What is the Bible?

I Have Questions

This question gets a lot of different answers from different people.

Almost all people agree that the Bible is a collection of ancient books, letters, and other literature written by 40ish different authors over the course of more than 1,000 years. 

Almost all people agree that due to this, the Bible is incredibly important from a historical and anthropological point of view. 

Many people, would go a step further and say that the Bible is inspired by the one true God and is helpful for us to understand who He is and what He is like.

Here’s a quick overview of the Bible…

Read more about Tel Dan Inscription, House of Yahweh Ostracon, or John Rylands Papyrus 52 by clicking the dropdowns above or the links here.

: : ARCHEOLOGICAL CONCLUSION : :

There are countless more examples of archeology proving the historical legitimacy of the Bible.

To put it in perspective, the oldest known fragment of the New Testament dates to about 70 years after its authorship.  The oldest known fragment of Homer’s famous Odyssey and Iliad date to about 450 years after its authorship and the oldest known examples of Plato’s writings date to about 1,275 years after its authorship.

There is stronger evidence for the reliability of the New Testament than there is for Homer or Plato’s writings, and yet almost no one questions those writing’s authorship or date. 

The short answer is this - you don’t have to take the authorship and history of the Bible just on faith. There is ample reason to conclude the authors were eyewitnesses to the things they say they saw and the people they say they knew and the places they say they went. 

: : LOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE BIBLE : :

Using simple reason, there is great evidence that the authors intended their documents to be historically accurate and verifiable.  Below are a few reasons to consider:

: : SELF DEPRECATION IN SCRIPTURE : :

If the goal of the Bible were to build up through myth, legend, or lies a faith in God, it would make sense that you would have amazing examples of men and women following God every few generations. You would want stories that the modern culture could relate to and also hope to aspire to be like.

One might even want to be a little more generous with these figures and cover up their flaws or just refuse to highlight those flaws.

But that’s not what you see in the Bible. So many people of influence and power are painted with damaging character flaws and the Bible holds out that God’s plans are completed in spite of those flaws, not because of their flawlessness.

Consider a few examples:

Noah was a drunk. Abraham offered his wife to another man twice for his own safety. Moses had an anger problem and significant self-doubt. David was an adulterer, murderer, and refused to comfort his daughter that was sexually assaulted. Solomon was a sex addict. Jonah hated the people he taught about God. Elijah and Jeremiah struggled with depression and suicidal ideation. Peter was a sometimes violent oftentimes loudmouth follower of Jesus. All of the disciples struggle to understand Jesus. 

James and Jude, Jesus’ brothers, refused to follow Jesus until after his crucifixion. Paul sanctioned the murder of Christians before becoming one himself. Peter and Paul argued, accused each other of manipulation, then later made up. The list could go on but you get the point.

If the goal was power or backfilling centuries after the fact, it would be in the author’s best interest to skip over those little details. Instead, the Bible holds out these people warts and all.

: : MISSING THE TEMPLE DESTRUCTION : :

A major event occurred in the ancient world in AD 70. This event shook Judaism to its knees and caused people to scatter to all corners of the world. In AD 70, Vespasian completed his conquest of Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. This is accepted as historical fact by all historians based on the eye witness accounts of the time, the writing of the ancient historian Josephus who was there to witness it, and the fact that many of the bricks are still laying today where they fell in AD 70.

It’s bizarre that the Bible makes no mention of the temple being destroyed. It is shockingly silent on this subject. Consider how big of an exclamation point it would be for early Christians arguing that Jesus fulfilled the Law then pointing to the missing temple and saying that obeying the Law is now impossible.  Jesus is even recorded as prophesying the eventual destruction of the temple:

“And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”…“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” — Luke 21:5-9; 20-24

If your job is to write a convincing story centuries later of a man that made this prophecy, wouldn’t you include the fulfillment? Everyone knows it happened, so it just makes its own case. It would be like writing a history of why America entered WWII and leaving out Pearl Harbor or D-Day, or like writing a biography of President John F. Kennedy and forgetting to discuss NASA and the moon landing. It would be a big miss.

Why doesn’t the Bible mention the destruction of the temple?

The only reasonable conclusion is that all the books of the New Testament were written before AD 70, before the destruction. They didn’t write about it because it hadn’t happened yet. And, the evidence would also suggest later generations refused the temptation to add to these books.

