Author: Johan Brand
Introduction
The Judeo-Christian Scriptures – also known as the Bible – is undoubtedly one of the most influential works in the history of humankind. In a world where nihilistic and individualistic worldviews expand by the day, this combination of books became one of the most controversial works in modern-day pop culture. Nevertheless, the Bible explores some of the biggest questions that people face in contemporary times, such as, “Why do we exist?” or “Is there a greater purpose to all of this?” Moreover, throughout the ages, it has inspired numerous individuals to do astonishing things, but also, it has confused many others. You probably have a copy at home somewhere, if not on your nightstand, in a drawer, or between a collection of other dusty books in an old bookshelf.
What is the Bible, really?
First, the Bible is an ancient library of books … books that emerged out of ancient Israel’s history. Take note that these people of ancient Israel were no different from any other ancient civilisation. Nonetheless, among them were an extended line of individuals who were known as prophets, and they did not perceive the story of Israel as an ordinary narrative. They perceived it as a vital part of what God was doing for humankind. Furthermore, these prophets were literary masterminds. They skilfully crafted the ancient Hebrew language so as to record impressive narratives and highly sophisticated poetry. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, they were experts of storytelling and metaphor, and last but not least, they documented it to examine some of the most complex questions life has to offer – questions that include subjects such as human relations, ethics, life and death, and the list continues endlessly.
There are many different authors who wrote these books that all form part of the Bible – forty to be exact (that we know of, of course). These ancient texts were written over a time span of a 1000-1500 years, kicking off with Israel’s roots in Egypt, where after its history leads to their first kingdom, with their first temple (see 1 Kings 6). Eventually, the Israelites were subjugated by the Babylonians, and they were captivated into exile. This later led to a key happenstance in the history of Israel, where many of them returned to their motherland. They then built their second temple and renewed their identity. At this point in time, the Judaistic Scriptures slowly but surely started to be formulated into the shape that we have them in the 21st Century.
The Jewish Scriptures and Its Contents
In the Hebrew language, the Jewish Bible is known as an acronym: TaNaK. The “T” stands for Torah (also known as “the law”). The Torah consists of the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy), and this is Israel’s underpinning narrative. The “N” stands for Nevi’im (the Hebrew word for “prophets”). This section contains a bunch of the historical books (such as Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings) and prophetic books (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jonah) in the Old Testament that convey the story of Israel from the prophets’ outlook. It also contains poetry from the prophets, themselves. The “K” stands for Ketuvim (the Hebrew word for “writings”). The Ketuvim is a collection of wisdom books (such as Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes), poetic books (such as the Psalms and the Songs of Solomon), and it naturally also contains more of the narrative works found in the Old Testament (such as Esther, Ruth, and 1 & 2 Chronicles). According to the Jewish people, God speaks to his followers through these various literary works.
Notwithstanding the works of the TaNaK (or the Old Testament), there are various other Jewish writings that were also recorded during the “Second Temple” period. Moreover, they were – too – highly esteemed in Jewish societies. These works would include the apocryphal books (such as the Book of Enoch) and the deuterocanonical books (such as 1-3 Maccabees and Psalm 151). Although some of these literature comprise actual ancient history, it is important to mention that there were disputes from ancient times on whether or not they should have been included as part of their Scriptures.
Due to the diversity of these texts and the long period of time in which they were recorded, one might wonder why they were all combined like this, to formulate the TaNaK. In attempting to answer that question, these works all tell a fascinating story around how God worked through the nation of Israel to bring about blessing and order in the midst of the chaos they found themselves in. Additionally, these ancient stories can speak to our contemporary culture today as well, in making sense of this confusing world that we call home. Back to the point, the TaNaK essentially builds up to a hope – based on the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen. 15) – for a new King who would eventually come to restore all creation. And thus, this well-crafted set of books, known as the Old Testament, concludes with an open ending … the promised King never came (what a disappointment).
The New Testament and Its Contents
Centuries later, after 400 years of silence (also known as the Intertestamental Period), Jesus of Nazareth enters the scene. He was a Jewish rabbi who claimed that he was actually the promised Messiah, and that he would essentially carry the TaNaK narrative forward. Jesus’ earliest followers – known as the apostles – recorded new literary writings about his story (known as the good news or the Gospel). These four gospel-accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) reveal the events of his life – his teachings, his works, and ultimately his death and resurrection. Christ’s followers believed that he was the long-awaited King who would reconcile the world. The apostles also composed an account in regards to the formation of the early church and its development outside of Israel (in our modern-day Bibles, this account is known as The Book of Acts). Finally, the apostles distributed letters or epistles (such as Paul’s Letters and the General Letters) to many of these church-communities all across the ancient world.
These writings were considered as part of the Scriptures – as a continual fulfilment of the events that were recorded in the TaNak. Thus, the early Christians believed that God was speaking to his followers through these New Testament works, alongside the Scriptures of ancient Israel. In reflection on the historicity of the Old- and New Testaments, one might wonder what the early Christians thought of the other “Second Temple” Jewish literature (such as the abovementioned apocryphal- and deuterocanonical books). Interestingly, different groups of individuals had different viewpoints around those works. In looking at the culture of the time, there is historical evidence that the early Christians actually did read and value many of those texts, for they passed them along with the ancient Judaistic Scriptures.
