A Few Basic Facts. . .
. . .about the Bible
For those who are interested. Let me know if you are. I got more.
GLOSSARY
anachronism—happening out of time
antediluvian—before The Flood
pseudepigrapha—a falsely attributed work; a text whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past.
The word bible is from the Koine Greek word βιβλία, tà biblía, which means "the books." For Christians, the Bible is THE Book.
The Bible is composed of sixty-six books: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament.
The OT was written almost entirely in Hebrew; the NT was written almost entirely in Greek. Greek was the language of scholarship during the second half of the first century AD. Doubtless it was with good reason that God chose these languages to communicate His message. Evidence exists to support the supposition that Hebrew was the original language spoken in Eden.
The OT is arranged not necessarily chronologically, but according to topic:
Genesis to Deuteronomy are the Books of the Law—also called the Torah, or the Pentateuch
Joshua to Esther are History
Job to Song of Solomon are Wisdom and Poetry
Isaiah to Daniel are the Major Prophets
Hosea through Malachi are the Minor Prophets
The NT is also arranged by topic:
It begins with the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because they provide a synopsis of the life of Jesus. John focuses more on dialog and Jesus’ teachings.
The Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke, is a historical account of the activity of the primary apostles during the dawn of the Church Age. To this day Luke stands among the most meticulously accurate historians of antiquity.
The bulk of the NT, Romans through Jude, is a collection of epistles (letters) written either by or to their namesake.
Revelation is primarily prophecy.
These sixty-six books are called the “canon.” Throughout the early centuries of the church, there was very little disagreement that these 66 books were God’s spoken Word. The divine authority of the OT books was established incrementally beginning as early as 2 Kings 22 and then finalized in the first century AD. The complete canon, both Old and New Testaments (with some disagreement over the Apocrypha), was established by AD400 with the influence of such historical figures as Jerome and Augustine.
About 1200 years passed between Moses and Malachi. Then followed the 400 “Silent” Years up until the age of the Gospels. (400BC – 1BC are called the 400 Silent Years because during those years there is no record of God speaking to man and no books of the canon were written—though many pseudepigrapha were written. Extra-biblically, however, these years were far from “silent.”) The final book of the Bible, Revelation, was written around AD95. So the Bible was written over a span of about seventeen hundred years, by over forty different human authors. Yet it is one intimately inter-connected Book. Clearly its singular Author is God.
As a consequence of the various BC exiles and dispersions of Israel, the Hebrew language began to flag. During the 400 Silent Years, as a result of Alexander the Great’s conquests, the Greek language became widespread. So in order that the many Greek-speaking Hebrews could read their Scriptures, in the third century BC about seventy Jewish scholars were commissioned to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This Greek translation of the OT is known as the ‘Septuagint’ (in apparent honor of the ‘seventy’), or the ‘LXX’ (70) for short.
Thanks to the Septuagint and the fact that the NT was originally written in Greek, the many Greek speakers throughout the 4th century Roman Empire could understand the entire Bible.
But in order to meet the later demand from those who could read Latin but not Greek, sub-par Latin translations began to appear. Desiring a single, quality translation, in AD382 Jerome began a Latin translation which is known as the ‘Vulgate.’ He began translating the OT from the Septuagint (which included apocryphal books), but then decided to translate from the original Hebrew (the Masoretic Text) which, he noticed, did not include any apocryphal books. Hence Jerome was disinclined to include them in his translation. Augustine, however, felt the apocryphal books should be included, and ultimately they were included in the Vulgate.
The disagreement over the Apocrypha continued into the Reformation when the Protestant Church largely rejected them as non-canonical, but the Catholic Church embraced them as the “second canon” or deuterocanon.
The sixty-six books of the canon were unique among the wider collection of books because they adhered to certain criteria which included:
recognized credentials of the author
general acceptance by the body of Christ
consistency of doctrine
their reflection of the Holy Spirit
whether they were quoted or embraced by Jesus or the Apostles.
