500 surprising facts from Scripture — hidden details, numbers and little-known stories, one at a time.
The Bible was written by roughly 40 different authors over a period of about 1,500 years.
Contributors traditionally include figures such as Moses, David, Solomon, various prophets, and New Testament writers like Paul, Luke, and John. Despite this diversity of authorship and era, the Bible is traditionally regarded by believers as presenting a unified message.
The Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Old Testament.
These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, traditionally attributed to Moses. The term 'Pentateuch' comes from Greek words meaning 'five scrolls,' and Jewish tradition calls this collection the Torah.
The Gospels refer to the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Each Gospel presents an account of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, though from differing perspectives and with different emphases. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often called the 'Synoptic Gospels' due to their similar structure and content.
Luke is traditionally believed to be the only Gentile author in the New Testament.
Luke, a physician and companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1). Together, his two books make up roughly a quarter of the entire New Testament by length.
The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 individual poems and songs.
Many psalms are attributed to King David, while others are credited to figures such as Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, and Moses. Psalms were originally intended to be sung or recited, often accompanied by musical instruments.
The Torah, or Pentateuch, is considered the most sacred portion of Scripture in Judaism.
It consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and is traditionally read aloud in its entirety in synagogues over the course of a year. The Torah contains foundational narratives, laws, and covenants central to Jewish faith and practice.
The Apocrypha refers to a set of additional books included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but not in most Protestant Bibles.
These books, such as Tobit, Judith, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, are considered deuterocanonical, meaning 'secondarily canonical,' by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Protestant reformers excluded them from their canon in the 16th century, considering them useful but not divinely inspired scripture.
The Gutenberg Bible, printed around 1455, was the first major book produced using a movable-type printing press.
This edition, produced by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany, was written in Latin and dramatically increased the availability of the Bible compared to earlier hand-copied manuscripts. Only around 180 copies were originally printed, and roughly 49 survive today, in whole or in part.
The King James Version of the Bible was first published in 1611.
It was commissioned by King James I of England and produced by a team of about 47 scholars. The KJV became enormously influential in shaping the English language and remains widely used today.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered between 1947 and 1956, include some of the oldest known biblical manuscripts.
Found in caves near Qumran close to the Dead Sea, the scrolls include portions of nearly every Old Testament book, with the Great Isaiah Scroll being one of the most complete and significant finds. They date to roughly the 3rd century BCE through the 1st century CE.
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