Who Wrote The Bible?
Considering the fact that the Bible is the bestselling book of all time with several copies in many homes, one would get diverse responses to the question: Who wrote the Bible? Many Jews, Christians, and Muslims will answer, ‘God’. Others will refer to unnamed, unknown authors of the distant past. Some will refer to multiple authors such as Moses, Daniel, Isaiah, or Ezekiel. Most will probably shake their heads, admit they do not know, and continue with their business of the moment. A few will say: "Who cares?" Despite the fact that it is the most popular book in the world, its contents and structure remain a mystery to a vast majority of those who swear by its supposed message. One is almost forced to wonder whether many people reverence their idea of what the Bible should be, rather than the Bible itself.
Reading the Bible by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1755) Louvre Museum. (Public Domain)
Opiniated Scholars
The question remains: Who wrote the Bible? The study behind this question usually reigns in the rarified atmosphere of theological institutions but has implications far beyond the halls of academia. The Bible and other sacred texts, which have profoundly shaped man’s world view in ways of which one is not even aware, were all compiled by groups of men who had already formed and solidified their ideology. They had a fully formed point of view and an aggressive agenda. They really thought they knew best what should be released to the public and what should be discarded.
In other words, to be as brutally honest as possible, one very well might have been patronized by a religious establishment that long ago lost any claim to accurate historical relevancy. Religion as one knows it, which comprises man’s search for meaning and purpose — the quest for what makes life important — was shaped by opinionated scholars who sincerely claimed they were doing the work of God while secretly, and maybe not fully understanding what they were doing, sought to use religion for their own purposes. Their mission was one of power and control. Decisions about which texts to accept and which to destroy were slanted in a particular direction.
King Hezekiah on his sickbed (Wellcome Images/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
So, in answer to the central question — Who wrote the Bible? — a simple answer is that the Bible is not a single book as much as it is a collection of books.
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Jim Willis is author of several books on religion and spirituality, he has been an ordained minister for over forty years while working part-time as a carpenter, the host of his own drive-time radio show, an arts council director and adjunct college professor in the fields of World Religions and Instrumental Music. He is the author of Faith, Trust, & Belief: A Trilogy of the Spirit,
Top Image: Still life with Bible by Vincent van Gogh (1885) Van Gogh Museum (Public Domain)
By Jim Willis
Comments
Hello Mr. Willis,
I believe in The Bible. I believe in The Verse found in Joshua "As For Me and My House We Will Serve" The Lord. I believe that The Bible is God's word and What The Bible teaches Me is Truth.
On the other hand I realize not everybody believes my way or even Worships God in the manner that I do.
What The Bible comes down to is the fact that The Holy Book is a Book of The Impossible. When and individual picks up a Book any Spiritual Book as a matter of fact whether, it is Buddhism, or Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or Judaism and read the thing's written in Sacred Text then these writings becomes Books of The Impossible. The inifinite change that happens to that person or person's may or may not not occur nevertheless, once a person accepts what they've read from Sacred Text like The Bible as Truth then that individual is saying Yes to the Impossible this is the definition for Me personally for Faith.
The feeling a believer gets when reading his/her Bible is that they are in The Presence of God.
Mr. Willis you did however touched on something in your Article about The Practice of The Church Father's removing Books from The Bible they didn't approve of or felt it was to overwhelming to be In the Holy Book and frankly, I do know for a fact that displeases God very much.
I only recently discovered this phenomenon whereas The Bible is concerned regarding 3 Books in particular Enoch, Jubilees, and Jasher which the latter book I've just mentioned is found in The Book of Joshua (Jasher). I found out about their being expelled from The Bible last year. I do remember hearing about Enoch however when I was 12 from a documentary Mysteries of the Bible later through The History Channel Banned Books of The Bible. Once I heard Enoch's storyline I definitely walked away from it because it wasn't in The Bible and The Book sounded more like Mythology stories then The Holy Bible.
One thing that never gets old as a Christian is having room to grow and recognize how wrong I was. So now I've become and fledgling Bible Student with Enoch and where Faith comes in to Play it is The Holy Spirit guiding me to embark on this journey.
