Introduction to the Bible The Origin of the Bible Introduction The Bible is a book for all kinds of people — young and old, learned and unlearned, rich and poor. It is a spiritual guidebook to teach us how to be saved and to know God's plan for us. "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4) Thus, each person can relate personally to the Bible. We can receive blessing, instruction and correction from reading the Bible, even though we may not understand it completely. However, the full joy of Bible knowledge comes only from serious study. Progressive Revelation When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they sinned. They were then separated from God spiritually. But God still loved them. He began to make a way to heal their spirits. However, God knew it would take a long time for man to receive the full revelation of God providing our spiritual healing. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." (Hebrews 1:1-2) Today, we have the full revelation through Christ, the living Word. The people who lived in the Old Testament times did not have this. They only had a part of it. As time went by, God revealed more and more of His truth. We call this progressive revelation. God dealt with Old Testament people in a different way than He deals with us today. For example, the teachings in the New Testament against polygamy and divorce seem to conflict with Old Testament stories of these practices. But Jesus explained that God dealt differently in the past because the people were slow to understand (see Matthew 19:3-9). They had less of the truth revealed to them than we have. We have more truth because Jesus came to show us the way. Who Wrote the Bible? The Bible tells us these men were "holy men of God": they were kings and peasants, poets and merchants, military and religious leaders. They were from different backgrounds, different cities, and had different interests. The fact of how these men wrote in perfect agreement with each other is one proof they were all guided by a supernatural force: that Force or Author is God. Some scholars today try to persuade us that though the Bible does contain God's truth, it also contains errors. Others try to explain that parts of the Bible become the inspired Word of God to each person when God speaks to them through the particular words in the Bible. Still others explain that God dictated the Bible word-for-word to men who wrote it without thinking about the words. But these ideas, as reasonable as some might appear at first glance, don't convey the true meaning of the word "inspiration". As the Bible tells us, "inspiration", in reference to the Bible, is the actual "breathing in" of God's Spirit to guide the thoughts of the writers, not to override their own unique personalities or communication styles. The Bible says, "All Scripture is inspired by God..." (2 Timothy 3:16) And the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:21 If we accept any of God's Word as truth, then we must accept the whole Word as truth. Nevertheless, we cannot say the writers were mere machines with no freedom of choice. Although some did not fully understand what they wrote — especially concerning prophecies yet to be fulfilled — others studied their topics [primarily the gospel records and epistles]. They even wrote about their own experiences. Some of the writers wrote exactly what God said as in: "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today." (Jeremiah 36:2) Other writers wrote what they experienced or what God revealed concerning the future — but in their own words: "Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this." (Revelation 1:19) What all had in common was God's special revelation, as Paul wrote: "...how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. . . . which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." (Ephesians 3:3, 5) And His Holy Spirit continues to confirm God's Word as truth. All of the writers wrote under God's inspiration the words of His message for us. Purpose, Theme, Authority The Purpose of the Bible "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 KJV) "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8) Deuteronomy 4:40 The Scriptures help us to live in right relationship with God and with one another. They primarily help us, though, to understand the perfect holiness and righteousness of our God and prepare us for, and lead us to, the Messiah. The Theme of the Bible Both the Old Testament and New Testament reveal humankind's need of a Savior and God's provision of a Savior in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth — Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. The Old Testament, which was written centuries before Jesus was born, contains hundreds of prophecies about Him. And the New Testament tells us how the Savior of mankind came into our world and how we can be saved by Him. The theme of the whole Bible — salvation for mankind — centers around Jesus, the Savior for humankind. The Authority of the Bible The Bible is complete. As the Word of God, it needs nothing else. Nothing is to be added to the Bible's words, and nothing is to be taken from them (cf. Revelation 22:18-19). Because the Bible is inspired by God, we know it is true and complete, and that it has "authority" to guide, instruct, and correct us. Just as the crowds who heard Jesus speak recognized a divine anointing (see Matthew 7:29), that