Other books or book fragments exist that did not meet the criteria for canon selection. Most of these pseudepigrapha were written between 200BC and AD200. These books may be interesting to read, and many of them have genuine value as they contain important historical information or fascinating insights from ancient writers. But they do not carry the distinction of being recognized as the inspired Word of God and therefore cannot be trusted to be 100% truthful or accurate. Some appear to be deliberate misrepresentations. They include such writings as:
Book of Enoch—presumably an antedeluvial writing attributed to Enoch despite numerous anachronisms. Apparently written by several authors over a time period from about 200BC to about the middle of the first century AD. It speaks of angels and visions and the stark disparity between the elect and the unrighteous: “And after that I saw all the secrets of the heavens, and how the kingdom is divided, and how the actions of men are weighed in the balance. And there I saw the mansions of the elect and the mansions of the holy, and mine eyes saw there all the sinners being driven from thence which deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, and being dragged off: and they could not abide because of the punishment which proceeds from the Lord of Spirits.” 41:1-2 You can read it here.
Book of Jubilees—is sometimes called “the little Genesis.” It is introduced as, “the history of the division of the days of the law and of the testimony, of the events of the years…of their Jubilees throughout all the years of the world, as the Lord spake to Moses on Mount Sinai.” It was probably written in the second century BC. You can read it here.
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs—Autobiographical accounts and deathbed exhortations of the twelve sons of Jacob, written apparently in the second century BC. Good advice and interesting reading, to be sure, but containing errors, e.g., Levi 3:9-10 “Eight years old was I when I went into the land of Canaan…In my hundred and eighteenth year Joseph died.” (Compare to Gen 29-30 and Gen 50:26) You can read a good summary here. Or you can read the actual book here.
Books of the Apocrypha which include:
1 Esdras—A compilation from 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah; Esdras is another form of the name Ezra.
2 Esdras—In part, a dialog between Ezra and an angel over theological issues.
Tobit—(written c. 200BC) A story about a young man who sets out on a quest and is helped by an angel.
Judith—(written c. 150BC) Tells how Judith saved her people by beheading the enemy general. Sixteen short chapters, fourteen historical errors.
Additions to Esther—(c. 170BC ) Essentially a retelling of the book of Esther.
Wisdom of Solomon—(written possibly 100BC) Extols the virtues of wisdom. “For a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind.” 9:15 Nineteen chapters, two doctrinal contradictions. Not to be confused with Song of Solomon.
Ecclesiasticus/Sirach/Ben Sira—(written 190-170BC) Largely a collection of proverbs: "Speak, you who are older, for it is fitting that you should, but with accurate knowledge and do not interrupt the music." 32:3 And, "Pamper a child, and he will frighten you; play with him, and he will give you grief." 30:9 Not to be confused with Ecclesiastes.
Baruch—(edited c.150BC) A collection of exhortations attributed to Baruch, a disciple of Jeremiah, during the Babylonian exile. Six chapters, four historical errors.
Letter of Jeremiah—(c. 200BC) This is my favorite of the Apocryphal books. It’s an expansion of Jeremiah 10 which expresses the utter folly of worshiping idols made from human hands. “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber bed, that guards nothing, so are their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver.” v.70
“They do not notice when their faces have been blackened by the smoke of the temple. Bats, swallows, and birds light on their bodies and heads; and so do cats. From this you will know that they are not gods; so do not fear them.” v.21-23 You can read this short book here.
Prayer of Azariah (Abed-nego) and Song of the Three Holy Children—the author’s imagining of what Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (whose original Hebrew names were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah), might have prayed while in the fiery furnace. In the Vulgate these appear as Daniel 3:24-90. (probably written 200-100BC whereas the actual furnace event happened around 600BC)
Susanna—(written 200-100BC) a story about Daniel rescuing a damsel in distress. Considered as part of the Roman Catholic canon, Susanna is the 13th chapter of Daniel in the Catholic Bible.
Bel & The Dragon—(written 150-100BC) two more stories (they are actually two separate narratives) about heroics attributed to Daniel. They make up chapter 14 of Daniel in the Catholic canon. “Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open. Then Daniel said, ‘See what you have been worshipping!’” v.27
Prayer of Manasseh/Manasses—a psalm of repentance attributed to this mostly wicked king of Judah
1 Maccabees—(written about 100BC) discusses Jewish history from 175-135BC. Quite interesting.
2 Maccabees--(thought to have been written after 100BC but before AD70) Neither a sequel to 1 Maccabees nor authored by the same person, this book is more religious than historical.
