Bible (historical usage)

Disambiguation: scripture; apocrypha; specific definition of Canonical Scripture; generation of Canonical Scripture; identity of Canonical Scripture (Canon, Canonization); textual reliability of Canonical Scripture

In antiquity, the term bible was a general term used to denote the books used by any Hebrew or Christian group. The term originates in the Greek phrase ta biblia, which referred to the books or the records used by a particular group. Because bible was generally used in a descriptive (rather than prescriptive) manner, the term did not denote any particular set of books but instead varied from place to place and group to group. When the term Bible (note the capitalization) is used in the modern era, it is typically used as a Protestant shorthand for a very specific group of writings known more accurately as Canonical Scripture.