How did we get the Bible? How do we know the Bible is true?

How did we get the Bible? 

            People often ask how we got the Bible. This question is valid and not simple to answer. A short answer is not sufficient, yet one thing that can be said is that it involved several processes. Hereby, under the guidance of God Himself – thousands of people over a long period of time – under many difficult situations and persecution (often risking and losing their life) were divinely guided to bring us God’s Word. Among these stages leading to the formation of the Bible, are a few thoughts on what we mean by the word ‘Bible,’ its transmission, writing and editing, copying, canonization and translation. It is these processes we want to consider here, and see how it all fits together.

            So, let us begin by looking at what we mean, when we talk about the Bible. The Bible contains 66 books (see glossary for a complete list and order of the books) and is also referred to as ‘Scripture’ which is a collection of these books. The word “Bible” is derived from Greek ta biblia (meaning “the books”) and has been used ever since the fifth century A.D. Today, the Bible is comprised of 39 Old Testament (OT) books, and 27 New Testament (NT) books. It is the transmission of the OT, followed by the transmission of the NT, we are now turning to next.

            Considering the transmission of the OT, we have to consider the original composition of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh), containing 24 books, which are the same as the 39 books we have in the Protestant OT canon. Three parts make up the Hebrew Bible, namely the Torah (Pentateuch), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Kethubim (Writings). It groups these writings differently than the Christian OT canon – which segments the writings into four parts: Pentateuch, History, Poetry and Wisdom, and Prophets for a total of 39 books.

            The OT is comprised of Hebrew and Aramaic language, the latter found in Daniel 2:4-7 and Ezra 4:8-6:18. In the third century B.C. Jewish people in the Roman Empire used the Septuagint (LXX) which is a Greek rendering of the OT. The transmission of the OT made use of papyrus or animal skins, with the latter lasting longer and was preferred by people in synagogues copying the Torah. Along with strict rules, the Torah was copied one-by-one from manuscript to another scroll, without paragraphs, sections or title pages. Worn out scrolls were hidden in a special place called a genizah which led to archeological discoveries, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) at Qumran in 1947. These are the earliest available Hebrew texts and made possible comparisons between other surviving codices, the Masoretic texts. With the book order of the Septuagint differing from the Hebrew Bible, the first English Bibles derived their arrangement from the Latin Vulgate, providing the titles of the OT books.

            The canon of the OT (the book collection considered authoritative by the church) began as part of their self-authenticating nature, recognized by the Israelite nation as having divine authority. Early church fathers, such as Origen and Athanasius got their cue from predecessors, such as Philo and Josephus about 90-100 A.D. There are many unknowns here, yet among the criteria for authenticity are the absence of contradictions, having been written by a person recognized as having divine authority, such as a prophet, originating from divine inspiration and accepted by Jewish people as authoritative source. Note here that OT extracanonical books are grouped into three types – lost OT books, apocryphal and pseudepigraphal books. It was the early church fathers, Irenaeus, Jerome and Rufinus who distinguished between apocryphal and canonical books. While these three groups are not part of the biblical canon, they are still of value for study and research.

            Moving from the OT to the NT, we encounter a different transmission process, along with writing, editing, copying, canonization and translation. The NT writers composed their texts in the most readily available language at the time of the Roman Empire, namely Koine Greek (everyday Greek). The writers of the NT wrote their texts sometime between the middle and end of the first century A.D., using scrolls and codices (folded sheets of papyrus stitched together). The earliest NT texts are referred to as unicals (using Greek capital letters without any punctuation).

            Other surviving NT texts are cursives (using simplified and joined lettering, as faster way of writing) and lectionaries (sectionally divided texts for worship readings) comprising a number of about 13,000 manuscripts. The five major codices of the NT are the Codex Sinaitcus, Vaticinus, Alexandrinus, Bezae and Codex Ephraemi. As the printing press came into being, a full Hebrew Bible (printed in Italy in 1488) and a Greek NT (printed in Spain in 1514) are among the first precursors to our Bible today.

