The Bible Through the Ages

By Gustav van Niekerk

Where did the Bible come from? How did it survive to the modern era? What did the old Bibles look like? This book will take the reader on a journey to look at the amazing history of the Biblefrom the origins to the process we use today to ensure that there are Bibles on our bookshelves. It will also show the reader how to study the Bible in order to get the most from their Bibles. If you thought the Bible was simply another old book, think again. After reading this book, you will begin to understand what the Bible actually is and what it can mean for you. From the writings of Moses to the first printed Bible and even to the modern era, the Bible has a rich history filled with amazing storiesstories you can find in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Aug 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781482802948

Gustav van Niekerk

The author is from the Republic of South Africa. He finished his BA degree in theology in 2000 and is currently working on his masters in systematic theology. He has traveled widely within Africa and abroad to several countries. He is currently residing in Johannesburg, working as a pastor. He has also lectured before audiences on various topics and has spent time in the field of evangelism.

Book preview

God Breathed

In the second letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, he informs Timothy of a very important fact,

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16 – ESV)

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The Greek for the word inspired is literally God breathed (qeopneustoV). Paul is casting allusions to the creation of Adam, for Adam was also God breathed (Gen 2:7). What Paul is saying is that like Adam scripture is alive. I have read some very good books a second time, but even then I have skipped the dull parts, however, I have read the Bible over and over, and not once have I become bored. In fact there seems to be a growth process as one study's the Bible. As you grow spiritually, so the Bible expands in meaning and depth.

When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, It is talking to me, and about me.

Soren Kierkegaard

So what exactly is God Breathed? One idea states that the actual word of the Bible was God breathed. This however caused several problems as it could not explain the differences in various passages or even spelling mistakes by original writers. It also removes human freedom from the equation.

The opposite theory claims that the thoughts are inspired. This is somewhat of an improvement, but it is part and parcel of an over-intellectualised society we live in. Just as God created Adam as a complete being, so inspiration should also be complete.

When looking at the human being we find that we are physical beings, we have a physical appearance and body. This is not simply additional baggage, but part of creation. We also have an intellectual component, we seek to discover new things, we like to learn and discuss. So also we have an emotional component, we have feelings and those feelings can get hurt. Lastly and perhaps most important of all we have a spiritual component. All human beings desire for something beyond the visible world and we cannot claim happiness until we have found that spiritual satisfaction.

When God inspires someone, all of these components are inspired. In other words God inspires the total person. Ask anyone who has prepared a sermon or a message, everything that you have experienced whether it is physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual this helps to form that sermon.

In fact if you look at many of the greatest stories or works of Christians, they were very often written during times of great distress. Examples, to mention a few when reading the Bible, we find David’s emotions, Paul’s reasoning, Sampson’s physique and Peter’s spiritual awakening present amongst those pages.

Now none of us would claim perfection in these areas, and so we make mistakes. Thus even when a person is inspired they can still falter. We must not look at inspiration as perfection, but rather a revitalising process. When God reveals something to us, inspiration is the process by which we are enabled to understand and relate what has been revealed.

Whatever merit there is in anything that I have written is simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart.

John Ruskin

Now inspiration is not simply a onetime event. As God reveals certain elements to a person, so He inspires them to write it down. However the hand of God is ever over His Bible. In all aspects through all ages Inspiration has been available to those that would seek the truth. Somewhat like the internet, it is there, but you must connect.

Inspiration is the means by which God can communicate via human agents to other human beings. It may sound strange, but angels and unfallen beings desire the honour we have received, despite being sinful, to be inspired to communicate our faith to others. Have you ever noticed that God almost exclusively uses human agents to relate the truth to others? Even passages where God or an angel would bring a message are once again related by another human being.

I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the scriptures do not reign paramount.

Martin Luther

Now one finds scores of books that focus on the mistakes of the Bible. Some use the mistakes to condemn the Bible and others attempt to defend the Bible. I do not deny the mistakes, for finite human beings wrote the Bible. This to me however is not a lack of divinity, but rather proof of it, that God does not hide or override human error, but even despite it, can still bring us the truth. I once heard a story of a little boy that walked onto a stage and started playing the piano. He was not the star, the real pianist was still to enter, and he was not even good. He was simply a little boy that wanted to play his chopsticks on a nice piano. When the real pianist entered the stage, he calmly sat down beside the boy and added to the boy’s chopsticks. What followed was a beautiful symphony of sounds. When they had finished, the pianist and the boy stood up and bowed together to a standing ovation.

