How Did We Get the Bible - Westside church of Christ



How Did We Get the Bible

In recent months we have heard that the Gospel of Judas had been discovered. This has prompted many of us to ask, “Is the Bible incomplete? Why were some books left out of the canon? Why are the books in the Bible accepted?”

For some, these questions have shaken their faith. For others, this discovery has given them further proof that the Bible is nothing more than a fictious story created by man. Others still have given little to no thought to the subject.

Over the next couple of weeks, the bulletins will contain articles that will help us to understand how the Bible came to be the 66 books we recognize we today.

The Apocrypha

To begin this study, let us begin with explaining why certain books were rejected. If we can understand why these books were rejected, hopefully that will help us understand why others were accepted. For today’s bulletin, let us examine the Apocrypha. (So that there is no misunderstanding, the Apocryphal books are also known as the Old Testament Apocrypha and the Intertestamental writings.)

There are 15 books that are classified as Apocryphal books. They are as follows

1. I Esdras (also known as III Esdras)

2. II Esdras (also known as IV Esdras; Esdras is the Greek from of Ezra. Nehemiah and Ezra are sometimes considered I and II Esdras)

3. Tobit

4. Judith

5. The Additions to the book of Esther

6. The Wisdom of Solomon

7. Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach

8. Baruch

9. The Letter of Jeremiah (sometimes this is added to the last chapter of Baruch)

10. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men

11. Susanna

12. Bel and the Dragon

13. The Prayer of Manasseh

14. I Maccabees

15. II Maccabees

Not all Bibles that include the Apocryphal books include all of them. For instance, the Roman Catholics reject I and II Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh.

For a better understanding of these books, a brief description of each is given below.

1. I Esdras - an ill-arranged collection of much of the material found in the canonical Ezra. It also contains legendary accounts not included in any of the historical books of the Old Testament.

2. I Maccabees - An important source of information of Jewish History during the second century BC.

3. II Macabees - Concerns the same period as I Maccabees, but is far less historically accurate.

4. Tobit - Written about 200 BC. Tells a fictious story of a religious Israelite (Tobit) who was taken captive to Nineveh by the Assyrians.

5. Judith - Also a fictious story. It is about a woman (Judith) who successfully charms and kills the leader of the enemy’s army.

6. The Additions of Esther - They are expansions to the story of Esther. It is widely believed that they were a part of oral tradition.

7. The Prayer of Azariah, the Song of Three Young Men, Bel and the Dragon and Susanna - All are additions to the book of Daniel. They originated sometime in the first century BC.

8. Baruch - Claims to be a prophecy of a friend of Jeremiah (Baruch). Written in the beginning of the Christian era.

9. The Letter of Jeremiah - A tract on the vanities of idol worship. Written around 300 BC.

10. II Esdras - An apocalyptic work. A supposed revelation shown to Ezra. Written AD 100.

11. Ecclesiasticus - Written about 200 BC. It was written in the same style as the book of Proverbs.

12. Wisdom of Solomon - A book of Jewish philosophy. Traced back to Alexandria around AD 100.

13. The Prayer of Manasseh - Was written about 200 BC and was to be the prayer that King Manasseh said when he was taken captive.

Now that we know a little more about these book, let us see why they were rejected. First of all, these books were never included in the Hebrew Canon of the Old Testament. Furthermore, then the Old Testament was translated into the Greek language (The Septuagint) none of these books were included.

Secondly, these books were never considered canonical by Jesus nor the Apostles. If they were to be considered scripture, it would seem logical that Jesus would have challenged the thinking of the Jews of His day. Further proof that they did not recognize them is that they never quote from the Apocryphal books.

Third, Jewish historians never considered these books to be canonical. Philo and Josephus both recognized their existence, but they never placed these books on the same level as the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament).

Finally, these books are lacking intrinsic qualities of inspired books. That is, the Apocryphal books are full of historical, chronological and geographical errors. For example, the book of Judith states that Holofernes was a general of “Nebuchanezzar who ruled the Assyrians from the great city of Nineveh (Judith 1:1).” Of course, we know that Nebuchadnezzar was the King of the Babylonians and he ruled them from Babylon. Also, Holofernes was a Persian general, not a Assyrian nor Babylonian. Furthermore, several of the books contradict themselves.

Or course, many of these books were written long after the events occurred. Several of them were written after Christ had been crucified. Not that is absolutely disqualifies them, but it does give us a fuller understanding of why these books were rejected for so long.

Next week we will examine the books that were rejected as a part of the New Testament.

-WTK

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