Bible: The Bible, a collection of sacred books of Judaism and Christianity, is composed of two main parts: the Old Testament（旧约）and the New Testament（新约）. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and later it was translated into Greek and Latin. The Old Testament is traditionally divided into three parts: the Law（律法书或摩西五经）, the Prophets（先知书）and the Writings（圣录）. Christianity regards the Old Testament as an accurate record of God’s dealings with His people in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, containing much New Testament teaching at its early stage of development. The New Testament, the part of the Bible concerned with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his earliest followers, comprises the four GOSPELS（四福音书：马太福音、马可福音、路加福音、约翰福音）, the ACTS of the APOSTLES（使徒行传）, the EPISTLES（使徒书信）, and the Book of REVELATION（启示录）. The GOSPELS are named after Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

    The Bible has exerted an incalculable influence on the thought, attitudes, beliefs, art, science, and politics of Western society. Ever since its coming into being, there have been many versions and translations of the Bible. It has now been translated into more than 1,400 languages, and millions of copies are sold every year throughout the world.

    The Bible is not only a sacred book, it is also important literature and a source of literary inspiration. Many great poets, writers and painters created masterpieces based on the Bible and its stories, among which are Milton’s long poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, and Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.

    According to Genesis, God created the world in seven days.

    In the beginning of creation, when God made heaven and earth, the earth floated through space in silence and darkness. God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. God separated light from darkness. He called the light day, and the darkness night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

    Then God said, “Let there be a dome between waters, to separate water from water.” God made the dome and called it Heaven. And the evening and morning were the second day.

    God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth and the gathering of the waters Seas. Then god said, “Let the land be rich with plants which bear seed, and with trees that bear flowers and fruit.” This was done. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

    God said, “Let there be lights in the heaven to separate day from night, and let them serve as signs both for festivals and for seasons and years.” God made the two great lights: the sun which ruled the day and the moon that ruled the night. God also made the stars. The evening and the morning were the fourth day.

    And God said, “Let the waters be full of fishes and sky full of birds.” God created the living creatures that moved in the waters and every kind of bird that flew above the earth. God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and increase. The evening and the morning were the fifth day.

    God said, “It is not enough. Let the earth also be full of creatures that creep and walk on legs.” God made the cattle, the creeping animals and the wild beasts. When this was done, God took some dust from the ground and formed an image like Himself. He gave it life, called him man and placed it at the head of all creation. So ended the labour of the sixth day. God was contented with what He had done and on the seventh day, He rested from his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He ended all the work He had set Himself to do. This is the story of the heaven and the earth.

    God placed the man he had formed in the Garden of Eden and made a woman out of the man’s rib to keep him company. Our selection describes how Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God, which is a widely-known Bible story.

Notes

        no seeds had sprouted: no seeds had begun to grow

        the tree that gives life: or the tree of life 生命树

        the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad: or the tree of knowledge 智慧之树

        ‘woman’: from old English ‘wifman’ meaning wife plus man

        until you go back to the soil from which you were formed: until you die

        Adam 亚当 This name in Hebrew （希伯来语）means “mankind（人类）.” According to the Bible, Adam was the father of mankind.

        Eve: 夏娃 According to the Bible, she was wife of Adam and the first woman in the universe. “Eve” in Hebrew means “life”. The woman that gave life to all human beings was their mother.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------