Teachinghearts	Bible Prophecy and History - The Bible "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Statistics: Time: 120 minutes Print: 21 pages

	Books and Authors	Canon	Apocrypha	Deuterocanonical	Pseudodepigrapha	Changes
	Old Testament	New Testament		Rejected Books	Sources of Scripture
	The Torah	Mishna	Gemara	Talmud	Targum	Name of God
	Early Translations	Septuagint	Latin Vulgate	Masoretic Text	Textus Receptus	Majority Text
	Modern Translations	Comparison	Alterations	Commandments	Dead Sea Scroll	Archaeology
	Bible Reading Plan		Bible Study Plan		Church History	Bible Maps

Prayer The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful James 5: 11

Dear God. Help me to see the Bible clearly. If it is your Word, help me to trust that you have taken care of what is essential, so that I can trust in your Word. Thank you.

Bible, from the Greek work "biblia" which means books is the sacred book or Scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The Jewish Bible, called the Tanakh, is a collection of 39 books written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The Protestant Christian Bible contains the entire Hebrew Bible of 39 books called the "Old Testament" plus 27 other Books called the "New Testament." which were written in Greek. The Catholic Bible contains the Hebrew books plus seven other books, and additions to the original books. These are called apocrypha by the Protestants and deuterocanonical by the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible was written between 1450 B.C. and 100 A.D. by 40 different writers using 3 different original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and koine Greek).

The authenticity of the Bible as the Word of God can only be demonstrated by the following:

1. Eyewitness testimony of the disciples
2. Luke researched it
3. Fulfilled prophecy

Inspiration
Inspiration is the supernatural influence on human writers by which they communicated or recorded what God wanted us to know. Since Early Christians were just people who believed in the Jewish Faith but also believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, they adopted the scriptures from Judaism and accepted the Scriptures as authoritative. Christians generally believed that the Bible contained the word of God as communicated by his Spirit — first through the patriarchs and prophets and then through the apostles. The writers of the New Testament books appealed to the authority of the Hebrew Scriptures to support their claims concerning Jesus Christ.

Inspiration could imply one of two things:

1. God dictated to the writers word for word what to say.
2. The writers used their own words to express facts when writing history, describing visions from God, or expressing their own life experiences with God.

Most of the Bible was written by a human being through inspiration or just for recording history.
The only Words God wrote are these:

1. The Ten Commandments on the tables of stone
2. The handwriting on the Wall that Daniel interpreted ( MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN ) on the night Babylon fell to Medo-Persia
3. When Jesus wrote in the dust at the attempted stoning of a prostitute.

The only words God spoke first hand are these:

1. To create the world
2. The Ten Commandments
3. Every Word Jesus Christ said
4. Visions recorded by his prophets

The rest of inspired scripture that was not directly written or spoken by God and recorded are either true history or people moved to write about their relationship with God. How He has led and encouraged them. Others are just written in praise to God. While others are letters to individuals or churches preserved as authentic teachings because they were written by those who knew Jesus directly.

Books and Authors of the Bible
Classifications of the Books

Division	Total Books	Description	Books
Old Testament TaNaKh (or Tanach)
Torah Shebiksav	5	Written Torah	Genesis - Deuteronomy
Nevi'im (Prophets)	7 (9)	Prophets	Joshua, Judges, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Samuel, Kings
	1 (12)	Trey Asar (The Twelve) minor Prophets	Hosea - Malachi
Kesuvim (Writings)	11 (13)	Writings	The other books
Other Hebrew Writings
Mishna or Torah Sheb'al Peh	1	Oral Torah	Mishna
Gemara	1	Detailed explanations of the Mishna	Gemara
New Testament - Christian Additions (B'rit Hadashah )
Gospel	4	Good News. The life of Jesus by his disciples	Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
History	1	History after the death of Christ	Gospels + Acts
Letters	21	Letters (Epistles) Written to churches or individuals. Used for doctrine.	Romans - Jude
Prophecy	1	Prophecies	Revelation
Apocrypha
False Old Testament writings not recognized by either the Hebrew or Protestant Canon, but by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches
Pseudodepigrapha
False New Testament writings not recognized in the Canon of any division of the church

