The Origins of the Bible

The name ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek word ‘ta biblia’, meaning ‘the books’. This means that the Bible is a collection of books rather than a single book. These books were not written by a single person. They were written at different times over a period of nearly 1,000 years. They were manuscripts – that is to say, handwritten on long sheets of paper or animal skins. It was only later that they were compiled into a single book.

The Canon of Scripture is the list of books recognised as authoritative for faith and practical living. It guides our lives. The Bible was not compiled in a single day. ‘It was the Apostolic Tradition that enabled the Church to discern which writings were to be included in the list of Holy Books. This complete list is called the ‘Canon’ of Scripture’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 120). This Canon was finalised at the Council of Trent in 1546.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament is the first and oldest collection of the Bible. However, it represents only a selection from among the many books that existed at that time (Num 21:14; Josh 10:13; 1 Chr 29:29).

In ancient Jewish religion, the Torah (Law) became the subject of an official decision from the time when Ezra codified and promulgated it (Neh 8). From that time onwards, the first five books of the Old Testament (the Five Books of Moses) were recognised as a guide to be followed in matters of faith and daily life. Subsequently, the other collections were compiled: the Prophets, the Psalms and the Writings. The list of books remained open. At the end of the first century, the scribes gathered at Jamnia established the final official list of the Scriptures. From the 4th century onwards, Jews living in Egypt translated the Holy Scriptures into the common language of the time, which was Greek. This translation is said to have been carried out by seventy-two Jewish scholars from Palestine, chosen by the High Priest of Jerusalem: hence the name ‘Septuagint’ given to this translation. This translation contained other books not included in the list of books selected at Jamnia. The additional books, whose inclusion in the Canon (the official list) of the Scriptures has been the subject of debate, are called Deuterocanonical books (admitted to the Canon at a later date) or Apocrypha. These are: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus or Sirach, Baruch, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees.  The Christian communities that formed in Greek-speaking circles adopted the Septuagint. It was this collection of Holy Scriptures that the Catholic Church formalised at the Roman Synod in 382 and confirmed at the Council of Trent in 1546.  Protestants, for their part, adopted the Hebrew Canon resulting from the decision at Jamnia. The Orthodox have never taken an explicit decision on this matter. The Canon of the Old Testament comprises 46 books (45 if Jeremiah and Lamentations are counted as a single book). Christians revere the Old Testament as the Word of God. The Church has always vigorously rejected the idea of discarding the Old Testament on the pretext that the New Testament has rendered it obsolete (Marcionism).

THE NEW TESTAMENT

As with the Old Testament, the New Testament canon was established in stages. The earliest books recognised as authoritative for the faith were the epistles of Saint Paul (2 Peter 3:16).  Then came the Gospels, and finally the other books. The practice of reading all these books aloud during worship eventually prevailed over that of other writings, which were set aside because it could not be guaranteed that they dated back to the Apostles.

Initially, the Gospels were proclaimed orally before the authors wrote down what had been handed down to them by the Apostles. With the exception of Luke, the authors of the Gospels were eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. The epistles were written in response to the problems and situations faced by Christians. They were written by the leaders of Christian communities in cities across the Near East. There are 27 writings in the New Testament.

There were many other gospels and epistles during the establishment of the Canon of Scripture. Church leaders, guided by the Holy Spirit, selected the writings that reflected the authentic Christian message. The criteria used were: the association of a particular text with the epistles; the use of that text in the liturgy and the prayer life of the early Christians; and the fact that the text was in accordance with the teachings of Jesus and was a source of strength that nourished Christians.

Before the invention of the printing press, biblical texts were written by hand. The Church has always taken care to ensure that the current text is preserved, and that nothing is added to or taken away from the original texts. A comparison between today’s texts and the manuscripts confirms the fidelity with which the Holy Scriptures have been preserved.

Henri Bayemi