Bible Stories

The Bible is probably one of the most influential books in the world. In reality, it is not just one book but a collection of books with songs, stories, history, literature, letters, and poetry.

Since the Bible is a compilation of writings, there is no one specific year or location that it has been written. Multiple parts were written in different timelines that span nearly 3500 years. We compile this article with the help of Brendan from decking newcastle. He’s a massive bible student.

But the earliest record points to the time the first five Books of the Bible. Moses was attributed to writing these books. Bible scholars believed that Moses lived between 1500 to 1300 BC; his books recount the events of such as creation, which is part of the first eleven chapters of the Bible. 

It is believed that the original Books of the Bible were passed through oral accounts since early societies have limited writing yet. They were just handed down to the next generations in the form of stories, songs, and poetry. 

Early writings were just symbols that were etched or press on tablets made of stone or clay. It was the Egyptians who refined script using hieroglyphics. It was widely believed it was only around 1400 BC that the earliest writings in the Bible were recorded.

Historians believe that in the 8th century B.C, during Hezekiah of Judah’s reign, the Old Testament began to develop through royal scribes who recorded legends and history. The Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of Judges were added in the 6th century B.C. during Josiah’s reign.

For the next 200 years, the Hebrew Bible continued to develop until the Persian Empire occupied it. There was a long 500-year pause when there were no writings attributed to the Bible. During this period, Alexander the Great swept across many continents and conquered much of the world. 

It was in the 3rd century B.C. when the Hebrew Bible was translated into the Greek language. The Septuagint was translated into Greek upon Egypt’s King Ptolemy of Egypt, and early Christians also used it. It was in the same period that the Book of Daniel was written. 

The New Testament was written during the 1st century A.D. The New Testament contains stories of the life of Jesus and early Christians. It is a collection of 27 books that were all originally written in Greek. Half of the writing of the New Testament were attributed to the Apostle Paul.

In 50 A.D., Apostle Paul’s letters were distributed to different churches, and scribes copied these letters and circulated them. As the circulation grew, the letters of Paul were collected into books. 

The Gospels had four books; the Book of Mark was written in 70 A.D., 40 years after Jesus’ death, the Book of Matthew and Luke followed afterwards. The last Gospel, The Book of Mark, was written around 100 A.D., and all four gospels were believed to be published anonymously. 

The final book of the Bible is the Book of Revelation, which contains apocalyptic literature. It was believed to be written around 95 A. D. on an island off the coast of Turkey.

The Bible is one of the most famous books of its kind, and some people say that it was inspired by other great literature. They regard it as a literary piece and not religious writing. 

In comparison, others believe that the Bible is inspired by the word of God himself, who guided the authors to write its many passages and text. These people believe that the Bible is the word of God and God speaking to his people.

The Bible, which includes the Old Testament and the New Testament, were verbally inspired by God. Many Christians believe God himself dictated the Bible’s words, and the authors were recording his words and wrote them in it original in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They believe that God directed writers to register what He desires. God used the writers to accomplish an essential divine work. 

Many believers believe that authors of the Scriptures wrote the Bible spontaneously using their experience and capabilities but guided by God’s words. God controlled them during the writing process, and the final result was the Bible, which is the word of God. 

There are a lot of theories about what inspired the Bible. Here are some of them :

1. Naturally Inspired

This theory believes that the Bible writers were inspired naturally, like many other great writers like Shakespeare. So the Bible was just another book, and no divine being helped in its writing.

This theory set-asides the notion that a supernatural element was involved in the writing of the Scripture, and no divine authority is found in the Bible.  

1. Dynamic Inspired 

As previously discussed, this theory believed the writers were allowed by God to use their own words and thoughts to write the Bible, but the truths came directly from God. This theory assumes that only the concepts or ideas are divinely inspired but not the author’s actual words. 

It believes that God initially inspired the Bible’s authors and was left to use their own words to describe what was revealed to them by God. 

1. Dictation Theory

The Dictation theory believes that the writers were passive and wrote the Bible specifically according to what God dictated them to write. God told them exactly what to write word per word. This theory is a widespread view of the Roman Catholic church.

But other Bible scholars argue that if the theory is to be followed, then the Bible would be consistent in all its messages in the Scripture. If people read the Bible, there is a difference in vocabulary and literary styles, which points out that ideas come from different people. 

1. Inspired Partially

This theory believes that both God and man inspired the Bible. It claims that parts of the Bible are Divinely Inspired. Because of this theory, people think that parts of the Bible that deal with God, heaven, hell, and angels are correct, while other portions may contain errors. This theory argues that not all parts of the Scriptures are accurate or divinely authoritative. Since humans inspired some parts of the Bible, these parts may have some factual errors

The Bible is a combination of sixty-six books and written by multiples authors over almost 1600 years. If different people wrote it, is there a central message that unifies all the Bible books? 

For generations, historians, scholars, religious and different religious dominations have debated on the central or main message of the Bible. 

When Professor Karl Barth visited the United States, he was asked about the most profound theological idea he has ever entertained. His and answer was simple, Jesus loves me! Because the Bible tells me so.

For Christians, the central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ, who they believe is God’s son and saviour. 

For some, the central message of the Bible is salvation in Jesus Christ. They believe that God created a majestic universe for the first man and woman, only to be tempted and succumbing to sin. But God did not give up on his people and continued to care for them. 

God sent Jesus Christ, his son, to bear the consequences of all our sins. Because of this, God’s Son suffered and died on the cross. On the third day, Jesus was resurrected, which demonstrated his win over sin. Jesus is then restored to heaven to be with the father. 

Others believe that the central theme of the Bible is God is the kings of kings, which reigns on everything that is happening in the world. The Old Testament of the Bible shows focuses on God as King in its many refrain found in Scripture. 

The Bible is the word of God, so what the authors of the Bible wrote were not just their own words, but God’s words, and He was guiding them. The Bible lets God talk to us in terms that people can understand, and these words are contained in the Bible. 

In other words, the Bible is not just the author’s collection of ideas but are the thoughts of God himself. It means the Bible is our guide and instructions that teach us about God and his plans for us. 

Other biblical scholars say There are two varying themes or messages of the Bible. The Old Testament talks about creation and the coming of Christ. We can see this theme from Genesis to Revelation. The New Testament talks about salvation and the Arrival of Jesus Christ. So the Bible’s central theme is salvation, and Christ is the prominent personality.  

So if the Bible is God’s words is has to read like reading a letter from someone you love. Readers should learn to read between the lines to understand its real message. God’s words can touch every area of human needs and concerns. The implications of the announcement of the Bible is huge and affects many people. The Bible’s message is that we can be returned to God and live as people of his kingdom. Through the death of Jesus, he reclaimed the Kingdom of God on our behalf. God calls on his people to believe in Jesus Christ, who died to restore humankind to God.