Books of the Bible

Book	Author	Hebrew Canon	Protestant Canon	Catholic/Orthodox Canon	Contents
Old Testament
Law		Torah	Pentateuch
Genesis	Moses 1500 B.C.	B'reishis	Genesis	Genesis	Creation to Joseph a period of 2000 years
Exodus	Moses	Shemot	Exodus	Exodus	Escape to Egypt and the Law on Mt. Sinai
Leviticus	Moses	Vayikra	Leviticus	Leviticus	Ceremonial Laws
Numbers	Moses	Bamidbar	Numbers	Numbers	Census and Sinai-Moab
Deuteronomy	Moses	Devarim	Deuteronomy	Deuteronomy	Repeats Laws. Journey up to Canaan
Major Prophets		Nevi'im	Major Prophets
Joshua	Joshua	Yehoshua	Joshua	Joshua	In the promised land
Judges	Samuel	Shoftim	Judges	Judges	350 years in the promised land
1 Samuel	Samuel+	Shmuel	1 Samuel	1 Kings	King Saul
2 Samuel	Samuel+		2 Samuel	2 Kings	King David
1 Kings	Compilation	Melachim	1 Kings	3 Kings	400 year reign of Kings, Elijah
2 Kings	Compilation		2 Kings	4 Kings	The Kings
Jeremiah	Jeremiah	Yirmiyahu	Jeremiah	Jeremiah	The Babylonian captivity
Ezekiel	Ezekiel	Yechezkel	Ezekiel	Ezekiel	Before and after the fall of Jerusalem
Isaiah	Isaiah	Yeshayahu	Isaiah	Isaiah	Messianic prophecies and the coming destruction
Lesser Prophets		Trey Asar	Minor Prophets
Hosea	Hosea	Hoshaia	Hosea	The Prophecy of Osee	God's great love for an unfaithful people
Joel	Joel	Yoel	Joel	Joel	A call for reformation
Amos	Amos	Amos	Amos	Amos	Repentance for people living in luxury
Obadiah	Obadiah	Hoshaia	Obadiah	Obadiah	Destruction of Edom for their hostility to Israel
Jonah	Jonah	Yonah	Jonah	Jonah	Warning to Nineveh
Micah	Micah	Michah	Micah	Micah	Coming Babylonian captivity
Nahum	Nahum	Nachum	Nahum	Nahum	Downfall of Assyria in 612 B.C.
Habakkuk	Habakkuk	Chabakuk	Habakkuk	Habakkuk	The Just shall live by Faith.
Zephaniah	Zephaniah	Tzefaniah	Zephaniah	Zephaniah	Judgments to Israel and other nations for their sins
Haggai	Haggai	Chaggai	Haggai	Haggai	Rebuild the temple and to bring comfort
Zechariah	Zechariah	Zechariah	Zechariah	Zechariah	After the Babylonian captivity
Malachi	Malachi	Malachi	Malachi	Malachi	Spiritual decline of the Jews
Poetry		Kesuvim	Poetry
Psalms	David and others	Tehillim	Psalms	Psalms	Praise, prayers and petitions
Proverbs	Solomon and others	Mishlei	Proverbs	Proverbs	Wise sayings of Solomon
Job	*Moses	Iyov	Job	Job	The suffering of the good
Song of Songs	Solomon and other	Shir HaShirim	Song of Solomon	Solomon's Canticle of Canticles	A love poem
Ruth	Samuel	Rus	Ruth	Ruth	Lineage of the family of David
Lamentations	Jeremiah	Eichah	Lamentations	Lamentations	The destruction by Babylon
Ecclesiastes	Solomon	Koheles	Eccelesiastes	Eccelesiastes	Vanity of earthly things
Esther	Unknown	Esther	Esther	Esther	Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from destruction
Daniel	Daniel	Daniel	Daniel	Daniel	End time prophecies during the Babylonian captivity
Ezra	Ezra	Ezra & Nechemiah	Ezra	The First Book of Esdras	After the captivity. Rebuilding of the temple
Nehemiah	Ezra		Nehemiah	The Second Book of Esdras	After the captivity. Rebuilding of the temple
1 Chronicles	*Ezra	Divrei HaYomim	1 Chronicles	1 Chronicles	Kings of Israel and Judah
2 Chronicles	*Ezra		2 Chronicles	2 Chronicles	Kings of Israel and Judah
New Testament (B'rit Hadashah )
Book	Author	Hebrew	Protestant	Catholic/Orthodox	Contents
Gospel and History
Matthew	Matthew	None	Matthew	Matthew	Life of Christ - Gallilean ministry
Mark	Mark		Mark	Mark
Luke	Luke		Luke	Luke
John	John		John	John	Life of Christ - Judean ministry
Acts of the Apostles	Luke 31-63 A.D.		Acts	Acts	History after crucifixion and spread to the gentiles
Letters (Epistles)
Romans 57-58 A.D.	Paul	None	Romans	Romans	Grace, righteousness by faith
1 Corinthians	Paul 57 A.D.		1 Corinthians	1 Corinthians	Letter to church at Corinth against immorality
2 Corinthians	Paul		2 Corinthians	2 Corinthians	Letter to church at Corinth to help the poor and to repent
Galatians	Paul 45 A.D.		Galatians	Galatians	Righteousness by Faith
Ephesians	Paul 62 A.D.		Ephesians	Ephesians	Written while in prison for unity
Philippians	Paul		Philippians	Philippians	Paul's first imprisonment
Colossians	Paul		Colossians	Colossians	Written in prison in Rome to combat legalism
1 Thessalonians	Paul		1 Thessalonians	1 Thessalonians	Resurrection and the Second Coming
2 Thessalonians	Paul		2 Thessalonians	2 Thessalonians	Prophecies
1 Timothy	Paul		1 Timothy	1 Timothy	Duties of Ministers.
2 Timothy	Paul		2 Timothy	2 Timothy	Duties of Ministers.
Titus	Paul		Titus	Titus	Duties of Ministers. Letter to Titus a gentile minister on the Isle of Crete
Philemon	Paul		Philemon	Philemon	While in prison. Letter about the slave Onesimus
Hebrews	*Paul		Hebrews	Hebrews	Christ's ministry on Earth
James	James		James	James	The brother of Jesus. Works not words. Guide to Christian conduct.
1 Peter	Peter		1 Peter	1 Peter	Faithful in persecution
2 Peter	Peter		2 Peter	2 Peter	Faithful in persecution
1 John	John 90-95 A.D.		1 John	1 John	To combat gnosticism
2 John			2 John	2 John	Love is keeping the commandments
3 John			3 John	3 John	Letter to Gaius about schismatic work of Diotrephenes
Jude	Jude		Jude	Jude	The brother of Jesus. The dangers of apostasy
Prophecy
Revelation	John	None	Revelation	Revelation	Prophecy of the last days
Rejected Books
Book	Author	Hebrew	Protestant	Catholic/Orthodox	Contents
Apocrypha
Tobit	Unknown	Not recognized		The Book of Tobias	Sorcery
Judith	Unknown			Judith	Unknown
Additions to the Book of Esther	Unknown			Additions to the Book of Esther	Unknown
Wisdom of Solomon	Unknown			The Book of Wisdom	Unknown
Ecclesiasticus	Unknown			Ecclesiasticus	The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach
Baruch	Unknown			Baruch	Unknown
Letter of Jeremiah	Unknown			Letter of Jeremiah	Unknown
Prayer of Azariah	Unknown			Prayer of Azariah	*Daniel The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men
Susanna	Unknown			Susanna	*Included in Daniel
Bel and the Dragon	Unknown			Bel and the Dragon	*Included in Daniel
The Prayer of Manasseh	Unknown			The Prayer of Manasseh	Unknown
The First Book of the Maccabees	Unknown	Recognized as history		The First Book of the Maccabees	History of the Jews fight against attempts to Hellenize their culture and religion. Prayers for the dead
The Second Book of the Maccabees	Unknown			The Second Book of the Maccabees
The First Book of Esdras	Unknown	Not recognized		The First Book of Esdras	Eastern Orthodox canon only
The Second Book of Esdras	Unknown			The Second Book of Esdras	Eastern Orthodox canon only

Comparison
The Protestant Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah are known to Roman Catholics as, respectively, the first and second books of Esdras.
The two Apocrypha books of Esdras constitute an entirely separate entity, usually called together Third Esdras by Roman Catholics. This latter two book Esdras is not considered part of the Old Testament by either Protestants or Roman Catholics. Eastern Orthodox churches hold all the books, including Third Esdras, to be canonical, or part of the Old Testament.
The Prayer of Manasseh was included only in the appendix to the Latin Vulgate Bible.
The Christian and Jewish Old Testament are assembled in a different order.

Canon - How the Books were Chosen
The canon is simply the recognized body of work by a branch of the Church to determine which writings should, or should not be included in the Bible as scripture. Because other strange works were creeping in over time. It became necessary for each group (Jewish and Christian) to meet and state for an historical record, the source of all their books and writings. Therefore, there is an official Hebrew, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Canon. The Christian Bible is divided into two sections.

1. Old Testament. These are the Jewish scriptures that were used by Christ and the disciples.
2. New Testament. These are the letters, words of the disciples and eyewitnesses of the events that happened during the ministry of Christ.

Each branch of the church, Jewish and Christian made an official list of the writings that would be included in their sacred texts.

1. Hebrew Canon - Council of Jamina/Jabneh 90 A.D. To aid in the rebuilding of Jewish religious life after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. the Jewish Canon was officially stated at this time although the official canon was considered closed in 400 B.C. Several criteria were used in selecting books:
   1. The book must come from a period considered to be inspired. From the time of Moses to Ezra.
   2. It must be in harmony with the Torah (the first 5 books).
   3. The language of the original book must be written in Hebrew.
   4. The book must be written within the geographical area of Palestine.
2. Protestant Canon - Council of Nicea 325 A.D. Since it was a persecuted church for close to three hundred years, a canon was not declared until the church was officially tolerated. The 27 books of the New Testament and the 39 books of the Hebrew Old Testament were recognized by the entire Church at that time to be the only authentic books.
   At the time, everyone accepted only those writings as the authentic works of the authors. This is the canon that is used in the Protestant Bible. The Old Testament is similar to the Hebrew canon.
   This allowed them to state that the other works were not widely accepted and their origin was suspicious. Several criteria were used in selecting the books:
   1. The book must be written by an apostle or a person with very close relationship to the early church
   2. The book must give clear evidence that it is divinely inspired.
   3. The book must be in harmony with other scripture
   4. The book was to be universally accepted by the church. This criteria highlights the fact that the councils did not meet to decide which books should be included. They addressed the problem of a growing body of works of suspicious origin. They met to confirm what they believed and understood and why. Therefore, the other criteria probably reflects their criticism of the other books.
3. Protestant Canon - Council of Carthage 397 A.D. Again officially recognized only the 27 books of the New Testament and also identified the growing body of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works.
4. Roman Catholic Canon - Council of Trent in 1546 Accepted the Deuterocanonical works in the Catholic Church, against the advice of former church scholars. Therefore, over 1200 years later, the church included books rejected by earlier groups who were much more familiar with what was happening.
   