This to me illustrates inspiration that God can take my tinkering and turn it into something grand. Even if I make mistakes, God does not and even with my mistakes He can create a masterpiece.

Inspiration is not limited to one class of person. Inspiration enables all to read and understand the inspired writings, educated or uneducated, adult or child. The Bible has no boundaries, this attests to by the fact that no matter how often and into what language the Bible is translated, it can still bring people to God.

Matthew Maury (1806-1873) is considered the father of oceanography. His wife was reading a portion of the Bible to him. While listening, he noticed the expression paths of the sea in Psalms 8:8. Upon his recovery, Maury took God at his word and went looking for these paths. We are indebted to his discovery of the warm and cold continental currents. His book on oceanography is still considered a basic text on the subject and is still used in universities. Maury used the Bible as a guide to scientific discovery. If only more would use the Bible as a guide in their personal lives!

Facts, Reality and Truth

These three words are very common, but it was at first when I read the view of Mr. Kenji Ushiro and his philosophy to the interrelation that I began to comprehend the implications.¹ I am going to share a bit of philosophy which has helped me tremendously in the way I view the world and putting things into perspective.

Facts are the concrete elements that surround us. When we say the sun is shining or it is raining is a fact. We cannot change these facts, as much as I close my eyes and pretend it is night time that does not change the fact that the sun is shining. Facts surround us every day and in life one constantly seeks facts or they are obtained. In fact in our modern day world we are bombarded by facts, some very concrete ones that you cannot simply ignore.

When I have experienced a fact it becomes part of my reality. The colour red is reality to me, because I have experienced the colour red. To a person that is colour blind, red has no meaning, it is a concept and not part of his or her reality at all. Now my reality if you wish is different and unique to everyone else’s. The facts at my disposal and my perception of them are all parts that help shape my reality. Reality however is not truth, simply because I have a certain view point does not mean I possess the truth.

The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.

Immanuel Kant

Connected to my reality is perception, my way of viewing the world. This is also unique to each individual. Each one of us views the facts in the world and categorises them in a certain way. To some forgetting something is no big deal, but to another it is a great stress factor. Our individual perception plays a great part in shaping our reality and our ability to view the truth. In some cases our perceptions could even hamper our discovery of truth.

Truth is greater and grander then we could ever imagine. In fact in biblical terms truth is none other than Christ Himself (John 14:6). Truth is so great that we do not create truth, but rather truth creates us. Truth is also so vast that we are limited sinful human beings can never view or grasp it in its entirety. When I as a human being view this grand truth it is as if I am viewing it through a straw. We only grasp small parts at a time.

With a little bit of sound reasoning we come to realise that if we were to alter our perception it would greatly enhance our knowledge of truth. The problem is how do we change our perception? There are scores of philosophies and ideas that are circulated, some are helpful and others create the opposite of what we actually desire. Thus we have been given the Bible, for it gives a truthful account of Christ and we are able to change our perception to align with the perception of Christ.

The scientific way seeks to study the facts and then create a reality. What is ironic is that with all the advancements in science, they have not altered the destructive nature of humanity. The reason for this is that as much as science studies the facts and improves on their reality, they never come to the truth. The divine way is to first confront a person with the truth, they can then search for the facts and shape their reality in a way that will allow them a greater perspective of the truth.

The weapon with which the Lord conquers men is the truth as it is in Jesus.²

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This is not an attack against science. Science and scientific methodology has its place, we must however be aware of its limitations.

Very often people are shocked to find that theologians who do not believe in God, but this should not surprise them. Anyone can read the Bible, I believe that even Satan is well acquainted with the scriptures. The problem arises when one reads the Bible simply for the facts, this may have an effect on your reality, but it does not lead you to the truth. The methodology of Bible study will be dealt with in a later chapter, but suffice to say for now that an unconverted person will not be able to understand the Bible.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.

1 Corinthians 2:14, 15

The Bible is a book inspired by God and describing divine things which no earthly mind would grasp if the Spirit of God did not unlock our minds first. The Bible is not simply a book of facts, it was never intended to be or written in