The Bible, the sacred book of Christianity, includes collections of ancient writings, divided into two sections called the Old (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. It is said to be the most influential book in Western history, as we owe our culture and moral compass to it. Historically the Bible has been considered authoritative, as it is believed to be the infallible "word of God", as the writers were divinely inspired. However, historically divisions over interpretations can be observed, typically regarding translation. It can be seen today, in the quantity of different denominations. This can be explained by postmodern individualism, where citizens have a sense of choosing what to believe, rather than being influenced by the state. However, it can be argued that the Bible has lost its power, since there is no monopoly on truth. In this essay I will argue that "Christians" have been united on the authority of the Bible, since it is supposed to be inerrant. Today there are divisions in reading it, however, historically this does not appear to be the case, as the monopoly of interpretation/translation was under the control of the state or church. Harnack defined Christianity as “something simple and sublime”, this being a connection with God, which can be achieved using Jesus as a guide, effectively leading to eternal life. So the Bible is a way to understand God's will through the actions and parables of Jesus. It therefore suggests that there should be no division on how to read it, since there is no need for interpretation. So authoritative, as God's desires were clearly put into action through the teachings of Jesus. However, the Bible, as we know it today, went through a long process, starting from the oral to the middle of the paper. ..... So ordinary “Christians” would not be divided over how to read the Bible. Furthermore many would not have been able to understand, either because they were illiterate or because the Bible was not available in their language, thus ultimately influenced by the "Church". However, today the divisions can be seen through the amount of denominations, such as Baptist, Pentecostal, etc., that exist today. This may be because society seems to have entered the postmodern era of choices. This ultimately affected the Bible's authority in the public sphere. However, by connecting the modern idea with Harnack's definition of Christianity, it could be said to be authoritative for individuals. In the sense that Christians today have individual relationships with God, therefore individual interpretations, rather than being told what to do by a church. This may be a partial explanation for poor church attendance.