The first chapter of Understanding the Bible breaks down the Bible and explains its components. The Bible is the sacred text of two religions, Judaism and Christianity. According to Slick (n.d.), the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by approximately 40 authors, in three different languages, on three different continents, over approximately 1,600 years. The Bible contains many different styles of writing such as narration, fiction, poetry, history, law and many others. It must be understood within the framework of these styles. This makes the Bible very difficult to read cover to cover. The Bible is divided into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. According to Harris (2011), the Old Testament, the largest and oldest section was written by and for the Jewish faith community and contains material composed between approximately the 12th and 2nd centuries. There are a total of 39 books in the Old Testament. Moses is the author of the first five books of the Old Testament. The earliest biblical books are believed to have been written on papyrus and paper-like sheets made from papyrus. The leaves were rolled into small wooden sticks, then they formed a parchment. At the very beginning, the Bible was just an accumulation of manuscripts. No original biblical compositions have survived, so it is very difficult to know how the Bible was formed and transmitted. Unlike other religious writings, the Bible reads as a factual collection of authentic events, places, people, and conversations. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly verified its authenticity.Chapter 2 - The Formation ProcessChapter 2 of the textbook tells us how the Bible was transmitted, canonized and translated. According to Ha...... middle of paper ......le (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Judaism. (September 8, 2009). BBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2014 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/texts/torah.shtmlPielaia, A. (nd). Everything about the Torah, the most important text in Judaism. About.com Judaism. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/What-Is-The-Torah-Chumash.htmSlick, M. (nd). Bible study. CARME. Accessed May 21, 2014, from http://carm.org/matt-slick-bible-studyTanach. (nd). Tanach - the Jewish Bible. Retrieved May 22, 2014 from http://www.bje.org.au/learning/texts/tanach.htmlThe Ancient Near East. (nd). EAWC: The Ancient Near East. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://eawc.evansville.edu/nepage.htmWhite, M. (March 27, 2007). Flood legends. Answers in Genesis. Retrieved May 21, 2014 from https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/flood-legends/