Rejected Books

• Deuterocanonical Books. These are Old Testament books, not recognized by Hebrew or Protestant Scholars as authentic writings. They were officially included into the Roman Catholic canon by the Council of Trent in 1546, 1200 years after the universal church had declared them false writings. From the Greek words meaning "second canon". These are writings not included in the Hebrew Canon but included in the Roman Catholic canon and some canons of the Orthodox church.
• Apocrypha. Apocrypha from the Greek meaning "hidden", it was the word used by St. Jerome to define the books of the Septuagint that were not in the Hebrew Old Testament. These books include Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and the two books of Maccabees.
• Pseudodepigrapha. Pseudepigrapha are Jewish and Christian writings that began to appear about 200 B.C. They are writings that all canons consider outside of the authorized canon. The term is derived from the Greek meaning "falsely ascribed" because they were attributed to great religious figures of the past. They include the Book of Jubilees, the Psalms of Solomon, the Fourth Book of Maccabees, the Book of Enoch, the Fourth Book of Ezra, the Apocalypse of Baruch, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.

The Books of Judaism

The Torah. The word "torah" means "a teaching". The Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It has two sections, the Torah Shebiksav (the Written Torah) and the Torah Sheb'al Peh (the Oral Torah).

There are 24 books, five in the Torah, eight in the Nevi'im, and eleven in the Kesuvim.
These three sections (Torah, Nevi'im, and Kesuvim) are frequently referred to by the acronym TaNaKh (or Tanach). The Torah Shebiksav has three parts:
• Torah: The five books of Moses also called Pentateuch (five Books) in the Christian Canon.
• Nevi'im (Prophets): This is divided among the former and latter prophets called Trey Asar (The Twelve). In Protestant canon they are also called the major and minor prophets.
• Kesuvim (Writings): These books were written by prophets with God's guidance but are not direct prophecies.

Mishna. The things that were not explained in the Torah Shebiksav, God gave oral explanations to Moses on Mount Sinai together with the written Torah. These are called the Torah Sheb'al Peh, the Oral Torah, because they were meant to be passed from teacher to student. In the years after the destruction of the second Holy Temple there was a danger that the Torah Sheb'al Peh would be forgotten. Therefore, Jewish scholars led by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (The Prince), assembled a basic outline of the Torah Sheb'al Peh into a series of books called the Mishna. The Mishna was completed in the year 188 A.D.
Gemara. The Mishna was intended to serve as a memory aid so that it would be easier for students to remember the Torah Sheb'al Peh. It was primarily an outline and did not include the detailed analysis and explanation behind the laws. These explanations are called gemara.
Talmud. About three hundred years after the completion of the Mishna there was a risk that the gemara would be forgotten. Once again, Hebrew scholars led by Rav Ashi and Ravina, compiled the gemara into a written work as a commentary on the Mishna. This completed work is called the Talmud. The Talmud is a combination of the Mishna and the gemara. It is made up of six sections or Seder (Order) and contains several books called Mesechtos (Tracts). The six Sedarim are:
• Zera'im (Seeds). Laws of agriculture. It also deals with the laws of prayer and blessings. It contains 11 mesechtos.
• Mo'ed (Season). Laws of Shabbos and Yom Tov (holidays). It contains 12 mesechtos.
• Nashim (Women). Laws of marriage and divorce. It contains 7 mesechtos.
• Nezikin(Damages). Civil law, such as laws about damages and theft. It also deals with ethics. It contains 10 mesechtos.
• Kedoshim (Holy Things). It deals with sacrifices. It contains 11 mesechtos.
• Tohoros (Purities). Laws of ritual purity. It contains 12 mesechtos.

The Name of God
The term HaShem literally means "The Name" is used by Jews to refer to God. Since Jewish tradition since thetime of the Talmud forbids the pronunciation of God's Name, a substitute is used for the actual name of God. The prohibition is based upon the requirement to fear God and to "fear His name"
In Deuteronomy 6: 13, it states " HaShem your God you shall fear..."
In Deuteronomy 28: 58, "...to fear this great and honored Name of HaShem your God."

Respecting the Name of God For the same reason of not pronouncing the name of God, Jews will write the word "God" as "G-d".

This is similar to the prohibition of referring to your parents by their names. The most holy of God's name is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) which was only pronounced in the Holy Temple during the Temple service. It is God's "personal" name. The prohibition extends to other names such as "Adonoy" which means "My Master" It was also as a substitute for the Tetragrammaton which was not to be pronounced during ordinary speech. Therefore, out of respect for God's holy Name, the term HaShem, which means "The Name" is used in ordinary speech.

In written works, the term HaShem is usually used specifically to substitute ltke G-d, for the Tetragrammaton.
The act of destroying or defacing the name of God is at the heart of not printing the name in a permanent form that may be destroyed or thrown away.
Just as the Jews substituted HaShem, the term LORD in capital letters is substituted for YHWH in the Bible.

Early Translations
Before the invention of the printing press, manuscripts were copied by hand and therefore were rare. No manuscripts exists today from the original writers. We have many generations of copies of copies, sometimes in fragments. There are :

• Old Testament. The Septuagint (Greek), Vulgate (Latin) and the Masoretic text (Hebrew)
  • The Dead sea scroll discovery has parts of every book of the Hebrew Old Testament except for the book of Esther.
  • The "Isaiah scroll" is a complete text of that prophet's book.
  • about 8,000 manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate.
  • about 4,000 manuscripts no earlier than 200 A.D.
  • 5400 Greek manuscripts.
• New Testament . The Textus Receptus (mainly Greek manuscripts)

Sources. Basically, these are the sources of the scriptures.