same anointing of authority is on God's Word to us today. The word "authority" is defined as "final truth", "official statement or law", and "power to give commands". God's Word has authority in all three of these areas. When we accept the authority of God's Word, we can study it with greater understanding. We no longer just say it is God's Word and forget about it; we respond to it as the real, living Word of God which heals and transforms lives. As we understand its teachings, we accept them without doubt. "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." (1 Thessalonians 2:13) We can rely on the authority of the Bible. We can believe God's promises are real and claim them for our lives. When we accept the authority of God's Word, His joy and peace follow and we can respond in complete obedience. As we study the Word, we are in God's presence. It's like hearing Him talk directly to us through the words of the Bible. The Unity of the Bible The Bible also has one major theme. From beginning to end, the Bible reveals God's special purpose, which He summarizes in the book of Ephesians: Ephesians 1:9-11 The Bible reveals the "mystery" of God's plan. The unifying theme of the Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Savior of sinful mankind. In the book of Luke, Jesus explained how the Old Testament centered on Him: The "key" Jesus gave them to understanding the Scriptures was that its major theme focused on Him: The Old and New Testaments both tell the story of Jesus. The Old Testament prepares us for Jesus' coming and about the plan of redemption, and the New Testament tells how it happened. This unites both testaments in one major theme. The Accuracy of the Bible The Bible is accurate in every detail. It is historically correct. It is scientifically correct. The exact fulfillment of hundreds of its prophecies about nations and individuals proves that it really is the Word of God. We can depend on what it tells us about Jesus. The Diversity of the Bible The Main Divisions of the Bible The Old Testament records God's original covenant, or agreement, with man. The New Testament records the new covenant made by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Provision for Atonement in the Bible Under God's agreement in the Old Testament, blood sacrifices of animals were made by man to obtain forgiveness for sin. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." (Leviticus 17:11) The Old Testament sacrificial system was a symbol [or a "type"] of the blood sacrifice that Jesus Christ would provide under the new covenant with God. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, a final sacrifice for sin was made: "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:11-15) Both testaments are the Word of God and we must study both in order to understand God's message. The terms "old" and "new" testaments are used to distinguish between God's agreement with man before ["old"] and after ["new"] the death of Jesus Christ. We do not disregard the Old Testament simply because it is called "old". Further Divisions Old Testament Divisions The Books of the Law These books also record the laws of God. The best-known parts are the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the greatest of all commandments (Deuteronomy 6:5), and the second-greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18). After God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone with His finger, tradition teaches that He led Moses to write these first five books. These five books are also known as the Pentateuch (from the Greek pente, meaning "five") and are sometimes called "the Law of Moses" or the "Mosaic Law" (Exodus 24:4, 31:18, 32:19, 34:1, 27-28). Many verses in the New Testament refer to the "Law of Moses" when teaching that the Law has been replaced by a greater or higher Law, that of the Person of Christ (Colossians 2:14, Romans 10:4). The Books of History The books of history cover a thousand-year history of God's people, Israel. Naturally, they do not tell everything that happened, but they record the major events and show the results of both following and ignoring God's law. The Books of Poetry These books are frequently used for worship among God's people — both Israel and Christian believers. The Books of Prophecy Major Prophets: These books are prophetic messages from God to His people about future events. Many of the prophecies have already been fulfilled, but some remain to be fulfilled in the future. About the Writers of the Old Testament The Jews were the keepers and collectors of these Old Testament writings. All of them have been copied (by trusted and devout scribes) and translated by equally-devout Christian linguistic scholars over the years and delivered to us today. The New Testament Divisions While there is much speculation and even assertion that Paul wrote the letter to the Hebrews, no one knows for sure. If Paul did in fact write it, it would be a departure from his usual way of writing in that he does not identify himself at the beginning or at the end of the book as he does in all of his other letters. Rather than speculate, we should be grateful to whomever wrote it because of its deep insight into Jewish culture and explanation of how Jesus of Nazareth perfectly fulfilled the Law's requirements. The New Testament has also been divided into four groups: Gospels, History, Letters, and Prophecy. The Gospels