General story of the Bible
The history of the Bible is a large subject, but it can be summarized by looking at four areas: the original languages, the writers, the manuscripts that were discovered, and how the books were collected into the Bible.
1. What Languages Was the Bible Originally Written In?
Old Testament (Tanakh)
The majority of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Some portions were written in Aramaic, a closely related Semitic language.
Examples of Aramaic sections:
Daniel 2:4–7:28
Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12–26
A few verses in Jeremiah
New Testament
The New Testament was written primarily in Koine Greek, the common language of the eastern Mediterranean during the first century.
Although Jesus and many of His disciples likely spoke Aramaic in daily life, the New Testament books were written in Greek so they could reach a wider audience throughout the Roman Empire.
2. Who Wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of about 1,500 years.
Some traditional authors include:
Moses — Genesis through Deuteronomy
David — many Psalms
Solomon — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
Isaiah — Book of Isaiah
Jeremiah — Book of Jeremiah
Ezekiel — Book of Ezekiel
Matthew — Gospel of Matthew
Mark — Gospel of Mark
Luke — Luke and Acts
John — John, Epistles, Revelation
Paul — many New Testament letters
Scholars debate the authorship of some books, but these are the traditional attributions accepted by many religious communities.
3. Where Were the Original Manuscripts Found?
The original manuscripts (called "autographs") no longer exist.
What we possess are thousands of ancient copies.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
One of the most important discoveries was the Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
They were found near Qumran between 1947 and 1956.
The scrolls contain portions of nearly every Old Testament book and date from approximately the third century BC to the first century AD. They showed that the Hebrew text had been preserved remarkably well over many centuries.
Major New Testament Manuscripts
Important manuscripts include:
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Vaticanus
Codex Alexandrinus
These manuscripts were discovered and preserved in monasteries, libraries, and church collections across the Mediterranean world and contain large portions of the Bible.
4. How Were the Books Collected Into the Bible?
Old Testament Canon
The books of the Hebrew Scriptures were gradually recognized and preserved by the people of Israel.
By the time of Jesus, most of the books recognized today as the Hebrew Bible were already accepted as Scripture.
New Testament Canon
The early Christian congregations copied and circulated apostolic writings.
The books were recognized because they were:
Connected to the apostles or their close associates
Consistent with established teachings
Widely accepted among congregations
By the fourth century, church leaders were using the same 27 New Testament books found in modern Bibles.
5. How Do We Know the Text Was Preserved?
The Bible is one of the most documented ancient texts in history.
For the New Testament alone, scholars have identified thousands of Greek manuscripts and many more ancient translations. By comparing copies from different regions and time periods, textual scholars can identify copying mistakes and reconstruct the original wording with a high degree of confidence.
Timeline
DateEventc. 1400–400 BCMost Old Testament books writtenc. 250 BCHebrew Scriptures translated into Greek (the Septuagint)c. AD 45–95New Testament books writtenc. AD 325–400Major Bible codices produced1947–1956Dead Sea Scrolls discoveredTodayOver 5,000 Greek New Testament manuscripts and many thousands of other biblical manuscripts are available for study
A key point is that the Bible was not originally written in English. The earliest biblical texts were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and modern translations are based on these ancient manuscripts rather than on later translations.
