Devotion from Pastor Gary

“HOW TRUE?”

[Psalms 40:8]

JESUS Creator of all things gives to HIMSELF a great description of HIMSELF found in [JOHN 1:1-5].  So… when you are studying the Bible, you are studying JESUS in print.  If JESUS is not this befitting description, then we are all fools.  The Bible is the world’s best-selling book of all time.  To date, the complete Bible has been translated  into (500) languages, and portions of it into over (2,500) languages.

This is truly an extraordinary accomplishment by the hand of the HOLY SPIRIT, especially when you consider that it has been over (3,500) years since Moses began to write the first five books of the Old Testament known as the Pentateuch {Penta=5, Teuch = books}.   Actually, the HOLY SPIRIT used (41) writers within almost a (1,500) year time period, to produce (66) Books of the Bible, (39) found in the Old Testament, and (27) in the New Testament.

The word “BIBLE” comes from the word Greek word “BIBLOS” which is our word “BOOK” which also comes from the word for an ancient papyrus plant which were used to make the Scrolls on which it was written.  This was a popular use for papyrus until the third century AD.  Parchment made of goat & sheep skin along with Vellum which is cafe-skin, were later used as pages of the Bible, and were used because they lasted much longer than papyrus.  And still later, “codex” or book form, was an easier and more functional way for the Bible to be written down using both sides of the sheet.

The Old Testament, known as the “Hebrew” Bible, was completed by 400 BC. From the sixth century AD and well into the tenth century.  The “Masoretes” who were Jewish rabbis and scholars, guarded and preserved the Old Testament text as they miraculously transmitted copies of copies.  The “Septuagint” meaning ‘70’, was the Greek  translation of the Old Testament, and it was produced in 250-150 BC.

The Testament, was completed within a half century after the death and resurrection of our LORD JESUS, the CHRIST.  All (27) New Testament, (9) writers; were written, copied, and distributed before 100 AD.  Scrolls were transferred to papyrus in the second century.  The scholars at Jamnia (AD 90-118) gave final affirmation to the (39) Books of the Old Testament.  The Council of Carthage (AD. 397) established the New Testament Canon of the (27) New Testament Books.

Around AD 400, Jerome did something remarkable.  He translated the Bible into Latin.  The Latin Vulgate was the predominant translation of Scripture during the medieval times.  The Wycliffe Bible was the first English translation transcribed between 1380-82 AD.  Gutenberg’s Latin Bible was the first produced on a printing press in AD. 1455.  Erasmus’s Greek New Testament was completed in AD. 1526.  Coverdale’s was the first complete Bible to be printed into English in AD.1535.  In AD.1227 Stephen Langston who was Archbishop of Canterbury, divided the Bible into Chapters.  In AD. 1551 & 1555, Robert Stephanus added verses to the Bible.

When we consider the meticulous care and great efforts and even pain people of the ancient world took to preserve the Holy Scriptures, it causes us  to have a much deeper appreciation for the love of the  Bible people had and have.  It was the prophet Isaiah who could not have stated any better in (40:8), Amen!

In View of Eternity,

Pastor Gary