• Dead Sea Scrolls. Discovered in 1947 in 11 caves at Qumran. Dated to about 22 BC.
• Masoretic Text (700 AD). This is the Hebrew text that is most commonly associated with the "Old Testament." It was preserved through the work of Jewish scholars, the Masoretes from 700 A.D. It is contained in about 300 manuscripts, none earlier than the ninth century A.D. Before the discovery of the Dead sea scrolls, there were few manuscripts this old.
• Samaritan Pentateuch. This includes only the 5 books of Moses. It includes numerous expansions, rearrangements and other departures from the Masoretic and LXX text.
• Targum. Translations of all or part of the Old Testament into Aramaic that were committed to writing in the fifth century A.D. They originated after the Babylonian Exile to support Jews who did not know Hebrew. After the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), scripture was read aloud with a translation in Aramaic in synagogues. Eventually paraphrase (loose translations) and commentary were added.
• Septuagint. The Greek Old Testament came to be the Bible of the early Christian Church. It was commissioned by the Greek emperor Ptolemy II to serve the Jewish people under Greek domination who were no longer familiar with the Hebrew. The name Septuagint was derived from the Latin word "septuaginta" which means seventy. It is sometimes referred to by the abbreviation LXX, the Latin equivalent for 70. Legend states that this number refers to the number of translators used. The Septuagint originally contained only the books of the Torah, but as the centuries progressed, other Hebrew books were translated. By the time of the Christian Era some of the Apocryphal books had crept in.
• The Latin Vulgate (390 AD). A Latin translation by St. Jerome based at first on the Greek Septuagint for the Old Testament. He later consulted the original Hebrew text and produced different versions of the Psalms from this. There was an earlier Latin version used by the early church which was translated with increasing inaccuracy. The present version by St. Jerome is a composite work in which he included parts of the Apocrypha. He recommended that the Apocrypha should remain distinct from the rest of the books, because of the questionable nature of their origin. In 382, at the request of Pope Damasus I, Jerome revised or corrected the New Testament. It has been stated that some of these slight revisions are his work.
• Textus Receptus - Received Text (1453 AD). This arose through an opportunity to study the Greek manuscripts instead of the Latin Vulgate. The "Textus Receptus" or Received Text was the standard Greek text in the sixteenth century after the invention of the printing press. It was the first published Greek text of the New Testament and for many years was the standard Greek text. This Greek New Testament has been edited on the basis of the latest evidence and in some cases corrected to fit the Latin text. The Textus Receptus has many editions, compiled by different groups using different sources, and in some cases were merely translations of the Latin Vulgate to the Greek. Some of the most important versions of the Textus Receptus are:
  1. Complutensian Polyglot, published in 1520
  2. Erasmus's first edition published in February 1516 with many errors.
  3. Erasmus's third edition of 1522 - with a deliberate addition in 1 John 5:7-8.
  4. 1550, the third edition of Robert Stephanus (Estienne) became one of the two standard texts of the Textus Receptus. His edition included variants of over a dozen manuscripts -- including Manuscripts D and L - Codices Bezae (D) and Regius (L).
  5. 1624, the Elzevir text became the primary text but it was basically a copy of Stephanus' work.
  So not all of the editions of the Textus Receptus are identical. Some are based on different manuscripts, some parts are translations of the Latin. Some are copies of earlier poor translations.
• The Complutensian Polyglot (1514 AD). Cardinal Ximenes created a Greek and Latin edition of the New Testament which was was printed in 1514, but published after 1520.
  In the mean time a team of two men, Desiderius Erasmus a scholar, and a printer named John Froben began the work in 1515 and published in February 1516. Erasmus's edition had the Greek text in parallel with the Latin. This edition contained many typographical errors and badly edited sections. The last six verses of the Apocalypse were translated into Greek from the Latin. So the Greek Text included words not found in any Greek manuscripts. This edition was a success and soon many other Greek editions were made, based on this hastily compiled version.
  Problem verses in Erasmus' Edition and Other Editions
  
  • Erasmus had an incorrect translation of Revelation 17:4
  • Erasmus' last 6 verses of Revelation were not found in any Greek text
  • According to another scholarly evaluation, these texts might also be a problem Matthew 22:28, 23:25, 27:52, 28:3, 4, 19, 20; Mark 7:18, 19, 26, 10:1, 12:22, 15:46; Luke 1:16, 61, 2:43, 9:1, 15, 11:49; John 1:28, 10:8, 13:20
  • The King James version which was translated from the Textus Receptus has these variances, listing differences at Matthew 12:24, 27; John 8:21, 10:16; 1 Corinthians 14:10, 16:1; compare also Mark 8:14, 9:42; John 8:6; Acts 1:4; 1 John 3:16.
  • Some words found in the King James Version are missing from their primary text.

Bible Text	Significant teaching	Problem
Missing Text or Old Manuscript Problems
Daniel	None	Dead sea scrolls showed punctuation differences and few spelling variations, but no doctrinal differences
Daniel 9: 1	None	The Greek Septuagint has these events happening in the third year not the first. And this does not reference prophecy only history.
Revelation 17: 4	None, error was corrected	Erasmus translated incorrectly
Revelation 22: 16 - 21	None	Erasmus - last 6 verses do not exist in the Greek
Matthew 12: 24, 27	None	KJV - problems with the Textus Receptus
John 8: 21	None	KJV - problems with the Textus Receptus
John 10: 16	None	KJV - problems with the Textus Receptus
1 Corinthians 14: 10	None	KJV - problems with the Textus Receptus
1 Corinthians 16: 1	None	KJV - problems with the Textus Receptus
Mark 8: 14	None	KJV - words found in italics are missing from their primary text
Mark 9: 42	None
John 8: 6	None
Acts 1: 4	None
I John 3: 16	None
Matthew 22: 28	None	Unknown
Matthew 23: 25	None	Unknown
Matthew 27: 52	People resurrected at the crucifixion	Unknown
Matthew 27: 56	None	Does not appear in older manuscripts
Matthew 28: 3, 4, 19, 20	The great commission	Unknown
Mark 7: 18, 19, 26	None	Unknown
Mark 10: 1	None	Unknown
Mark 12: 22	None	Unknown
Mark 15: 46	None	Unknown
Mark 16: 9-20	Jesus appears to some after the resurrection. Tongues as a sign. Picking up deadly snakes	Does not appear in older manuscripts
Luke 1: 16, 61	None	Unknown
Luke 2: 43	None	Unknown
Luke 9: 1, 15	None	Unknown
Luke 11: 49	None	Unknown
John 1: 28	None	Unknown
John 10: 8	None	Unknown
John 13: 20	None	Unknown
John 20: 14	Mary at the tomb	Does not appear in older manuscripts
John 7: 53 - 8: 11	The story of the adulterous woman	Does not appear in older manuscripts
Deliberate Changes
Catholic Cathecism	Commandments	Changes to the Ten Commandments
Catholic Bible	Purgatory, the dead, false writings	Included the apocrypha in the 1400's - books that the early church and the Jewish canon condemned
Jehovah's Witness Bible	Deity of Christ	Adds the name of God where it is not found and changes the text concerning Christ
NIV Version	Deity of Christ	Translator's decision
NASB Version	Deity of Christ	Translator's decision

Determining The Best Translation
With so many fragments and sources, scholars had to develop methods to discern which was the most original texts, especially when differences occurred.

• The Majority (Traditional) Text. This "majority rule" view advocates that the true translation can be found by using what was in the majority of the old manuscripts used for the Textus Receptus.
• The Critical Text. This method of evaluating the various manuscripts is based on the work of Westcott and Hort. They attempted to construct a text closest to its original verbal form by looking at the genealogy of the manuscripts to discover which were copies of copies and which might be closer to the original source. The English Revised version is from the Critical Text

Modern Translations
The are three recognized different types of translations, but I will add a fourth:

1. Formal or Literal. The exact word for word translation
2. Dynamic. The translation of an idea or the meaning.
3. Paraphrase. The translation of the meaning in modern speech and ideas.
4. Semi - Formal. Mostly a word for word translation but with deliberate changes not supported by any original text to support a particular doctrine.

All translations have some uses. But to study doctrine, a formal translation should be used. In addition to the different translations, some Bibles use internal notes for a variety of purposes.

