With regard to Bible authors, concerning the Bible teachings the question is, who is the Author of the Bible that is made up of 66 books? The Bible is made up of 66 individual books from Genesis to Revelation. The choice of these particular books, and the rejection of many others, is evidence that the divine Author of the Holy Bible not only inspired their writing but also carefully guarded their collect and preservation within the sacred catalog. The writing, collecting and arrangement of these books within the Bible also demonstrate God’s supervision from start to finish as the true Author of the Bible.
Thirty-nine of the sixty-six books, which make up three- quarters of the Bible’s content, are known as the Hebrew Scriptures, all having been initially written in that language with the exception of a few small sections written in Aramaic. ( Ezra 4:8-6; 7:12-26; Jer 10:11; Dan 2:4; 7:28 ) The last quarter of the Bible is known as the Christian Greek Scriptures, so designated because the twenty-seven books composing this section were written in Greek.
Subdividing the Bible books into chapters and verses ( AV has 1,189 chapters and 31,173 verses) was not done by the original Bible authors, but was a very useful device added centuries later. The Masoretes divided the Hebrew Scriptures into verses; then in the thirteenth century of our Common Era chapter divisions were added. Finally, in 1555 Robert Estienne’s edition of the Latin Vulgate was published as the first Bible with the present chapter and verse divisions.
The 66 books of the Bible all together form but a single work, a complete whole. As the chapter and verse marks are only convenient aids for Bible study and Bible teachings, and are not intended to detract from the unity of the whole, so also is the sectioning of the Bible according to the predominant language in which the manuscripts have come down to us. We, therefore, have both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, with “Christian” added to the latter to distinguish them from the Septuagint Version, which is the Hebrew portion of the Scriptures translated into Greek.
The truly scientific explanation of the origin of man is revealed-how life comes only from a Life-giver-facts that only the Creator now in the role of the true Bible Author could explain. ( Gen 1:26-28; 2:7) The Bible is an organizational book, highly unified and interconnected in its various segments, which indeed reflect the systematic orderliness of the Creator-Author himself. God’s dealings with Israel in giving them a comprehensive Law code as well as regulations governing matters even down to small details of camp life-things that were later mirrored in the Davidic kingdom as well as in the congregational arrangement among first-century Christians-reflect and magnify this organizational aspect of the Bible.
The Holy Scriptures in the Bible teachings is the Inspired Word of God, it is acknowledged as the greatest book of all times due to its antiquity, its total circulation, the number of languages into which it has been translated, its surpassing greatness as a literary masterpiece, and because of its overwhelming importance to all mankind. Independent of all other books, it imitates no other and copies none. It stands on its own merit, giving credit to its unique Author. The Bible also is distinguished as having survived more violent controversy than any other book, hated as it is by enemies legion in number.
No other book took so long to complete as the Bible. In 1513 B.C.E. Moses, one of the Bible authors began writing. Until sometime after 443 B.C.E. when Nehemiah and Malachi completed their books, other sacred writings were added to the inspired Scriptures. Then there was a gap in Bible writing for almost five hundred years, until the apostle Matthew penned his historic account. Nearly sixty years later John, the last of the apostles, contributed his Gospel and three letters to complete the Bible. So, all together, a period of some 1,610 years was involved in producing the Bible. All the co-writers were Hebrews and, hence, part of that people “entrusted with the sacred pronouncements of God.” ( Rom 3:2 )
As to the question who are the Bible authors of the Holy Bible and how many authors wrote the Bible? There were about forty Bible authors which were in fact human secretaries or scribes that were used by the one true Author to record the inspired Word of God. “All Scripture is inspired of God,” and this includes the writings in the Christian Greek Scriptures along with “the rest of the Scriptures.” ( 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 3:15-16 ) This expression “inspired of God,” translated the Greek phrase The-o’pneu-stos, meaning “God-breathed.” By ‘breathing’ on faithful men, God caused his Holy spirit to become operative upon the Bible authors and actively directed what God wanted recorded, for, as it is written, “prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by Holy spirit.” ( 2 Peter 1:21; John 20:21-22 )
Evidence shows that this was true of all the Bible authors as to the writing, God’s Holy spirit was operating on the minds and hearts of the writers to carry them along to the goal purposed by God. King David said: “The spirit of the Lord it was that spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue.” ( 2 Sam 23:2 compare Matthew 22:43 )
As to the Bible authors part in the product of the Scriptures evidence indicates, however, that the men used by God to record the Scriptures were not merely automations, simply recording dictated material. Through the Bible teachings, we read concerning the apostle John that the “God breathed” Revelation was presented to him through God’s angle “in signs” and that John then “bore witness to the word God gave and to the witness Jesus Christ gave, even to all the things he saw.” ( Rev 1:1-2 ) It was “by inspiration [literally, “in spirit”] that John “came to be in the Lord’s day” and he was told: “What you see write in a scroll.” ( Rev 1:10-11 ) So, God apparently saw good to allow the Bible authors to use their mental faculties in selecting the words and expressions to describe the visions they saw ( Habakkuk 2:2 ), while always exercising sufficient control and guidance over them so that the end product was not only accurate and true but also such as suited the Lords purpose. ( Prov 30:5-6 )
That personal effort on the part of the Bible authors was involved is shown by the statement at Ecclesiastes 12:9-10, there being a pondering, searching and arranging in order to present properly “delightful words and the writing of correct words of truth.” Compare Luke 1:1-4.
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