Question on the Bible?

Question

I've been told that the Bible is the "true word of God".

Considering that over the past 2000 years it has been edited, translated, re-edited, had portions expunged (gospel of St Thomas for example)...and basically this 'word of God' has had mans 'handiwork' changing things around to fit the prevailing interest at the time...

Let me make the question simpler..how can it be a true word of God from 2000 years ago, when portions have been expunged around 300 AD? and edited all the time up to today?

Answer 1

Most of the editing is grammatical and the basic themes and historical connections are completely coherent. The Bible is THE most authentic book ever written and verified by archeology and geography. More is being uncovered such as the dig at Tel Ebla which actually found Semitic writings that verify King David as one of the kings of Israel. The Alexandrian texts that are 2nd and 3rd century copies more than authenticated the 7th and 10th century manuscripts used to write the King James Version of the Bible. There are not nearly the amount of mistakes or changes you imply for the soul fact that the copyists intent was to copy carefully. Inserted parts are usually phrases that are already directly mentioned in the text and so the copyist put it as an affirmation in the text where it originally wasn't and it doesn't really change anything. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran also authenticate the Old Testament Masoretic text and the date around 280 to 150 B.C. So it is quite the confirmation that the texts were very much kept in tact over the centuries.

Answer 2

You have things backwards and upside down.

The bible ... as the authentic compilation of divine truth ... wasn't assembled until the 4th century.

Until then, there was a collection of writings which were almost universally recognized as authentic and truthful by the whole church ... and there was a bunch of other wacky stuff ... like the "gospel" of Thomas ... that were clearly frauds.

When the church at last obtained a safe haven in Rome, the pope and the bishops got together, and they officially decided which books were authentic and which were not.

The model that was employed was based on the original church council of Jerusalem, complete with written records of the proceedings ... many of which still exist today.

The earliest and still the best authentic translation of the original bible scrolls and texts was the Latin Vulgate, done by St. Jerome, in the 4th century.

This, coupled with the few ancient manuscripts still in existence, plus some other useful documents of the times, make it possible for any serious modern scholar to check ANY new tranlation or version of the bible against the original.

Some of them measure up quite well ... others are seriously lacking ... and we all have our favorites.

But almost anybody can tell the difference between the real and the fraudulent, if they care to do the work.

Answer 3

One of the revisions of the KJV is the true bible.
The bibles that had been retranslated to men's own understanding are false bibles. .
The King James bible was translated word for word from the original tongues. Later it was translated one more time word for word. There's many revisions of it. One of those is the actually word for word translated.
Men throughout history, especially theological scholars and priest apparently doesn't comprehend very well. The bible clearly says there will be only one true priest and he will not be on the earth until the last days. Also. the bible clearly says that God isn't going to guide and instruct the people, for God will guide and instruct only one man and not until in the last days.
While the bible is clearly saying that God isn't going to spiritually reveal understanding of the verses to any of the people, including those scholars and priest, they ignore that and do their best to convince themselves and others that God had given them understanding of the verses.
It's no wonder the bible says they all are hardheaded.
Anyway, not all bibles are the true bible, because men had contaminated them with their own misinterpretations.
The original and the KJV as well as one more revision of it, are the true bible.
NKJV, NIV, NWT, Catholics, Oral Torah, and the list goes on, are the false bibles.
By the way, the bible study guides can't actually help you to understand how to read the true bible correctly. Those authors doesn't understand how to read the KJV correctly to be able to make a proper study guide. So, those study guides are misleading.

Answer 4

That's a really great question.

I think we are supose to read it, and then understand each things overall meaning. The updating has been done to try and make us understand the wording better. The deletions were made for various reasons.

However, I think the main point is to just read the Bible. Get to know it the best you can and try to use it as a guide for living better. That's all God wants from us, is to truly, heartfeltly try to understand. He knows it has been changed, but the words still retain the basics of what he wants us to know.

Also, here is a link to the entire Bible on line. It has commentary and explanations, and bible links that have helped me understand the Bible a lot easier than if I were just reading it from a book. I have made it a habit to ready one page or more each day. I have learned a lot by using this online Bible link.

There are so many different Bibles, some hard to read and understand, I find this one easy to understand. It's a good place to start, and then you can read other Bible passages to see if you can get a better meaning our ot it for yourself.

Good luck. Ann B

http://www.bibleexplained.com/

Answer 5

The answer to knowing if the Bible is the "true Word of God" is by knowing and receiving the Holy Spirit because it is He that leads you into all truth.

John14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

When you read the bible the Holy Spirit will unveil God's word to you and the truth will be revealed.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

I just hope that I'm not 'casting my pearls before swine' quoting all these scriptures and sharing my experiences before an audience who still hasn't got a clue. Only those who are born of the Holy Spirit will have a clue.

