How Was The Bible Put Together?

There exist other writings that claim to be inspired by the gods, stories of creation, divinely inspired… but the book you have in front of you is unique among them all. The bible we have today is validated by actual history (esp. archaeological findings).

The records of lives and events within it read like real people with details, customs, cultural anomalies, geographic references, etc. you simply don’t find in other writings… the Koran, the Buddhist and Hindu scriptures, the myths of Greece and pagan Europe.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 its purpose and intent is to show us  how to live à give us a goal, a reason to persevere, something to hope for à provides internal proofs of its own validity

Where Does The Book Get Its Authority?

1.      NOT: that it is old and ancient/ that it is informative or helpful (it is all these things but that is not the reason why)

2.      YES: it is the revealed will of God / what He wants us to know

The bible (OT/NT) is a document composed over a period of 1600 years. The first portions dating back to 1400 B.C. through to 90 A.D. It has been composed by multiple authors working together over many centuries with a consistent theme and purpose. These writers acted as human agents moved and directed by God through His holy spirit

Multiple periods of  editorial organization went in to producing the ever expanding revelation. The final editing period was probably Ezra (scribe/priest) about 450 B.C. Moses is the first, another possible is Samuel.

Romans 3:1-4 Around 90 A.D. the council of Jemmia recognized the scripture we now call the OT as the valid text and an official “content” for the OT was written into history. But this was really a ratification or confirmation of what had already come to be generally accepted.

1.      Matt 5:18 Jesus affirms the text was faithfully transmitted (mention techniques used)

2.      Luke 24:44 acknowledges the three part division (sort of table of contents) of the OT

3.      Also, OT extensively quoted by JC and aposltles

What About Official NT Documents? When?

In 397 the Synod of Carthage confirmed as official the 27 books we now know as the NT (that would be the greek speaking orthodox church, which later split into the catholic and the orthodox groups).

Clearly, the NT also is a collection of writings from multiple authors and was put together by some sort of editor or editorial team. But who? Who gave them the authority? Etc. There are two main theories. First the weak one that most people actually seem to prefer:

1.      The NT was put together through a gradual process of sifting and evaluating hundreds of available documents and letters, deciding which were the best… a couple hundred years. The main weakness is that it falls prey to accusations of personal/political agendas driving the project. (feminists for ex). The idea being that the strongest group (not necessarily the right group) won out and forced their stamp upon the western world… we’re right because we won. People continually keep trying to resurrect the supposed alternate version of the church’s writings (nag hammadi, the davinci code etc).
2 Thess 2:1-2 Paul predicted that this very thing would happen.

2.      Now the one I prefer (also UCG)… that the apostles themselves (paul, peter, john) decided the final form and content of the NT.  With John himself finishing the task and distributing the 27 book collection among the church.

Neither view has definitive proof.  The first view that the NT was developed gradually is based on fallible human reasoning, biased history and very scanty evidence (if any). The second view, that the content of the NT was decided by the ones who wrote it…. Is based on the scriptures themselves. Although there is not much to go on what we do have from scripture itself is a much more satisfying answer.

2 Peter 3:16  Peter, during his own lifetime,  speaks of Paul’s writings as scripture… “the scriptures” in the same category as the OT scriptures themselves.

Paul’s role: 2 Tim 4:13  this would be a strange request unless Paul was asking for copies of various letters to select from among them. For example Col 4:16 refers to a letter that was left out… so clearly some selection appears to have taken place. Presumably Paul’s selections were passed along to Peter and later to John.

2 Peter 1:12,15 how else could Peter ensure that the had a reminder of “these things” after his death?

Matt 24:35 Jesus words were to be preserved

Rev 22:18-19 John finished and distributed the complete 27 book collection to the church warning them not to take away of add to it.

The 397 Synod of Carthage was merely confirming as official (for the secular record) that  this very collection John distributed is the authoritative bible.