: : AUTHORS INVITE FACT CHECKING : :

The content of the New Testament frequently invites follow up questions, references eye witnesses, and celebrates the reader doing his or her own due diligence in working out their own faith.  Consider these example:

The author of Luke sets out on an investigative journalistic endeavor to record eye witness accounts of the life of Jesus.

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” — Luke 1:1-4

Paul, the author of the letters to the Corinthians, invites the readers to go ask the eye witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection that are still alive.

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.: — 1 Corinthians 15:5-7


Many of the authors claim, themselves, to be eyewitnesses to what they are recording.

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” — 1 Peter 1:16-18

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” — 1 John 1:1-3

It would take only one person to come forward saying, “He wasn’t there” or “I didn’t see what he said I saw” and the document would be stopped in its tracks. 

: : DO I NEED TO READ THE BIBLE? : :

As we see above, the Bible is valuable, but do you need to read the Bible to be a Christian? Well, no.

There is no Christian requirement to read the Bible once or over one’s lifetime. The Bible never commands a Christian to own a copy or to read it.

In fact, Christianity spread originally many decades before the New Testament was written. They spread by the eyewitness accounts of the Apostles teaching in different communities. 

The first Christians didn’t point to the Bible but to the resurrection of Jesus as their source of hope. 

As time went on, the things being taught by the Apostles were written down in letters and later full narratives we call Gospels. The churches would pass these documents around, each making a copy for themselves and thus the Bible was developed.

So, no, Christians aren’t commanded to read the Bible. 

However, countless people will tell you that they have found wisdom and insight from reading the Bible. They learn about the nature of God as well as their own nature being reflected back to them as they attempt to live more and more a holy lifestyle. 

In the Bible, you’re confronted with the raw power of God, His love for humanity, His willingness to see a promise through to completion, and a sort of mirror into your own being.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

Many people believe the Bible gives them clarity for knowing what step to take next in life, whether it be the big pieces of life or the tiniest bits of life.  These people live with more confidence and a compass for making decisions.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” — Romans 10:17

As people grow in understanding the Bible, they also grow in understanding the God who is weaving all of history into a beautiful picture of His love and power for humanity.

Ancient Christians used the latin phrase “sensus plenoir”, meaning “fuller meaning”, to describe how the Bible seems to grow with the reader. Each time a Christian circles back to a familiar passage, it seems to intersect in a new way or apply to this season of life differently than before.

The Christian finds that there is a never ending well of material that continually meets him or her in life.

: : WHICH BIBLE IS RIGHT FOR ME? : :

The short answer is: THE ONE YOU WILL READ.

We recommend sitting down with a trusted friend or a pastor to help you weigh all the different options. However, there are a few bits of information that are helpful to know as you make that decision.

: : TRANSLATIONS : :

As you probably know, the original documents that compose your Bible were not written in english. In fact, they were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

So all modern translations are just that — translations from the original language to your language. Every translation is trying to find the right balance between being easy to read and absolutely accurate.  Each translation attempts to find that balance in different ways.

Below are some translations we recommend and why:

• English Standard Version (ESV): This is the most common translation used when teaching at Carpenter's Way. It does a good job of balancing being very accurate to the original language and being easy to read for the modern reader.

• New American Standard Bible (NASB): This translation works very hard to be as literal to the original languages as it can while still following english grammar rules.  Because it so rigid in translating as literal as possible, it tends to be a little more difficult to read in plain english. However, it makes it easier to see when similar words are being used in greek and hebrew while reading in english.

• New Living Translation (NLT): This version is technically not a translation in the traditional sense. The NLT is a paraphrase that attempts to give the general idea (or paraphrase) of each verse of the Bible. It’s helpful that it still follows the traditional verse order and breaks so that it could be used to follow along in a Bible study. There are a great number of study versions of the NLT to help in your studies.

: : HOW SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE? : :

If you’re new to studying the Bible or just wanting to wrap your head around it, reading the Bible often overwhelms people.  We’ll be putting together a “How to Study the Bible” page in the coming months to give some easy steps anyone can begin to take as they learn to read the Bible. 

In the meantime, consider getting coffee with a trusted friend and discuss questions about the Bible or attending a Community Group of other men and women as they work to know the God of the Bible.  You’ll be surprised how quickly you grow when in fellowship with others.