Serious bible students questions about the bible

TTWSYF

Many JWs (and others) are serious about their biblical studies, but don't ask the right questions. In basic journalism one learns to ask the right questions which in my years here, I've never hear asked.

Who, what, where, by what help, by whose help, why, how and when. ?

These are all basic questions when researching anything that you want to write an article or paper on what ever related subject.

Who wrote/created the bible?

What is the bible?

Why are there only 66 books in the bible (why not more or less)?

How were the scriptures used in Christ Jesus's time?

truth_b_known

I believe it was Greek philosophers who came up with the rules for debate. They had a phrase - "Dig deep until you hit bedrock." This referred to getting to the foundation or the end of questioning.

Who wrote the books of the Bible and what evidence is there to prove this?

Who decided what books would make it into the Bible, what was the criteria, and why were books removed 1,200 years after the approved list of books was made?

Sea Breeze

Who wrote/created the bible? God

What is the bible? God

Why are there only 66 books in the bible (why not more or less)? God chose it.

How were the scriptures used in Christ Jesus's time? People read them.

Pretty much summed up here:

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me"! - John 5: 39

HowTheBibleWasCreated

Let me answer some of these questions:

Who wrote/created the bible? Priests, rulers, philosophers with the OT being written in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE and the NT mostly in the second century CE

What is the bible? A vast collection of literature. whose canon is still undecided.

Why are there only 66 books in the bible (why not more or less)? The Catholics have more the Ethiopian Orthodox have alot more. The Jewish bibles have alot less.,

How were the scriptures used in Christ Jesus's time? I doubt he existed. However in the 30s most of the OT was written (I doubt Esther was until the 50s,60s) and according to Josephus there were four different Jewish religions ranging from the Pharisees who were Zoroastrian Jews, The Sadducees who were Hellenistic Jews and the Essenes who were Gnostic Jews. The fourth group was simply Jewish Terrorists attacking Romans on the streets (Zealots)

Overrated

A collection of books written by Delusional goat herders who where on powerful drugs.

HowTheBibleWasCreated

Overated I actually take offense at that as an atheist. I think the bible writers were using plato and other works etc and were learned priests not simple illiterate sheep herders. They weren't on drugs the stories they told are based on the same stories in Iliad etc. lol You wouldn't take offense at the bible if you saw the same material in greek or Babylonian works

Phizzy

HTBWC I agree that the influences are clear to see, and I still find studying Ancient Writings, not just those in the various Bibles, but others too, a fascinating thing to do. Even though I am an Atheist too.

I always ask such questions as " when was this actually written ? what were the religious and other thoughts in those days ? and What is the Writer's agenda ?".

The last question should not be forgotten, ALL the Bible writers had a particular aim and reason for writing that colours their work, if you do not understand what that is, you cannot successfully understand the work.

Just one example, The Book of Daniel was written as a political tract, a polemic against Antiochus 1V "Epiphanes", not as a work of Prophecy, the Apocalyptic stuff being there more to safely put the work in that Genre than for it to be an obvious political rant.

Serious bible students questions about the bible

TTWSYF

truth_b_known

Sea Breeze

HowTheBibleWasCreated

Overrated

HowTheBibleWasCreated

Phizzy

Disillusioned JW

was a new boy

JoenB75

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