The Book of History The Letters/Epistles Romans While these letters may be "addressed" to specific people or churches, they are intended for all believers. Their purpose is to guide us and help us do what Jesus commanded. These letters are also sometimes called "epistles", which comes from the Greek epistole, meaning "letter". The Book of Prophecy How Believable are the New Testament Writers? Five Were Apostles of Jesus Christ Matthew, John, James, Jude, and Peter were apostles in the sense that they knew Jesus in the flesh. The resurrected Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision and also chose Paul to be an apostle (Romans 1:1; 1 and 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; etc.). Even though Paul only saw Jesus in a vision (Acts 9:1-7), Jesus used him mightily to spread the gospel, especially among the Gentiles (non-Jews). Two Traveled with an Apostle Both Mark and Luke would have understood first-hand from the apostle Paul what the new message was all about. Two Were Half-Brothers of Jesus The Council of Carthage Confirmed Their Witness In A.D. 397, the Church Council of Carthage met in North Africa and gave their formal acceptance of the 27 books in the New Testament, as these books and letters were already being used by the churches as the standard of Christian faith. Why Are Other Books Not in the Bible? The Old Testament "But before faith came, we were kept under Law [Mosaic Law], having been shut up to the faith [the Christ] about to be revealed. So that the Law has become a trainer of us until Christ [Messiah], that we might be justified by faith. But faith [Messiah] coming, we are no longer under a trainer. [Mosaic Law]." (Galatians 3:23-25) Romans 10:4 The New Testament What Does "Messiah" Mean? However, prophecy said the Messiah would be different from those earthly kings. He would be God's Son, and He would be called "Immanuel" (cf. Isaiah 7:14), which literally means "with us God" ["Imma"="with", "nu"="us", "El"="God"]. His kingdom would extend from one generation to the next (cf. Isaiah 9:6, 7). He would have greater authority, not just over the Jews, but over all of mankind (cf. Isaiah 49:6). Incidentally, this was the charge against Jesus (Matthew 27:37; John 19:18-22) and the very reason He was put to death — Messiah, the King — which Pilate had written on His cross in Hebrew "Messiach", in Latin and in Greek "Christ"]. It is clearly evident, then, that the Christ is God's Son, the King, and the Messiah. This fits perfectly with what Isaiah had said, that the Ruler, the King, would be "a son" (cf. Isaiah 7:14, 9:6). He is God's Son, and therefore, if God's Son, then Deity. Eyewitness Testimony Prophetic Proof The New Testament confirms the Old Testament Messianic prophecies that Jesus' death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection are the Gospel, the "Good News". For example, Paul wrote: "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you are also saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [the Old Testament], and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve." (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) So the gospel is mainly all about the prophetic death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah and what it should mean to us in regards to our salvation vs. condemnation. Conclusion The Bible leads all mankind to Jesus Christ — whether Jew or Gentile, young or old, male or female, sick or healthy, rich or poor. Is the Bible Reliable? Why Do We Have Copies and Not Originals? One thing we know for sure is that the gospel message contained within those ancient scrolls is more important than the technicalities of how we actually got copies of them. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 This verse teaches that a person can learn to trust God by hearing about the Messiah, not by studying historical evidences or lack thereof. Faith comes by hearing, not by seeing. After reading the Bible for yourself, then by faith you may begin to trust that the Bible is from God. It is the message in it that convicts and convinces people the Bible is true and reliable. Belief in the Son of God does not come by any other means than hearing — with your heart — the message of Him. Ancient Copies Testify to the Bible's Accuracy Many Bibles are translated into modern-day languages from the earliest copies of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic2 Scripture. For example: Perhaps you're wondering, what difference it makes if the ancient scrolls and codices [plural of codex] are accurate or not. The answer is simple: these ancient writings testify about, and point us to, Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, the Messiah. "This is He who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood [when the spear was thrust into His side, both water and blood spilled out]. