Have you ever wondered about the Bible? Many people who have not been raised around the Bible or in church may have questions such as who wrote the Bible or when was the Bible written. This article is meant to answer those questions.
(Please note: All Bible references are popup links which is clicked on will give the entire verse, click again to make the popup window disappear; all Bible verses in the arcticle are in Red, and all the words of Jesus are in Bold Red. All scripture references are taken from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.)
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a complete volume of 66 Holy Books from God. The Bible is the compilation of all ancient Scriptures that the Christians receive as the Word of God. The Bible is divided into two sections, the New Testament and the Old Testament. The Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. The Old Testament contains books dealing with God’s law, History, Prophecy, and Poetry. The New Testament consists of the Gospels of Jesus, Early Church History, the Letters of the Jesus’ Apostles, and the Revelation of Jesus concerning the end times.
Why is it called the Bible?
The word, Bible, is derived from Latin and Greek roots meaning “the books”. The Bible defines itself as the scriptures. In Jesus quotes the Old Testament saying, “did ye never read the scriptures?” Matthew 21:42Today, the Scriptures have come to be known as the Bible.
When was the Bible written?
The prophet Moses copied down the first five books in the Old Testament about 1500 years before the time of Jesus. The last part of the Bible was completed within the first century after Jesus Birth. The books comprising the complete Bible were written over the period of approximately 1600 years.
Who wrote the Bible?
Concerning their human authors, Jewish prophets wrote the Old Testament, and the disciples of Jesus wrote the New Testament.
But, ultimately, the Bible makes the claim that God wrote the Bible. God spoke and men wrote. The Bible word to describe this process is called inspiration. It literally means, “God breathed.”
The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
The Bible says in, 2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved of the Holy Ghost.”
God gave the words and men copied them down.
The Bible says in Psalm 68:11 “The Lord gave word: and great was the company of those that published it.”For more references, look up these verses in the Bible. 2 Samuel 23:2 & Zephaniah 1:1
Who discovered the Bible?
Nobody discovered the Bible. God revealed His Word to mankind one book at a time. Ever since the prophet Moses first wrote the first five books, many people have believed these Holy Scriptures. The Prophets wrote many more books of the Bible in the centuries after Moses. God’s word was given to man over a period of time until it was complete.
In addition to the copies that we have today, occasionally old manuscripts are found such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These ancient documents date back to before the time Jesus Christ came to earth. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the caves of Qumran in 1946-1956 in present day Israel. The complete scroll of Isaiah was found in this finding. The remarkable thing about this incredible finding is that these Hebrew scrolls are very consistent to the Masoretic Hebrew Bible we have available today!
What material was the Bible written on?
The first portion of the Bible was recorded by the finger of God on tables of stone and handed to Moses. Exodus 24:12 Exodus 31:18 After that, the Bible was recorded on Vellum and parchment. (animal skins) These animal skins were dried and made into rolls. Theses rolls are called scrolls. Later Papyrus (an ancient paper made from the pith of a plant) was also used.
Who preserved the Bible?
We don’t have to worry that the Words of God have been lost, because God promised to supernaturally preserve His word. The Bible says, in Psalm 12:6-7 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”Surely if God can give man His word, He can also faithfully preserve His word as He promised. Matthew 5:17-18
Perhaps God didn’t want us to have the original copies of the books of the Bible. If we did have the originals, perhaps some people might be tempted to build shrines around them and worship them. It is clear from the Bible that we should only worship God, and that we should not worship anything or anyone else other than God. Exodus 20:1-5
Where are the ancient original Bible manuscripts now?
Though there are thousands of ancient manuscripts today, we do not have the actual originals any more. Some were lost over time; others were worn out and replaced with new copies. The lack of the originals is no problem to those who believe in God’s promise to preserve His words.
Where was the Bible originally written?
40 different human writers penned down the Bible, and as a result, these books were written down in different geographical locations. The first five Books were written by Moses in the wilderness around the Arabian Peninsula. Many of the other Old Testament books were written in the nation of Israel. The prophet, Daniel, wrote book of Daniel while he was in exile in Babylon. The exact places where the books of the Bible were first written vary from, caves, prisons, fields, and palaces. The Apostle Paul wrote many of the New Testament books as he suffered in prison for the sake of his faith in Jesus Christ.