1. Scholarly notes - References by the interpreters about the translation.
   • To give legitimate alternate readings
   • To show where a word might be included to help in the reading. There is no standard way to indicate these words. But these are a few common methods used:
     • Italics
     • Underline
     • Braces [ ]
     • Explanations in the margins
   • To indicate the original was missing or unclear due to wear and tear of the ancient manuscripts.
2. Scholarly opinions and helps - Inspired scripture but uninspired references which may not be correct and in some cases are based solely on the personal theology of the author.
   • Provide links to other texts where none might exist
   • To propose a particular viewpoint
   • Maps, charts, historical notes

Honest translations will give you alternative readings that are just as legitimate as the chosen text. However, some translators change words to support their doctrinal views, this is not acceptable. Others add commentary or references to support a view. As long as the reader can separate legitimate alternative readings from the comments which are a man's viewpoint then this is acceptable.

Alterations
There are several types of alterations made to the Bible, and this understanding could affect your understanding of what could have happened to the writings. Some alterations were useful. They usually did not change the meaning of the text. Some alterations might have been accidental because the Bible was manually copied. Other alterations were deliberate attempts to change the meaning:

• Omission. Removing a letter or word.
• Substitution. Using different letters or words in place of others.
• Addition. Adding a letter or word.
• Transposition. Changing the order of letters.

1. Unintentional Changes
   • Ancient copying methods. Scribes might have heard or read the text incorrectly. With the redundant error checking methods that were done it was possible to catch most of these.
   • Typographical and type setting Errors. Before the invention of printing, Jewish scholars (scribes) carefully copied the writings. They used a process of counting letters and words to double check if errors might have crept in. Recent archaeological findings in the Qumram caves reveal that this process was so accurate that barely any changes occurred in the text. Christian translators were not as careful.
   • Destruction of the ancient manuscripts over time, leaving missing text on the document.
2. Translations. The very act of translating into a different language could alter the meaning.
3. Intentional Changes (Not Destructive) to help in reading but not meant to change the meaning. But, as with any changes there could be unintended changes in meaning.
   • Substitutions for the name of God. The Bible uses the word LORD in capitals and the Hebrew text might use the word HaShem to substitute for the personal name of God. This tradition was started out of respect for God. So that His children do no accidentally call Him by His first name when reading the holy scriptures.
   • Addition of Chapters and Verses. Word and paragraph divisions were added by the Talmudic scholars in (200-500 A.D.). The Masoretic Copyists (500-1000 A.D.) added verses to assist in breaking up the text so that sections could be easily located. These can be destructive in the sense that they make artificial separation of thoughts and ideas that the original writer did not intend.
   • Addition of Punctuation. Additional grammatical aids. Although this is not typical, this type of change can affect the meaning. For example, in speaking to one of the thieves on the cross Jesus said
     "I say unto you today you shall be with me in paradise". (Luke 23: 43)
     
     With punctuation added it could mean the following:
         1.   Jesus and the thief would be in heaven that day. This is unlikely because He would not rise from the dead until Sunday.
             "I say unto you , today you shall be with me in paradise"
     
         2.   Jesus was just emphasizing the moment at which he made the promise.
             "I say unto you today , you shall be with me in paradise"
   • The Type of Translation and its purpose. If the translation can keep the original meaning, yet present it in language that is understood, then it would most likely be acceptable. However, meaning is highly influenced by doctrine, politics and lack of knowledge about what was intended and personal opinion.
4. Intentional or Deliberate Changes (Destructive). To the meaning. These are unacceptable, they are almost always done to support a doctrine.
   • The Type of Translation and the beliefs of the translators
   • Changes to support a particular Doctrine
   • Deliberate Changes to the Ten Commandments.
     The second commandment forbidding idols was deleted. The Catholic church says that it can be "assumed" from the first.
     The fourth commandment was changed, probably to help in the changing from the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. In a propaganda move, they began to refer to the "Lord's day" as Sunday, clearly to make the commandment read "to keep Sunday holy"
     The tenth commandment was split into two to make up for the deleted commandment.
     
     The church argues that the division of the Ten Commandments is not absolute. I would accept that argument if the text of the second commandment was included in the first. But it is not. The words of God (and remember this is what He emptied out part of heaven to come to Mt. Sinai to do - give the Law). The only words written by God were changed.
   • Alternate Translations. A deliberate attempt to use possible alternate translations to support a particular doctrine despite the evidence that another translation might be better. This is technically not a change in words, but it is a change in meaning.
   • Gender Neutral Changes. This supports cultural goals.

The following are examples of changes. Some of these are direct changes to the Bible, others are changes to material represented as authoritative and used for Bible study.

• Changes in Ancient times.
  • Addition of vowel sounds
  • The dead sea scrolls show changes in punctuation and variant spellings but shows that over the years, the Jewish method of copying and attention to the sacredness of the work had introduced few errors.
• Changes in Modern times. Here we find less attention to detail, we find people racing to be the first to produce versions and went to print knowing that there were errors.
  • To synchronize versions we find scholars translating from the vulgate to the Greek. This gives the appearance that the Greek translation included these words.
  • Bad translations
  • Addition of personal biases
  • The proliferation of all types of informal translations, while it might lead to a better reading, in many instances it changes what the Bible says.
• Changes within a Language. Words change spelling and meaning over time, and this is true of the English. Consequently, the very first King James Version includes words that have a different meaning now. For example, the word prevent did not mean to stop. In those days it meant to go ahead of to precede.
• Changes by the New International Version (NIV) and Modern Translations. There are several objections to the NIV. Only a few are mentioned here.
  • Whole words and phrases are deleted.
  • The divinity of Christ is undermined in this translation.
    For we will all stand before the Judgment seat of God ... So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14: 10, 12) In substituting the first instance of Christ with God, the connection between Christ and God is removed.
  • The blood atonement of Christ is undermined. In modern translations, Colossians 1:14 leaves out the fact that it is the blood of Jesus that gives atonement.
    In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins. (KJV)
    In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NASB)
    The NASB also omits the word 'blood' from the translation.
  • Gender related changes. While trying to be inclusive, such changes actually obscure prophecy because the precise gender is necessay to show that certain promises and instructions were aimed at one particular male, Jesus Christ.
• Changes to the Jehovah's Witnesses Bible. The problem with the New World Translation is that is actually changes words to support their doctrine. The critical doctrines of contention are:
  • The role and nature of Christ.
  • The instances of using the word 'Jehovah' where it does not appear.
  • There also seems to be a desire to change the details of the crucifixion.
  The Divine Nature of Christ. It is their contention that Christ was a created being and not God. To support these arguments, they add words to the literal translation supposedly to get rid of 'awkwardness in the literal translation' or so that the "thought content is not hidden".
  • The translations of John 15: 4,5; John 17: 26; Galatians 1: 16; Romans 8: 10; Colossians 1: 27 and 2 Corinthians 13: 5 removes the suggestion that it is Christ living in you that will bring about your salvation. Living in is a power of God. The translation suggests that it is Christ in union - in support of you
  • The translations of Colossians 1: 16, 17 and Philippians 2: 9 are meant to show that he was a created being and that He created all other things after his creation.
  • The Greek words 'Kyrios' and 'Theos' have been translated 'Jehovah' instead of 'Lord' and 'God' in their Bible. However, when it comes to passages such as Philippians 2: 10,11 it is translated 'every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord' instead of being translated 'to Jehovah every knee shall bow' which would have been consistent with their methodology. The same pattern of inconsistency is apparently also in 1 Corinthians 12: 3.
  • Finally, there seems to be an obsession with having Christ dying on a 'torture stake' instead of a Cross. I do not know why they had to make this change.
• Changes to the Ten Commandments by the Catholic Church. This is different in the numbering and contents of the commandments.

