by the Vatican for use in the U.S. Catholic parishes. The following Bible translations are approved by the Catholic Church for personal use:

   •Confraternity Edition
   •Revised Standard Version (RSV) - Catholic Edition
   •New American Bible (NAB)
   •Jerusalem Bible
   •New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) - Catholic

    Edition
   •New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
   •Today's English Version - Catholic Edition

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) - As the name implies, the New American Standard Bible is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. There are several versions published. However, the 1995 NASB was updated for a better understanding and easier reading. The NASB continues to be the version commonly used in churches today.

The Living Bible (TLB) - This is an English version of the Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor; released in 1971. The Living Bible is a paraphrase... that is, it states the basic truths of the Bible in a phrased language which can be easily understood by most.

Useful Links:
Bible Versions and Translations
English Bible Versions
The New American Bible
Online English Bible Versions
NT Gateway