Ever wonder where the Bible comes from? We all know the basics—that it was inspired by God and written by various authors. But how did it get from those authors to the book that we read today? Many people in the Milwaukee area were discussing that topic earlier this year because of an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the public museum, but the subject reaches much further than the scrolls. We asked Prof. Paul Zell from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to dig deeper. In his new eight-part series, he will look at the Book of the ages, including how the Old and New Testament canons were determined and how the ancient manuscripts were copied and translated. Read his first article in this issue.

While it's important to know where the Bible is from, it's even more important to know what's in it—God's inspired Word. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). In his monthly column, WELS President Mark Schroeder reminds us of the importance of digging into the Word and encourages us to settle into a faith-building routine of studying the Bible.