"How do we know that the 66 books that comprise most of our English Bibles are the right ones?" "I've heard that man has so messed up the Bible that we can't have confidence in it." "Aren't there 'lost books' of the Bible?" "Why are there so many English translations of the Bible?" "Which English translation should I use as my main study Bible?"If you've ever been asked these questions, or, perhaps, asked them yourself, then this study is for you. In the next several lessons, we will investigate the history of the English Bible and answer some of the most common queries people pose. Along the way, we will examine how the canon of Scripture was established, plus take a closer look at some of the more prominent English translations. Our survey will take us through a description of ancient writing, a summary of the Bible languages, the sacrifices of early translators, and the writing of modern translations.We want to reach some important conclusions. It does no good to study history if we are unable, or unwilling, to make some practical applications. For example, what are some guidelines for evaluating the various English translations? Are there lost books of the Bible? Are older translations always better than newer ones? Are there translations I should avoid?.