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Book-ends

Book-ends are those funny things that hold books upright on the shelf. They frame a series of books and keep them from falling over. When the books of the Bible are ordered based on Isaiah, book-ends appear around the Bible, the Testaments and the Gospels.

Bible Book-ends

At the edges of the Bible the book order is unaffected by Isaiah. Genesis still opens the Bible and Revelation is the close. However, there is a book-end that confirms these books are correctly placed.

Revelation ends with a couple references to the "Tree of Life."

66 Revelation 22:2 2ܘܡܨܥܬ ܫܘܩܝܗ ܡܟܐ ܘܡܟܐ ܥܠ ܢܗܪܐ ܩܝܤܐ ܕܚܝܐ ܕܥܒܕ ܦܐܪܐ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܘܒܟܠ ܝܪܚ ܝܗܒ ܦܐܪܘܗܝ ܘܛܪܦܘܗܝ ܠܐܤܝܘܬܐ ܕܥܡܡܐ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (KJV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (ASV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the great street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples. (LAM)

66 Revelation 22:2 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (RSV)

66 Revelation 22:2

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (WEB)

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the middle of the great street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore 12 kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples. (BRB)

The Tree of Life first appears in the Garden of Eden, early in the book of Genesis.

1 Genesis 2:9 9וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־ עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃ (WLC)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (KJV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (KJV/NC)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (ASV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (LAM)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(RSV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground -- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(NIV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (WEB)

1 Genesis 2:9 9Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (WEB/HNV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground Yahvah God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; also the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (BRB)

The beauty of these references to the Tree of Life is their proximity. Revelation only appears far from Genesis until you realize the context at the end of Revelation continues at the start of Genesis.

Connecting the end of Revelation to the book of Genesis we realize the New Jerusalem is just another name for the Garden of Eden. Both places contain the Tree of Life and there's no story in the Bible about transplanting that tree. In the Genesis account we learn about our past fall from Eden and Revelation predicts our future restoration to Eden.

Testament Book-ends

Like the Bible the Old and New Testaments are framed with book-ends. Genesis and Daniel bracket the Old Testament. John and Revelation bracket the New Testament.

The Old Testament begins with the famous "In the beginning" verse.

1 Genesis 1:1 1בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (WLC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV/NC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (ASV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (LAM)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (RSV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB/HNV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (BRB)

Daniel ends the Old Testament with a less famous but equally interesting reference to "The End."

39 Daniel 12:13 13וְאַתָּ֖ה לֵ֣ךְ לַקֵּ֑ץ וְתָנ֛וּחַ וְתַעֲמֹ֥ד לְגֹרָלְךָ֖ לְקֵ֥ץ הַיָּמִֽין׃ (WLC)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.(KJV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.(KJV/NC)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days.(ASV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But as for you, O Daniel, go your way and rest till the end; then you shall arise at your appointed time, at the end of the days. (LAM)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days." (RSV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."(NIV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go you your way until the end be; for you shall rest, and shall stand in your lot, at the end of the days.(WEB)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go you your way until the end be; for you shall rest, and shall stand in your lot, at the end of the days.(WEB/HNV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But as for you, oh Daniel, go your way and rest until the end; then you will arise at your appointed time, at the end of the days. (BRB)

The Old Testament is thus bracketed with the simple ideas of "beginning" and "end."

The New Testament is bracketed the same way as the Old. You are probably familiar with how the Gospel of John begins. It's an echo of Genesis 1:1.

40 John 1:1-3 1ܒܪܫܝܬ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܘܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܘܐܠܗܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܀ 2ܗܢܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܒܪܫܝܬ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܀ 3ܟܠ ܒܐܝܕܗ ܗܘܐ ܘܒܠܥܕܘܗܝ ܐܦܠܐ ܚܕܐ ܗܘܬ ܡܕܡ ܕܗܘܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (KJV)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (KJV/NC)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. (ASV)

40 John 1:1-3 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3Everything came to be by his hand; and without him not even one thing that was created came to be. (LAM)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God; 3all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (RSV)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (NIV)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. (WEB)

40 John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:1-3 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3Everything came to be by his hand; and without him not even one thing that was created came to be. (BRB)

And Revelation, like Daniel, ends with "the end."

