Lesson 1: The Bible

What exactly is the Bible? 

The Bible is a compilation of 66 "books".  There are 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.  They aren’t really “books” the way we think of it. Some are letters. Some are poetry. Many are historical accounts of important events. We believe that the authors of each of these books were inspired by God.  Most of them acknowledge that inspiration directly in the text.  

The Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament are called “The Gospels” and they are the biography of Jesus as told from the authors’ point of view and in context of the intended audience.  This is why the books of  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John agree on the main events but offer different commentary on the life of Jesus.

Who Wrote the Bible?
The Bible is a diverse work in itself. It was written by over 40 different people. Moses is credited with writing the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The Prophets are credited with writing the books that bear their names. Paul is credited with writing nearly a third of the New Testament with his letters to the various churches.
  

 
That is correct but out of context.  Only those manuscripts that were inspired by God were included. So unless you said, “God told me to write this” or it was pretty clear by the content that God inspired the author to write it, it was not included in the Holy Bible. But that wasn’t the only criteria...  

The manuscripts needed to have been written between 250 BC and 100 AD.  Why? Well, to avoid any fabrication or fables.  There were manuscripts written much later that did not accurately align with the testimony and writings of those who were actually alive when Jesus was alive so those writings were  considered hearsay and not included. 

The accepted manuscripts also needed to align with Non-Christian historical accounts.  For example, Jocephus, a Jewish Historian, wrote about how people were going nuts over this guy named Jesus. How Jesus had people mesmerized by some kind of magic.  That non-Christian historical account lines up with all the followers of Jesus and the miracles they witnessed.  Additionally, the Roman government has documentation that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.  Crucifixion was a common punishment at that time. It wasn’t just something done to Jesus for our benefit.  

The Bible provides us with history, literature, prophecy, meaningful poetry and illustration, and life wisdom.  The Bible is considered “a lamp to our feet and a light for our path”  because it guides the way we live our lives as Christians. 

If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me on the website: www.kamryadams.com  on the "Connect" page.