bible, the Bible

Broadly, any book, reference work, periodical, etc., accepted as authoritative or informative. In this generalized sense, lowercase.

Examples:

  • When it comes to medical terminology, this Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary is my bible.
  • Journalists often call the AP Stylebook the bible of journalism.

Capitalize when referring to any book or books of the Scriptures used by Christian faiths and others in the Old Testament and/or the New Testament. In this sense, as a whole, the Bible is a collection of writings compiled through centuries and authorized by various church councils, rather than a single book. The Old Testament is a Christian designation for the Jewish holy works known as the Tanach, what is often called the Hebrew Bible. Style for numbering chapter and verse is chapter name followed by verse. For example, Luke 21: 1-13.

From the Religion Journalism Association Stylebook:

  • When citing biblical verses, in Protestant Bibles, Old Testament books, in order, are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. The Tanach contain the same books but in different order.
  • Roman Catholic Bibles follow a different order, use some different names and contain seven additional, or deuterocanonical, Old Testament books (called the Apocrypha by Protestants): Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch.
  • The books of the New Testament, in order, are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation (in Catholicism, the traditional name for this last book is Apocalypse, but the Catholic News Service advises using Revelation except in direct quotations).

Note: EAPM news outlets and media products do not use the term Hebrew Bible, either in general or in stories about Judaism. For correct use, see Tanach.

Chapter B