The hebrew bible was already in existence in many scrolls during the lifetime of jesus as the torah, the prophets, and the writings, though not brought together as a single group, but studied together and with commentaries that became the talmud r. Unlike other religious writings, the bible reads as a factual news account of real events, places, people, and dialogue. Some of the authors wrote one book, some wrote several. It is a simplistic translation of the original languages of the bible. Its words point unerringly to christ, whose work on the cross was ordained by godthe true author of.
One person who most assuredly did not write the kjv, although he had been long rumored to have done so, is william shakespeare. The earliest writing began when symbols were scratched or pressed on clay tablets. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy and job were recorded by moses. Some men were used to write more than one book of the bible. The bible is the holy scripture of the christian religion, purporting to tell the history of the earth from its earliest creation to the spread of christianity in the first century a. The bible was written over a period of several hundred years. About the best that can be said for that notion is that if god really did write the bible through a millenniumlong sequence of various authors, he was certainly doing it the hard way. The dead sea scrolls contained old testament scripture dating 1,000 years older than any manuscripts we had. I am finishing up the process now and i broke it down into 3 categories. It is a library of 66 books which were written by a variety of authors from the time of moses until the book of revelation which was probably written sometime between 80 and 120ad.
As mentioned, it did not take a full 1,500 years to write the bible. Despite forty authors writing from three continents over nearly two thousand years, it maintains a perfect consistency of message. P recisely 451 years after the june 19, 1566, birth of king james i of england, one achievement of his reign still stands above the rest. Because it s thin, you will experience some show through, just as you would from bible paper, but each journal contains 480 pages. Because its thin, you will experience some show through, just as you would from bible paper, but each journal contains 480 pages. Did illuminated texts take substantially more time to create. Therefore, the bible was written down after long periods, its words are not reliable. The sixtysix books that make up the bible were written over a span of approximately 1,500 years. History of the bible who wrote the bible why its reliable.
Moses was the first person to write portions of scripture while john, the disciple of jesus, was the last. The new testament was written in about 40 years, after the death and resurrection of christ. The contemporary american slang used in the translation deviates. There was a 400year gap, for instance, between malachi, the last book of the old testament, and the gospel of matthew that starts the new testament. Wycliffes bible is the name now given to a group of bible translations into middle english that were made under the direction of john wycliffe.
Why did the writers of the new testament wait so long before writing about the events of jesus. God wanted different people to write at different points in history so we could see his plan for the world. The spirit of god did not inspire anyone to write any new scripture during the 400 years of silence. And one of its most remarkable qualities is the complete unity of the overall message despite having so many different authors writing over many centuries on hundreds of controversial subjects. This is a more accurate description of what the bible isa collection of many books, like a. Posted by theosophical ruminator under apologetics, bible, historical jesus, theology 11 comments our earliest canonical gospel, mark, was probably written sometime in the early or mid50s, approximately 2025 years after jesus ascended to heaven. Surprisingly, the first old testament book recorded, in time sequence, was not by moses but by job. Using the writers own writing styles and personalities, god shows us who he is and. Throughout the bible, it is obvious that god is being quoted. Even though the men were so different and the bible took so long to write, the bible presents the same storyits all about gods plan to save the world through his son, jesus. And yet, though many of the authors never met each other, they all wrote about a unified theme. Thirdly, it cannot be proven that the catholic church is solely responsible for the gathering and selection of the new testament books. Scholars have developed their own take on who wrote the bibles first five. We dont know exactly when the books of the bible were written, but we can, through crossreferencing external sources, determine when the historical figures in the bible lived.
How long did it take to write the old testament, from the time of the first book to the authoring of its final chapter. What does the bible say about how long did it take to. The king james bible, published in 1611, was englands authorized version of the bible translated from the original hebrew and greek languages into english at the request of king james i of england. How long did it take a medieval european scribes to copy. There is no evidence that shakespeare participated in the project, and, while both his works and the kjv are among the greatest literary feats of all time, his elaborate metaphorheavy style and that of the kjv which. To me, looseleaf is the worst option for what you want to do. Charging the bible was the result of oral transmission, claiming, writing did not exist in the days of abraham and moses. They appeared over a period from approximately 82 to 95.
