Most "Introductions to the Bible (or to the Old Testament/New Testament)" will have a chapter devoted to basic issues about the Bible, but these are necessarily brief and leave out many questions. In this work the author starts at the beginning, presuming almost nothing. What is the Bible anyway (name? parts? content?); how did we get it? What about English translations and study Bibles? What does it mean to say the Bible is the Word of God? How has the Bible been interpreted before and how do we approach it today? What does the Catholic church teach about the Bible and its interpretation, especially after Vatican II? How does this differ from a fundamentalist approach that we often hear so much about in the media (e.g., creationism? the end of the world?)? The Bible is "inspired and inerrant;" What does this mean? How can we pray the Bible in our lives? In a way this book is an "introduction to the Bible" BEFORE you go to/begin with an "introduction to the Bible" in the more common meaning. +