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The Bible is the most common term by which the Jewish and Christian holy book is called. The term carries various meanings, depending on the religious context in which it is used. For Jews, the term "Bible" refers to the Tanakh (Heb., תָּנָ״ךְ), an acronym formed from the Hebrew names of the three divisions of the Jewish Scriptures: Law (Torah), Prophets (Nevi'im), and Writings (Ketuvim). To Christians, the term incorporates both the Tanakh, or "Old Testament," and the New Testament. Some Christians (among them, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches) accept the writings of the Apocrypha (also known as the Deuterocanonicals) as part of their sacred literature.
Opinions vary as to the historical truth contained within the pages of the Bible. Conservative Christians tend to view the Bible as it is described by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, namely that "all Scripture is given by God's inspiration" (Gr., θεόπνευστος, literally "God-breathed"). Thus, in their evaluation, the original text of the Bible was literally given by the inspiration of God. Although they do not accept Paul's writing, Orthodox Jews assent to the view that the Tanakh (especially the Torah) was given by God's inspiration. Among religious liberals, this is subject to criticism. While most liberal theologians view the Bible as a book of inspired history, others view it as a record from ancient history that reflects the specific perspectives of those who recorded a religious story. The continuum of beliefs regarding the Bible's texts covers the entire range of human experience, from full faith and trust to disbelief and criticism.
The text has been translated into more than 2,100 languages, and with more than five billion copies sold since 1815, it is the best-selling book of all-time.