            The canonization of the NT is much more challenging to grasp than the OT, due to a lack of available evidence. However, God divinely guided the NT authors and also aided the early church to authenticate these writings as authoritative. He did this through the Person of the Holy Spirit. As such, it is possible that a NT canon was formed within the early second century, yet a later canon would have been finalized in the fourth century, having resolved issues of what books to include. So somewhere thereabouts the authoritative 27 books were canonized – we find in the NT today – revealing to us the life of Jesus Christ and mission of the church as determined by God and His self-authenticating divine nature.

            In line with the canon and its translations into Latin by Jerome (somewhere between 383-405) is the so-called Latin Vulgate, with later translations into English completed by John Wycliffe (1380) and William Tyndale (1526) are among the first partial versions. A first complete English translation, called the Authorized Version of 1611 (a.k.a. the King James Version) remains the best scholarly translation to date. All subsequent versions are effectively based on this version, despite some attempts to re-translate the Bible from other sources.

            With the development of textual criticism – which is an approach of identifying the precise form of the original texts, the aforementioned canon has been validated and confirmed. What is more, despite the fact that Scripture only provides us with very little, if any, information about the authors of the books, textual criticism and hermeneutics (the science of interpretation of the Bible) affirms it cohesiveness and authenticity. Both OT and NT authors wrote for specific purposes for specific audiences, and it is primarily the NT gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that we learn about the life and mission of Jesus. The NT books (a.k.a. letters) along with, the Acts of the Apostles, compliment and complete all we need to know about Christ – which is His identity (‘God in the flesh’) and His mission (to atone for our sins on the cross) providing eternal salvation for every person who places their faith in Him.

            Summing up, looking at all the meticulous details, as well as everything and everyone involved in the process of providing us with the Bible, we cannot, but thank God Himself for giving us His Word, looking after us and loving us so much, that He makes all this possible. In fact, not only has He given us His Word, but given us Himself in and through Jesus Christ, who invites us to come to Him freely with a repentant, surrendered, humble and obedient heart (Matthew 11:28-30). Thank you Jesus!

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Glossary

Acts of the Apostles

The story of the early church, as Jesus’ disciples carry the gospel to different parts of the world, especially Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. Acts was likely written by Luke, author of Luke’s Gospel.

Apocalyptic Literature

A genre of biblical writing that reveals God’s actions and coming judgment in symbolic language. The transition from prophecy and apocalyptic is characterized by an increased use of symbolism and an increased use of heavenly mediators explaining the vision.

Apocryphal Books

A collection of books included in the Old Testament of ancient Christian Bibles in Greek or Latin but not included in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. At some point, confusion was caused when the Apocryphal books were added to the Septuagint, despite not being identified as canonical by the Jews or the early Christian church. During the Counter-Reformation, at the Council of Trent in 1546, the Roman Catholic Church assigned the Apocrypha full canonical status. These books were written more than 200 years after the time of the last OT prophet, Malachi. Unlike the books of the OT, they do not claim to have the prophetic hallmark, and do not reveal the authority and power of God. They contain doctrinal errors, unbiblical morality, historical inaccuracy, and were not originally received by the people of God.

Aramaic Language

Likely the spoken language of Jesus and his disciples. Aramaic was the common language of much of the ancient Near East.

Athanasius

Athansius was exiled five times for proclaiming Christ’s divinity. He also listed the 27 books he believed should constitute the New Testament, which is the list used to this day.

Bible (aka. Scripture)

Neither Jews nor Christians originally called their Scriptures “the Bible” (lit., “the Book”). Jews often used words signifying “the Scrolls,” and Christians did call their Scriptures “the Books” (lit., “the codices”). In the early centuries, the Christian Bible appeared almost exclusively in the form of codex fascicles, each containing either one of the larger books (e.g., Isaiah) or a collection of smaller books (Paul’s Letters), so the Scriptures physically corresponded to Lat. bibli., “the books” (cf. Jerome: bibliotheca, lit., “the library”). The term derives from bublos or bublion, loanwords from Egyptian, denoting originally the stalk and, then, the inner pitch of the papyrus plant from which scrolls were commonly made.