Its writers lived at different times and came from many walks of life. The bible is not a book but a library biblios of 66 books. The bible was written over a span of 1500 years, by 40 writers. Why did it take so long for the church to write about jesus. Why didnt they write the events down as they were happening. The bible we know today took a long journey through many eras, communities, and places before it became the sacred text we recognize today. This does not mean it took 1,500 solid years of writing to. It has decidedly affected our language and thought categories, and although produced in england for english. Say a bible since those were fairly common and a relatively consistent length. Why did it take so long to write the bible after jesuss.
Since we know that moses was about 120 when he died, he wrote most of those books in the last 40 years of his. So lets start at the beginning of this fascinating story. If you write out the entire bible on looseleaf, the bound book wont be in signatures and wont open flat the way a book should. The egyptians refined this technique and developed an early form of writing. Even if the gospels, for example, were written before 50 a. The word bible comes from the greek word biblia, which means books. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy. Apr 17, 2008 what king james did was commission a translation of the books of the bible, not write the bible itself. As you are probably aware, the bible is not just one book. The catholic church did not give the world the bible. These bible translations were the chief inspiration and chief cause of the lollard movement, a pre reformation movement that rejected many. Even though the men were so different and the bible took so long to write, the bible presents the same storyits all about gods plan.
Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy which are called the pentetuch. Dec 16, 2012 well the bible is about 800,000 words long and the average person reads 250300 words per minute, so it would take about 3,200 minutes or 54 hours. In fact, they theorize the bible is a collection of neareast mythology. Apr 28, 2010 the commissioning of the king james bible took place in 1604 at the hampton court conference outside of london. As for the purpose of the gospel accounts, see the four gospels. The history of the bible, animated national geographic duration. Why was the new testament not written right after jesus time. If you do about 3 to 4 chapters a day you can do it in a year.
We are committed to providing the bible in accurate, contemporary translations and formats so that more people around the world will have the opportunity to be transformed by jesus christ. The famous dead sea scrolls, which contain most of the books of the hebrew bible, date to 408 bc to 300 a. Feb 16, 2009 the bible was written over a period of several hundred years. As to the time, please understand that gospels do not mention when they were written. Another important issue concerning the writing of the book of genesis concerns when it was written. How was the bible distributed before the printing press. One scroll found in the dead sea caves was of particular importance. Why was the new testament not written right after jesus. The books of the bible were written at different times by different authors over a. The books of the bible were written at different times by different authors over a period of approximately 1,500 years. How long was a year in the bible during the time of genesis.
While writing out a bible is in itself a prodigious feat of handwriting, it should be recognized that the monks did much more in order to bring their treasured books into existence. God used moses to write the first five books of the bible. Most biblical scholars believe the book of genesis was the first book to be written down. How long did it take a medieval european scribes to copy a. Either way, the common consensus is that the writing of the books of the bible began some time after 1500 bc, and concluded prior to 100 ad. Dear holly, the bible was written over a period of at least 1,600 years, although no one really knows for sure. How long did it take for the temple in jerusalem to be rebuilt. Why did it take 3540 years after the ressurection and ascension of jesus to begin to write the gospels or the new testament. From christianity today, provides over 1,000 unique, downloadable bible studies for personal, small.
Well the bible is about 800,000 words long and the average person reads 250300 words per minute, so it would take about 3,200 minutes or 54 hours. Even what king james had in his day was translated into latin. We get that number by adding up the number of years from before the time of moses, to just after the apostle john finished the book of revelation. The first five books of the bible are attributed to moses and are commonly called the pentateuch literally five. The bible was written over about 1,500 years from 1400 bc to ad 90. The commissioning of the king james bible took place in 1604 at the hampton court conference outside of london. Plus, after the twelfth century they usually had fairly extensive glosses. The bible was not written in one specific year or in a single location. But that is not to say that it took 1,500 years to write the bible, only that it took that long for the complete canon of scripture to be penned as god progressively.