In which language was the Bible originally written?
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and also a little in Aramaic. Orthodox Jewish people still regard the Old Testament as their sacred scriptures. The New Testament was written in Greek. Today the Bible has been translated into thousands of Languages and dialects. According to statistics provided by www.wycliffe.net, As of 2018, The whole Bible has been translated into 683 languages, and portions of the Bible have been translated into 3350 languages. By far, the Bible is the worlds most translated and published book. According to a BUSINESS INSIDER article, ‘The 10 Most Read Books in the world’, “the Bible outsold any other book, with a whopping 3.9 Billion copies sold over the last 50 years.”
What are the best proofs that the Bible is the Word of God?
1. The unity of its message, Although the Bible was written over a period of approximately 1600 years; it was copied down by approximately 40 different human authors, yet the Bible is still unified in its message. This point alone should suggest to the discerning reader that the Bible is a book with Divine authorship.
2. Its message is consistent with Science. There is nothing in Modern science that disproves the Bible, actually modern science is just catching up with the Bible. Here are a few simple examples. The Bible declares that the earth is Round. Isaiah 40:22 The Bible declares that the world sits on nothing. Job 26:27 The Bible declares that the life is in the blood. Leviticus 17:11 It teaches the principal of washing under running water,Deuteronomy 23:13 These things are common knowledge today, but it is significant to note that these claims were thousands of years ahead of science. Up until comparatively recent times it was commonly believed the world was flat, that the world was upheld by Hercules, that bloodletting was the cure to many sickness, and the medicinal benefits of washing in running water were not realized until comparatively recent times.
There are no unscientific statements in the Bible when you consider God’s supernatural ability to do the miraculous. The God of the Bible is a God of miracles; when Jesus walked on earth he demonstrated many miracles such as making blind people see, and lame people to walk, and raising dead people back to life. The God of the Bible is a God of Miracles!
3. Its reliability to perfectly foretell future events. Perhaps this is the greatest proof that the Bible is in fact the Word of God. Only God can perfectly tell the future; this is an attribute of God alone. The prophet Isaiah prophesied the word of the Lord when he recorded these words of God. Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
The most notable and demonstrable evidence of fulfilled prophecy is culminated in the Old Testament predictions of the Life of Christ. There were hundreds of prophecies that were perfectly fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
The Old Testament contains 332 specific prophecies, which were literally fulfilled by Christ’s first coming. Let us look at just a few of these. Micah 5:2 foretells His place of birth– Bethlehem; Genesis 49:10 that He is to be of the tribe of Judah; Zechariah 9:9 that He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey; Isaiah 53:3 that he would be rejected by his own people; Zechariah 11:13 that he would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver; Psalm 22:16 that His hands and feet would be pierced; Isaiah 53:12 that he would be crucified with thieves; Psalm 22:18 that lots would be cast for His garments; Psalm 34:10 that none of His bones would be broken; Isaiah 53:9 that He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb;Psalm 16:10 that his body would not see corruption; Psalm 68:18 that he would ascend to God. (This paragraph was taken from the book “Path to truth and Freedom” by Gene Gurganus, Page 10. Used by permission)
What is the main message of the Bible?
The Bible is a message about God.
God is Holy and Glorious, Isaiah 6:3, Habakkuk 3:3
God is self-existing, absolute, Just, and a Saviour for man. Isaiah 45:21
God is the Creator of everything. Genesis 1
God has a moral law. Exodus 20
The Bible is a message about Man.
God created man in His own image, and without sin or shame. Genesis 2 Mankind broke God’s Holy law. Genesis 3
Because mankind sinned against God, man was separated from God. Romans 3:23
All men are now sinners by nature and by choice, Ecclesiastes 7:20 Romans 3:10 Because of sin, all people must face the penalty of Eternal death unless they find salvation. Physical Death is separation from earth and family. Eternal death is separation from God in a burning place of eternal torment called the Lake of fire. Romans 6:23, Luke 16, Revelation 21:8
The Bible is a message about Jesus Christ
The Bible is a message about how God loves mankind, and how God set in motion a plan to personally come to earth and save us from our sins and its terrible penalty. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” See alsoRomans 5:8, Titus 3:4, 1 John 3:16
Leave A Comment