“Who wrote the Bible?” is a huge question.  I’ll give you my best answer to it: God… and a lot of people – about 30 people in the Old Testament and 10 in the New Testament – 40 men and women in all.

Who wrote the Bible? God – Father, Son, and Spirit – inspired and infused human authors to communicate a life-giving message and self-revealing narrative of Himself as the gracious, merciful, loving, and jealous Being who longs to gather us back to the lush garden of relational joy and peace.

Since the Bible is really a collection of 66 books, it was written and compiled over the course of 1,500 years, beginning with an oral history tradition stretching back 4,000 years and ending 2,000 years later with the last original disciple of Jesus, the Apostle John.  Therefore, we have writings before Christ in the Old Testament, and writings about Christ and his followers in the New Testament.

The early church’s use of the Old Testament writings, certain letters from Paul, Peter, John, and the Gospels for worship and edification were recognized, codified, and canonized as Holy Scripture – that simply means that church councils made up of Christians from around the known world accepted the writings as authoritative standards for the life and conduct of all the churches. This was not a one-time event, but a process over the course of a few centuries.  By the fifth century, the Bible as we know it today had been fully recognized.

The Bible is considered unique in that it is, according to the faithful, a working together of God and humans in which God reveals himself through human writers.

2 Timothy 3:16 in the New Testament of the Bible says:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (King James Version)

“All Scripture is God-breathed.” (New International Version)

“Every scripture is inspired by God.” (Common English Bible)

“Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. (Contemporary English Version)

This means that the Bible was written and collected with full participation between both God and human authors – God and humans together produced what we have today.

God didn’t just dictate what he wanted written, with men and women writing it down.  What’s more, men and women didn’t just write Bible books on their own initiative.

Instead, both God and people working together wrote the Bible.  This has always been the historic Christian perspective and position on the origins of the Bible.

This cooperation between God and human authors is why, when reading the Bible, you can see the personalities and perspectives of both God and people.  It is why the stories and narratives of the Bible are sometimes raw and real, and why the poetry and prophecy of the Bible are so often beautiful and transcendent.

There are sections of the Bible in which many scholars debate who the human author was, who really compiled a certain collection, and when many of the books were written.  Yet, the constant witness of tradition is that the Bible is a divine/human endeavor in which God graciously reveals himself to men and women as the One who is wooing lost humanity back to himself.

2 Peter 1:20:21 in the New Testament of the Bible says:

“But you need to realize that no one alone can understand any of the prophecies in the Scriptures.  The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.” (Contemporary English Version)

“First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (New Revised Standard Version)

“The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.” (The Message)

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (King James Version)

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (New International Version)

The Christian view of the Bible is that it is more than a collection of pithy sayings, moral teachings, and inspirational stories of healing and overcoming sin by human compilers.  It is primarily, through its 66 books, a continuing drama of redemption in which God speaks, moves, grieves, rejoices, and ultimately sends his Son, the Lord Jesus, as the Redeemer who claims us for his own.  What’s more, God has sent his Holy Spirit to keep teaching and helping us in living the Christian life.

 

This page, along with the entire site, is continually under Bob’s nose right now.  There’s a lot of history to track down.  We have more great content coming for you.  Come back and check in from time to time and see our progress.

If you have a question, a comment, a suggestion, or want to just connect with us, feel free to visit the Contact page and get in touch.

Thanks.  See you on the trail.