House Wayne H - Answers to Common Questions About the Bible

Answers to Common Questions About Angels & Demons

by H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy

Answers to Common Questions About God

by H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy

Answers to Common Questions About Heaven & Eternity

by Timothy J. Demy and Thomas Ice

Answers to Common Questions About Jesus

by H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy

Answers to Common Questions About the Bible

by H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy

Answers to Common Questions About the End Times

by Timothy J. Demy and Thomas Ice

Answers to Common Questions About the Bible

2013 by H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501.

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The views expressed in this book are solely those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the position or endorsement of any governmental agency, or organization, military or otherwise.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NET are from the NET Bible copyright 2005 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC (www.bible.org). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

From Wayne:

To Carrie House and Nathan House

From Tim:

To Glen Riddle,

lover of words and the Word,

books and the Book

T he Answers to Common Questions series is designed to provide readers a brief summary and overview of individual topics and issues in Christian theology. For quick reference and ease in studying, the works are written in a question and answer format. The questions follow a logical progression so that those reading straight through a work will receive a greater appreciation for the topic and the issues involved. The volumes are thorough, though not exhaustive, and can be used as a set or as single-volume studies. Each volume is fully documented and contains a bibliography for further reading for those who want to pursue the subject in greater detail.

The study of theology and the many issues within Christianity is an exciting and rewarding endeavor. For two thousand years, Christians have proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ and sought to accurately define and defend the doctrines of their faith as recorded in the Bible. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Christians are exhorted: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. The goal of these books is to help you in your diligence and accuracy as you study Gods Word and its influence in history and thought through the centuries.

T he Bible is the most important book in the history of the world. It has been studied, memorized, and burned. Politicians, pundits, and preachers routinely quote it. It has brought consolation to the weak and weary, insight to the pious and perplexed, and consolation to the distraught and dying. It is unique in its character, its content, its composition, and its influence. It has influenced individuals, groups, movements, and Western civilization far beyond what we can fully comprehend. Its influence on literature in the West is unsurpassed. A person who doesnt have some biblical literacy will be hard-pressed to understand Melville, Milton, or a host of other influential authors.

The Bible has been the best best-seller of all ages. It has been translated, paraphrased, visualized, and amplified. If you walk into any major bookstore and look at the display of Bibles, you will likely find one for any and every age group, and for readers desiring devotional Bibles, study Bibles, or theme Bibles. There are more than a dozen major translations in English (some more accurate than others), and you can find excellent Bibles on the Internet as well (e.g., the NET Bible).

The history of how we got the Bible, and of its subsequent transmission and publication, is an amazing story that fills many volumes. Not every language spoken in the world today has a corresponding Bible translation, but for the majority of people in the world, the Bible is available in their languageand each translation has a unique history. Some people have argued that the Bible is filled with codes and that its history is full of conspiracies. We dont believe that. But we do believe that the content and history of the Bible are unlike any other book ever written. Join us as we look at some of the many questions that are frequently asked about the history of the Bible as a religious and literary text. It is an amazing subject!

The Bible was written over the course of approximately 1,500 years (between 1440 B.C. and A.D. 100). The period covered by biblical history is about 6,000 years, from the creation of Adam in the garden of Eden through the visions of St. John on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea at the end of the first century A.D. The recording of the people and events that precede and follow the Exodus of the Israelites, when Israels history begins, was penned by the lawgiver-prophet-deliverer, Moses, in the fifteenth century B.C. between approximately 14401405 (or in the late to middle thirteenth century, according to some scholars), as the Israelites wandered in the desert of the Sinai Peninsula after leaving Egypt. Moses wrote almost the entire first five books of the Bible during this time, with someone else, such as Joshua, composing the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. The remainder of the Hebrew Bible (also called the Tanak by the Jews) was written over the next several hundred years by various prophets, kings, and other inspired persons and was finally completed around 400 B.C.