Chapter I
THE BIBLE IS UNIQUE
In this chapter of "Spiritual Foundations" we will find that the Bible is a very unique book. Specifically we will find that the Bible was written and has flourished like no other book known to man.
Before we proceed with this study let us pause for a moment and pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I now come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to ask You to please give me ears so that I can clearly hear what you are saying. Please give me eyes so that I can see things the way that You do. Finally, Lord, please give me a heart and the faith to understand and accept You and the things that You are telling me.
Amen
HISTORICAL TIMELINES
Before we begin our study of the Bible's uniqueness it will be very beneficial for us to become familiar with how historians and Bible scholars determine timelines, which is to fix historical dates for the various Biblical events. This understanding is not only important for our review of Bible history but will be extremely important for our study, in upcoming chapters, of Biblical prophecy.
To begin, it is helpful for us to recognize that historians divide human history into two major divisions of time. The first division is labeled BC. The label BC is an abbreviation of the phrase, “Before Christ”, that is before the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, when one reads 433BC, it is to be read as 433 years Before Christ. The second division of time is labeled AD, which is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, “Anno Domin”, meaning in the year of our Lord, that is after the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, the term 90AD is to be read as 90 years after the birth of Christ.
This method of dating was also used by the Old and New Testament writers. In other words, these writers did not use fixed dates to pin point the time of the events that they describe. Instead these authors only provide us with relative reference points. To illustrate this point, let us read how the time was recorded for the start of construction of the first Temple in Jerusalem. It is given in,
1 Kings 6:1
"[1] In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD."
Thus, in order to develop a fixed chronology of Biblical events, one must correlate the Biblical account to external sources. These sources include the records kept by the Babylonians, Assyrians and various astronomical observations.
According to the, “Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible” the years of the Babylonian rulers from 747BC up to 200AD were accurately recorded in the Canon of Ptolemy. Ptolemy was an Egyptian geographer and astronomer. In a similar manner the neighboring Assyrians also maintained records dating back to 2000BC for their important officials. Other astronomical data along with the records compiled in Egypt have been cross checked with the Assyrian records. This cross check produced dates of 2133-1990BC for Dynasty XI, of 1990-1786BC for XII (Middle Kingdom) and of 1570-1085BC for XVIII (New Empire) with only a negligible margin of error. As a result, the compilation of the above historical records together with our modern day historical data provides us with a good historical timeline of human history from around 2000BC to our present day.
The correlation of the relative dating of Biblical accounts to the above historical timeline yields a fixed chronology of Biblical events starting with the birth of Abraham, 1995BC, with an approximate 10% margin of error, which is with an accuracy of around 200 years. This margin of error becomes progressively less until it becomes negligible or less than 1% at the time of the fall of Samaria in 722BC.1
With the above background in mind, let us now begin our study of the Bible's uniqueness. To do this we will,
1. Perform a quick survey of the Bible's authorship and the circumstances under which it was written.
2. Review the Bible's survivability. This survey will show that there is more manuscript evidence for the Bible than any other ancient piece of literature known to man.
THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLE
The, “Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament and New Testament”; by John H. Walton show that the Bible was written over a 1536 year time span. During this time period we find that the universally accepted books of the Old Testament were written in the interval from around 1446BC to about 433BC. The New Testament books were penned from around 40AD to approximately 90AD.2&3
Over this 1536 year time span we find that the Bible was written by 40 authors from various walks of life. To illustrate this point, the following partial list of Bible authors along with their occupations is provided.
1. Moses was an adopted son of Pharaoh and then became leader over the nation of Israel.
2. Amos was a shepherd.
3. Solomon was a king of Israel.
4. Peter was a fisherman.
5. Daniel was ruler over the province of Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.
6. Luke was a physician.
7. Matthew was a tax collector.
8. Paul was a Jewish Rabbi and tent maker.
CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN
In addition to the fact that there were 40 different writers of the Bible from various walks of life, we also find that the books of the Bible were written in different places. For example, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible while in the wilderness during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The prophecies of Daniel were penned during his captivity in the city of Babylon. The majority of the letters by the Apostle Paul were written while in prison in Rome. Luke wrote while traveling on various missionary journeys. Finally, as you would expect, the majority of the Old Testament was written in and around Israel4.
In addition to being penned by 40 different writers in various geographical places, the Bible was written in different times, such as in times of war and in times of peace. For example the majority of the book of Jeremiah was written during the Babylonian invasion, siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Whereas, the proverbs penned by King Solomon, were written during the time when Israel was at peace with all its surrounding nations and experiencing great prosperity.
The Bible was written during periods of different moods. For example as one reads the book of Psalms one finds Psalms that express great and exuberant joy and praise to God. Whereas, some Psalms express bewilderment as to why the wicked seem to prosper while the just or righteous suffer. First Peter was written during the time of intense persecution and written to encourage those who were suffering for their faith. First Corinthians was written by Paul as a letter of correction and rebuke for the spiritual and carnal excesses within its membership and within its gatherings.
Finally, we find that the Bible was originally written in three languages. As expected, the majority of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. However, according to, “The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible” portions of Ezra, Daniel and Jeremiah were written in Aramaic. Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew and was adopted by the Jews during their exile into Babylon. The New Testament was originally written in common Greek.5
With all these various authors, moods, places, languages and periods of human history the remarkable fact is, that the Bible is written about a single unfolding account of God’s redemption of man. More specifically the Bible begins with the book of Genesis where man, because of his sin, lost paradise and continues to the book of Revelation where because of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, man is able to return to the paradise he lost.
