The word 'Bible' comes ultimately from the Greek word 'τα Βιβλια' (ta Biblia), which means 'the Books'. Of course, as we shall see in the Library section, the Bible is not just one book, but a whole collection of books - sixty six, in fact.

We are not talking about an ordinary book. This book is special to Christians the world over. You might hear them calling it The Holy Bible. Christians believe that the Bible has been inspired by God. What that actually means differs from church to church, but to one degree or another, for believers, this is the Word of God.

For centuries, the Bible has provided the authority for what Christians believe and how they live their lives. Many Christian churches emphasise the importance of the Bible by placing the pulpit (the place where the Bible is read and preached from) in a position that is a focal point inside the church.

The Bible story goes right back to the beginning, but the writing of it began some three and a half thousand years ago. It covers a vast period of world history, includes the rise and fall of civilisations - Sumerian, Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires have all come and gone over the period in which the Bible story was told and written.