Summary of Changes
Since no original text exists and since we have thousands of fragments and since the Bible has been hand copied for thousands of years, one would expect that errors would creep in. The best evidence shows that the Hebrew scholars took the very greatest care in copying the words of God. Christ himself probably used the Septuagint which was available during his time. No one gave a hint that anything was seriously wrong at that time.

The church after the fourth century was not so careful. The best thing they did was to establish the canon and separate the books that were universally accepted from those that were not.

By the time some major translations occurred and the printing press became available, the church had several schisms and scholars were not as careful in protecting against human error and we find the rate of errors increased significantly. The Jewish scholars would not have allowed the known errors to be printed as some Christian printers did in their race to be the first to print.

Conclusion. We also find some examples of deliberate changes. One study shows a difference of 6000 between the major works!
However, the good news is that the vast majority of these differences are punctuation, inclusion of vowel sounds, articles to make the sentence read better. They were not merely gross changes in facts. And many people have documented the known printing errors, so we have some idea of what is correct.
Since I am not a scholar, I can only go by the list of texts that other scholars mentioned. Sometimes I don't know what the problem is, only that there is a difference between major ancient manuscripts. Please note also, that some of the problems below may not exist today. They were identified as problems in the past with a translator's work. Even with all these problem there are not significant differences that would cause a great crisis in belief.

Archaeology
We will principally address those archaeological finds that shed light on the changes in the Bible text and on evidence related to controversy over the prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation.

Daniel 5 The historical accuracy

All historical records from the third to the first century B.C. are silent in regards to the existence and role of King Belshazzar and mention only Nabonidus as the last Babylonian king. Only the prophet Daniel mentions him. Many questioned Daniel for its accuracy and its claim to be a prophetic book written hundreds of years before the event Since the prophecies of Daniel mentions the Greek empire it is assumed that they were not prophecies but written after the Greek invasion. Even Greek historians were silent in regards to Belshazzar and attributed an insignificant role to King Nebuchadnezzar. Queen Semiramis was credited with building Babylon Archaeological discoveries in the nineteenth century of cuneiform tablets have discredited the Greek historians and verified the historical accuracy of Daniel 5. These facts were only preserved in Babylonian records. Queen Semiramis was a queen mother of Assyria, not Babylon. Belshazzar was the eldest son of King Nabonidus who reigned with his son and entrusted the rule of Babylon to him while he was in Arabia. Historical documents continued to reference his name only, but his son was the crown prince, heir and ruler while his father was absent

Daniel
The book of Daniel was written by Daniel around the year 553 B.C. Scholars have refused to accept this fact (because of the accuracy of the prophecies) stating rather that the book was written after the fact, possibly during the time of the Maccabees in the second century B.C. because he could not have prophesied the events. There were several things that were disturbing to these scholars:

1. There was no mention of King Beltshazzar in any historical records. It was only mentioned in Daniel. All records show that Nabonidus was on the throne when the Persians invaded Babylon
2. The book was written in 2 languages (Hebrew and Aramaic) supposedly pointing to 2 writers.
3. Many details found in Daniel could not be verified by any other ancient manuscripts

The Evidence
In Matthew 24: 15, Christ himself attests to the reliability of Daniel.

The identity of Beltshazzar has been a great puzzle. He was known only in the book of Daniel and in works that quoted Daniel. In addition, several ancient sources which listed the kings of Babylon ended with Nabonidus as the last king before Cyrus. Several explanations were given since it was not uncommon to give other names to the same people. But the majority of scholars claimed that this was an invention of the writer of Daniel and that the book was written in the second century B.C.

Nabonidus Chronicle. Then at the close of the nineteenth century cuneiform tablets were discovered which mentioned the name of Belshazzar. A text, now called the Nabonidus Chronicle, describes the capture of Babylon by Cyrus and mentions that Nabonidus was in Tema (in Arabia) for several years while his son remained in Babylon. They were father and son joint rulers. Beltshazzar was a crown prince entrusted with royal power during his father's stay in Arabia, but all legal documents continued to be dated under his father's name. Given the fact that all this information was lost to history and that even the Greek historians in the fifth and fourth century did not mention this fact, the book of Daniel must have been written by a contemporary of those times.
Once under scholarly derision, the book of Daniel Chapter 5 excels in certain facts, It uses the name Belshazzar, attributes royal power to him and recognizes that a dual rulership existed in the kingdom.
Since this information was lost by the time of the Hellenistic era only a writer or an eye witness from the Neo-babylonian times could have written it. One other information that was lost was the importance of Nebuchadnezzar as the builder of Babylon. Again scholars relied on the Greek historians who claimed the Nebuchadnezzar played an insignificant role in Babylonian history and that it was Queen Semiramis who built Babylon. Cuneiform evidence shows that Semiramis was a queen mother of an infant king of Assyria and not a queen of Babylon. We just cannot trust those Greek historians!
Still refusing to acknowledge the evidence, scholars who choose to believe the book was written in the second century, like one from Harvard states:

We shall presumably never know how our author learned that Belshazzar, mentioned only in Babylonian records ... was functioning as king when Cyrus took Babylon ... and that the new Babylon was a creation of Nebuchadnezzar ... as the excavations have proved".

He knew it because he was there, and the book is a detailed prophecy about the future written 300 years before the events.

It is clear that these supposedly impartial scholars refuse to acknowledge anything that might point to a prophecy given by God. Instead they continue to criticize and deliberately ignore facts that do not agree with their view. They would rather call these unexplained mysteries - not a revelation from God or a lucky guess by Daniel.

They reject stories such as Alexander meeting the high priest of Jerusalem as a myth, because it would point to the book of Daniel as a prophecy recognized by that great military leader.

So the evidence states that Daniel is a prophecy not history, because he writes about the rise and fall of empires hundreds of years before the event occurred.

Dead Sea Scrolls on Daniel

• Qumran Cave 1. In Qumran Cave I were three fragments from the book of Daniel from Chapter 1: 10-17; 2: 2-6; 3: 22-30. A comparison with the Masoretic Text shows 16 variations, none of which affected the meaning of the passage.
  • 9 variants spelling differences affecting only one letter, 2 seem to be spelling errors.
  • 4 additions: The words - "and", "that" before an "if" and 2 vowels added to words.
  • There was one vowel in the Masoretic text but not in the fragments.
  • Finally, 2 verbal endings are attributed to scribal errors.
  • Also important is that the fragment in Chapter 2 includes the section where the transition between Hebrew and Aramaic occur. And both the Masoretic Text and the Qumran text agree, the apocryphal book (Song of the Three Children) not accepted by the Jews or the First Christian council does not appear in either text.
• Qumran Cave 4. It contained sizeable portions of the book which are well preserved
• Qumran Cave 6. It contained fragment from Daniel 8: 20,21; 10: 8-16; 11: 33-38. These contain 9 spelling variations.
  Please note that the existence of spelling variations is normal. Over the past 200 years the English language itself had changed spelling. For example "ye" for "you" and "olde" for "old". This is normal. There was also a time when Jewish writing lacked vowel sounds. These were later added to the language.

Archaeology reveals the fact that the scribes took great care in manually copying the text. The Dead Sea Scrolls written during the first century B.C./A.D. revealed that few errors crept in over time.

