(See BIBLE; CANON; INSPIRATION; OLD TESTAMENT; NEW TESTAMENT.) Appropriated in the Bible to the sacred writings (2 Kings 22:13; Psalm 40:7; 2 Timothy 3:15-16, "the Scripture of truth"; Daniel 10:21; Ezra 6:18). Meetings for worship and hearing the word of the Lord are noticed in Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 14:1; Ezekiel 14:4; Ezekiel 33:31; and even earlier, Isaiah 1:12-15. Especially after the return from Babylon Ezra held such meetings, when the restored exiles yearned for a return to the law. Now the Jews read the Pentateuch once in every year, divided into 54 parashas or "sections": and parts only of the "prophets", haphtaroth), shorter lessons read by a single individual, whereas the parasha is distributed among seven readers. Of the hagiographa, the five megilloth ("scrolls") are read on five annual fasts or feasts, not on the sabbath.
        "It is written" is the formula appropriated to holy writ. 2 Chronicles 30:5; 2 Chronicles 30:18, kakathuwb ("as it is written"); Greek grafee, gegraptai, ta hiera grammata (Matthew 4:4; Matthew 4:6; Matthew 21:13; Matthew 26:24). The Hebrew, however, substituted mikra, "what is read," for kethubim, which is applied to one division of Scripture, the hagiographa (Nehemiah 8:8). Grafee in New Testament is never used of a secular writing. 2 Timothy 3:15-16, "all Scripture (pasa grafee; every portion of "the Holy Scripture") is God-inspired (not only the Old Testament, in which Timothy was taught when a child, compare Romans 16:26, but the New Testament according as its books were written by inspired men, and recognized by men having "discerning of spirits", 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Corinthians 14:37), and (therefore) profitable," etc.
        The position of the "Greek adjectives", theopneustos kai ofelimos, inseparably connected, forbids making one a predicate the other an epithet, "every Scripture given by inspiration of God is also profitable," as Eilicott translated In 2 Peter 1:20-21, explain "no prophecy of Scripture proves to be (ginetai) of private (an individual writer's uninspired) interpretation," i.e. solution, and so origination. "Private" is explained "by the will of man," in contrast to "moved by the Holy Spirit," not in contrast to the universal church's interpretation, as Rome teaches.