Answer 6

Simple, go tho the older manuscripts and thousands of older fragments and see what it says. Also, it helps to learn.

That's what I have done, and it's helped me understand. I do not need added texts to the Bible in order to think the way I do about it. I have the Holy Spirit to guide me to truth and understanding.

That's a part of it all that other people don't get. There is a promise that Jesus gave in John 16 about the Holy Spirit. He delivered on the promise, and that's why we are so adamant about what we believe.

It was never tradition for me, it was never pier pressure, it wasn't that I was raised a Christian, because I wasn't. What I ended up with is a rather unique perspective, partially because my 'conversion' was genuine and rather unique, and I had the best teacher on it that could be on the face of the Earth, a Pastor that was a Philosophies of Education professor from Stanford University.

So I don't need to wonder, many of the answers were already given to me, and I have the ability to think clearly in logical fashion. It would be illogical and a lie if I were to deny God at this point. I know Him and He knows me.

Answer 7

The original texts written by the authors of the books of the Bible were divinely inspired and inerrant. Over time, through copying mistakes and such, errors have crept in, but the errors are not the kind such that it would change any theology or doctrine of Christianity. We have thousands of copies of the manuscripts, and they are in agreement. There may be a missing article here or there or a change in words every once in a while but the meaning of the text has been preserved.

So, again, the original writings are the word of God as he inspired the authors to write.

Answer 8

U r right,the Bibl'S r all different from the original one ,thats why u find different Bibls ,the same goes for the Torah(old test)
ppl have changed in those Holy Books a lot,each one wrote it according to his opinion.
Thats why when ALAH sent the last message on Mohamed PBUH in the Quran,he said that this will be the last words coming from ALAH to humans,and that ALAH will preserve this Book himself so nobody will be able to change or edit anything in the Quran till the end of the world,and thats why the Quran is the only Holy Book left on earth unchanged since 1500 years ago,its the same Quran everywhere,u can never find different versions.
Thats one of the reasons a lot of ppl enter Islam everyday.
Thanx

Answer 9

Nothing has been expunged. The Gospel of Thomas wasn't taken out of the bible. It was never in the bible and it wasn't writtten by Thomas the disciple. It was one of the gnostic gospels written 100-150 years after Thomas was dead. It wasn't even written in Isreal. The gnostic gospels came out of egypt around the alexandria area. The church never accepted any of the gnostic gospels. They were always considered heretical and they were never in the canon of scripture.
You're getting your history from the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Dan Brown was no fool. He saw the writing on the wall. He saw that we are no longer a christian nation here in america but in fact a post christian nation and probably an anti-christian nation. He saw that there are a lot of people in this country who hate christians(a la Rosie O'Donnell) and hate christianity and have a need to hear evidence that dis-proves christianity even if it is bogus evidence. Dan Brown is a typical capitalist entrepreneur. A good entrepreneur makes his money by finding a need and filling it with a respectable product. Dan Brown saw that need and he filled with the Da Vinci Code and he made a lot of money off of it. The info that Dan Brown used was not new. It had been around for hundreds of years but no one ever took it seriously because it was so off the wall. But, as I said, Dan Brown saw the writing on the wall. He saw that America and much of the western world was filling up with christian haters and now was the time to put this book together. The time was right. It would never have sold 20 years ago but it would now. Dan Brown made a lot of money with his total fiction(actually he made 88 million dollars and he’s still making money off this farce). That's what this is all about. It's all about money. It's not about accurate historical evidence. It's about making a bankload simply by telling people what they want to hear even if it isn't true.
The Da Vinci Code is a great book if you like mystery and suspense filled detective stories. It's got all the necessary ingredients to create a book that will keep you up all night reading it. But you have to understand that it is just fiction. The Teaching Company put out a one hour lecture on this book by a Dr. Urlich(I think that was his name). He's a professor of comparative religions at the University of North Carolina and one of the premier experts of early christianity in the world(incidently, he is not a christian). He said that though it was a great read, there is virtually nothing in it at all that's true. My thoughts are that it's a good read until that professor Teabing comes on the scene. From that point on there's about 6 historical errors on every page. The New York Times has a bestseller fiction booklist and a best seller non-fiction booklist. The Times had it right. They had it listed #1...........on the New York Times FICTION book list.

Answer 10

I've asked people that myself in the past. The answer I was always given was as follows:

"The Bible wasn't ever editted or changed. It is the inspired word and has been preserved unchanged through the ages. It says so in the Bible. If you don't believe that then you don't believe in the Bible."

I think that's a bunch of you-know-what, but it's the only answer I've ever been given, so it's the only one I can pass on.

Personally I think that the Bible has been altered overtime to fit the desires of those in positions of authority. Even if the lines of texts aren't changed, people change their interpretation of them.