Who wrote the bible?

Question

When we look at the bible, we are technically viewing 66 books at once. its a collection of scripture and biblical and religious stories spanned over 1,500 years at least. With a total of 40 authors, the answer to my question would seem simple enough.

But my intentions are to find out who collected the work of these 40 authors and decided they needed to be put into one book. who decided the order of them, and who put them on paper.

shjOlds_442
Remember, somethings are best said in moderation.

Father K
i would like to admit that the thought of collecting and writing of the bible was done by two different people never crossed my mind, so good point =)

Answer 1

it makes me wonder too..

how come, a holly book write in many different version?
which version is the truth then?

is it really from God? or just a history telling from the past?

Answer 2

Ultimately, above the human authors, the Bible was written by God. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible was "breathed out" by God. God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that while using their own writing styles and personalities, they still recorded exactly what God wanted to be said. The Bible was not dictated from God, but it was perfectly guided and entirely inspired by Him.

Humanly speaking, the Bible was written by approximately 40 men of diverse backgrounds over the course of 1500 years. Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd. Despite being penned by different authors over 15 centuries, the Bible does not contradict itself and does not contain any errors. The authors all present different perspectives, but they all proclaim the same one true God, and the same one way of salvation—Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Few of the books of the Bible specifically name their author. Here are the books of the Bible along with the name of who is most assumed by Biblical scholars to be the author, along with the approximate date of authorship:


Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel / Nathan / Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, best guesses are Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - 65 A.D.
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. The Bible was divided into chapters and verses to help us find Scriptures more quickly and easily. It is much easier to find "John chapter 3, verse 16" than it is to find "for God so loved the world..." In a few places, chapter breaks are poorly placed and as a result divide content that should flow together. Overall, though, the chapter and verse divisions are very helpful.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

Answer 3

The Bible is the word of God in the words of men.
Catholics do not rely on the Bible alone (solascriptura) as an infallible guide to Christian doctrine and practice. Divine revelation is transmitted in 3 ways: Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the teaching authority of the Church. Divine revelation did not stop after the Bible was published. For example the Bible does not tell us how we are going to handle artificial insemination, cloning, and other areas of medical research. That's why Jesus gave the Church he founded the authority to teach all nations.

It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New.91

The Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Letter to the Hebrews, the Letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude, and Revelation (the Apocalypse).

For more information go to this link and look for section 120 and following.
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#art3


USCCB Catechism of the Catholic Church

Answer 4

The word "canon" means "standard" or "rule." It is the list of authoritative and inspired Scriptures. Different religions have different canons.
In Judaism the canon consists of the books of the old Testament only.
In Protestant Christianity, the canon is the body of scripture comprised in the Bible consisting of the 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
In Roman Catholicism, additional books were added in 1546. These books are known as the apocryphal books: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), and Baruch. I need to add here that Roman Catholicism maintains that the apocrypha was always inspired along with the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and Armenian churches. The Protestant movement has not accepted the apocrypha.
In Mormonism, four additional books have been added to the Canon: The book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
In Christian Science an additional book has been added to the Canon. This additional book is called "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" written by Mary Baker Eddy.
In Islam, their inspired book is called the Quran.

The Protestant Christian Canon

Old Testament New Testament

Pentateuch - 5 books
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Historical Books - 12 books
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
Poetical - 5 books
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

Prophetical - 17 books
Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Historical Books - 5 books
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Pauline Epistles - 13 books
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

Non-Pauline Epistles - 9 books
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation



Note: Some authors attribute Hebrews to Paul.

Answer 5

The term "canon" is used to describe the books that are divinely inspired and therefore belong in the Bible. The difficult aspect of determining the Biblical canon is that the Bible does not give us a list of the books that belong in the Bible. Determining the canon was a process, first by Jewish rabbis and scholars, and then later by early Christians. Ultimately, it was God who decided what books belonged in the Biblical canon. A book of Scripture belonged in the canon from the moment God inspired its writing. It was simply a matter of God convincing His human followers which books should be included in the Bible.

Compared to the New Testament, there was very little controversy over the canon of the Old Testament. Hebrew believers recognized God’s messengers, and accepted their writings as inspired of God. There was undeniably some debate in regards to the Old Testament canon. However, by A.D. 250 there was nearly universal agreement on the canon of Hebrew Scripture. The only issue that remained was the Apocrypha…with some debate and discussion continuing today. The vast majority of Hebrew scholars considered the Apocrypha to be good historical and religious documents, but not on the same level as the Hebrew Scriptures.

For the New Testament, the process of the recognition and collection began in the first centuries of the Christian church. Very early on, some of the New Testament books were being recognized. Paul considered Luke’s writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament (1 Timothy 5:18; see also Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7). Peter recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Some of the books of the New Testament were being circulated among the churches (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament books (A.D. 95). Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books (A.D. 115). Polycarp, a disciple of John the Apostle, acknowledged 15 books (A.D. 108). Later, Irenaeus mentioned 21 books (A.D. 185). Hippolytus recognized 22 books (A.D. 170-235). The New Testament books receiving the most controversy were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, and 3 John. The first “canon” was the Muratorian Canon, which was compiled in A.D. 170. The Muratorian Canon included all of the New Testament books except Hebrews, James, and 3 John. In A.D. 363, the Council of Laodicea stated that only the Old Testament (along with the Apocrypha) and the 27 books of the New Testament were to be read in the churches. The Council of Hippo (A.D. 393) and the Council of Carthage (A.D. 397) also affirmed the same 27 books as authoritative.

