The Holy Bible is not a book written by just 1 author, but the Holy Bible is written by many authors that span more than a millennium (1000+ years); it’s a library, a collection of writings that are believed to be inspired by the word of God, and this is called the Inspired Canon.
2 Timothy 3:16:All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables(fairytales) when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Torah is believed to be written by an actual prophet – Moses- from more than 3000 years ago, around 1600BC. This concept of an inspired canon began with Moses, the collection of 5 books of the Torah written by Moses (Pentateuch), all the way to the poetry and historical writings (Ketuvim) and the books of the Prophets (Neviim). Jesus attributes the Torah to Moses.
Matt8:4 19:7,23:2
Mark 1:44,10:3,7:10
Luke 5:14,16:19,20:37,24:27
John 3:14 5:39 6:32 7:19
Old Testament – Tanakh has historically dated texts
-Original Hebrew(Vorlage)
-Septuagint: Dated around 285-270BC Translation of the Vorlage to Greek by 72 scholars in Alexandria
-Masoretic Text: Derived from Council of Jamnia in 90AD, Codex Cairernsis manuscripts dated around 895AD
-Dead Sea Scrolls : 300BC-70AD
The New Testament is Greek and not Hebrew, Did Jesus speak Greek?
Yes Mark 7:24-30
Jesus spoke Greek , Hebrew and Aramaic
Greek was the lingua franca, or the common language, at this time; this is why the Old Testament was translated into Greek in 300-200BC and New Testament writings are written in Greek.
The New Testament also has historically dated texts and authors.
Secular, who are non-religious or critical scholars also give credit to Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus) who has seen Jesus after the resurrection. Critical scholars attributed to him undisputed dated letters in the New Testament around 40 -60AD
First Epistle to the Thessalonians
Epistle to the Galatians
First Epistle to the Corinthians
Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Epistle to the Philippians
Epistle to Philemon
Epistle to the Romans
Google “Do critical scholars think apostle Paul wrote the letters”en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorship_of_the_Pauline_epistles
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle
Gospels were written by Jesus disciples and close contacts.
Gospel of Matthew was written by the disciple of Jesus who was a tax collector. Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, a companion of Paul and Peter. Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written by Luke the doctor. There are ancient manuscripts with titles of authorship to the Gospels. Papyrus P4(Matthew), P66(John),P75 Luke & John (image below) .Early Church Bishops also accredited these Gospels to their Authors.
Acts 12:12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying
Colossians 4:14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.
2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
Matthew: 10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
- Magdalen Papyri/ Jesus Papyri
This is backed up by the P.Magdalen Greek 17/P64 (The Jesus Papyri) A segment of Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel appears to be dated before 66AD Three fragments of text on both sides,a total of 24 lines, segment of Matthew 26:23,31 . This manuscript also matches the Greek Textus Receptus and Majority Text for translations such as KJV, and not the Critical Text (the Nestles/United/ Westcott and Hort) that modern translations use. This appears to be the oldest known manuscript. Dr. Carsten Thiede scanned it using a laser microscope and compared it with other manuscripts, at Qumran (dated 58AD), at Herculaneum (before 79AD), at Masada (dated 73-74) At Egyptian town of Oxyrynchus (65-66 AD). Dr Thiede concluded that this is either an original copy of Matthew’s Gospel or an immediate copy.
Rylands Papyrus P52 ~100AD Gospel of John 18-34-36 & 37-38
- Oxyrhynichus Papyri
Over 35 papyrus manuscripts , P1 Matthew, P5 John 1, 16, P13 Hebrews 2-5, 10-12 and P22 John 15-16
- Chester Beatty Papyri
P45 2nd century contains portions of all four Gospels and Acts
P46 contains all of Paul’s Epistles except pastorals and Hebrews has been dated to the 1st century around 20-30 years after they were written
P47 3rd century contains Revelation 9-17The Muratorian Canon, often referred to as the MuratorianFragment, represents the earliest known compilation of New Testament writings. This ancient document, likely composed in Greek, is believed to have been written between AD 170 and 200. It enumerates 22 of the 27 texts, including the 4 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke + Acts and John that would eventually be recognized as part of the New Testament in the Holy Bible. The identity of the original author of the fragment remains unidentified. The list’s text is conventionally attributed to the latter part of the second century, as it mentions Pius I, who served as bishop of Rome from 140 to 155AD, indicating that he was regarded as a contemporary figure.
Mark 13 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Matthew 24 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
This was fulfilled when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. If you go to the Temple Mount today in 2024 all the stones are scattered near Dome of the Rock.
