gian_18778
11-14-05, - 09:44 PM
As no one knows the date it was written - that is overstated. Most of it was likely written during the Babylonian Captivity (586 - 538 B.C.) The writers relied heavily on the Babylonian writings such as the "Epic of Gilgamesh" where the story of the worldwide flood was taken. They also had a similar account of creation.
The Bible's primary language was Hebrew, and it's secondary language was Greek. The Hebrew language is the original language of the Old Testament and of the Jewish (or Hebrew) people. It is a precise, pictoral, and personal language. Bible scholar F.F. Bruce wrote that Hebrew is "the right sort of language for the record of the self-revelation of a God who does not make himself known by philosophical propositions, but by controlling and intervening in the course of human history."
Greek is the primary language of the New Testament, and again, there is a reason. For one thing, it was the language spoken by most of the world at that time of Christ. This meant that the scriptures which were distributed to the known world after Jesus left earth could be read by most people. It was the ideal language for the transmission of the gospel. Furthermore, as Geisler says, Greek was an intellectual language, which was perfect for expression of the "propositional truth" of the New Testament.
Just as the two major languages of the Bible were important to its accuracy and reliability, the materials on which the words were recorded had to be reliable as well. Here's a list of different materials use:
Clay - Used as early as 3500 B.C., clay was practical because the material could be inscribed with a stylus while soft
Stone - The Biblical writers chisled the words onto stone tablets. This method was very permanent and probably the reason why God asked Moses to record his law with it (Exodus 24:12). This is also the first portion of Scripture to go into a second printing (Exodus 32:19, 34:1).
Papyrus - This material was huge in Eygpt as early as 3100 B.C. Papyrus is a plant whose fibers were pressed together to create a writing surface.
Vellum, parchment, leather - Various animal skins were popular forms of writing material.
Paper - The Chinese invented paper in the 2nd century.
God used the Holy Spirit to inspire 40 different writers over a period of 1500 years to write down HIS words. When we get inspired we get motivated. But literally speaking, inspire means "to breathe or blow into". Inspiration describes the process by which God gave HIS message to human authors, who received it and wrote it down.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. (2 Timothy 3:16)
God, who is perfect, used a foolproof means to get HIS message into print. He "breathed in" what HE wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. God's breath gives life. When God breathed into human authors, He gave LIFE to HIS word. God also gave life to man when HE created him. The Bible says that when God formed Adam's body from dust of the ground, He "breathed into it the breath of life."
That remains to be seen, as "all time" has not expired yet! Also, many people do not find it true or relevant at all now a days!
The Bible is a book of faith and some facts, and some history, but it is more a book of faith.(Just like every other Holy Book.) If it is read like a history book, the meaning of its faith message is lost and one is left with cold "facts."
The Bible is infallible and inerrant, which means that it is completely true. This is because God, who is the Author, is incapable of error. With that said, the writers of the early Bible were using the most practical and reliable materials availible at the time. The total canon of scripture, that is, all 66 books of the Bible, was recogized as the authorative Word of God by the 4th century A.D. After that time, there had to be a process in which the Bible was preserved for the future.
Another important factor is the Bible's *canonicity*, which is the process by which church leaders recognized certain books of the Bible as being *inspired by God*. The canon describes which books make up the bible we use today. The word comes from the root word *reed*, which was used as a measuring stick in ancient times. When applied to scripture, canon indicates the measure or standard used to evaluate which books were inspired and which one's weren't.
Some Bibles, most notably, the New Jerusalem Bible, include a section of books between the Old and New Testaments called the Apocrypa. The name itself means "hidden", or "non-canonical." Although these books have historical value, the early church fathers decided that they were not inspired. More than a thousand years later (in 1546 at the Council of Trent), the Roman Catholic Church declared the following apocryphal books to be canonical: Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and I and II Maccabees.
According to Geisler, the scriptures had to be copied, translated, recopied, and retranslated. This process not only provided the Scriptures for other nations, but for other generations as well. The accuracy of these copies is critical to the Bibles we currently use, which is why God selected to transmit his word through language. God did not choose Hebrew and Greek at random, but for specific purposes, which helped transmit the Bible accurately from ancient times to today. God enabled people to use language, and then he picked the best languages possible for communicating HIS message to us.
Bible translators worked from the most reliable (which usually means the oldest) manuscripts of the original Bible languages availible. The oldest and most trusted Bible manuscripts, called the Dead Sea Scrolls, were not uncovered until 1947. Most Bible translations since then, have been based on these historic Bible manuscripts.
From the earliest times, Jewish scribes had to follow detailed procedures for copying scripture. These rules helped to ensure total concentration and accuracy. Their meticulous approach set the standard for monks and other scholars who have transcribed the Bible through the ages.
i.e.
