Bibbia

Bibbia is the Italian term for the Bible, the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The word derives from Greek and Latin roots meaning “books,” and in Italian fiction, liturgy, and scholarship it denotes the collection of religious texts regarded as authoritative by different religious communities.

The Bible is traditionally divided into two broad sections in Christian usage: the Old Testament (Antico Testamento) and the New Testament (Nuovo Testamento). The Old Testament contains the Torah or Pentateuch, historical books, wisdom literature and poetry, and the prophetic books. The New Testament comprises the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. In Judaism, the core corpus is the Tanakh, with a different canonical arrangement and emphasis than in Christian Bibles.

Original languages of the biblical writings are Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Over centuries, the texts were copied, translated, and interpreted across cultures. Canonical boundaries vary: the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament differ in content; Catholic and Orthodox canons include additional books (deuterocanonical or apocryphal), while Protestant canons differ in scope.

History and influence: the Bible’s formation spans many centuries, with early texts originating in the ancient Near East and later canonization by religious communities. Latin translations, especially the Vulgate, shaped Western Christianity, and later vernacular translations encouraged wider readership. The Bible has profoundly influenced religion, philosophy, law, literature, art, and education.

In Italian contexts, Bibbia commonly refers to the Italian Bible text used in worship and study. Major Italian translations include the standard Catholic edition published by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (CEI), as well as other widely used versions such as La Bibbia di Gerusalemme and the Nuova Diodati for different Christian communities.