The Bible is probably one of the most influential books in the world. In reality, it is not just one book but a collection of books with songs, stories, history, literature, letters, and poetry.
Since the Bible is a compilation of writings, there is no one specific year or location that it has been written. Multiple parts were written in different timelines that span nearly 3500 years. We compile this article with the help of Brendan from decking newcastle. He’s a massive bible student.
But the earliest record points to the time the first five Books of the Bible. Moses was attributed to writing these books. Bible scholars believed that Moses lived between 1500 to 1300 BC; his books recount the events of such as creation, which is part of the first eleven chapters of the Bible.
It is believed that the original Books of the Bible were passed through oral accounts since early societies have limited writing yet. They were just handed down to the next generations in the form of stories, songs, and poetry.
Early writings were just symbols that were etched or press on tablets made of stone or clay. It was the Egyptians who refined script using hieroglyphics. It was widely believed it was only around 1400 BC that the earliest writings in the Bible were recorded.
Historians believe that in the 8th century B.C, during Hezekiah of Judah’s reign, the Old Testament began to develop through royal scribes who recorded legends and history. The Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of Judges were added in the 6th century B.C. during Josiah’s reign.
For the next 200 years, the Hebrew Bible continued to develop until the Persian Empire occupied it. There was a long 500-year pause when there were no writings attributed to the Bible. During this period, Alexander the Great swept across many continents and conquered much of the world.
It was in the 3rd century B.C. when the Hebrew Bible was translated into the Greek language. The Septuagint was translated into Greek upon Egypt’s King Ptolemy of Egypt, and early Christians also used it. It was in the same period that the Book of Daniel was written.
The New Testament was written during the 1st century A.D. The New Testament contains stories of the life of Jesus and early Christians. It is a collection of 27 books that were all originally written in Greek. Half of the writing of the New Testament were attributed to the Apostle Paul.
In 50 A.D., Apostle Paul’s letters were distributed to different churches, and scribes copied these letters and circulated them. As the circulation grew, the letters of Paul were collected into books.
The Gospels had four books; the Book of Mark was written in 70 A.D., 40 years after Jesus’ death, the Book of Matthew and Luke followed afterwards. The last Gospel, The Book of Mark, was written around 100 A.D., and all four gospels were believed to be published anonymously.
The final book of the Bible is the Book of Revelation, which contains apocalyptic literature. It was believed to be written around 95 A. D. on an island off the coast of Turkey.