No word or letter or any other mark maybe written from memory. The scribe must look directly at the original scroll for every stroke.
And that's only one of many!
The Bible's primary language was Hebrew, and it's secondary language was Greek. The Hebrew language is the original language of the Old Testament and of the Jewish (or Hebrew) people. It is a precise, pictoral, and personal language. Bible scholar F.F. Bruce wrote that Hebrew is "the right sort of language for the record of the self-revelation of a God who does not make himself known by philosophical propositions, but by controlling and intervening in the course of human history."
Greek is the primary language of the New Testament, and again, there is a reason. For one thing, it was the language spoken by most of the world at that time of Christ. This meant that the scriptures which were distributed to the known world after Jesus left earth could be read by most people. It was the ideal language for the transmission of the gospel. Furthermore, as Geisler says, Greek was an intellectual language, which was perfect for expression of the "propositional truth" of the New Testament.
Just as the two major languages of the Bible were important to its accuracy and reliability, the materials on which the words were recorded had to be reliable as well. Here's a list of different materials use:
Clay - Used as early as 3500 B.C., clay was practical because the material could be inscribed with a stylus while soft
Stone - The Biblical writers chisled the words onto stone tablets. This method was very permanent and probably the reason why God asked Moses to record his law with it (Exodus 24:12). This is also the first portion of Scripture to go into a second printing (Exodus 32:19, 34:1).
Papyrus - This material was huge in Eygpt as early as 3100 B.C. Papyrus is a plant whose fibers were pressed together to create a writing surface.
Vellum, parchment, leather - Various animal skins were popular forms of writing material.
Paper - The Chinese invented paper in the 2nd century.
God used the Holy Spirit to inspire 40 different writers over a period of 1500 years to write down HIS words. When we get inspired we get motivated. But literally speaking, inspire means "to breathe or blow into". Inspiration describes the process by which God gave HIS message to human authors, who received it and wrote it down.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. (2 Timothy 3:16)
God, who is perfect, used a foolproof means to get HIS message into print. He "breathed in" what HE wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. God's breath gives life. When God breathed into human authors, He gave LIFE to HIS word. God also gave life to man when HE created him. The Bible says that when God formed Adam's body from dust of the ground, He "breathed into it the breath of life."
That remains to be seen, as "all time" has not expired yet! Also, many people do not find it true or relevant at all now a days!
The Bible is a book of faith and some facts, and some history, but it is more a book of faith.(Just like every other Holy Book.) If it is read like a history book, the meaning of its faith message is lost and one is left with cold "facts."
The Bible is infallible and inerrant, which means that it is completely true. This is because God, who is the Author, is incapable of error. With that said, the writers of the early Bible were using the most practical and reliable materials availible at the time. The total canon of scripture, that is, all 66 books of the Bible, was recogized as the authorative Word of God by the 4th century A.D. After that time, there had to be a process in which the Bible was preserved for the future.
Another important factor is the Bible's *canonicity*, which is the process by which church leaders recognized certain books of the Bible as being *inspired by God*. The canon describes which books make up the bible we use today. The word comes from the root word *reed*, which was used as a measuring stick in ancient times. When applied to scripture, canon indicates the measure or standard used to evaluate which books were inspired and which one's weren't.
Some Bibles, most notably, the New Jerusalem Bible, include a section of books between the Old and New Testaments called the Apocrypa. The name itself means "hidden", or "non-canonical." Although these books have historical value, the early church fathers decided that they were not inspired. More than a thousand years later (in 1546 at the Council of Trent), the Roman Catholic Church declared the following apocryphal books to be canonical: Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and I and II Maccabees.
According to Geisler, the scriptures had to be copied, translated, recopied, and retranslated. This process not only provided the Scriptures for other nations, but for other generations as well. The accuracy of these copies is critical to the Bibles we currently use, which is why God selected to transmit his word through language. God did not choose Hebrew and Greek at random, but for specific purposes, which helped transmit the Bible accurately from ancient times to today. God enabled people to use language, and then he picked the best languages possible for communicating HIS message to us.
Bible translators worked from the most reliable (which usually means the oldest) manuscripts of the original Bible languages availible. The oldest and most trusted Bible manuscripts, called the Dead Sea Scrolls, were not uncovered until 1947. Most Bible translations since then, have been based on these historic Bible manuscripts.
From the earliest times, Jewish scribes had to follow detailed procedures for copying scripture. These rules helped to ensure total concentration and accuracy. Their meticulous approach set the standard for monks and other scholars who have transcribed the Bible through the ages.
i.e.
No word or letter or any other mark maybe written from memory. The scribe must look directly at the original scroll for every stroke.
And that's only one of many!