In fact, the bible is a miniature library of 66 books. We get that number by adding up the number of years from before the time of moses, to just after. At the time, other english bibles existed, but king james did not like the most popular translation, the geneva bible, because he felt that some of. The bible in contemporary language is a highly idiomatic translation of the bible by eugene h. But moses was only one of some 40 people whom god used to. It was a scroll of the book of isaiahfrom which only a few words were missing. These bible translations were the chief inspiration and chief cause of the lollard movement, a prereformation movement that rejected many of the distinctive teachings of the roman catholic. But moses was only one of some 40 people whom god used to write the bible. The message is a personal paraphrase of the bible in english by peterson from the original languages. There was a 400year gap, for instance, between malachi, the last book of the old testament, and the gospel.
Most of them we know, but there are anonymous writers too. The bible is a collection of writings, and the earliest ones were set down nearly 3500 years ago. But these dates come from their lack of belief in the bible. This is a more accurate description of what the bible isa collection of many books, like a library. Suffice it to say, this kind of writing success is without parallel in its. But that is not to say that it took 1,500 years to write the bible, only that it took that long for the complete canon of scripture. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed its authenticity. Jun 19, 2017 p recisely 451 years after the june 19, 1566, birth of king james i of england, one achievement of his reign still stands above the rest. This does not mean it took 1,500 solid years of writing to complete the bible. What king james did was commission a translation of the books of the bible, not write the bible itself. It didnt take the full 1,500 years to write the bible. Biblica, the international bible society, is a worldwide ministry that has been helping people read and understand gods word for over 200 years.
Keep in mind, the dead sea scrolls were found in 1948, and the king james bible was translated into english in 1611. Very few people over the 2,000 some years since the last original work was finished speak hebrew or greek. The bible refers to itself as the word of god dozens of times e. Youd think that, but the bible as the unit we currently think of today is actually a relatively recent invention coming from the thirteenth century.
The bible was written over a period of about 1400 years. Most people have heard that up until the time of johannes guttenberg in 1455, bibles and all other books were produced by hand, generally by the members of monasteries and other religious foundations. As for the actual historical evidence regarding who wrote the bible. It consists of the 39 books of the hebrew scriptures, called by many the old testament, and the 27 books of the christian greek scriptures, often called the new testament. When did moses write, or compile, the book of genesis. Feb 18, 2016 262 videos play all bible questions and answers finis j. These bible writers wrote as they were inspired by the holy spirit see 2 timothy 3.
If moses was the author or compiler of the events in genesis then the book was written during his lifetime. Don stewart when did moses write, or compile, the book of genesis. It is modernday skeptics, claiming to be bible scholars, who assign dates to the gospels that are often long after the actual events. God wanted different people to write at different points in history so we could see his plan for. Americas meat obsession wont change soon, but some experts. How long did it take a medieval european scribes to copy a book. About how long would it take to hand write the bible answers. In fact, it can be shown that the new testament books were gathered into one volume and were in circulation long before the catholic church claims to have taken its action in 390 at the council of hippo. Moses is credited for the first five books of the old testament. So the oldest biblical text we found is about 2700 years old. But that is not to say that it took 1,500 years to write the bible, only that it took that long for the complete canon of scripture to be penned as god progressively revealed his word. For most of its long history, the bible was copied by hand.
Apr 01, 2011 among all the books ever written, the bible is absolutely unique. When israel actually did fall with the babylonian conquest and. The king james version remains one of the greatest landmarks in the english tongue. Ironically, the inventor of the most mportant invention in history never profited from his invention and died in poverty though the proceeds from the sale of just one single leaf from his bible in todays market would have provided gutenberg with enough money to live out his last years comfortably. The earliest hebrew scripts which were the written form of a long, long oral tradition that eventually became the torah the first five books of the bible were written around 900bc, and the tenakh the earliest hebrew bible was compiled around 400bc. For example, john was a fisherman and luke was a doctor.
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