66 Revelation 22:13 13ܐܢܐ ܐܠܦ ܘܐܢܐ ܬܘ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܘܐܚܪܝܐ ܘܫܘܪܝܐ ܘܫܘܠܡܐ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (KJV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (ASV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (LAM)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."(RSV)

66 Revelation 22:13

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (WEB)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alef and the Tav, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (BRB)

Revelation actually has more to say than just "the end." You may have noticed it mentions "the beginning" also. Why? It seems to be highlighting the high-level structure of the Bible. It has at least three words related to "beginning" and three related to "end." We haven't looked at the Gospel Book-ends yet, but Revelation appears to be summing up all three sections, the Bible, Testaments, and Gospels, by mentioning three beginnings and three ends.

Gospel Book-ends

The order of the Gospels is John, Matthew, Mark and Luke. Placing John as the first book in the Gospel series makes plenty of sense. It's noteworthy how often people are advised to begin their Bible reading with the Gospel of John. Yet even the opening line of the book attests to the idea that John comes first. John begins in the beginning.

40 John 1:1 1ܒܪܫܝܬ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܘܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܘܐܠܗܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV/NC)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (ASV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (LAM)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (RSV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (BRB)

When John is placed first in the Gospel series a type of book-ends form between the end of John and beginning of Luke. Look at this statement near the end of John with the thought that you are reading the books in order and Matthew, Mark and Luke come next.

40 John 20:30 30ܤܓܝܐܬܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܬܘܬܐ ܐܚܪܢܝܬܐ ܥܒܕ ܝܫܘܥ ܩܕܡ ܬܠܡܝܕܘܗܝ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܠܐ ܟܬܝܒܢ ܒܟܬܒܐ ܗܢܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 20:30 30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: (KJV)

40 John 20:30 30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: (KJV/NC)

40 John 20:30 30Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: (ASV)

40 John 20:30 30¶ Many other miracles Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; (LAM)

40 John 20:30 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; (RSV)

40 John 20:30 30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (NIV)

40 John 20:30 30Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; (WEB)

40 John 20:30 30Therefore Yeshua did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; (WEB/HNV)

40 John 20:30 30Many other miracles Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; (BRB)

This statement refers to the things Jesus did in Matthew, Mark and Luke that are not recorded in John. It's consistent that a statement at the end of John would both separate John from the synoptic Gospels and prepare the reader to learn new things about Jesus in the following books.

Presumably we then read through Matthew and Mark before arriving at Luke. Luke then begins with a cryptic statement that references the preceeding Gospels. I'll quote the whole statement and then give some explanation verse by verse.

43 Luke 1:1-4 1ܡܛܠ ܕܤܓܝܐܐ ܨܒܘ ܕܢܟܬܒܘܢ ܬܫܥܝܬܐ ܕܤܘܥܪܢܐ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܚܢܢ ܡܦܤܝܢ ܚܢܢ ܒܗܘܢ ܀ 2ܐܝܟ ܡܕܡ ܕܐܫܠܡܘ ܠܢ ܗܢܘܢ ܕܡܢ ܩܕܝܡ ܗܘܘ ܚܙܝܐ ܘܡܫܡܫܢܐ ܕܝܠܗ ܕܡܠܬܐ ܀ 3ܐܬܚܙܝ ܐܦ ܠܝ ܡܛܠ ܕܩܪܝܒ ܗܘܝܬ ܝܨܝܦܐܝܬ ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܕܟܠ ܡܕܡ ܒܛܟܤܗ ܐܟܬܘܒ ܠܟ ܢܨܝܚܐ ܬܐܘܦܝܠܐ ܀ 4ܕܬܕܥ ܫܪܪܐ ܕܡܠܐ ܕܐܬܬܠܡܕܬ ܠܗܝܢ ܀ (SYP)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.(KJV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.(KJV/NC)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed. (ASV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1SINCE many have desired to have in writing the story of those works with which we are familiar, 2According to what was handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of that very word, 3And since these were seen by me also because I was near and considered them all very carefully; I will therefore write to you everything in its order, most honorable Theophilus, 4So that you may know the truth of the words by which you were made a convert. (LAM)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, 2just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent The-oph'ilus, 4that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.(RSV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(NIV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.(WEB)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.(WEB/HNV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1SINCE many have desired to have in writing the story of those works with which we are familiar, 2According to what was handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of that very word, 3And since these were also seen by me because I was near and considered them all very carefully; I will therefore write to you everything in its order, most honorable Theophilus, 4So that you may know the truth of the words by which you were made a convert. (BRB)

Verse 1

The "works" which we (the readers) are familiar are everything we've read in John, Matthew and Mark before getting to Luke.