There are 300+ Prophecies of the 1st coming of the Messiah.
Psalms Ch22,16:v10,34:v20,49:v15,69:v21,110,Isaiah 53,Isaiah 7:14, 9:6,7,Micah 5:2 ,Zechariah 9:9,11:v12-13,12:v10,13:v7-9,Daniel CH9:25-26, Genesis 49:10 etc
Here are some examples
Micah 5:2( Born in Bethlehem) 1:100,000 (unlikely Odds)
Zechariah 9:9 King on Donkey 1:100
Zechariah 11:12 betrayed for 30 pieces of Silver 1:1000
Zechariah 11:13 Temple, Potter etc 1:100,000
Zechariah 13:6 Wound in hands 1:1000
Isaiah 53:7 No defence innocent 1:1000
Isaiah 53:9 Died with wicked grave with rich 1:1000
Psalm 22:16 Crucified 1:10,000
Daniel CH9:25-26 predicted the time and arrival and death of the Messiah (the odds of this is impossible, this can never be achieved by luck alone but only through the power of the Holy Spirit / God who knows the future)
Psalms 22:16-18 (King David ~1000BC Crucifixion was not invented in this time)
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
The life of Jesus – Isaiah 53 (Prophet Isaiah~700-500BC)
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Prophecy Fulfilled in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:24 Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus found in these 4 chapters and resurrection is found in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20 written around (30 -100 AD)
Daniel 9 (NKJV) – Daniels prophesied date of Messiahs arrival and death ~500BC
20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
When it says ‘weeks’ here in the English translation it doesn’t literally quite mean weeks, to better understand timelines in Old Testament prophecy its best to read the old testament in the original meaning in the Hebrew language
Daniel 9:24
šāḇûaʿ – heptad, seven (of years)seven, period of seven (days or years), heptad, week
period of seven days, a week, Feast of Weeks, heptad, seven (of years)
The 1 week referred to this passage in Hebrew really means 7 yearsDaniel 9:25
“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem(King Artaxerxes decree to rebuild Jerusalem 444/445BC ~ 14 MAR 445 BC Nehemiah 2:1-8)
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
(7 +62 = 69 weeks , true meaning 69 X 7 years = 483 years , 483*360(prophetic calendar year is 360 days) = 173880 days from 14 MAR 445 BC to 6 APR 32 AD The Lord Jesus Christ triumphal Entry – Luke 19:28)
Historical Time Lines – 700BC to 1st Century
~700 BC Assyria empire – Shalmaneser V, Assyria ends Northern Israel Kingdom
~600 BC – Assyria fall , Babylon rise, Ezekiel exile to Babylon Nebuchadnezzar reign in Babylon
~587/586 BC – Daniel. – 70 Years captivity in Babylon
(2 Kings 25Jeremiah 37,39,40,52 Ezekiel 32Daniel 2–3)
~539/538 BC King Cyrus Persia takes over Babylon –
Decree of Cyrus, Captives return to Jerusalem
~444/445 BC Artaxerxes decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-8)
~333BC Alexander the great, rise of Greek Empire – Seleucid Rule of Judea
~250BC Septuagint – Hebrew Bible translated to Greek by 72 Jewish scholars (INCLUDING DANIEL CH9 etc) This is a time stamp of prophetic historical evidence
~167BC Antiochus Epiphanes- 1st Abomination and desolation of the Temple
~166 BC The Maccabean revolt – Judah Maccabee – Jewish Independence
~63BC Pompey (Rome) besieged Jerusalem – End of Independence
~34 BC Herodian Monarch / Dynasties – Herod the Great
~1BC / 1AD LORD JESUS CHRIST IS BORN
~32 AD Messiah the Prince Jerusalem Entry – Christ crucified , died, buried and resurrected
-Day of Pentecost – Holy Spirit arrival – Early Church (Acts CH2 +)
-Temple Signs Stop ( Crimson wool, western lamp not burning – Talmud , Yoma 39a, 39b, 40 years before temple destruction)
~50AD Council of Jerusalem , Apostle Paul journeys (Acts 15)
-70AD Destruction of the temple , Jews displaced , driven out or enslaved.
Proof that the author, Prophet Daniel is inspired by a Being outside time dimension.1 Corinthians 15 (Apostle Paul – Year 30-50AD)
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Non Biblical sources – Non Christian Roman Historians
Annals (Cornelius Tacitus Year 14-68 AD )
“Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus,”
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS (Flavius Josephus Year ~37AD – 100 AD) , See Book 18 CH3
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.|