Discovery	Location	Archaeology and the Bible	Text
Rosetta Stone	Rosetta, Egypt	A black basalt slab with ancient writing. It was the decree was of Ptolemy V in 196 BC in three different languages (Greek, Demotic, and Egyptian hieroglyphics). It allowed us to interpret the Egyptian language
Elephantine Papyri	Elephantine	Letters from Jewish exiles
Nash Papyrus	Cairo	Contains the ten Commandments and the Shema. Before the Dead Sea Scrolls it was the oldest bible manuscript. Dated to 200 BC
Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)	Qumran	In 1947 a Bedouin shepherd boy found large jars with scrolls in them. They were the oldest copies of parts of all the Old Testament books except Esther. There are 175-200 scrolls written around 300BC-70AD
Black Stele of Hammurabi	Susa	Found in 1902 made about 1780 BC. Elamites carried it to Susa in 1157 B.C. when they defeated Babylon. It contained the written laws of Hammurabi and proves that writing existed before the time of Moses
Mari Tablets	Euphrates River	20,000 tablets dating to 1800 BC found in 1933. Records of King Zimri-Lim which mention the city of Nahor and the nomadic "Habiru" people (Hebrews) and mentions customs of those times	Genesis 11: 24
Amarna Tablets	Tell el-Amarna, Egypt along the Nile	About 300 tablets found in 1887 dated to about 1400 BC. Correspondence to Amenhotep IV from a Canaanite king named Abdi-Heba for help against an invading "Habiru" or "Apiru". Jerusalem is mentioned as Urusalim. This may confirm the exodus and conquest by Joshua	Joshua
Nuzi Tablets	Euphrates River	Thousands of tablets dating to 1500 BC which mention many bible customs such as birthright sales, household idols and eldest servant inherit your wealth if you were childless	Genesis 25: 31; 31: 19; 15: 2
House of David Inscription	Tel Dan	Scholars doubted that David lived. A stone tablet discovered in northern Israel in 1993 commemorates the defeat of Baasha, king of Israel, by Asa of "the House of David." It is the first mention outside the Bible of David	1 Kings 15
Sennacherib's Prism	Nineveh	A six-sided prism with Sennacherib's account of his siege of Jerusalem in 701BC. It mentions the fact that Hezekiah did not submit to him	2 Kings 19. Isaiah 36-39
Sargon's Palace	Khorsabad, Iraq	Scholars claimed that Assyrian King Sargon never existed until they found his palace. The capture of Ashdod was written on the walls and in the bible	Isaiah 20
Ashurbanipal's Library	Nineveh	22,000 tablets
The Atra-hasis Epic		The Mesopotamian creation story. Man was created from clay	Genesis
The Enuma Elish		The Babylonian creation story	Genesis
The Epic of Gilgamesh		Written on 12 clay tablets 2750 BC. Tablet 11 has a flood story	Genesis 8-11
Sumerian King List	Nippur (2100 BC)	Mentions the flood and verifies that the average age before and after the flood were very different. The confusion of languages and the destruction of a temple tower. "Then Enki ... Changed the speech in their mouths, brought contention into it, into the speech of man that had been one"
Babylonian Chronicles (600 BC)	Ur, Babylon	Found in 1881, 4 tablets translated in 1956. The rise of the Babylonian Empire and King Nebuchadnezzar including the fall of Assyria, Egypt and Judah in the Battle of Carchemish. The capture of Jerusalem on 16 March 598 BC	Jeremiah 46: 2; 2 Kings 24: 7-17, Daniel
Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle		A Babylonian account of the siege of Jerusalem in 597 B.C., the appointment of Zedekiah as ruler of Judah, and the Jews' exile	2 Kings 24
Nabonidus Chronicle		Found in 1881. Skeptics used to say that Daniel was a lie written after the events and that Belshazzar was a fable because Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon until they found this cunieform tablet. It identifies Belshazzar as the son of Nabonidus who ruled Babylon for his father	Daniel 5: 29-30
Cyrus Cylinder (539 BC)	Babylon	Found in 1879. The fall of Babylon and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem	Ezra 1:1-3
130,000 Assyrian cuneiform tablets in the British Museum	Babylon	July 2007, a small clay tablet from the collection is a receipt for 1.5 minas of gold paid to the temple. It identifies Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, as "the chief eunuch" of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. Nebo-Sarsekim, according to Jeremiah, was Nebuchadnezzar II's "chief officer" who was with him at the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC	Jeremiah 39: 3
The Black Obelisk of Shamaneser	Nimrud	A monument found in the palace at Nimrud shows Assyria's King Shalmaneser III receiving tribute from kings including Jehu, King of Israel	2 Kings 9-10
Hittite Empire	Boghaz-Koy (Hattusha)	Skeptics said that the Hittites never existed and the bible reference is a fable until they found this city and five temples in 1906	Genesis 15
Ebla Tablets 17,000-20,000 tablets	Tel Mardikh, Syria (Aleppo)	In 1975 tablets were discovered written in an unknown language. They were dated to before Abraham (2400 BC). It mentions creation from nothing close to Genesis. It lists the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar which critics claimed were fables. It mentions Ur in the territory of Haran, Megiddo, Canaan and Salem. They even claimed that writing did not exist at the time of Moses. It mentions Abraham and Ishmael, Esau, Birsha, David, Peleg, Haran, Terah, Nahor	Genesis 11-12, 14: 2
Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele)	Dibon/Dhiban (930 BC)	An inscribed basalt monument erected by Mesha, king of Moab, tells of the revolt of the Moabites after the death of King Ahab of Israel.	2 Kings 3
Merneptah Stela (Israel Stela)	Egypt, Thebes	Discovered in 1896 in Merneptah's mortuary temple in Thebes (1200 BC). Earliest mention of Israel outside the Bible, "Israel is laid waste, its seed is not."	Genesis 32: 28
Rock of Behistun	Kermanshah	Two inscriptions on rocks with the names of Darius and Xerxes	Esther
Pilate Inscription	Caesarea	A limestone slab that identifies Pontius Pilate as the governor of Judea	Luke 23
Babylonian cuneiform writing is now called Akkadian language. A stela or stele is an upright pillar bearing an inscription.

The bible is the most accurate record of ancient history of the Middle East and all the scientific theories of higher criticism which are meant to cast mud at the record are slowly falling flat with each new discovery.

• Documentary Hypothesis ("No Writing Before Moses"). Moses could not have written the first five books of the bible because writing did not exist at that time. They claim that the creation story was written into the bible around the time of Ezra in 400 BC. But the Ebla tablets and the black stele prove that writing existed before Abraham and that their theories and methods for dating artifacts based on the origin of names is totally inaccurate.
• Twelfth century emergence theory. Teaches that the Israelites did not come into Canaan from outside to conquer the land around 1400 BC. They emerged from a local people in the middle of the twelfth century (1150 BC). This casts doubts on the exile and their existence in Egypt. But the Merneptah Stela indicates that Israel was well established by 1210 BC and was not an emerging little people.

The Gospel

Gospel	Audience	Jesus
Isaiah 9	Jews	A king who is a light to the Gentiles
Isaiah 53	Jews	Human Jesus who was an obedient Servant
Matthew	Jews	The suffering Messiah who justifies the nations
Mark	Gentile Romans	Human Jesus who was an obedient Servant
Luke	Gentile Greek	Savior of all mankind
John	Those facing false teachings	The deity of Christ
I Corinthians 15: 1-11	Greek Christians facing heresy	The resurrected Christ

The gospel is the good news that God has offered us a way out of sin and death, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Scholars recognige seven accounts of the gospel in the Bible, each written for a specific audience and each focusing on different aspects of Christ, either His nature or His purpose.

