What is the Bible? Is it just a collection of good old tales? Or is it the written word of God?
I was told, the Bible contains the true word of God because, well, it says so in the Bible. "If the Bible says it, that settles it." In the cult I was raised in, the Bible was the primary resource. However, I was made to believe that only ordained individuals could ever understand the mystery of God's words revealed in the Bible. So I never cared to read it. Coming out of religious abuse, I didn't know what to make of the Bible. So, I looked for answers and started with some factual information:
The Bible is a compilation of various texts written over many centuries. It is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament, which consists of 39 individual books. The New Testament consists of 27 individual books, giving the Bible 66 books in total written over 2000 years. The Bible is traditionally attributed to around 40 different authors, including Moses, King David, Solomon, and various prophets and apostles. It was originally written in several languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew, while parts of Daniel and Ezra were written in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek. The Bible has been translated into numerous languages, making it one of the most widely translated and read books in human history. It contains various literary genres, including historical narratives, poetry (e.g., Psalms and Proverbs), prophecies (e.g., Isaiah and Jeremiah), letters (e.g., the Epistles in the New Testament), and apocalyptic literature (e.g., the Book of Revelation).
There are around 6000 New Testament manuscripts dated around the 1st century (50-100 A.D). The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure. The earliest copies are dated around the 2nd century. That's a timespan of less than 100 years from the original to the earliest copies. The earliest copies were written while eyewitnesses were still alive. To put things into perspective: Homer's Iliad has over 643 copies, is rated with 95% accuracy, and is dated in 900 B.C. The earliest copies date from around 400 B.C., which is a timespan of around 500 years from the original to the first copies. There are thousands more New Testament Greek manuscripts than any other ancient writing. In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000. The New Testament contains a collection of gospels that claim to be reliable eyewitness accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Many archeological discoveries support the gospel accounts. Likewise, several ancient external resources support the claims of the New Testament writers. Even historians who are critics take the gospels to be written history.
The Bible did not create Christianity. In other words, Christianity does not exist because of the Bible. Christianity existed over 300 years before the Bible even existed. We can reasonably assert that St. Jerome compiled what can be considered the earliest widely circulated version of the Bible around the year 400 CE. In this manuscript, he included all 39 books of the Old Testament and all 27 books of the New Testament, and they were all in the Latin language. It was also around that time that people referred to the compilation of books as " Ta Biblia", meaning "the books". Before the Old and New Testaments were combined and titled "the Bible", Christianity was already the state religion.
One common objection is that the Bible cannot be accurate, since the original copies are gone and the Bible is a product of the telephone game. This implies that the transmission of the Bible is similar to the game - a message gets passed from one person to another, and by the time it gets to the last person, the original message turns into a bunch of nonsense. But that's not at all how the Bible was transmitted. For instance, a teacher gives the task of copying a paragraph on the blackboard to a class of 30 students. Later on, the teacher clears the blackboard, erases the text (the original is gone), and asks the students to take and copy another student's copy. The teacher then asks the students to repeat this process 10 times. Now, the copies of copies may contain minor errors, like spelling, punctuation, grammar errors, etc. But it would still be possible to reconstruct the original using all the copies. The Dead Sea Scrolls have proven the copies to be very accurate and very close to the original.
Another objection people raise is regarding the many translations of the Bible. While it is true that the Bible is the most translated book in history, this objection falls flat. Christians have been translating the Scriptures from the very beginning. The Old Testament was translated into Greek even before the time of the New Testament. The New Testament itself contains verses from the Hebrew Bible translated into Greek. Christians have always believed that the inspired word of God can be translated into other tongues while remaining the sacred and authoritative word of God. The vast majority of translations have been direct, independent translations from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The translations we have now are not translations from translations from translations.
Textual criticism is a method used to analyze ancient texts, like manuscripts or old documents, to determine the most accurate or original version. It involves comparing different copies of the same text to identify and correct errors or discrepancies that might have occurred during copying, transmission, or translation. By examining variations among these texts, textual critics aim to reconstruct the most authentic and reliable version of the original text. This process helps to understand the historical context and ensure accuracy in interpreting ancient writings. This discipline has been carefully applied by scholars throughout centuries to preserve the reliability of the Bible.
The largest problem, however, is the many ways people see and interpret the Bible. Some spiritual leaders, especially in religious cults, use the Bible and its authority to deceive and control people. One common way people misuse the Bible is by reading isolated verses and giving them their individual meaning and application. This can even be a danger in evangelical churches. So then, how are we supposed to read the Bible? Biblical hermeneutics is the study of how to interpret and understand the Bible. It involves using methods and principles to comprehend the meaning of biblical texts. Hermeneutics helps us explore the historical, cultural, and linguistic context of the Bible to grasp its intended message and apply it to their lives today.
Exegesis and eisegesis are two different approaches to interpreting texts, including the Bible.
