Where can I look to find when, where, how the Bible originated?

Question

We're studying Christianity. This particular class is very interested in the origin of the Bible. Who initially collected the records? Who was the first to publish the Bible? I'm not very computer savvy, so I wasn't sure where to start looking first. The students are also very curious about Moses, the parting of the Red Sea, the Stone Tablets and I'm looking for the most simplistic way to explain these beliefs. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Why You Can Trust the Bible

Some people say the Bible is unreliable, and their views have gained wide acceptance. Thus many today dismiss what the Bible says as untrustworthy.

On the other hand, what Jesus Christ said in prayer to God promotes trust: "Your word is truth." And the Bible itself claims to be inspired by God.—John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16.

What do you think about this? Is there sound basis for trusting the Bible? Or is there really evidence that the Bible is unreliable, that it contradicts itself and is inconsistent?

Does It Contradict Itself?

While some may claim the Bible contradicts itself, has anyone ever shown you an actual example? We have never seen one that could withstand scrutiny. True, there may appear to be discrepancies in certain Bible accounts. But the problem usually is lack of knowledge regarding details and circumstances of the times.

For example, some persons will draw attention to what they consider a discrepancy in the Bible, asking: 'Where did Cain get his wife?' The assumption is that Cain and Abel were the only children of Adam and Eve. But the assumption is based on a misunderstanding of what the Bible says. The Bible explains that Adam "became father to sons and daughters." (Genesis 5:4) Thus Cain married one of his sisters or possibly a niece.

Often critics are just looking for contradictions and so may declare: 'The Bible writer Matthew says that an army officer came to ask Jesus a favor, while Luke says that representatives were sent to ask. Which one is correct?' (Matthew 8:5, 6; Luke 7:2, 3) But is this really a contradiction?

When the activity or work of people is credited to the one who is actually responsible for it, a reasonable person does not claim a discrepancy. For example, do you consider a report to be in error that says a mayor built a road even though the actual building of the road was done by his engineers and laborers? Of course not! Similarly, it is not inconsistent for Matthew to say that the army officer made a request of Jesus but, as Luke writes, that such a request was made through certain representatives.

As more details are known, apparent discrepancies in the Bible disappear.

History and Science

The historical accuracy of the Bible was once widely doubted. Critics, for example, questioned the existence of such Bible characters as King Sargon of Assyria, Belshazzar of Babylon, and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. But recent discoveries have verified one Bible account after another. Thus historian Moshe Pearlman wrote: "Suddenly, sceptics who had doubted the authenticity even of the historical parts of the Old Testament began to revise their views."

If we are to trust the Bible, it must also be accurate in matters of science. Is it? Not long ago scientists, in contradiction of the Bible, asserted that the universe had no beginning. However, astronomer Robert Jastrow recently pointed to newer information that refutes this, explaining: "Now we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same."—Genesis 1:1.

Men have also changed their views relative to the shape of the earth. "Voyages of discovery," explains The World Book Encyclopedia, "showed that the world was round, not flat as most people had believed." But the Bible was correct all along! More than 2,000 years before those voyages, the Bible said at Isaiah 40:22: "There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth," or as other translations say, "the globe of the earth" (Douay), "the round earth." (Moffatt)

Thus the more humans learn, the greater the evidence is that the Bible can be trusted. A former director of the British Museum, Sir Frederic Kenyon, wrote: "The results already achieved confirm what faith would suggest, that the Bible can do nothing but gain from an increase of knowledge."

Foretelling the Future

But can we really trust the Bible's forecasts for the future, including its promises of a 'righteous new heavens and new earth'? (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4) Well, what has been the Bible's record of reliability in the past? Time and time again prophecies given even hundreds of years in advance have been fulfilled in exact detail!

For example, the Bible foretold the overthrow of mighty Babylon nearly 200 years before it happened. In fact, the Medes, who became aligned with the Persians, were named as the conquerors. And although Cyrus, the Persian king, had not even been born as yet, the Bible foretold that he would be prominent in the conquest. It said that Babylon's protecting waters, the river Euphrates, "must be dried up," and that "the gates [of Babylon] will not be shut."—Jeremiah 50:38; Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27-45:1.