Verse 2

The phrases "the beginning" and "the Word" in this verse harken back to the start of John. Remember, "In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1)." Those who knew Jesus "handed down their observations" in the forms of John, Matthew and Mark. (We're not necessarily establishing the historical development of the Gospels here, that's a separate question, but we are asserting their canonical reading order.)

Verse 3

Luke cares about "order" so the idea that Luke would reveal his position in the book order before beginning his "orderly" account is consistent. In essence I read this whole opening statement as Luke saying, You're familiar with Jesus because of the stuff that's been passed down starting with John. I want to add just one more account, an orderly one.

Verse 4

Verse 4 reveals that Luke is addressed to Theophilus. One benefit of moving John to the start of the Gospel series is Luke returns to his natural place next to Acts, which is also addressed to Theophilus.

44 Acts 1:1-4 1ܟܬܒܐ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܟܬܒܬ ܐܘ ܬܐܘܦܝܠܐ ܥܠ ܟܠܗܝܢ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܫܪܝ ܡܪܢ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܠܡܥܒܕ ܘܠܡܠܦܘ ܀ 2ܥܕܡܐ ܠܝܘܡܐ ܗܘ ܕܒܗ ܐܤܬܠܩ ܡܢ ܒܬܪ ܕܦܩܕ ܗܘܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܠܫܠܝܚܐ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܓܒܐ ܒܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ ܀ 3ܗܢܘܢ ܕܐܦ ܚܘܝ ܠܗܘܢ ܢܦܫܗ ܟܕ ܚܝ ܡܢ ܒܬܪ ܕܚܫ ܒܐܬܘܬܐ ܤܓܝܐܬܐ ܒܝܘܡܝܢ ܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܟܕ ܡܬܚܙܐ ܗܘܐ ܠܗܘܢ ܘܐܡܪ ܥܠ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܀ 4ܘܟܕ ܐܟܠ ܥܡܗܘܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܦܩܕ ܐܢܘܢ ܕܡܢ ܐܘܪܫܠܡ ܠܐ ܢܦܪܩܘܢ ܐܠܐ ܕܢܩܘܘܢ ܠܫܘܘܕܝܗ ܕܐܒܐ ܗܘ ܕܫܡܥܬܘܢ ܡܢܝ ܀ (SYP)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (KJV)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (KJV/NC)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God: 4and, being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me: (ASV)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1THE first book have I written, O Theophilus, concerning all the things which our Lord Jesus Christ began to do and teach 2Until the day when he ascended, after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, 3The very ones to whom he had also shown himself alive, after he had suffered, with many wonders during the forty days, while appearing to them and talking with them concerning the kingdom of God; 4And as he ate bread with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, the one of whom you have heard from me. (LAM)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1In the first book, O The-oph'ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. 4And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, (RSV)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. (NIV)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God's Kingdom. 4Being assembled together with them, he charged them, 'Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which youP heard from me. (WEB)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Yeshua began both to do and to teach, 2until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the emissaries whom he had chosen. 3To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God's Kingdom. 4Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, 'Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. (WEB/HNV)

44 Acts 1:1-4 1THE first book I have written, oh Theophilus, concerning all the things which our Lord Jesus Messiah began to do and teach 2Until the day when he ascended, after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, 3The very ones to whom he had also shown himself alive, after he had suffered, with many wonders during the 40 days, while appearing to them and talking with them concerning the kingdom of God; 4And as he ate bread with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, the one of whom you have heard from me. (BRB)

Conclusion

Each of the sections created by the book-ends is a series of related writings. The Bible is different from all other writings in the world. The Hebrew scriptures are distinguished from the Aramaic scriptures, though they work together wonderfully. The Gospels are also unique among the books of the Bible.