Why is the Bible separated into chapters?

[Riverwolf]

Something I've always wondered about was the structure of the Bible. Why does it have chapters? What's wit the verses? What purpose do these numbers serve other than a convenience for bookmarking?

 

[Jeremy Mason]

Something I've always wondered about was the structure of the Bible. Why does it have chapters? What's wit the verses? What purpose do these numbers serve other than a convenience for bookmarking?

They're there as reference points. The first bible didn't even have punctuation.

 

[ellion]

Something I've always wondered about was the structure of the Bible. Why does it have chapters? What's wit the verses? What purpose do these numbers serve other than a convenience for bookmarking?

i am sure the old books of the old testament where written at different times thoughtout the centuries. the books where recieved by each of the prophets. the first five books where recieved by moses, then later prhophets added their recived books. many of the books are named by the prophet that recieved the book.

similarly with the new testament, mathew, mark, luke and john are the first four chapters each is their version of events.

the verses i am sure are just a convenience.

 

[Charity]

It is in chapters for the same reason that most books are. Every book has a starting point and gives specific details and facts concerning different events and people. Each chapter usually refers to a certain point that the author wishes to make known. Otherwise the main topic that the author was trying to illustrate would be lost in less important rhetoric.....Having chapters gives us a good reference point for study.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Chapters and verse numbers were added later by men. The original manuscripts did not contain any of these.

It is in man's nature to try and legalize EVERYTHING and it has happened to the scriptures. We want laws and citations for laws in the worst way. Too often, we condemn the innocent because we don't understand God's merciful nature and instead they see him as a vengeful being also based on mere legalism.

 

[Dunemeister]

Whenthenewtestamentwaswrittendownforthefirsttimeitlookedlikethisithadnopunctuationnolowercaselettersandnodivisionsintochapterscertainlytherewerenosubdivisionsorsubtitleseitheriamsureyoucanseewhylatertranslaterstookthetroubletodividethetextintochaptersandversesthough

 

[Scott1]

Something I've always wondered about was the structure of the Bible. Why does it have chapters? What's wit the verses? What purpose do these numbers serve other than a convenience for bookmarking?

Some scholars believe that the chapter divisions should be attributed to the students of Cardinal Hugo of Saint Cher in 1240 AD. Cardinal Hugo was organizing a concordance of the Bible and utilized the help of his eager students to reference the verses in the Bible in a way to locate individual words quickly. Others believe that Stephen Langton, archbishop of Cantebury (1228 AD) is responsible for the chapter divisions.

It should be noted that before the invention of printing the Bible had already passed from Latin manuscripts to many other languages and after the invention of printing many of the earlier established divisions became accepted. Chapters in early printed Bibles were subdivided into seven portions, marked in the margin by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, reference being made by the chapter number and the letter under which the passage occurred. This subdivision continued long after the present verses were added, but by the seventeenth Century was modified.
Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses?

 

[Yid613]

Something I've always wondered about was the structure of the Bible. Why does it have chapters? What's wit the verses? What purpose do these numbers serve other than a convenience for bookmarking?

I had heard they were added by the printers when it was first printed. This is also why some books were broken it two. Jews break the first five books up into parashos that are read each week.