Bible Origin & Content

Christians recognize the Bible as a book that God divinely inspires. At the top level, it is God's description of who he is, who we are, and how he wants us to relate to each other and himself.

The Bible is a collection of ancient books inspired by God and authored by over 40 people spanning more than 44 generations. It's divided into two sections: the Old Testament and New Testament. Authors mostly wrote the Old Testament's 39 books in Hebrew from about 2000 BCE (Before the Common Era, the modern way to notate BC) to 450 BCE. By the time of Christ, they were translated into Greek and called the Septuagint). The New Testament's 27 books are also in Greek, written from about 53 CE (Common Era, same as AD) to 100 CE. The earliest available New Testament manuscripts come from the 2nd or 3rd century. Scholars believe 1 Thessalonians was the first New Testament book written. Mark wrote his gospel first,  followed by Luke and Matthew, and finally John. The New Testament began with various manuscripts and letters that were available to differing degrees among first-century churches. Near the end of the fourth century, Roman Emperor Constantine instructed Bishop Eusebius, to produce 50 complete copies of the Scriptures. His research resulted in the canonization of the 66 books that we still recognize as the inspired word of God: the Bible.

Christians place themselves under the authority of the Bible's 66 books. We don't just grab isolated verses and use them as directives for our lives. Instead, we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us how the verses fit together into God's ultimate plan of redemption and transformation to Christ-likeness. To understand the context of a passage and separate culturally specific or time-specific information from timeless truth, we need to know the history of the times. We believe the Holy Spirit informed all scripture. We believe that God's purpose is to provide all generations a description of who he is, who he designed us to be, and how he wants us to relate with us. Scripture tells of a loving Creator who created us to follow and love him faithfully. The Bible is not a science book. While scripture includes some history, it is also not primarily a history book. It is mainly a library of books about truth and relationships.

There are many excellent versions of the Bible in modern English. I generally start with the New Living Translation (2004) because of its accuracy and readability, especially among people whose first language is not English. The New Revised Standard Version (1989) is somewhat more formal and popular in seminaries. And The Message is an excellent translation in colloquial language by Eugene Peterson.

There are also many support books available to help us study Scriptures in depth. If you remember a word or two from a verse, you can use a Concordance to locate the verse in the Bible. If you want more information on a person or place in the Bible, or even on some basic themes of the Bible, you can find them in a Bible Dictionary such as Unger's. If you want to investigate a specific passage more deeply, you can read a Commentary such as Barclay's, Interpretation, or Word Bible Commentary. Today there are many computer-based resources for biblical study, too.

The objective of this web page is to familiarize you with the various kinds of literature in the Bible. We will do this by sampling some popular Scriptures of each type. In the Old Testament, you will find history, law, wisdom literature, and prophecy. In the New Testament, you will find more history, several letters, and a book of prophecy.

Old Testament Timeline

The Bible is a collection of books that start out in chronological order, but soon become impossible to arrange in order of time.  There are very detailed timelines available from most Bible bookstores, but the following list summarizes the main flow of time. One helpful online source is biblehub.com/timeline/. Below is my version.

Judges

Kings

The Kingdom of Israel divides into two kingdoms

Northern Kingdom (The 10 tribes of Jacob, retain the name "Israel.") 

Southern Kingdom (The 2 tribes, also called "Judah," from which the term "Jew" comes.)

Intertestament Timeline

New Testament Timeline



Reading Samples from the different time periods

Pentateuch sampler (Genesis through Deuteronomy)

1.   What are the lasting effects of The Fall (the sin of Adam and Eve)?  (Gen 3)

2.   Why do you suppose God especially liked Abram and chose him?  (Gen 12.1-9)

3.   Which are the three most challenging commandments for you to keep today? (Ex 20.1-17)

Old Testament history sampler (Joshua through Esther)

1.   Why did the Hebrews want a king?  (1 Sam 8.1-9)

2.   Where did David get his confidence?  What was it that morally outraged David?  Why is it that God seems to choose the least likely person for very big jobs?  (1 Sam 17.3-51)

Old Testament wisdom literature sampler (Job through Song of Solomon)

1.   How can God become your refuge and strength during hard times?  (Ps 46.1-3, 10)

2.   What do you have to do so that the Lord can lead you in whatever is the best direction for you.  (Prov 3.5-6)

3.   Why should you fear God and keep his commandments?  (Eccl 12.13-14)

Old Testament prophesy sampler  (Isaiah through Malachi)

1.   How did Isaiah respond to God’s question?  (Isaiah 6.1-8)

2.   How did Jonah respond to God’s question?  How is it different from Isaiah?  (Jonah 1.1-3)

3.   Who do you suppose Jeremiah means by the Righteous Branch?  (Jer 23.1-6)

New Testament history sampler (Matthew through Acts)

1.   Who does Peter claim that Jesus is?  Does Jesus confirm this claim?  How confident are you that Peter was right?  (Matt 16.13-17)

2.   From the boy’s point of view, what is the primary lesson in this story?  How can you apply this lesson to your life?  (John 6.1-13)

New Testament letters sampler (Romans through 3 John)

1.   What is the relationship between our salvation by faith and the good works God wants us to do?  (Eph 2.8-10)

2.   In Phil 4.4-9, verses 4-7 tell how to receive the peace of God; verses 8-9 tell how to have the God of peace.  Based on the requirements in this Scripture, which is most challenging for you?  Why?

New Testament prophesy sampler (Revelation)

1.   God has promised that he’ll restore the world to be like it was back at creation.  What blessings come with the New Jerusalem?  What part of the new life is most attractive to you?  (Rev 21.1-4)