The Judeo-Christian Bible and Its Contents
The Jewish Scriptures, known as the TaNaK, was originally written in Aramaic and Ancient Hebrew. The other “Second Temple” Jewish works were written in Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Greek, and then the apostles’ New Testament writings were recorded in Ancient Greek. In light of all this, one might rightly ask, “What then is in my Bible?” The Christian movement has adopted various forms over a period of roughly 2000 years, and from its birth, most Christians regarded both the Old- and New Testament as Scripture. It’s also fascinating that much of the “Second Temple” literature was read as part of the biblical tradition, for centuries. The Roman Catholic Church eventually authorised it, and they called some of these books the deuterocanonical books. Some of the orthodox and eastern orthodox churches used even more of the “Second Temple” books, and later in the 16th Century – during the Reformation – Protestant Christians longed to stick with the oldest writings of the prophets and the apostles, accepting the Old- and New Testaments, exclusively, as Scripture.
The Uniqueness of Scripture
As mentioned earlier, forty different authors contributed to the writing of the 66 books of the Judeo-Christian Bible as we know it today, 39 books being part of the Old Testament and 27 books being part of the New Testament. Moreover, these works were written over a time span of 1000-1500 years, and that in three different languages, namely Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. Fascinating! Adding to this, these ancient manuscripts were recorded on three different continents (namely Europe, Asia, and Africa) and people from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds – who lived in different time periods, and who experienced different emotions – yet, the overall message of its history and teachings remains steady. This truly is a unique collection of books!
In their book, Why I am a Christian, Norman and Paul state that nearly 99.9 percent of what we have as the New Testament, today, is absolutely accurate. They argue that the remainder of this percentage is merely because of grammatical and spelling errors, and does not change the message of Scripture, whatsoever. Throughout the centuries, the meaning and the underpinning story of Scripture stayed consistent, thus, it is seen as being more reliable than any other works in history – by Christian and non-Christian historians. In a 2014-interview, the well renowned apologist, Ravi Zacharias, stated that the Bible is an amazing distinctive collection of manuscripts. He added that, unlike the Holy Quran of Islam, the forty different authors who wrote it all agreed on one line of thought, whereas the Quran was written on the basis of one man’s interpretation of a revelation he once had. Moreover, various early Greek, Roman, and Jewish sources support the historicity of Jesus Christ as an actual man. Many of these extra-biblical works confirm the key details of the New Testament’s portrayal of the Messiah. For example, references to the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Herods, Jesus Christ, James and John the Baptist – which all align with Scripture – was made by the ancient Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus.
The Bible is unique in its continuity, with a wide variety of literary styles, such as poetry, prophecy, proverbs, epistles, narrative, and parables. Yet, it portrays a consistent view of God. It addresses hundreds of controversial subjects (slavery, divorce, and sexuality – just to name a few). It is unique in its circulation and translation, with over a billion copies printed in more than 2200 languages, globally. It is unique in its survival through time, persecution, and criticism. The Bible is unique in its teachings, as it contains some of the world’s most remarkable ancient history, and it speaks to the character of human relations, both then and now. Finally, the Bible is also unique in its influence on civilisation. It has greatly influenced human thinking and development in the fields of science, art, architecture, literature, music, social justice, the medical sciences, and education. In fact, universities and tertiary education were started by Christians, and these institutions were initially centralised around the faculty of theology.
Conclusion
My intention in shedding light on the rich history of the Scriptures, and in articulating these facts, is not to devalue other religions or belief systems. In fact, it is the exact opposite. I wish not to claim this ancient library of books, known as the Bible, as “the book of the Christian.” If you felt excluded by this perception of the Bible at any moment in your life, then I empathise with you. These ancient stories speak into my life and into the lives of millions of other people. It is not a “Christian” book, it is a book for all humanity … to enjoy, to explore, to study, and to learn from. All truth must essentially be God’s truth, and all truth is not limited to what is written in the Bible. However, these ancient individuals’ and nations’ stories can surely help us understand what it is like to be human, and how to better the quality of our lives. The writers of these books were people just like us. They were also imperfect. Their stories show how they – too – doubted, wrestled, argued, and struggled … even with the big questions in life, such as, “Is there even a God?” May you never stop searching, and may you find that the Christian Bible has much to offer if you look deep enough.
References:
Bell R 2017. What is the Bible? (p. 4). San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.
Boa K 2006. How Accurate is the Bible? Online article. Accessed from
https://bible.org/article/how-accurate-bible, 2020-07-03.
Norman HL and Paul K 2001. Why I Am a Christian: Leading Thinkers Explain
Why They Believe (p. 150). Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
The Bible Project 2020. An Introduction to the Bible. Online source. Accessed
from https://bibleproject.com/explore/how-to-read-the-bible/, 2020-07-03.
Zacharias R 2014. Ravi Zacharias Q&A: How Do We Know the Bible is True?
Online video. Accessed from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fngw6Br65BI,
2020-07-03.
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