Old Testament Books (39 total)

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

New Testament Books (27 total)

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Canon

A collection of religious writings considered authoritative.

Canonization

The historical, theological, liturgical, and textual dimensions of the process of canonization are studied only in retrospect. A central question about canonicity is whether a canon or the notion of canonicity comes first; scholars often focus on this question when exploring the relationship of theology and hermeneutics to the formation of a collection of sacred texts. Canonicity is firmly rooted in the recognition of the usage and authority of the texts.

Codex (Codices)

A codex is a literary format consisting of one or more groupings of sheets sewn together and bound. Introduced in the first century AD. An precursor to the modern book. Codices, are a grouping of common and historically important Hebrew Bible manuscripts and fragments.

Crucifixion

The practice of executing certain criminals by staking their hands and feet to a cross as punishment for their crimes, used in the execution of Jesus Christ.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Scrolls found among the 11 caves of Qumran by the Dead Sea that are not copies of biblical books. These scrolls date approximately to 250 BCE–CE 50.

Early Church Fathers

Ancient and influential Christian writers who lived during the centuries following the apostles, and whose writings are regarded as formative for the doctrine of the Church.

Epistle (Letter)

Written communication or a letter. Any of the letters to the early Christians that are part of the New Testament.

Evolution (Theory)

Evolution in its contemporary meaning in biology typically refers to the changes in the proportions of biological types in a population over time. The theory of evolution is a shortened form of the term “theory of evolution by natural selection,” which was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the nineteenth century. This theory is incompatible with the Bible and with the beliefs of a Christian that are based on the Bible.

Form Criticism

A method of biblical criticism that seeks to classify units of biblical text according to genre and analyze the pre-literary stages of the text.

Genizah

Genizah, also spelled geniza (Hebrew: “hiding place”), plural genizot, genizoth, or genizahs, in Judaism, a repository for timeworn sacred manuscripts and ritual objects, generally located in the attic or cellar of a synagogue. Cairo Genizah is the name given to a large collection of manuscript fragments that were recovered in the 1890s from a storeroom for unused manuscripts in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt. The documents date from the late ninth century AD into the 19th century.

Gospel(s)

The message of Christ, the kingdom of God and salvation. A gospel is an announcement of good news. In particular, the gospel is the announcement that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have brought about salvation for Israel and the world. When the word Gospel is capitalized, it may refer to one of the four NT narrative accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – these are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All others are false. There are false gospels today, just as there were false gospels in NT times.

Greek Language

Examines the origins of Greek and its usage in the ancient world, with particular attention to implications for the New Testament, composed in the first century AD, and the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which dates from the first quarter of the third century BC.

Hebrew Language

A Semitic language spoken by the Hebrew people from the late second millennium BC until the second century AD. The written language of the standard edition of the Old Testament, which was preserved by the Masoretes.

Hebrew Bible (aka. Tanakh)

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethuvim.

Hermeneutics

The art or science of interpretation, and, in its application to the Word of God, that branch of theological science which lays down the principles for a correct interpretation of Holy Scriptures.

Higher Criticism

A term applied to a type of biblical studies that emerged in mostly German academic circles in the late eighteenth century, blossomed in English-speaking academies during the nineteenth, and faded out in the early twentieth.

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, also called Paraclete or Holy Ghost, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity. As Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. An essential summary ought to include at least that the Spirit is the transcendent, omnipresent spiritual and localizable presence of God’s personality and power, living in and divinely empowering all of God’s true people in diverse and incomplete ways that foreshadow their complete, future renewal at the end of the age.

Incarnation

The doctrine expressed in the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon: that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten before all the ages and of one substance with the Father, was made flesh through the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, making Him truly God and truly human, possessing two natures, which are not confused, changed, divided, or separated.  Although the term “incarnation” does not appear in the Bible, Christian tradition has long held that Jesus is God incarnate.

