How We Got the Bible

Published on: February 15, 2025

Introduction

The Bible consists of 66 books, written over a span of 1,600 years (approximately 1500 BC to AD 100) by more than 40 authors, including kings, prophets, leaders, and followers of Jesus.

• The Old Testament contains 39 books, written between 1500 and 400 BC.
• The New Testament consists of 27 books, written between AD 45 and 100.

The Hebrew Bible contains the same text as the Old Testament in the English Bible but is arranged and divided differently.

Languages of the Bible

• The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew, with portions in Aramaic.
• The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, the common language of the time.

First Book on a Printing Press

The Bible was the first book to ever be printed on the printing press with moveable type. (Gutenberg Press, 1455, Latin Bible)

Has the Text Changed?

This topic will be explored in a later chapter. However, let us be clear: the Bible we have today remains remarkably faithful to the original writings. Of the thousands of handwritten copies produced before 1500, nearly 5,900 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament alone still exist. In fact, the Bible's text is better preserved than any other ancient document, surpassing even the works of Plato and Aristotle.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed the astonishing reliability of some of the copies of the Old Testament made over the years. Although some spelling variations exist, no variation affects Biblical Doctrines.

Transmission

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Bible was carried to many nations and translated into the common languages of the people by scholars eager to share God’s Word. Yet, even today, approximately 2,000 language groups still lack a Bible in their native tongue.

Year (AD)	Number of Languages with Scripture
200	7
500	13
900	17
1400	28
1800	57
1900	537
1980	1,100
2014	2,883