The Bible. Over 5 billion copies printed, But what is the Bible? Who wrote the Bible?

What Does the Word “Bible” Mean?

Our English word “Bible” is derived from the Koine Greek word biblia, coming down through its representations, first in Latin, then in Old French to Koine Greek.

The history of the Koine Greek word biblia is that, in ancient times, the Greek word bublos (later, biblos) referred to a common writing material called “papyrus” from Egypt. The papyrus writing material was manufactured from the papyrus plant which grew abundantly in Egypt.

Ultimately, the Greek word biblos came to mean a “papyrus scroll” or “book.” From biblos came the diminutive form, biblion, just as “booklet” meaning “little book” is a diminutive form of the word “book.”

The Greek word biblia is really the plural of biblion and it means “little books,” and hence our English word “Bible” for a collection of books.

How Old is the Bible?

The human race began when God, the Creator of all that exists outside of Himself, created the first human pair, namely, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve.

Now in what follows, the abbreviation B.C. means “before Christ” and refers to the years before Christ, who is one of the three members of the Godhead (God), was born in human flesh as a baby boy named Jesus.

Note that the way we reference the collection of books that make up the Bible is known as Bible notation. As it is, each book in the Bible consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. For example, the Bible notation “Acts 14:17” refers to the book of Acts, the 14^th chapter, and the 17^th verse of Chapter 14.

So, according to the Bible, the names of these three divine Persons in the Godhead are “the Father” (Matthew 11:27), “the Son” (Psalm 2:12) also called Christ (Matthew 1:1), and “the Holy Spirit.” Psalm 51:11.

The Godhead can just be referred to as “God” as the Bible does, since they are a single divine Family who never contradict each other. In other words, the Godhead speaks with one voice.

The abbreviation A.D. refers to the Latin phrase Anno Domini which means “in the year of [our] Lord.” So, the year 1 A.D. was meant to represent the year that Christ was born on earth, however, it was later discovered that Christ was born earlier in about 5 B.C.

From the data given in the Bible, Adam and Eve were created in approximately 3958 B.C. and, as of the year 2022 (properly known as 2022 A.D.), this was 3958 B.C. + 2022 A.D. = 5,980 years ago.

As Adam and Eve had children, and their children had children and so on, the number of people on the earth grew.

And it was about 1485 B.C. (1485 B.C. + 2022 A.D. = 3,507 years ago) that the oldest books of the Bible, Genesis and Job, were written. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, was written in approximately 95 A.D., which is 2022 A.D. – 95 A.D. = 1,925 years ago.

So, we come to the answer to the question, How old is the Bible? The Bible is about 3,500 years old if we count from when the first books, Genesis and Job, were written. On the other hand, if we count from when the last book, Revelation, was written, the Bible is approximately 1,900 years old.

Who Wrote the Bible?

As we have seen, the Bible was written over a period of about 1,600 years, from about 1485 B.C. to 95 A.D. But even though we can name about 40 human authors of the Bible, it is true that God Himself is the Author of the Bible.

How is this so? Well, the Bible gives us the answer and so we will look at what the Bible says. First, you should understand that there is a small section of the Bible, namely, “the ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28) given in the 17 verses of Exodus 20:1-17, of which Moses, who was a leader of ancient Israel, spoke.

Moses said, “And the LORD [God] delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD [God] spake [spoke] with you [Israel] in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly [of Israel].” Deuteronomy 9:10. So, we see then that God wrote those 17 verses Himself.

And further the Bible says, “All scripture [the Bible] is given by inspiration of God.” 2 Timothy 3:16.  For “holy men of God spake [spoke and wrote] as they were moved by the Holy Ghost [the Holy Spirit, one of the three members of the Godhead].” 2 Peter 1:21.

For example, the prophet, Jeremiah, said, “Then I [Jeremiah] said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay [could not refrain from speaking God’s words].” Jeremiah 20:9.

That is to say, when the human authors, who were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, and at least one farmer, shepherd, and doctor, wrote, their God-inspired words recorded God’s thoughts in their own human language. For what was written “came not in old time by the will of man [by the will of any human being].” 2 Peter 1:21.

In other words, God so guided the human authors that everything what God wanted to say was written, and nothing was written that God did not intend to say. Note that God did not dictate word for word to the human authors what God wanted to say, but these authors wrote under the inspiration (influence) of God.

Hence, we find that God is quoted over 400 times in the Bible with the words “Thus saith the Lord.” Exodus 4:22. And, thus, the Bible refers to itself 45 times as “the word of God” (1 Samuel 9:27) and infers that it proceeds from the mouth of God in Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4.