Both approaches are important to understand and apply the message and teachings of the Bible. But the danger is that many people only eisegete scripture. It's easy to miss this mistake, especially for people who don't know what the Bible says. That's why it's important to know what the scriptures say firsthand. Here are some practical tips to apply sound biblical hermeneutics:
1. Never read a Bible verse on its own!
When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use Stephen Langton's (an Archbishop of Canterbury) chapter pattern with divisions. While chapters and verses can be very helpful when studying the Bible, it also makes it easy to isolate certain passages and lose their original meaning. Which leads to the next point:
2. Context is key!
Context is the text that surrounds a passage that clarifies the author's meaning. Context determines the meaning of the text. There can only be one correct meaning - the one the author intended. However, scripture can have different applications. The application is determining how the meaning is relevant to the reader's life. This is important, but figuring out the application should not be the primary goal when reading scripture. The application should only be determined after the meaning has been discovered. Changing the context changes the meaning. Ignoring context altogether increases the chances of error. Determining context forces us to adopt the biblical author's worldview.
3. Learn the history!
The books of the Bible have been written centuries ago. Our culture today is very different from the time the books of the Bible were written. To understand the full meaning of scripture, we have to understand the historical and cultural context of the biblical author's worldview. The language the authors used is very different from our modern language today and the meaning of words has changed over time. This is why going back to the original Hebrew or Greek meaning of a certain word can clarify the text. Rather than viewing scripture through the lens of our Western worldview by asking "How does this text affect me?", we should approach it with a biblical historical worldview and ask: "What is this part of scripture trying to reveal about God or His plan?
4. Read according to genre!
The Bible is a compilation of books with lots of different literary genres. As previously mentioned, it contains historical narrative, prophecy, apocalyptic & wisdom literature, epistles, and poetry. We wouldn't read and interpret a song's lyrics the same as an email. Likewise, we shouldn't read and interpret the book of Psalms the same as the Pauline letters.
5. Pray!
If you're a believer and you are struggling to understand scripture, pray. As Christians, we believe that God speaks to us through His words and that the Holy Spirit is there to guide us. The Holy Spirit does not help us to determine the meaning of a Bible passage, nor does He give us a private or personal meaning of a text, but He illuminates or reveals the meaning that is already there.
The Bible is a book like no other ancient document. There is simply no comparison when it comes to its historicity and the impact it continues to have on people all over the world. The trustworthiness of the historical accounts in the Bible is supported by archaeological evidence, manuscript evidence, eyewitness accounts, and outside sources. If one is being intellectually honest, all the evidence cannot be simply ignored. However, I found that most skeptics are not concerned about the evidence proving the Bible to be reliable, but rather if the Bible is authoritative or true.
Our generation has a problem with authority. Our cultures postmodern view of truth and individualistic approach to authority today makes it harder to believe in an ancient document that includes stories with supernatural elements. We have been desensitized to anything supernatural, yet people crave and long for spiritual things. We live in a time where people believe in the healing powers of crystals, yet refuse to believe in a man, who historically claimed to be God, died, and was raised back to life. For people who have been victims of spiritual abuse, the lack of trust in the Bible is legitimate. Victims of church trauma have to go through the healing process first and address the emotional hurt. It is difficult to look objectively at the evidence and factual information supporting the object that has been used to hurt us. And if you have been a victim of spiritual abuse, I am so sorry that you had to go through that experience! I can assure you, that it gets better. Time heals wounds, but you have to allow the healing to happen. Don't ignore or deny your emotional hurt. Get professional help and go through the healing process. Because like any wound left unaddressed, the hurt can get worse and like an infection, can spread to other areas of our life. Once you can detach from the emotional objections, you will be able to start the process of rebuilding trust look at the arguments and evidence factually, and make informed decisions based on accurate information. It will be easier to set biases aside and not let the emotional hurt cloud your judgment. Additionally, rather than reading the Bible through our personal preferences and imposing our opinions on certain passages in the Bible, being intellectually honest and trying to understand the context and the meaning of the text is key to understanding the overall message of the Bible.
So how can we know that the Bible is reliable? Does the Bible contain the inerrant word of God? Is the Bible true? I like how Dr. Frank Turek answers this:
1) because truth exists, 2) God exists, 3) miracles are possible and 4) the resurrection of Jesus is true, then the Bible, even the stories in the Old Testament can be trusted. Jesus affirmed the Old Testament. And if Jesus predicted His death and accomplished His resurrection, then He can be trusted. The Old Testament creation account in Genesis tells about the beginning of the earth, and science and philosophy affirms the universe had a beginning. Additionally, some archeological and historical discoveries confirm other Old Testament stories. Christians believe that the Bible was written by humans but inspired and guided by God. The reason Christians believe this is because of the ability of the Bible authors to demonstrate an exceptional capacity to accurately foretell future events. These writers made numerous correct predictions regarding historical events decades and centuries before they happened. This consistent ability to predict the future is hard to explain if the knowledge of God didn’t direct it. This is why Christians believe that the Bible isn't just a human-authored book.