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that He has borne concerning his Son." (1 John 5:6-9) It is necessary to prove the witness to be accurate and reliable before we can go on to prove Jesus is the Lord's Messiah. Versions of the Bible< Three Languages As discussed previously, none of the original manuscripts of the Bible are now in existence. Some good manuscripts exist which are copies of the original. Translations of these copies of the original manuscripts are called "versions". From early times men saw the necessity of translating the Bible so everyone could read it in their own language. No translation is an exact word-for-word translation because no two languages are exactly the same. In fact, some words used in the Bible do not even exist in some other languages. For example, there is a tribe of Indians in Ecuador, South America, called the Auca Indians. When missionaries first contacted them, these Indians did not know how to read or write. There were no words in their language for "writing" or "book." The Auca Indians had a custom of carving identification marks on their property. Since there were no words in their language for "scriptures", "writing" or "book", when the Bible was translated into their language, it was called "God's Carving". This identified it as something belonging to God. This is just one example of the difficulties in translating the Bible into other languages. Translations and Paraphrases Examples of Different Versions Selecting a Study Bible They maintain a list of "Scriptures of the World" which identifies all the languages in the world in which at least one book of the Bible has been published. If you read English but have a limited vocabulary, you may be interested in obtaining the "Bible in Basic English". This is the entire Old and New Testament written in English using only a basic 1000-word vocabulary. For more information, write to: Red-Letter Editions ------------------------------------- 2 Aramaic n. - a language used by the Semites, a people descended from Noah's son, . 3 Codex Sinaiticus n. - 1 "codex" is an ancient unbound manuscript in book form, instead of a scroll. 2 a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century that contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine4) and the Old Testament in the version known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. 3 Koine n. - the universal common dialect of the Greek language.
by Dr. Linda Smallwood, BBS, M.Min., D.Min.
The Origin of the Bible | Progressive Revelation | Who Wrote the Bible?
Purpose, Theme, Authority... | Main Divisions of the Bible | Why Was the Bible Written?
Is the Bible Reliable? | Versions of the Bible
The word "Bible" comes from the Greek bibilia meaning "books". True to its name, it is a collection of 66 books. The first part, the Old Testament, contains 39 books. The second part, the New Testament, contains 27 books. The word "Scripture", which we often use to refer to the Holy Bible, comes from the Latin word relating to script and means means "sacred writings".
The Bible story begins in Genesis with the creation of the world and man, and it ends in Revelation with the creation of a new Heaven and new earth. In between these two books we have the story of how God worked out man's salvation so he can enjoy eternal life with Him.
Although approximately 40 men physically wrote or dictated Scripture over a period of 1500-1600 years, God is the true Author: "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) Even God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone with His finger (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10).
Unity, Accuracy, Diversity
The Bible itself records its purposes:
Why should 66 books — written by some 40 men over a period of 1600 years — be put together in one book? The answer: Because one theme runs through them all, and together they show us different parts of the same picture. Books of history, law, songs, prophecy, biography and practical teaching in the Bible have one central theme: the salvation of sinful man by a loving God.
The words of the Bible, just as the writers wrote them at first, are the best words possible to express God's purpose. Since they were inspired by God, we can trust them. They are always true. The words of God cannot fail (cf. Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).
Even though many writers wrote the Bible over many years, there are no contradictions. One writer does not contradict any of the others, even though the Bible includes discussions of hundreds of controversial subjects [a controversial subject is one that creates different opinions when mentioned]. Yet, the writers of the Bible spoke on controversial subjects with complete harmony from the first book of Genesis through the last book of Revelation. This was possible because there was only one Author: God. The writers only recorded the message under His direction and inspiration. For this reason, the content of the Bible is united.
"Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" (Luke 24:44) With this introduction, Jesus continued and "...opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45)
"...Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." (Luke 24:46-48)
The writers of the Bible were scholars, doctors, kings, prophets, priests, fishermen, businessmen, farmers, shepherds, carpenters, and officials. They were all good men who had these things in common:
When we speak of the "diversity" of the Bible we mean that the Bible has variety. It records different ways in which God dealt with people and the different ways in which they responded to Him. The Bible is written in different moods. Some portions express joy while others reflect sorrow. The Bible includes different types of writing. It contains history, poetry, prophecy, letters, adventure, parables, miracles, and love stories. Because of its variety, the Bible has been further divided into major groups of books.