This accounts for the remarkable unity of thought and themes that are woven throughout the entire Bible from its beginning to its end.

List of Books of the Bible and Their Human Authors

• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy – Moses
• Joshua – Joshua
• Judges, Ruth, 1st Samuel – Samuel (First 24 chapters), Nathan and Gad (Last 6 chapters)
• 2nd Samuel – Nathan and Gad
• 1^st and 2^nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles – Author Unknown
• Ezra, Nehemiah – Ezra
• Esther – Either Ezra, Nehemiah, or Mordecai
• Job – Job himself, his descendants, or others who knew Job personally (First 37 chapters) and Moses (Last 5 chapters)
• Psalms – 73 psalms attributed to David, 11 to Korah, 12 to Asaph, 1 to Heman, 1 to Ethan, 2 to Solomon, 1 to Ezra, 1 to Moses.
• Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Solomon – Solomon
• Isaiah – Isaiah
• Jeremiah – Jeremiah and possibly Baruch (Last chapter)
• Lamentations – Jeremiah
• Ezekiel – Ezekiel
• Daniel – Daniel
• Hosea – Hosea
• Joel – Joel
• Amos – Amos
• Obadiah – Obadiah
• Jonah – Jonah
• Micah – Micah
• Nahum – Nahum
• Habakkuk – Habakkuk
• Zephaniah – Zephaniah
• Haggai – Haggai
• Zechariah – Zechariah
• Malachi – Malachi
• Matthew – Matthew
• Mark – Mark
• Luke – Luke
• John – John
• Acts of the Apostles – Luke
• Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews – Paul
• James – James, a half-brother of Jesus Christ
• 1st and 2nd Peter – Peter
• 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John – John
• Jude – Jude, a half-brother of Jesus Christ
• Revelation – John

What is the Bible?

As was said before, the Bible is a collection of books—66 books in all. It has two divisions, namely, the Old Testament (the first 39 books) followed by the New Testament (the remaining 27 books).

There are many types of literature/content in the Bible as shown below with some corresponding example books of the Bible:

• Laws – Leviticus, Numbers
• History – 1^st and 2^nd Samuel, Ezra, Acts, Revelation
• Poetry – Job, Psalms
• Prophecy – Isaiah, Revelation
• Apocalyptic Writing (Predicting the End of the World)– Daniel, Zephaniah, Revelation
• Biographies – Matthew, John
• Letters (Epistles) – Romans, Ephesians, Titus
• Songs – Psalms, Song of Solomon
• Wisdom Sayings – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
• Narrative – The thousands of stories all throughout the Bible
• Prose – Genesis
• Genealogies (Family Trees) – Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Matthew
• Simile (A Figure of Speech in Which Two Unlike Things are Compared) – Psalms, Luke, 1 Peter
• Metaphor (A Figure of Speech Where a Word or Phrase’s Ordinary Meaning is Changed) – Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, John
• Symbolism (The Practice of Attributing Special Meaning to Objects, Events, Relationships, etc.) – Jeremiah, Daniel, Revelation
• Types (A Symbolic Prophecy Pointing to Its Future Fulfillment, the Antitype) – Genesis, 1^st and 2^nd Samuel
• Hyperbole (An Exaggeration Used as a Figure of Speech) – Deuteronomy, Matthew
• Idiom (A Peculiar Expression of a Given Language) – Job, Daniel, Acts
• Personification (A Figure of Speech Where Inanimate Objects or Abstractions are Given Human Qualities) – Genesis, Judges, Habakkuk
• Parables (A Short Story with a Moral Lesson) – Mark, Luke

As you can see from the list above, more than one type of literature and content often occur in a single book of the Bible. Thus, while the Bible is easy to read, in order to understand it and to have a correct interpretation of the Bible, we must depend on God who is its Author.

A Brief Summary of the Bible

The Bible begins with the record of the creation by God of the earth, of what is perhaps our solar system, and of the human race. All was love, joy, peace, and harmony on earth when Adam and Eve were created, for they both had a character of perfect love just like God’s character of love.

However, sin, which is evil and wrongdoing, entered the earth when Adam and Eve rebelled against God through the temptations of an angel named Satan.

Who is Satan? He is an angel that had earlier, before Adam and Eve were created, sinned by rebelling against God. Satan also caused some of the other angels in heaven to join him in his rebellion. And because of Satan and His evil angels’ wickedness, God cast them all out of heaven pending God’s Judgment Day.

Thus, began the history of the conflict in the universe between perfect love and its evil opposite, selfishness. In the face of all this, God promised to send Christ as a Deliverer from sin to the earth. “For the wages of sin is [eternal] death [which is to be annihilated by God]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Sin became so widespread and entrenched on earth that God had no choice but to destroy every human being on earth (except for eight people) as well as land animals and birds, in a worldwide flood.

