Introduction to the Bible

The Bible

"People have been reading the Bible for nearly two thousand years. They have taken it literally, figuratively, or symbolically. They have regarded it as divinely dictated, revealed, or inspired, or as a human creaton. They have acquired more copies of it than of any other book. It is quoted (and misquoted) more often than other books. It is translated (and mistranslated) more than the others as well. It is called a great work of literature, the first work of history. It is at the heart of Christianity and Judaism. Ministers, priests, and rabbis preach it. Scholars spend their lives studying and teaching it in universities and seminaries. People read it, study it, admire it, disdain it, write about it, argue about it, and love it. People have lived by it and died for it. And we do not know who wrote it... "

Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?, p. 15

Despite its ubiquity and alleged divine authorship the Bible seems to raise more questions than it answers. So what do we know about the Bible? Here are a few facts upon which most readers can agree:

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and some Aramaic
The New Testament was written in Greek with some Aramaic
No original manuscript of any book in the Bible has survived intact
The books of the New Testament are not listed in chronological order
Several books referenced in the Old Testament are missing
There is a list of books which have been omitted from both the Old Testament and the New Testament for various reasons. These books are called the Apocrypha

Due to the volume of information about the Bible, each category below will be addressed on a separate page.

Studying the Bible

Books of the Bible

Old Testament

New Testament

The Old Testament

Who Wrote the Old Testament?
Genesis
There are two primary ways to view the stories told in Genesis. Some see them as the inerrant, inviolable word of God. Others, both Christians and non-Christians, view them as metaphors which ancient humans used to explain the world they lived in. The metaphorical interpretation requires no further comment. For those who insist the Bible is the inerrant word of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omnibenevolent God there arise a few questions.

The Creation

The Problem of Nod

Elohim

How many gods were there?

Noah's Ark

The story of the Ark did not originate with the Hebrew authors of the Bible. Where did it come from? How do we know that a global flood did not occur? Why are there two different versions?

The Gods of the Old Testament / Ancient Israelites

Sumerian, Babylonian and Mesopotamian Myths

The Historicity of the Old Testament

The Archaeological Evidence

The Laws of the Old Testament

The Apocrypha of the Old Testament

The New Testament

Who Wrote the New Testament?

The Gospels

Problems with the Bible

Errors

Contradictions

Historical Inaccuracies

Absurdities

Atrocities

Biblical "Morality"

Site Links

Reference Links

Community Links

Humorous Links

The Bible

Books


Site Links Home Atheism God Christianity Judaism Islam Evolution References Glossary Contact About Site Map Reference Links Talk Origins The Secular Web Nag Hammadi The SAB Atheist Books Community Links ACA Atheist Parents Secularity.com Humorous Links Landover Baptist Betty Bowers IPU Yo God Detector	The Bible "People have been reading the Bible for nearly two thousand years. They have taken it literally, figuratively, or symbolically. They have regarded it as divinely dictated, revealed, or inspired, or as a human creaton. They have acquired more copies of it than of any other book. It is quoted (and misquoted) more often than other books. It is translated (and mistranslated) more than the others as well. It is called a great work of literature, the first work of history. It is at the heart of Christianity and Judaism. Ministers, priests, and rabbis preach it. Scholars spend their lives studying and teaching it in universities and seminaries. People read it, study it, admire it, disdain it, write about it, argue about it, and love it. People have lived by it and died for it. And we do not know who wrote it... " Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?, p. 15 Despite its ubiquity and alleged divine authorship the Bible seems to raise more questions than it answers. So what do we know about the Bible? Here are a few facts upon which most readers can agree: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and some Aramaic The New Testament was written in Greek with some Aramaic No original manuscript of any book in the Bible has survived intact The books of the New Testament are not listed in chronological order Several books referenced in the Old Testament are missing There is a list of books which have been omitted from both the Old Testament and the New Testament for various reasons. These books are called the Apocrypha Due to the volume of information about the Bible, each category below will be addressed on a separate page. Studying the Bible The manuscripts Dating the writings Authorship of the writings Textual criticism Pseudonymity and Pseudopigraphy Redaction of the texts Books of the Bible Introduction Catholic Protestant Jewish Old Testament Origins of the Old Testament Authorship of the Old Testament Dates of Old Testament writings The Documentary Hypothesis Historicity of the Old Testament New Testament Canon Authorship The Synoptic Problem The Two Source Hypothesis The Gospels The writings of Paul Historicity Jesus The Old Testament Who Wrote the Old Testament? Genesis There are two primary ways to view the stories told in Genesis. Some see them as the inerrant, inviolable word of God. Others, both Christians and non-Christians, view them as metaphors which ancient humans used to explain the world they lived in. The metaphorical interpretation requires no further comment. For those who insist the Bible is the inerrant word of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omnibenevolent God there arise a few questions. The Creation Were humans made of dirt? Was the Earth formed in 7 days? Didn't an omniscient God know Adam and Eve would fail when he made them? The Problem of Nod How was it out of the presence of an omnipresent God? Who created those people? Elohim How many gods were there? Noah's Ark The story of the Ark did not originate with the Hebrew authors of the Bible. Where did it come from? How do we know that a global flood did not occur? Why are there two different versions? The Gods of the Old Testament / Ancient Israelites Yahweh El Asherah Ba'al Tammuz Household Gods Sumerian, Babylonian and Mesopotamian Myths Gilgamesh Enuma Elish The Historicity of the Old Testament Fall of the Wall of Jericho Kingdom of David Kingdom of Solomon Exodus from Egypt, so many people and not recorded The Archaeological Evidence See Historicity of the OT Archaeological evidence of Jesus or apostles? Archaeological evidence of elohim? The Laws of the Old Testament The Ten Commandments Two versions Why only use 10 of the commandments? When were Old Testament laws over-ridden in the Bible? Why aren't Christians following these commandments today? Do not wear pearls Death to adulterers Stone disobedient children The Apocrypha of the Old Testament The New Testament Who Wrote the New Testament? The Formation of the New Testament The Gospels The Other Books The Epistles of Paul Apocryphal Books Problems with the Bible Errors Contradictions Historical Inaccuracies Archaeological Contradictions Absurdities Atrocities Biblical "Morality"	Books For more books on atheism please visit Atheist Books