To put all what we have just read in perspective, let us just stop for a moment and consider what the probability is of having a book written, with a single coherent theme, under the circumstances described above without someone being in charge to plan, organize and direct the output of the various writers.
THE BIBLE'S SURIVABILITY
Another interesting characteristic of the Bible is its survivability. History tells us that many kings, nations and religions tried to burn it, ban it and outlaw it. For example, we read in Josh McDowel’s book, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” that,
1. The Roman emperor Diocletian in 303AD issued an edict to destroy the scriptures and to stop Christians from worshipping the Lord.
2. Voltaire, a Frenchman, who died in 1778, was an advocate for having the Bible confiscated.6
In our modern day history we still find intense persecution towards Christianity and the Bible. For an example, today read in the newspapers or see over television how in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Albania, Iran and Sudan, just to name a few, it is illegal to possess a Bible or conduct a Christian assembly. The punishment for violating this law is prison, torture and possibly death. For our last example, we find that, in our very own country, the United States of America, it is against the law to read the Bible or pray in public classrooms.
In spite of severe and intense persecution we also find that God had and still has His servants to not only preserve His Word but even make it accessible for those who are under these oppressions. For example in the publication of, “Christian History” that was devoted to William Tyndale we find that in the 1500’s the English Catholic Church had in effect a law that made it punishable by death to translate the Bible into English.7 However, William Tyndale believed that the Bible should be made available and readable to all people. Thus, he translated and published, in 1526, the first printed English language New Testament. At the age of 42, he was strangled and then burned at the stake for the heresy of translating the Bible into English. As we all know the English Bible was only not eradicated but is still flourishing.
Another example is Reverend Richard Wurmbrand. In his book, “Tortured for Christ” we read how, in 1945, when the communists seized Romania and attempted to control the church, that Richard Wurmbrand began an underground ministry and church for those who remained faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was eventually arrested and suffered much physical and mental torture for his faith.8 However, it is through people like him that the Bible and Christianity has survived in countries that had experienced some of the darkest moments of the communist reign.
Even today, 1996, in countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and North Korea there is intense oppression and persecution of Christianity. In the midst of this, we also find missionaries from organizations such as the New International Bible Society that continue to enter into these countries to bring Bibles, comfort and help to those who remain faithful to our Lord.
In addition to surviving physical persecution we also find that the Bible has and continues to survive slander and criticism. Many men, learned or otherwise, attacked and still attack it with skepticism and mockery. For example, some scientists, such as the late astronomer and philosopher Carl Sagan, declared that the Bible is just a book about religious myths and fables. Many psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, whose writings and theories form the basis of our modern day psychological counseling approach and techniques, also have a dim view of the Bible and state that it is only a book of irrelevant tales and myths.
However, with all the slander and mockery, we find that there are many distinguished personalities that promote the reading of the Bible. In Fred Heeren’s book, “Show Me God” we can read about the religious convictions of many respected scientists. For example, there is Robert Boyle, the chief founder of modern chemistry. He was the first scientist to make a distinction between a mixture and a compound. Basically he turned alchemy into chemistry, and is the originator of what is now known as “Boyle’s Law." This law, a fundamental principle of gases, states that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure. Mr. Boyle gave large portions of his income for Bible translation work so that God’s Word would be available in the native language for those who did not have it.9
Another example is Sir Francis Bacon, the father of the “scientific method” of reasoning. In order to find truth, he advised two steps: first, the elimination of common prejudices (which he called idols) and second, the application of his famous “scientific method.” This method of induction involves observation, hypothesis and experimentation. Being a student of the Scriptures, Francis Bacon once wrote: “No one should maintain that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the book of God’s Word or in the book of God’s works; divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both.”10
Given the above discussions relative to the various organizations and individuals that have and are persecuting and criticizing the Bible verses those in support of the Bible, the question to be asked is; “What is the purpose of reviewing all this?” Perhaps put another way; “What is the point?” Actually, there are two points to be made.
The first is that in spite of all the attempts to ban it, burn it and stamp it out, the Bible, as compared to other ancient writings, has more surviving manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of ancient literature combined. According to Charles Leache’s book, “Our Bible: How We Got It.”, we read that there are now more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament or portions of the New Testament. Similarly, there are over 10,000 manuscripts in the Latin Vulgate. Thus, in existence today, there are more than 15,300 manuscript copies of the Bible. In comparison, the Iliad by Homer is second with only 643 manuscripts that still remain.11
The second point to be made is that with all the attempts to ridicule, discredit and persecute those who read or promote the reading of the Bible, we still find that the Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book. Encyclopedia Britannica says that by 1966 the whole Bible had appeared in 240 languages and dialects and one or more whole books of the Bible has appeared in 739 additional languages/dialects.12
CONCLUSION
In reflecting upon all what we have just covered, that is: (1) the Bible’s authorship, (2) the circumstances under which it was written and (3) that through all the persecution and mocking, the Bible has not been destroyed but in fact is still read by more people and appears in more languages than any other book, one cannot help but conclude there is something different about the Bible, that is it is certainly unique.
With this in mind, let us now close our study by reflecting upon the truth of what Jesus once said to His disciples as He was preparing them for the tribulation and destruction that was to come upon Israel. We find it in,
Matthew 24:35
"[35]Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Blessed be the Lord forever!
AMEN and AMEN