The word “apocrypha” means hidden, or secret. Apocryphal books can be found between the testaments in some study Bibles, but most often in Catholic Bibles. In reading these books the discerning Bible student will notice that they may contain undeniable truths, possible truths or certain fiction. They range from sounding credible, to seeming a tad “off,” to being downright absurd. None of them have the same tone or flavor as The Book, nor do they share the canonical characteristics of inspiration and authority.
The final verses of the OT are like the final verses of the NT. Both bespeak finality. Malachi leaves no room for the Apocryphal books, and John leaves no room for anything else at all.
A Note About Translations:
The Bible is perfect only in the original languages, and no English translation shares that distinction simply because English is not parallel to Hebrew or Greek. It is the original Hebrew and Greek that are the inspired, infallible Word of God; there is no English translation that shares that distinction. So there will be problems with any English translation. I know that may be hard for some people to digest, but the reality is indisputable. English is a syntactic language while Greek is inflected. If you don’t know what that means, never mind, but it contributes to tricky translation.
(If you’re curious to know what a literal/parallel translation of the Bible would be like, go here, or just take a look at this one verse for a sample. See what I mean? I wouldn’t know where to begin in translating that.)
This doesn’t mean we can’t get an accurate translation; diverse languages were God’s invention and He instructs believers everywhere to study and know the truth in His Word. It just means a little more diligence is required.
Not all versions of the Bible are equal, and some are quite unfortunate. Because no translation can claim to be “inspired” it’s probably best to learn Greek and Hebrew so you can slug out the meaning yourself from the original texts which are inspired. If you don’t know the original languages you are largely at the mercy of the translators who, if you compare different translations, will often force you to check the original language for verification or clarification anyway.
That said, there are certain translations that are truer to the original text than others. In fact not all Bible versions are “translations” at all. Some are translations of ideas, and some are simply paraphrases of what the author understands the passage to mean. In the latter instance what you are reading is not the Word of God but, in the case of the Living Bible for example, the word of Ken Taylor. Mr. Taylor makes no secret of the fact that the Living Bible is only a paraphrase, but the reader should be aware. Obviously paraphrases are not suitable for ‘study.’
Modern translations come with their own hazards. In effort to contemporize the vernacular, accuracy can be lost. Among the updates made by many modern versions is the changing of the “thee’s and thy’s” to “you and your.” But consider that the pronouns thee, thou, thy and thine are always singular, whereas the pronoun ye is plural. You and your, on the other hand, can be either singular or plural, and their meaning is often ambiguous. Significant doctrinal error can result from misinterpreting the singularity or plurality of God’s intended message.
Be aware that any translation will likely reflect the theological bias of its translators, and the editorial notes and chapter headings will certainly promote the personal bias of the editor. This presents especial hazards and requires extra vigilance in this modern age of pervasive apostasy. An exceedingly dreadful example of misleading chapter headings can often be found at the top of Romans 13, a chapter that has become famous largely because of its editorial error. In my Bible this chapter heading reads, “Be Subject to Government.” But this is not at all what Paul is actually saying. I’ve written quite extensively about Romans 13 vs. the U.S. Government, and if I continue podcasting I will devote several episodes to explaining what Paul meant/said. You will see what is wrong with the popular belief that insists that in order to be obedient to God, we must be obedient to the government, no matter how corrupt, mendacious and godless it is.
There are some today who insist the King James Version is the superior, or even the only reliable translation. If you believe that, do a search on “problems with the King James version.”
Beware the New International Version (NIV). The NIV is not a literal translation. It is more accurately categorized as a “thought-for-thought” creature. But because it pretends to be a translation, its errors are more subtle than those in the overt paraphrases such as The Message or Ken Taylor’s Living Bible. You can read a commentary of the NIV here.
You should do your own research on the integrity of the Bible version you select. Here’s a sample of a site you might visit.
When I researched available translations fifty years ago, the New American Standard Bible is the one I chose. I realize the NASB is also flawed. But over the decades it has retained its status as a reputable translation, and it’s still my study Bible of choice, though I often check it against the older translations and I go often to the original text. The version you use matters. Choose wisely.
So I’m wondering. Is anyone out there interested in random factoids about the Bible?
How about random factoids about ancient history? Like timelines?
Care to hazard a wee quiz? If so. . .
HAPPY SPRING!!!
I love timelines!!
And more interesting bits would be lovely, too!
I like quizzes. And more Bible/history bits would be welcome too!