Inerrancy

Meaning “without error.” Typically used to describe Scripture as without error. The Bible is inspired and inerrant. The former term means that God moved through the writers to communicate to us the words which God wanted us to hear. The latter means that all that is written in the inspired documents is without error. Inspiration and inerrancy apply to the original writings, not to the copies. Thus, it is the original writings that are without error. Inspiration comes from God and when He inspired the Bible, it was perfect. Our copies of the original documents are not perfect, due to identifiable scribal error, but they are very close to being so.

Irenaeus

Irenaeus, (2nd century AD – c. 202) was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire. He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology.

Jerome

Jerome was a priest, theologian, and historian. His best known achievement is his translation from the Bible into Latin, and commentaries on the Gospel of the Hebrews, but his list of writings is extensive.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ (ca. 5/4 BC – AD 30/33). According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the world, the founder of Christianity, and the sinless exemplar of its principles and practices. In Matthew 1:21 the name was divinely appointed, “for He will save His people from their sins.” Since the name was common in His lifetime, He was usually referred to in a more specific way, such as “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 1:26). “Christ,” the anointed one, is a title that acknowledged that He was the expected Messiah of Israel. In the Gospels, Jesus is usually identified as “the Christ.” After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:38, He was usually referred to as “Jesus Christ.” This composite name joins the historic figure with the messianic role that prophetic expectation and early Christianity knew that He possessed.

John the Baptist

Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Relative of Jesus Christ. Baptized people for repentance of their sins. Beheaded by Herod Antipas at the request of his stepdaughter/niece.

John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe was one of the first units of papal authority to influence a secular power. The Lollard movement, which was lead by Wycliffe, took place before the Protestant Reformation. He translated the Bible into the vernacular English, a translation now known as Wycliffe’s Bible.

Josephus

Josephus was a military officer and historian in Israel, fighting against the Romans. During a battle he was captured, and eventually made a Roman citizen after his Roman captors took a liking to him. In Rome, Josephus wrote books and volumes, many of which were on Jewish history.

Kethuvim (aka. Hagiographa)

The early Christian name for the “Writings” (the Kethubim) that comprise the third division of the Hebrew Bible.

King James Bible (aka. Authorized Version)

An English translation of the Bible sponsored by James I of England. Published in two separate editions in 1611.

Koine Greek

The “common” Greek language that developed and flourished between 300 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (the time of the Roman Empire), and from which Modern Greek descended.

Lectionary

A calendar cycle of Scripture readings for church worship services. Often accompanied by homiletical discussions. Instead of a continuous biblical text, these important witnesses contain long Scripture excerpts couched in liturgical documents.

Lost OT Books

This is a collection of New Testament Apocrypha, including many works which were admired and read by the early Christians, but which were later excluded from the canonical Bible.

Lucian

Lucian of Antioch was a Christian presbyter, theologian, and martyr. He was noted for both his scholarship and ascetic piety.

Masoretic Texts

The traditional Hebrew text behind most modern translations of the Old Testament.

Miracle

An event that defies common expectations of behavior and subsequently is attributed to a superhuman agent; an occurrence that demonstrates God’s involvement in the course of human affairs.

Nevi’im

Nevi’im is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim (writings).

New Testament

A canon of distinctly Christian Scripture, recognized as authoritative. (Also see ‘Bible)

Old Testament

A canon of Scriptures, recognized as authoritative, that comprises the first part of the Christian Bible and that includes the Hebrew Bible. (Also see ‘Bible)

Origen

Origen was a scholar and early Christian theologian. He did not stick to one area of theology, but rather branched out, writing things that later became controversial among Christian theologians.

Papyrus

A plant used for the production of papyri, an ancient writing material.

Philo

Born in Alexandria around 20 BCE and lived until CE 50. Author and philosopher. Known for his allegorical hermeneutic. Contemporary of Jesus and Josephus.

Pliny the Younger

Roman governor in the province of Bithynia-Pontus during the reign of Trajan. He shared his name with his uncle, Pliny the Elder.

Prophecies (General & Messianic)

A prophecy is an oral, divine message mediated through an individual that is directed at a person or people group and intended to elicit a specific response. General prophecy is often an eschatological prophecy, meaning prophecies about end-time events, that have not yet occurred. Messianic Prophecy may be defined to be all prophecy that refers, whether more or less distinctly, to the coming of Christ, to his work of salvation, or to the growth and consummation of his kingdom. A prophet was a person who spoke on God’s behalf.