The Bible is divided into two major sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word "testament" comes from the Latin testamentum meaning "covenant". A covenant is a legally-binding agreement or contract.
The subject of the two covenants concerned restoring sinful man to a right relationship with God. God made a law that sin can only be forgiven through the shedding of blood: Hebrews 9:22
The Bible is further divided into 66 books. The Old Testament has 39 books. The New Testament contains 27 books. Each book is divided into chapters and verses. Although the content of each book is the Word of God, the division into chapters and verses was done by man in order to make it easy to locate specific passages. It would be very difficult to find a passage if the books were all one long paragraph.
The books of the Old Testament are divided into four major groups: Law, history, poetry, and prophecy.
There are five books of Law:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
These books record the creation of man and the world by God and the early history of man. They tell how God raised up the nation of Israel as a people through which He could reveal Himself to the nations of the world.
There are 12 books of history in the Old Testament.
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 and 2 Samuel
1 and 2 Kings
1 and 2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
There are five books of poetry.
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
The books of prophecy in the Old Testament are divided into two groups: "Major" and "Minor" prophetic books. This does not mean the major Prophets are more important than the minor Prophets. The titles are used because the "major" prophetic books are longer books than those of the "minor" prophetic books. There are 17 books of prophecy in the Old Testament.
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Some of the inspired men who wrote parts of the Old Testament include:
The New Testament consists of 27 books believed to have been written by eight inspired men of God. [I use the term "believed to have been written" because no one knows for certain who wrote the book of Hebrews.] The known writers of the New Testament are:
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
There is one book of history in the New Testament, the book of Acts. This book tells how the Church began and fulfilled Christ's commission to spread the Gospel throughout the world.
There are 21 letters in the New Testament.
1 and 2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 and 2 Thessalonians
1 and 2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 and 2 Peter
1, 2, and 3 John
Jude
The book of Revelation is the only prophetic book in the New Testament. It tells of the final victory of Jesus and His people. Its purpose is to encourage us to keep living as Christian should live until the end of this age. Its message is summarized: "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
The apostles were 12 common men who were chosen by the Messiah to be eyewitnesses of His majesty and authority while He was on earth (Luke 6:13; Mark 3:14; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Corinthians 12:12). By spending so much time with Him, they were the best witnesses to tell others about the Lord.
Several men went with Paul on his evangelistic journeys to spread the gospel. Two of them wrote New Testament books:
Jesus had two half-brothers, James and Jude, who eventually became followers of Him (Mark 6:3; Acts 1:14; Galatians 1:19). Surely, they would be credible witnesses.
There are three reasons why other books are not included in the Bible.
The Council of Carthage considered many other books for inclusion, but they rejected them because they are not considered to be inspired by God. For example, several books appeared between the period of both the Old and New Testaments. These have been grouped into what's called the "Apocrypha" [from Greek apokrupto meaning "to hide away"] were not commonly used by God's Covenant People, the Jews. The Apocrypha has been widely disputed as to whether it is inspired or not. The Catholic Bible includes some of these books as part of their Old Testament. But most other Bibles do not, including strictly Jewish Old Testaments.
The final message has already been given to us once and for all in the first century A.D. (cf. Jude 1:3).
Warnings of the severest punishment await those who add to or take away from the previously established message of Christ: Galatians 1:6-9
Revelation 22:18-19
The Bible was written to demonstrate or teach us about the perfect holiness and righteousness of our God and to prepare us for, and lead us to, the Messiah.
The Old Testament was written as a temporary "instructor" to prepare, train, and lead the Jews to receive their Messiah.
In order to come into a right relationship and be at peace with God, God now requires that we put our faith in the Messiah (the Christ), not the former temporary instructor (the Law).
The New Testament was written to prove, with both eyewitness testimony and prophetic proof, the good news that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.
