The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
The Word of God Stands Forever
True Christians believe and accept the Bible as being the supreme authority in all matters relating to their faith in God and His purposes for their lives, and especially in the way they conduct their lives. True Christians also believe the Bible is divinely inspired and absolutely infallible in its teaching. To put it another way, the Bible is the book upon which all true Christians everywhere base their faith and put their trust in a Supreme Being whom we call God.
It will help us as we read this short article if we recognise the Bible for what it is, the greatest Book in the world because its Author is God Himself, and it has the most important message for Mankind that can be found no where else. We also need to realise that it comes to us through divine inspiration, because the Bible originates from Almighty God and the human writers were but His instruments through which He revealed His important message.
“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” – (2 Peter 1:21).
The Bible was originally written in three different languages – Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament mainly in Greek, but some portions were written in the local dialect of Aramaic. It was originally written by about forty different authors – God’s human instruments – over a period of approximately 1,500 to 1,600 years, and was written on three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. These human authors were comprised of statesmen, judges, a king, peasants, prophets, a priest, a cupbearer, fishermen, herdsmen, warriors, a diversity of talent and background, yet a spectacular unity in their writing.
Many Old Testament early manuscripts have been preserved dating back many centuries before Christ; in recent years (especially in the latter half of the 20th Century) valuable ancient manuscripts have been discovered, amongst the most famous being the Dead Sea Scrolls. Likewise, the New Testament has a plethora of preserved manuscripts, some only in part but many complete. Many fragments of the New Testament dating back to AD120 are in existence, and thanks to the meticulous and dedicated work of monks, who faithfully copied the originals, there are complete manuscripts dating back to approximately AD350 still preserved.
It is important to realise the value of these “modern” discoveries of ancient manuscripts because they enable us to compare our translations of the Bible, such as the KJV and NIV, with these ancient documents and prove even more the reliability of these translations. Once again we acknowledge the infallibility of the Bible, not because of man’s doing in making these discoveries, but because God Himself will preserve the truth of His Word.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever” – (Isaiah 40:8).
This short article is only intended to be a very brief introduction to the history of the Bible, an illustration of the fact that, with or without the help of human kind, the Word of God will indeed stand forever. As we draw this short article to a close, five interesting facts in the form of a brief summary may be helpful as a further illustration of how we have arrived at the present format of this wonderful book, which God intends will stand forever.
Many Old Testament early manuscripts have been preserved dating back many centuries before Christ; in recent years (especially in the latter half of the 20th Century) valuable ancient manuscripts have been discovered, amongst the most famous being the Dead Sea Scrolls. Likewise, the New Testament has a plethora of preserved manuscripts, some only in part but many complete. Many fragments of the New Testament dating back to AD120 are in existence, and thanks to the meticulous and dedicated work of monks, who faithfully copied the originals, there are complete manuscripts dating back to approximately AD350 still preserved.
It is important to realise the value of these “modern” discoveries of ancient manuscripts because they enable us to compare our translations of the Bible, such as the KJV and NIV, with these ancient documents and prove even more the reliability of these translations. Once again we acknowledge the infallibility of the Bible, not because of man’s doing in making these discoveries, but because God Himself will preserve the truth of His Word.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever” – (Isaiah 40:8).
This short article is only intended to be a very brief introduction to the history of the Bible, an illustration of the fact that, with or without the help of human kind, the Word of God will indeed stand forever. As we draw this short article to a close, five interesting facts in the form of a brief summary may be helpful as a further illustration of how we have arrived at the present format of this wonderful book, which God intends will stand forever.
1. The Bible contains 66 books, divided into two main sections:
(i) The Old Testament;
(ii) The New Testament
2. The Old Testament contains 39 books:
(i) Books of Law – 5 – (Genesis to Deuteronomy)
(ii) Books of History – 12 – (Joshua to Esther)
(iii) Books of Poetry – 5 – (Job to Song of Solomon)
(iv) Books of Prophecy – 17 – (Isaiah to Malachi)
There are 23,214 verses in the Old Testament
3. The New Testament contains 27 books:
(i) Gospels – 4 – (Matthew to John)
(ii) History – 1 – (Acts)
(iii) Epistles (Letters) – 21 – (Romans to Jude)
(iv) Prophecy – 1 – (Revelation)
There are 7,959 verses in the New Testament
(ii) History – 1 – (Acts)
(iii) Epistles (Letters) – 21 – (Romans to Jude)
(iv) Prophecy – 1 – (Revelation)
There are 7,959 verses in the New Testament
4. The Bible was divided into chapters in approximately 1228 AD by Stephen Langton.
5. The Bible was further divided into verses:
(i) The Old Testament in approximately 1448 AD by R. Nathan.
(ii) The New Testament in approximately 1551 AD by Robert Stephanus.
(ii) The New Testament in approximately 1551 AD by Robert Stephanus.
Although today in the 21st Century we have a super abundance of Bible versions and translations, with the shelves of Christian Bookshops displaying so many that our minds are “spoilt for choice” and we become confused, wondering which one to choose, let us close this short article with two important and practical comments. The first is this: it doesn’t really matter which version you choose as long as it adheres to the truths set out in the ancient manuscripts embodied in, for example, the Authorised (King James) Version (KJV). On a more practical note, any trusted and experienced Pastor or Minister will advise in this situation.
The second comment is this: if you make a “mistake” and end up with a version which is perhaps not quite as reliable as it should be (and again we must be practical, because, this can happen today in view of the super abundance of different translations available), all is not lost! God the Holy Spirit will overrule any possible errors and lead you to the truth – perhaps even to another version – because the Bible says that the Word of God will stand forever, and God will preserve the truth to all generations.
The second comment is this: if you make a “mistake” and end up with a version which is perhaps not quite as reliable as it should be (and again we must be practical, because, this can happen today in view of the super abundance of different translations available), all is not lost! God the Holy Spirit will overrule any possible errors and lead you to the truth – perhaps even to another version – because the Bible says that the Word of God will stand forever, and God will preserve the truth to all generations.
© 2009 Denis A. Wheadon. All rights reserved. Website: http://www.Pen4God.co.uk. This document is the property of the Author and
must not be displayed on any other websites without permission. Copies may be downloaded and printed for personal use only. Any contact with
the writer or comments concerning an article, can be made by email addressed to: denis.wheadon@Pen4God.co.uk
must not be displayed on any other websites without permission. Copies may be downloaded and printed for personal use only. Any contact with
the writer or comments concerning an article, can be made by email addressed to: denis.wheadon@Pen4God.co.uk
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