Meaning of SCRIPTURES 1

They are called interchangeably The Scripture and The Scriptures, referring to the divine revelations recorded in writing at different times and together, forming an authorized source of faith for the people of God.

At first they are associated with the law (Ex. 34; Deut. 5). Moses wrote "The Book of the Covenant" (Deut. 31: Ex. 24). Since the law or "torah," the first and most sacred part of the canon, was established, the phrase "as it is written" has been used (2 Chron. 30:5, 18; Neh. 8:15).

Jesus and Paul use the same formula when referring to the Old Testament (Mt. 4:4; Rom. 1:17). The writers of the New Testament, following the custom of the rabbis, speak interchangeably of "The Scripture" and "The Scriptures" (Mark 12:10; John 7:28; Luke 24:27; 1 Pet. 2:6 ) Peter speaks of Paul's epistles as "Scriptures."

Barnabas and Clement quote words of Jesus as “Scripture.” Beginning with Irenaeus (2nd century) the Fathers designate the Old and New Testaments in their entirety as the Holy Scriptures.