After the flood, sin once again spread across the whole earth and, in response, God chooses a godly man named Abraham to preserve a knowledge of God on earth. To Abraham, God promised that Christ, when born in human flesh, would be a descendant of his.

Out of Abraham’s descendants, God raises up the nation of Israel to the same calling from God as that which God gave to Abraham. Thus, Israel was to be a light of the knowledge of God in the midst of a world in the darkness of sin, and the nation through whom Christ, the Deliverer from sin, would come to the earth.

So then, the Old Testament gives the history from creation in approximately 3958 B.C. up to the spiritual condition of nation of Israel in about 410 B.C. Essentially though, Israel failed to be a light to the world and to point people to Christ, the promised Deliverer from sin.

The New Testament picks up the story in about 5 B.C. some 400 years after the end of the Old Testament. It begins with the record of the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection (the raising from the dead to life again), and ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven.

After this comes the early history of the Christian church which was established by Christ and the record of how the good news about Christ was spread throughout Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), Greece, and all the Roman Empire. Next in the Bible comes a number of letters to churches and individuals concerning righteousness.

And the last book of the Bible, Revelation, spans the beginning of the rebellion in heaven up to a foretelling of what will happen before the end of the world when all the wicked are annihilated. Lastly, the Bible ends with the righteous going to heaven, followed by God setting up His throne on earth among the righteous forever.

The Bible Contains God’s Description of Himself

God reveals Himself to humanity in the Bible in which God says, “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. “He [God,]…his work is perfect: for all his [God’s] ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity [without wickedness], just and right is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4. From its beginning to its end, the Bible speaks of the infinite God.

The Bible Records God’s Dealings with Humanity

All of God’s dealings with humanity can be known from the Bible. God says to all humanity, “Thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer [the God who bought the human race back from slavery to sin and Satan] the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5.

“He [God] maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45. “He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35.

The Main Theme of the Bible

The central theme of the whole Bible is as follows: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [Christ], that whosoever believeth in him [Christ] should not perish [should not be annihilated by God], but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

“For we [the human race] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10.

That is, God is He “who will render to every man [to every human being] according to his deeds.” Romans 2:6.

The Central Character of the Bible

Jesus Christ is the central character of the Bible. He is represented all throughout the Bible in every type of literature and content in the Bible.

The coming of Jesus Christ to the world was foretold in the Old Testament and the New Testament records the fulfillment of this prophecy.

In summary, one of God’s prophets wrote in the Old Testament, “In the year that king Uzziah died I [the prophet, Isaiah,] saw also the Lord [Christ] sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train [the tail of His robe] filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims [a kind of angel]: each one had six wings; with twain [two] he covered his face, and with twain [two] he covered his feet, and with twain [two] he did fly.” Isaiah 6:1, 2.

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3.

And one of Christ’s disciples wrote in the New Testament, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of [Christ] the Word of life; (For the life [of Christ] was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew [show] unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us [Christ’s disciples]).” 1 John 1:1, 2.

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship [have friendship and intimate companionship] with us [Christ’s disciples]: and truly our fellowship [our friendship and intimate companionship] is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3.

The Bible Teaches Humanity How to Become Righteous

Righteousness, that is to say, holiness, is God’s ideal for the human race. Hence, God says, “For by grace [by the blessings of God’s unmerited favour] are ye saved [from annihilation by God] through faith [in Christ as a Deliverer from sin]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest [so as to prevent any possibility that] any man [any human being] should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9.

“For we [human beings] are his [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

The Bible Contains God’s Promises to Humanity

Here is one of the hundreds of God’s promises in the Bible: “Fear thou not; for I [God] am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee [morally]; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee [in my ways of love] with the right hand of my righteousness [which is Christ].” Isaiah 41:10.

In this promise, God says that He will not leave us on our own to battle with Satan’s temptations and with our inborn inward corruption by evil. Wonderful promise that we have God’s help as we seek to be righteous!

The Bible Contains Prophecies by God

Here are God’s word pictures painted in prophecies that should cheer the heart of every human being.

God says, “And I [John, Christ’s disciple] saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle [the dwelling place] of God is with men [with the human race on earth], and he [God] will dwell with them, and they shall be his [God’s] people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:2, 3.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4.

Related Blog Posts

The Love of God
The Ultimate Servant
Your Spiritual Journey with God

For Further Study

• Bible Study Principles
• Victory in Christian Warfare
• Know Your Bible in 50 Days: A Guide to All 66 Books

There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Image: Aaron Burden at unsplash.com.