These specific details were fulfilled, as the historian Herodotus reported. Further, the Bible foretold that Babylon would eventually become uninhabited ruins. And that is just what happened. Today Babylon is a desolate heap of mounds. (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 51:37, 41-43) And the Bible is full of other prophecies that have had dramatic fulfillment.

What then does the Bible foretell concerning the present world's system of things? It says: "The final age of this world is to be a time of troubles. Men will love nothing but money and self; they will be arrogant, boastful, and abusive; with no respect for parents, no gratitude, no piety, no natural affection . . . They will be men who put pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of religion, but are a standing denial of its reality."—2 Timothy 3:1-5, The New English Bible.

Surely, we are seeing the fulfillment of this now! But the Bible also foretells for "the final age of this world" these things: "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages." In addition, "there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences."—Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11.

Indeed, Bible prophecies are undergoing fulfillment today! Well, then, what about yet-to-be-fulfilled promises, such as: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it," and, "They will have to beat their swords into plowshares . . . , neither will they learn war anymore"?—Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 2:4.

'That's just too good to be true,' some may say. But really, there is no reason for us to doubt anything that our Creator promises. His Word can be trusted! (Titus 1:2) By examining the evidence further, you will become ever more convinced of this.


I don't know if this helps.

Answer 2

Right in the Bible.
It is the most authentic source, because it is the Holy Book of the One True God.
Other human beings (including priests) cannot give you precise explanations, because each man can understand only little part of the Holy Book at a time. You read, pray, meditate, and God will open your mind to the part of truth you wish to comprehend.

Answer 3

Where did the Bible come from?

How did we get the Bible? Where did the Bible come from? The Bible itself claims to have come from the most High, from God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16).

While there were approximately forty men who physically put the text onto the pages, Scripture claims the true author of the Bible is God. In almost every book of the Bible, the human authors assert that their words are the words of God.

The biblical authors all believed themselves to be instruments for His teachings and the spreading of His gospel. These men were inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to spread the message of God and Jesus Christ.

God specifically chose each one of them to tell a unique part of His tale. We have the Bible today because God uses people who desire His will above their own to deliver His message. The Bible came to us from believers who were called to tell of His great love, as well as those things that are pleasing and displeasing to Him.

The message of the Bible offers hope for deliverance, beginning with the Old Testament. It tells of His undying love, and reveals the fact that He sent His only Son to die on the cross in order that we all might join Him, simply by believing.

We can trust that the Bible is authentic because of the fact that it was written down, and we know that written text does not suffer from the same peril as the spoken word. What we say is frequently changed as it is passed on from one person to another; what we write down may occasionally undergo minor changes as language evolves, but actual content meaning rarely changes. In the case of the Bible, what we have available to us today is based on documents that are no more than four or five generations from the originals. The finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls offers further proof that the Bible we have today is faithful to the meaning and intent of the original authors - who, as we have established, believed they were speaking for God Himself.

Evidence for authenticity of the Bible is stronger than evidence for authenticity of many great works of literature that we take for granted are actual.

The Bible comes from a God who desires to know each and every one of us and wants us to know of His great love for us. The fact that there is so much evidence to support the truth, the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible, verifies God's love for each person on earth.

Answer 4

Go to the library and get the book lost Christianities by Bart ermine.

It does a great job of explaining everything you have asked about.

love and blessings Don

Answer 5

Kabbalah is Jewish mysticism. Don't know a whole lot about Jehovah's except that they don't celebrate holidays and the religion has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism.

Answer 6

"Origins Of The Bible" by F.F. Bruce
Available at www.cbd.com
(ISBN: 0842383670)
or check with you local Christian Bookstore staff for age appropriate material.

Answer 7

Halleys Bible handbook is an excellent source of information.You can find it in a Christian bookstore.

Answer 8

I read this book and it answered all my questions about the Bible. Who wrote it and why, when, where, how we got the Bible we use today. Who chose which books, etc. check it out. . . .

http://www.amazon.com/How-Got-Bible-Neil-Lightfoot/dp/080101252X/sr=1-1/qid=1162431860/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6193672-7458424?ie=UTF8&s=books