The Bible is a book inspired by God. As many as thirty-five to forty authors recorded the original information in the scriptures. It can be said that each word was given to these men by God and that even though earthly men recorded or wrote the text, it was dictated to these men, who acted as scribes for God and wrote down the words. Moses is the undisputed author of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Psalms. Moses wrote about twenty percent of the Bible. Then we have as many as nine books written by unknown or at least unconfirmed authors. These Books are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, Esther, and Job. To further confuse the issue, we have as many as 60 authors taking credit for portions of the Psalms. For a complete list, visit the information prepared by Jeffery Krantz at https://overviewbible.com/authors-who-wrote-bible/. Like all ancient stories and texts, it was passed down from one generation to the next in oral traditions. No one can say with certainty when the first written word was recorded. The writers used clay tablets, papyrus, parchment, and copper to record information for the future. The Khirbet Qeiyafa Inscription is one of the earliest known Hebrew writings, dating back to the 11th century BC. Many Bible scholars estimate that the Book of Genesis was written between 1450 and 1400 BC.
The Bible is inspired by God and recorded by man. In the original dictation, the information was perfect, as much as anything can be with humans involved. Unfortunately, over the next 35 hundred years, several groups have taken it on themselves to try and make the Bible “better” or to fit their agenda. “Many authors in very different places and times wrote and edited the books that constitute the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament; all told, this process extended over a thousand years. There are many guesses about when people began writing the books that are now found in the Hebrew Bible.” (Breed, 2022) In 1455, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press and created the Gutenberg Bible, written in Latin. The Gutenberg Bible was translated from Hebrew into German and then into Latin. It is estimated that approximately 10-15% of meaning is lost in translation. There is no way to know how often the original text has been translated from ancient times to the present.
As far back as 393 AD, various churches have been changing the Bible. A group of church leaders formed the Council of Hippo and created a list of books they believed to be true scripture. In 1611, the Bible was translated from Latin to English and was composed of eighty books. In the same year, the Catholic Church decided to revise the Bible by removing fourteen books, leaving the Sixty-six books we have in today’s Bible. The Books removed are 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, the rest of Esther, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, and Baruch with the epistle of Jeremiah. The Songs of the 3 Holy children, The history of Susana, Bel and the dragon, The prayer for Manasses,1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. (Media, 2021) A group of Greek Biblical texts called the Apocrypha had been removed from standard Bibles. There is a group of Books referred to as the “Deuterocanonical Books” that appear in some Catholic Bibles but not in Protestant Bibles because Protestant Reformers decided they did not align with their theology. Numerous books associated with Biblical writings have been excluded, denied, removed, and omitted for reasons written and unknown. Some affected books were The Book of Enoch, the Book of Mary, the Book of Judith, the Gospel of Nicodemus, and many others, to name a few.
The Bible has been under attack many times over the last 3500 years. Antiochus IV was the King of the Seleucid Empire, who was one of many who persecuted the Jews. In 100 BC, he tried to destroy the Bible and kill everyone who owned a Bible. Much later, in 1497, the Spanish wanted to eliminate all Books written in Hebrew during the Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisition grew out of fear that the Jewish population was becoming too powerful and needed to be stopped by the Catholic leaders. In recent times, religions and the Bible were attacked by the Nazi Party during World War II and were suppressed by socialist/communist beliefs.
As time goes on, the Bible will continue to be attacked and ridiculed. 2 Timothy 3:16 is very plain: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Faith and pure belief will always be misunderstood and mocked by those who are lost. “Old Testament writers, for example, refer to what they wrote as the very words of God over 3800 times. The New Testament writers quote the Old Testament 320 times and refer to it at least 1,000 times. And the New Testament writers repeatedly claim divine inspiration, as did the Old Testament writers. Jesus Himself claimed that God inspired both the Old and the New Testaments. There are a couple of definitive statements in the New Testament that sweep across our Scriptures to define for us the nature of inspiration. Listen to 2 Peter chapter 1 in verse 20, ‘But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.'” (MacArthur, 2006)
Billy Graham instructs us by saying, “But the Bible is important for a much greater reason: The Bible is the Word of God. Yes, various human authors wrote it–but behind them was another Author: The Spirit of God. Even when they weren’t fully aware of it, God was guiding them so that what they wrote wasn’t just their own words, but God’s Word. The apostle Peter wrote, “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). God wanted to speak to us in words we could understand–and the Bible contains those words.” (Graham, 2006) Deuteronomy 4:2 states, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” Revelation 22:19 also tells us, “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
When someone searches for the Bible on Google, there are over 250 million results. The Bible has many interpretations, many suggested inquiries, and a multitude of opinions. As we have seen over the years, every scholar has their own idea and agenda. I would suggest that each person do their own study, starting with the Bible and then looking at all the various studies.
Breed, B. (2022, 10 3). Bible Odyssey. Retrieved from How was the Bible Written: https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/bible-basics/how-was-the-bible-written-and-transmitted
Graham, B. (2006, 8 28). Billy Graham Evangelistic Associates. Retrieved from Faith 101- What is the Bible: https://billygraham.org/story/faith-101-what-is-the-bible/
MacArthur, J. (2006, 8 27). Grace to You. Retrieved from Assorted Attacks on the Bible: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-320/assorted-attacks-on-the-bible
Media, T. (2021, 2 16). Meredith Gold. Retrieved from What are the 14 Books removed from the Bible: https://www.meredithgould.com/what-are-the-14-books-removed-from-the-bible/