In Bible times, the priest would pour oil on the kings' heads to anoint them as kings (Saul in 1 Samuel 9:16, 15:1; David in 1 Samuel 16:12, 13; Solomon in 1 Kings 1:33, 34).
When speaking of the same Person, the Bible uses both the word "Messiah" [Hebrew] and "Christ" [Greek]. Some Bibles use these names interchangeably even within the same chapter, or they note "Messiah" means "Christ".
The Bible compares and makes the Messiah equal to the Son of God. Peter understood that Jesus Christ was God's Son. He called Him, "the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Even Jesus' enemy, Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest, equated the Christ to the Son of God. He asked Jesus, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One [God]?" (Mark 14:61)
The most important prophetic proof is that, in Jesus' short human life, He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. This includes all of the prophecies in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, especially the ones about His death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead. For example:
For the most part, there are no surviving original manuscripts of ancient books like the Bible. What we have in varying quantities of all ancient books (not just the Bible) are ancient copies of the originals.
Most likely, the scribes copied the originals — and later on copied copies of the copies — because the material on which they were written deteriorated (fell apart) so easily.
Compare the Bible to any other ancient book and you will soon see that the Bible is the best-supported by ancient copies and the best-preserved textually.
One of the best-preserved scrolls is the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It is estimated to have been written around 200 B.C. and agrees in almost every respect with other traditional Hebrew texts, like the ones used in translating the King James Version.
The Isaiah scrolls proved to be more than 95% word-for-word identical with the standard Hebrew Bible. The 5% variation consists chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling. So this proves, by 1000 years or more, that the copy-making process was very reliable. Because the Dead Sea Scroll of the book of Isaiah almost entirely matches other more-current copies, we have much more confidence in the copy-making process used by scribes over the centuries. These scrolls are an ancient testimony to the accuracy of today's Bibles.
This lesson identifies the original languages in which the Bible was written and explains how the Scriptures have been translated into other languages. You will learn the difference between a translation and a paraphrase version of the Bible. I have provided various examples from various versions of the Bible.
The Bible was originally written in three languages. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew except for parts of the books of Daniel and Nehemiah, which were written in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek.
There are many different versions of the Bible. The word "version" refers to a Bible written in a language different from those in which it was originally written. There are two main types of versions of the Bible:
A translation is an effort to express what the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words actually say. It gives as nearly as possible a literal word-for-word translation. Extra words are inserted only when it is necessary to aid the reader's understanding.
Rather than translate word-for-word, a paraphrase is a restatement of the meaning of a passage. It translates thought-by-thought. Paraphrase versions are easier to read and understand because they are written in modern vocabulary and grammar, but they are not an exact translation of God's Word.
I have selected the text of John 3:16 to illustrate the difference among various versions of the Bible. The versions listed are the most popular English versions of the Bible.
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.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.
For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten [unique] Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not be lost, but should have eternal life.
Although many of these online lessons use more modern translations of the Bible, for purposes of personal Bible study, I recommend the King James version of the Bible. The reasons for this are:
American Bible Society
P.O. Box 5601
Grand Central Station
New York, New York 10164, USA
They have a complete listing of all the languages in which the King James version of the Bible is available.
If the King James Version is not available in your language or you have difficulty obtaining a Bible, write to:
United Bible Societies
Bible House
P.O. Box 755,
Stuttgart l, Germany
Cambridge University Press
New York, New York, USA
Several versions of the Bible come in what are called "red-letter editions". In red letter editions, the words of Jesus are printed in red. The rest of the text of the Bible is printed in black ink. If a red-letter edition of the King James Bible is available in your language, I suggest you obtain it.
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1 deuteronomistic adj. from deuteronomist (n.), one of the four sources of the Torah assumed by an unproven Documentary hypothesis that holds that the Pentateuch (the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses) was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of editors. In the Torah, this source is restricted to the book of Deuteronomy, but similar themes and language are found throughout the Biblical books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This series of books is known among Biblical scholarship as the "deuteronomistic history".
