How did the Bible come to exist?

[LonesomeTexan]

I think we can all agree that the Bible is the word of God, but who was responsible for putting together the Old and New Testaments? Who decided what writings to include and not include in the Bible? How were people 2000 years ago able to determine the true word of God from other writings? Aren't their different branches of Christianity that have books in their Bible that Protestants don't recognize? I guess it really doesn't matter since the main message of the Bible is clear, but I still wonder about things like this.

 

[disasm]

Look into the history of Orthodoxy and you'll find the answer. Whether you agree with the Orthodox Church or not, there isn't any denying that scripture was canonized in the Ecumenical Councils.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner.

 

[Nachtjager]

For the record, I believe the answer you're looking for can be found by doing some research on the Councils at Carthage and their decisions of 397 and 419. That pretty much set up our modern Bible.

And whether or not they got it right has been debated ever since!

Take care and God bless!

 

[DailyBlessings]

If you mean the Protestant Bible, the story goes roughly like this. The "Old Testament", or Hebrew Scriptures, over a period of about one millenium, between the 16th and 5th centuries, though the exact date for many is unknown. Many of them were written in response to the Babylonian exile of the 6th century- the current Hebrew Script was developed at that time, and the many oral traditions from which the books of history were written from were compiled, perhaps for fear that knowledge would be lost in the event of later cataclysms. Many of the books of prophecy also relate to that event. In 450 BC, the Jewish Scriptures were arranged and codified by a council of Rabbis, who declared the Hebrew Scriptures to be the sacred and inspired authority of Elohim. These are also referred to as the Tanakh, an abbreviation of the three sections into which they are organized. This order was not maintained when the Scriptures were translated into Greek in 200 BC, a volume known as the Septuagint, named for the seventy men employed in the translation. Most Christian Bibles maintain the order invented for the Septuagint, and New Testament authors tended to quote this version rather than the original Hebrew, save for (probably) Jesus himself.

Beginning about 20 years after Jesus' death, a number of Gospels (literally "good news"; gospel was not necessarily a book, but in literature it usually referred to an account of Jesus' life, like the canonical gospels, or one of his teachings, such as the gospels of Thomas or Peter) and books of the apostle's acts began to surface throughout the areas of Israel, Syria, and Asia minor. Most purported to have been written under the influence of Christ, either in person while he lived or through revelation after his death. Such books were kept and revered mostly by individual communities, but copies of well-known gospels began to spread throughout Europe. By 397 AD, so many books were in circulation, many supporting movements that the primary body of the church considered heretical and dangerous, that a council was convened to decide once and for all which books should be considered canon, and which ones should not. This was the aforementioned Synod of Carthage. Much of the New Testament had been established by consensus by this point, but the Synod of Carthage both codified the most popular arrangement and officially included the Septuagint into the realm of canon. Hebrews, James, II Peter, II and III John, and Revelation are the books that were the most controversial at the time - even in the Medieval Period, many of these had a less important position, and Martin Luther is well known for his desire to decanonize Revelation and James completely (on the grounds that they do not directly mention the Gospel). In 1546, the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted a dogmatic position on the canon, at the Council of Trent. Exactly which books are included in the Old Testament varies widely between denominations, but the new Testament is more or less agreed upon (in content, if not order). The only exceptions to this are in the scholarly realm where many books are still being considered for inclusion or exclusion from consideration based on historical or linguistic evidences.

Later changes of importance to you would include the collection of the complete Bible as a single book, in 1384, the translation of the Bible into English, first accomplished in 1526 AD, and the addition of numbered verses to English language Bibles in 1560. The KJV originally held 80 books, including those known as the Apocrypha. Several of these were officially dropped in 1885 with the publishing of the English Revised Version, leaving the Bible as a unified book containing the 66 books most familiar to you.

I've glossed over quite a lot, and I would encourage you to research these matters yourself, and draw your own conclusions. No doubt, someone will be along presently to correct the various mistakes I've made, but I figured you would appreciate a full summary, so I was going from memory. There are many, wonderful resources out there for those curious about the Bibles origins. I don't actually believe that the Bible is the Word of God, myself- I believe that it contains the Word of God, which is Christ, but that it does so imperfectly. When there are hundreds of translations running around, each claiming absolute authority and each serving a local societal or political need, I think it is unwise to ascribe inerrancy to any one version. Rather, I read all of them with interest and devotion, and ask for the assistance of the Holy Spirit in teaching me which things are important, and which are less so.