The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? 2) Is the book being accepted by the Body of Christ at large? 3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching? 4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit? Again, it is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God convincing His followers of what He had already decided upon. The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.

Recommended Resource: The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce.

Answer 6

I'm not sure how the Old Testament was canonized but the New Testament was canonized based on four principles.

1. Apostolicity: the book had to be written by an apostle or someone closely associated with an apostle (like a scribe that the apostle dictated to; for instance, Luke).

2. Genuine and Authentic: the book had to be written by the one who said they wrote it; couldn't be a book credited to an apostle but not really the work of an apostle

3. Universality: the book had to be used by the whole church

4. Regula Fidei: Latin for "the rule of faith;" the book had to follow the traditions that the Church had established, like morality, baptism, repentance, belief in the crucifixion and resurrection, belief in the deity of Christ, etc.

And of course, all of the Bible couldn't contradict itself. However, progressive revelation (like abolishing kosher food practices in the book of Acts) was allowed until the final book of Revelation. Anything after that was made up by man and the one who made it up would go to hell, along with those who take anything out of the Bible (Rev. chapter 22, almost the end). I don't know about the order. The Old Testament order was established by the Jews. I don't know about the New Testament order.

Answer 7

There are somethings that will remain a complete mystery until the redemption of the body happens. God has made sure that what was written and chronological order,along with It's author's went as He planned It...that much I'm sure of.He makes NO mistakes.

Answer 8

Wrote, or "collected"? These are two different things, although interrelated.

As for "who collected and approved (canonized) them? My answer: The Church. The Body of Christ filled with the Holy Ghost when Jesus breathed on His Apostles and again on the First Pentecost...who met in Councils prior to the Great Schism of 1054 A.D. - and that Holy Spirit guided them into all truth.

Answer 9

I can't remember the name of the conference, but early in the church's history they had a conference to decide what goes into the bible. Your right there are actually about 20 gospels and the church decided to what gospels were acceptable. This is how the new testament was created. I have no idea about the old testament.

Answer 10

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Bible, the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament, preserved for us in the Masoretic text (Old Testament) Textus Receptus (New Testament) and in the King James Bible, is verbally and plenarily inspired of God. It is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and altogether authentic, accurate and authoritative Word of God, therefore the supreme and final authority in all things.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2

"Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:6

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalms 12:6-7

But haven't "older and more reliable" manuscripts been discovered?

But haven't "older and more reliable manuscripts been discovered" since the King James Bible. Dr. Sam Gipp writes, "The fact is, that the King James translators had ALL OF THE READINGS available to them that modern critics have available to them today." (The Answer Book, Gipp, p.110) Not only that, but most of the recent discoveries support the King James Bible! And furthermore, it is a well documented fact that 85 - 90 per cent of all readings agree with the King James Bible! SO WHY ALL THE CHANGES? See Genesis 3:1.


What about the "ORIGINALS"?

Your King James Bible is attacked by preachers, some intentional and some simply out of ignorance, by "correcting" it with "THE ORIGINALS". There is one itsy-bitsy problem. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "THE ORIGINALS"! We don't have the "originals" Moses, or Paul, or David wrote. There are no set of "ORIGINALS" on the face of this earth! The ghost of "THE ORIGINALS" is a LIE! See John 8:44!

Preachers, by the thousands, will stand weekly in the pulpit and "correct" your King James Bible by saying, "This is an unfortunate translation" or "a better reading would be" or "this word in the 'Greek' can also be translated. . ." Friend, where is the Lord God? The One that "spoke" the worlds into existence - can He not preserve His word as He promised in Psalm 12:7 and Matthew 24:35? Did God Almighty NOT know what He was "inspiring"? Does the Lord need these "Bible correctors" to "help" Him "straighten-out" His word?

As God promised, He has preserved His word for the English people in the King James Bible. Proverbs 16:10 says, "A divine sentence is in the lips of the KING. . ." Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the word of a KING is, there is power . . ." King James. "James" is not an English word but a Hebrew word. Did you know the Hebrew word for James is Jacob! You'll never guess what Psalms 147:19 says, "He showeth His WORD unto JACOB . . ."

2 Timothy 2:9, reads, " . . . the word of God is NOT BOUND." Anybody can freely (there's that word Eve omitted in Genesis 3:2) print, distribute, and reproduce the King James Bible, without asking anybody for permission! All other translations are "bound" by © copyright laws. New American Standard, - copyright© Lockman Foundation, New International Version - copyright© New York International Bible Society, New King James Version - copyright© Thomas Nelson Publishers. Who with a brain, would seriously think the word of Almighty God is "BOUND" by copyright laws?


IF YOU HAVE A KING JAMES BIBLE YOU HAVE THE WORD OF GOD!

And don't let anybody take it from you!