Pseudepigrapha

In biblical literature, a work affecting biblical style and usually spuriously attributing authorship to some biblical character. Pseudepigrapha are not included in any canon.

Qumran

A site with ruins located near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, nearest the caves that yielded the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Repentance

The practice of asking another for forgiveness and ceasing some sinful behavior.

Resurrection

From the Latin resurrectio, meaning “rising again.” A return to life after having died. Mainly refers to the resurrection of Christ—the central event of the Christian faith. Also refers to the Christian doctrine of corporate resurrection, which is connected to the judgment of both the living and the dead. The resurrection of Jesus was the most important event in Christian culture and theology. It provided the grounds for their faith and belief.

Rufinus

Rufinus, (born c. 345, Concordia, near Aquileia, Italy—died 410/411, Sicily, possibly at Messina), Roman priest, writer, theologian, and translator of Greek theological works into Latin at a time when knowledge of Greek was declining in the West.

Samaritan Pentateuch

A version of the Pentateuch preserved by the Samaritan community primarily in the Paleo-Hebrew script. The text contains a number of textual variants, some reflecting incidental and ideological alterations, and others a possible original text.

Second Coming

Second Coming, also called Second Advent or Parousia, in Christianity, the future return of Christ in glory, when it is understood that he will set up his kingdom, judge his enemies, and reward the faithful, living and dead.

Septuagint (LXX)

The translation of the Old Testament into Greek; read in the early church and often quoted by the New Testament writers. The Septuagint often is represented as Roman numerals: “LXX” equivalent of the number 70.

Sin

Actions that violate the law or moral standard of God.

Tacitus

A Roman historian and rhetorician (ca. 56–118 AD) who wrote several important works related to the history of the Roman Empire.

Talmud

A collection of rabbinic Jewish texts that record the oral tradition of the early rabbis. The Talmud is primary source for the study of Judaism from the first century ad up to the date of its final redaction, as late as the seventh century. The Talmud is likewise relevant to the study of Judaism in Jesus’ and the apostles’ lifetimes.

Tanakh

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethubim.

Targum

Aramaic word meaning “translation.” Technically, this designation can refer to translation into any language. However, in rabbinic literature, the word is used to speak of the practice of translating the biblical Hebrew text into the vernacular Aramaic within Jewish synagogues.

Textual Criticism

Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, History of Text. A historical study of the development of the Hebrew Bible.

Torah

The first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books considered as a unit; often includes the content of the books as well.

Unicals

A handwriting used especially in Greek and Latin manuscripts of the fourth to the eighth centuries A.D. and made with somewhat rounded separated majuscules but having cursive forms for some letters.

Unregenerate

An unregenerate person is not renewed in heart and mind or reborn in spirit, unrepentant and an unregenerate sinner – also refusing to believe in the existence of God. Regeneration by contrast, is the act of God, whereby He renews the spiritual condition of a sinner. It is a spiritual change brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, so that the person then possesses new life, namely eternal life. Regeneration is a change in our moral and spiritual nature where justification is a change in our relationship with God.

Unrepentance

An unrepentant person shows no regret for one’s wrongdoings.

Vulgate (aka. Latin Vulgate)

The Latin translation of the Bible that Jerome produced in CE 383–405 or that was at least initiated by him, with the Old Testament and Gospels certainly being translated by him.

William Tyndale

William Tyndale, an English Scholar, was a leading figure in the Protestent Reformation. He is known for his translation of the Bible into English. Tyndale was eventually arrested and jailed, being burned at the stake for heresy.

For further reading and study

Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1999.

Fee, Gordon D. and Mark L Strauss. How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

Norton, David. The King James Bible: A Short History from Tyndale to Today. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 

Klein, William W. Craig L. Blomberg and Robert L Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.

Boa, Kenneth. “Bible Companion Handbook.” Accessed March 7, 2023. https://bible.org/series/bible-companion-handbook

Amen.