 

[LonesomeTexan]

I appreciate the in depth response and I'm starting to change my position on how I view the Bible. I'm not sure if everything in the Bible is the actual word of God, but I can tell that all of the books I've read so far were inspired by him. I'm not really sure if everything actually happend the way the Bible tells us, but the greater message comes through clearly. Perhaps the Bible is just a guide for Christians to help them live in a way that is pleasing to God. I guess it really doesn't matter though. Whether or not everything in the Bible is completely true, the priciples it teaches are what is most important.

 

[Nachtjager]

I appreciate the in depth response and I'm starting to change my position on how I view the Bible. I'm not sure if everything in the Bible is the actual word of God, but I can tell that all of the books I've read so far were inspired by him. I'm not really sure if everything actually happend the way the Bible tells us, but the greater message comes through clearly. Perhaps the Bible is just a guide for Christians to help them live in a way that is pleasing to God. I guess it really doesn't matter though. Whether or not everything in the Bible is completely true, the priciples it teaches are what is most important.

You are on the right path Texan, stay blessed. Too many make the fatal mistake of clinging to the modern Bible as being absolutely true and infallable, and this leads to conflict, and later, major problems of faith. It is a book, it teaches an overall path to God and conveys His will. It was never meant to be a history book or a set of stereo instructions.

 

[DailyBlessings]

I think the Bible is more powerful if you make an earnest effort to understand it. One of the problems with placing it on a pedestal is that you are robbed of the ability to understand things in context, and context is very important. It also weights things that Paul or Isaiah said on exactly the same level as things that Christ himself taught us, and I don't think this is a good idea. Jesus came to us for a reason, and it wasn't just blood atonement.

 

[ContentInHim]

You are on the right path Texan, stay blessed. Too many make the fatal mistake of clinging to the modern Bible as being absolutely true and infallable, and this leads to conflict, and later, major problems of faith. It is a book, it teaches an overall path to God and conveys His will. It was never meant to be a history book or a set of stereo instructions.

And many Christians run off the rails trying to decide what in the Bible is true and what isn't.

 

[ContentInHim]

I think the Bible is more powerful if you make an earnest effort to understand it. One of the problems with placing it on a pedestal is that you are robbed of the ability to understand things in context, and context is very important. It also weights things that Paul or Isaiah said on exactly the same level as things that Christ himself taught us, and I don't think this is a good idea. Jesus came to us for a reason, and it wasn't just blood atonement.

Amen!

 

[MrPolo]

I appreciate the in depth response and I'm starting to change my position on how I view the Bible. I'm not sure if everything in the Bible is the actual word of God

Why would you think this? Because humans declared which books were in the Bible? From the first day, God worked through man. Why doubt His ability to do so with those who compiled the Bible?

By the way, everything in the Bible is true if the reader understands the meaning the writer and Holy Spirit were trying to convey. If a parable, then the meaning of the parable. If a literal command, then thusly.

I'd hesitate before concluding a Bible inspired by the ultimate supernatural Being is just a generic "guide". The words are in there for some reason. If you are the servant and He is the Master....you should assume He had reason to include all those books and words...no?

 

[DailyBlessings]

Why would you think this? Because humans declared which books were in the Bible? From the first day, God worked through man. Why doubt His ability to do so with those who compiled the Bible?

Why assume that he is done shaping it?

 

[INRI2]

"I appreciate the in depth response and I'm starting to change my position on how I view the Bible. I'm not sure if everything in the Bible is the actual word of God."

I wont try and tell you how it is but if I may make a suggestion...dont rush into biblical belief go away leave the bible alone dont read it, pray for guidance, read the great philosophers, look at ideologies like communism, capitalism, democracy etc look at other religions like islam, buddism etc in all of these things you will find glimpses of truth. But I believewhen you have searched all these things if you then pickup your bible and read it you will find that the bible is witness to a truth that is the fullness of the truth glimpsed in all these other things.

American novelist and convert to the catholic faith walker percy once said that he was a catholic because what esle was there when alone he asked himself

"what do I mean what else is there, there is imohamadism,marxism, sufisim, liberalism, communism, buddism, nilhism, materialism, athiesim, yeah thats what I mean whatelse is there!