Why should we believe the Bible?

The Bible is not a single book as many suppose but is a collection of books spanning 1600 years, written by 40 authors from every walk of life. It covers a wide variety of literature: history, law, poetry, biography and much more. Yet within this book is a surprising unity of thought and argument.

How was the Bible put together?

The Bible is separated into two sections, the first is the Hebrew scriptures (also called the Old Testament) and a council of Rabbis in AD90 agreed the composition of books. The New Testament consists of books and letters collected together soon after the life of Jesus. They were later formally recognised by the Synod of Hippo in 393AD.

How can we know it is true?

Scholars, who have researched the way the documents have been transmitted down through the years, have found that the text is quite reliable. The evidence of the Dead Sea scrolls shows conclusively that over a period of over 1000 years of history the text has been transmitted with amazing accuracy and detail. We can therefore be sure that the messages we read are substantially the same as when they were first written.

In terms of historical accuracy there is a growing set of archaeological evidence that confirms some of the history recorded within the Bible. There are also contemporary writings such as Josephus that confirm the historical status of some of the key figures.

How can you know what was said in a culture context or not?

How we read the Bible is a constant challenge and the questions to be kept in mind as we read is ' what does the text say?' and 'what does that mean for us now?' It is not always easy to know the cultural context for the passage that is being read, and at these times we can make use of Bible dictionaries, commentaries and other reference books. In conjunction with our thinking and studying we should allow God's Spirit to illuminate the words and bring it to life.