Topic “Bible”
Bible
Who wrote it?
The prophet Moses began the first five books of the Bible sometime before 1400 B.C. The apostle John penned the last book of the Bible, Revelation, about A.D. 95. Scripture contains books and letters from over 40 prophets and messengers
of God, all of whom wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. See 2
Tim. 3:16,17.
Does it claim to be inerrant?
Inerrancy has been a claim by many who seek to defend the credibility of the Bible, but the Bible itself does not make such a claim. The Bible does, however, claim to be TRUE. "The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever." (Psalm 119:160 NRSV) It is critical to note that TRUE does not mean INERRANT. (See BIBLE - Does it contradict itself?, and BIBLE - Is it Inspired by God?).
ALL CORRECT OR NOT CORRECT?
Does it contradict itself?
Concerning Biblical numbers, genealogies, and dates it would be wise if both the casual and the analytical reader would consider them interesting, even fascinating events rather than crucial events requiring a higher level of precision than is evident in the Sciptures themselves. Leaving it at that, they could live at peace with their respective conclusions.
Yes, there are variations in scripture such as in specific numbers, in facts within stories, and in the words of Jesus. Let's take a look at those.
SPECIFIC VARIATIONS IN NUMBERS
History of the KJV?
The King James Version of the Bible, released in 1611, was authorized by King James in order to have as accurate a translation as possible, which could be printed and widely circulated. The original Old Testament writings were in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. Jerome (5th century) translated the Bible into Latin, called the Vulgate, which has become the official Roman Catholic Bible. The Council of Trent in 1546 met to consider doctrines and published a list of books, which were to be considered canonical, that is, to be included in the Bible.
Is it inspired by God?
Evidence of the book's inspiration includes prophecy, archeology, cohesive unity, accuracy, and Christ revealed.
PROPHECY - See the following and compare them with history: Babylon (Isaiah. 13:19-22), Tyre (Ezekiel 26:3-5), Sidon (Ezekiel 28:21-23), Cyrus (Isaiah. 44:28,45:1), Medo-Persia & Greece (Dan. 8:20,21), and Jesus' Birthplace (Micah 5:2).
ARCHAEOLOGY - Moabite stone discovered in 1868 at Dibon, Jordan, confirming Moabite attacks on Israel as recorded in 2 Kings 1 & 3.
Is the Bible a sole rule of faith (sola scriptura)?
A basic disagreement exists between the Catholic and Protestant groups over the interpretation of Scripture. The Catholic Church takes the position that tradition and Scriptures are equally valid sources of revelation. It further takes the position that the final authority on scriptural interpretation is the teaching magisterium of the church, which resides in the bishops, councils and ultimately, the bishop of Rome. The Protestant groups nearly all tend to disregard tradition and cling only to the Bible. They endeavor to let the Bible explain itself when mysteries are encountered.
What was the original language?
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek.
HISTORY OF TRANSLATIONS
The first translation of the English Bible was initiated by John Wycliffe and completed by John Purvey in 1388.
Is it True?
Many prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, and this fact develops faith in the Bible. As we study world history in the light of these prophecies it adds authenticity. Consider a very basic and wonderful prophecy in which God gave a Babylonian king an outline of history from his time to the end of the world. Read this remarkable dream in Daniel, chapter 2. God outlined for King Nebuchadnezzar the four great world kingdoms from his time right on down to our time: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.
Facts and Trivia
The Bible is actually a library of 66 books, written by 44 authors over a period of about 1500 years. The 39 books of the Old Testament were composed between 1400 and 400 B.C., the 27 books of the New Testament between A.D. 50 and 100.
The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen Langton about A.D. 1228. The Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in A.D. 1448 and the New Testament by Robert Stephanus in A.D. 1551. The entire Bible divided into chapters and verses first appeared in the Geneva Bible of 1560.