The other point Mr. Willis that I would like to share is in The Gospels. Jesus lived with People and I'm saying PEOPLE because that is what Adam means in Hebrew for 3 in a half year's. In the Gospel of Matthew and The Gospel of Luke Jesus taught that many false Christ, False Messiah's. False Prophet's and False Teacher's shall arise and if they say that Christ is in the desert, The Cellar, or The basement Do Not Believe It for if so They can Deceive The Very Elect! Jesus teaches His Followers to be Shrewd as Serpents don't allow yourself to be so easily Taken In.
In the Epistles of The New Testament written Paul, Peter, James/John&Jude all warn about False Prophet's and False Teacher's so you see not only can something be and Orally given False teaching but, it can be a False Teaching with the Written Record as well Because As Jesus put it They Can Deceive The Very Elect.
If you're like me then you've Mr. Willis probably has heard various Pastor's or Priest give Epic Sermons on the Apostle Didyimus Thomas whom nearly everyone refers to as Doubting Thomas well I myself Will No Longer speak of Thomas using that Nick name instead, I will say Cautious Thomas for that is how I responded to The Bible Book Enoch.
Who can blame him Jesus taught His Disciples well For If So They Can Deceive the Very Elect. It was only after, Christ said You Believe in Me because You Have Seen Me, Blessed are they Who Believe and Yet Have Not Seen Me.
I had to learn that lesson from Cautious Thomas before I myself could say Yes to Enoch.
I became aware back in January of This Year 2020, NBC news caster Lester Holt did a Special report about an Historical Bible in America.
The Book is known as The Slave Bible. What came out in this News Story is that White Men within positions of power made it there mission to change or remove specific Bible passages from The Book one of those books that was omitted is The Exodus.
So as a believer in The Impossible God is still in control there are literally No Doors out there that can keep God Out for He is the ultimate Back up Plans of all kinds.
During The African Experience many things were denied to Us such as an education, but more importantly We were not allowed to Read The Bible. Through the grace of God somehow we Still Knew about The Exodus or else know one would have referred to Harriet Tubman as Moses.
What we couldn't see with our own eyes we preached with our own Ears and Mouth. The most important issue involving The Slaves as much as The People in power wanted Us to supposedly be Saved in their Eyes we weren't savable because Black People didn't have Soul's therefore We couldn't get into Heaven.
I guess this is where the ideologies you brought up in the article comes into play committing Crimes Against Humanity using The Bible as a Shield They will pay for that decision come Judgement Day that much I do know.
This next Biblical commentary will most likely irritate The Scientific World but, I will not leave it out and that is in 1885, The American Bible Society took out words about certain animals and restructured Bible Verses that made known regarding these animals in the scriptures.
The word Dragon was stated in The 35, times, again 35, times that the word Dragon was mentioned. There is no real explanation given why The Bible Society began doing this so all I can offer is a Theory.
God tells Job that He is a brother to Dragons and something to the Owls. Bible Society changed this verse in Job to God is a Brother to Serpents and something to Ostriches. To me it makes no sense the Ostriches the Society could have kept Owls in that same Bible verse but, chose not too.
My Theory is that Yes The Bible is a Book of Faith but, for some reason The People in 1885, had trouble believing in Dragon's because certainly with the exception of a few remote places in The World where some were said to seen these Bible Society couldn't see them.
Which was an bad call on Their part for The Dragon's were being Found; they were simply given a new name in 1841, Dinosauria.
That's right dinosaurs are in The Bible they have six names that identifies the Dragon's.
1. Behemoth is mentioned twice Enoch/Job Sauropods
2. Cockitrice is mentioned 5 time's in the old testament all horned/Spiked dinosaurs
3. Dragon's/Water Dragon's 35, time's old tesament Therapods
4. Fiery Serpents 2 time's old tesament ptersaurs
5. Flying Serpents 5 time's ptersaurs
6. Leviathan Enoch/Job mentioned 6 time's in Old testament pleasosaurs/ Mosaurs
Bible teaches once God created Adam his first job God gave him was too name all of the animals this is a biological inheritance for we as a people name our children, our car's, our houses so we haven't stopped naming thing's.
The 6 names of The Animals in The Bible were all named by Adam. Does this mean there was a Jurassic Park? I would say Yes and leave it at that.
Well it's time for me to go I enjoyed your Article can't wait to read more of your articles I guess what I was trying to say some thing's you stated in your Article I agreed with.
Other points I see the Bible as a Book of the Impossible and whenever reading The Bible it is about placing your Trust in God not necessarily Man's point of view. God will direct you on where to with Him spiritually
Thank you Mr. Willis!