1. Isaiah 9. A king from the line of David who would bring a light to the gentiles.
2. Isaiah 53. Jesus is the suffering Messiah who will bring light to the world and glorify Israel.
3. I Corinthians 15: 1-11. Written to the Corinthian Christians facing heresy and Greek philosophy, it shows that Jesus was resurrected.
4. Matthew. Written to the Jews to prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah by showing how He fulfilled the Messianic prophecies.
5. Mark. Portrays Jesus as fully human, who performed miracles by the Holy Spirit and was obedient even to death.
6. Luke. To the Gentile Greeks unfamiliar with the prophecies, Jesus was the savior of all mankind.
7. John. Written to combat the heresies of Gnosticism and Adoptionism that denied the divinity of Christ. John shows the deity of Christ.

Through the gift of knowledge, the writer of teachinghearts recognizes other accounts of the Gospel in the Old Testament. These and many Messianic prophecies are summarized in this lesson.

Answers to Critics

• The Bible must have changed. By looking at recent archaeological findings and comparing text from scripture that were hundreds of years apart it became very obvious that the painstaking care which the scribes took to copy the scriptures had not resulted in gross errors.
• They took a long time to write the New Testament, something must be wrong. This is a judgment made based on our way of life. These societies were much more primitive. Literature had to be hand copied and writing materials were expensive. Most of what survives as the New Testament are letters written to encourage Christian groups scattered across the continent. The book of James or 1 Thessalonians was the first New Testament book written and it was written around 50 - 54 A.D. The disciples did not immediately write down the stories for these reasons:
  1. In those days printing of scrolls and books for mass distribution was rare and expensive. In those days the oral tradition served as the main method for passing along information.
  2. The disciples expected Jesus to return soon so no effort was spent in writing down the stories. It was when the eye witnesses started dying off that the gospels were written.
  3. For most of that time the church was under persecution and on the run. At one point the Roman Emperor burned all the Christian materials that he could find.
• The Bible is Unscientific. Because of the creation story, people charge that the Bible is full of myths. Actually the Theory of Evolution is based on more shaky ground and there is much more scientific evidence for creation that schools will not teach. When the rest of the World believed for thousands of years that:
  • The world was flat
  • The earth was supported on the shoulders of the mythical god Atlas
  • The earth rested on the back of an elephant who stood on the back of a turtle that was swimming in a great endless sea

  The Bible said the following:
  The God Hung the world on nothing (Job 26: 7). This is a concept grasped only in the last 2 centuries.
  The earth was a circle. It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40: 22)
  » Bible Science. In 2007-2008 this website uncovered information about basic science in the Old Testament written 3500 years ago that modern science has only discovered in the late nineteenth century. The Torah contains the first template of the Periodic Table and contains a model for particle physics that is superior to the standard model. Also, within the strange process of DNA replication are a set of events that occurred on the day of the crucifixion when God recreated us. Modeled everywhere in microscopic nature that was inaccessible to ancient man are many laws and designs that are written in the Bible, pointing to the existence of a being superior to us who created our systems.

• A group of Men decided what to put in the Bible. Read the section on how the canon was chosen. The religious scholars met to affirm what was popularly accepted to be the scriptures. In one case, because false works which were attributed to the great prophets began appearing, they met to confirm the authenticity of books that were already accepted universally. They did not leave things out. They addressed the fact that spurious works were trying to get in and set a clear distinction between the two types of works as an historical record.
• The Bible was written after the fact. The fact that the Septuagint was translated by 250 B.C. proves that all Messianic prophecies were made at least 250 years before the birth of Jesus, that is, they cannot be revisionist history written after the fact. (In fact, the latest Old Testament prophecies were made in the book of Malachi, about 400 B.C.)
  
  Scholars make this claim not because they have any evidence, but because that is the only way they account for the accuracy of the prophecies.
• Daniel's Book must have been written after the event. Fact: Alexander the Great was impressed with what the Jewish High Priest showed him about himself in the prophecies, How do they account for other fulfillments, Rome and Europe, the dating of the death of the Messiah. and the political events surrounding his life.
  Until the Nabonidus Chronicle was found, scholars used to criticize the book of Daniel as historically inaccurate. Daniel's account of the rulers of Babylon did not agree with future Greek historians - until the Nabonidus Chronicle proved that Belshazzar existed.
• Christ is not an Historical Figure. Christ had such an impact, that He is mentioned in several ancient works:
  • Flavius Josephus (93 A.D.) - A very respected Jewish historian, wrote about his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection
  • The Babylonian Talmud (70-200 A.D.)
  • Mara Bar Serapion (after 73 A.D.)
  • Pliny the Younger's letter to the Emperor Trajan about 100 A.D.
  • The Annals of Tacitus (115-117 A.D.)
  • Suetonius' Life of Claudius and Life of Nero (120 A.D.).

The Love of God - Compassion
While other gods were fighting among themselves and plotting treason and taking delight in putting fear and terror in humanity and subjecting humanity to slavery and ridicule, Jesus Christ came in the form of a poor servant, born in the feeding trough of a barn. He became the model of leadership by servanthood, not by grandeur and self exaltation.
While other gods required you to work and suffer and to appease them. God asks you to hold His hand and trust him. While others took, He gave. While others hated, He loved. While others threatened with the power of death, He came with life and hope. He gave His life for us.
He became just like we were. He took His stand with us. Most of His life He was hungry and homeless, subjected to ridicule. The Bible suggests the He was not handsome - He did this so that you would not be attracted to Him for His looks. People were already attracted to Him because of what He could do. His whole life He was subjected to humiliation because of His illegitimate birth. He was a bastard child.

He was gentle. 'A bruised reed He would not break'.
He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He empathized with us.
He cried at the death of Lazarus. He sympathizes with us.
He is not ashamed to call us His brothers. He became human.
He suffered and died while we hated Him, spit on Him, laughed at Him. All for us. He loved us. He loved His enemies.

"Father forgive them", were His dying words.

He became a King without a territory.
A God without the power.
A Priest who was the sacrifice.
A Judge who offers mercy and forgiveness, not condemnation.

He turned upside down every notion we have about power and leadership and self worth.

This truly was a different God, a remarkable God, a magnificent God. A compassionate God.
James says, The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. (James 5: 11)

He could empathize with the worst of our feelings and deprivation because He was a poor, bastard child, born in a barn, in a feeding trough among the smelly animals. He grew up in the worst part of town on the wrong side of the tracks. Not handsome, homeless, penniless, ridiculed, persecuted, familiar with hunger, unable to fight back, His own brothers called Him crazy. At death, abandoned by the world and His friends, He was abandoned by God Himself.

Do you think He understands the worst of your feelings, your pain, your suffering? He does!

Summary
There is no other religion in which God comes down, reaches down to his people. The Bible proves that there is more to it than other books because of its prophecies.
We can be assured that there have been no changes to critical doctrine that have resulted from any attempts to reconstruct the texts or to make deliberate changes. It is to our credit that we can spot these changes and to document variations in readings so that the reader can make an informed decision. The bottom line is that there is no critical change in meaning that would cause us to throw away everything in favor of no belief. God is one. He loves us. He died for us. He is coming back. This is the message.