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The '''Holy Scripture''' is a collection of books written over multiple centuries by those inspired by God to do so. It is the primary witness to the Orthodox Christian faith, within [[Holy Tradition]] and often described as its highest point. It was written by the [[prophetsprophet]] s and [[apostles]] in human language, inspired by the [[Holy Spirit]], and collected, edited, and canonized by the Church. Above all, the Bible is a faith document.
==The Nature of Scripture==
The Scriptures both ''are'' the word of God and are ''about'' the Word of God, [[Jesus Christ]]. They are God's revelation of himself, the word of God in the words of men. The Bible is a witness to the revelation of God, and it is a part of the active and living [[Holy Tradition]] of the Church. Thus, if Tradition is the life of the Church, then the Scripture is the primary language of that life.
The Scripture—both Old and New Testaments—is fundamentally about Christ. It is Christocentric and [[Christology|Christological]]. The whole Bible presupposes the [[Incarnation]] and [[Resurrection]] of Christ. Indeed, the very purpose in writing the New Testament was because Christ had already risen from the dead—with the death of the [[Apostle James (son of Zebedee)|Apostle James]], the Church realized that the eyewitnesses were not always going to be with them, therefore the preaching of the eyewitnesses was written down.
The preaching of the apostles preceded the Scripture, so we must understand the Scripture as an expression of that preaching; the word of God had already gone out and established the Church, which served as the communal context for the Scripture's composition and canonization. Humanity naturally tends to preach before it makes a written record. [[Moses]]' word to the people of Israel after the Passover was first that they should tell their children. St. [[Mary Magdalene]]'s first act upon learning of the Resurrection was to run and tell [[Apostle Peter|Peter]]. Only later did these events get recorded in writing.