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Re: Is the Bible a history book?
In Response To: Is the Bible a history book? ()

Hi,

The "Bible" is actually a collection of about 70 different books, letters, scrolls, etc, depending on which edition you have. For example, the King James has 66 seperate books and letters, compiled into the book known as the Bible. The addition of various apocrypha and pseudoepigripha can bring the total to more than 70, depending on which books are added to the compilation.

The original Hebrew Bible or Tanach (Christian Old Testament) consists of 24 seperate books, although the twelve minor prophets are grouped together in one "book", making 35 total...

These books cover a wide range of different topics - some are "mythic or epic histories" like the first few books (Genesis, Exodus, etc) telling an epic history of a people, linked with historical geneologies, written with the theme of the relationship between God and Man.

Some are "law books", like Leviticus. The Psalms is, quite literally, a song book - lyrics for songs designed to be sung to music. Some editions even include the original notes on which instruments should be used in a particular psalm, musical pauses, etc. Some, like Chronicles of the Kings, are historical in nature, with dates, events, and geneologies, while Ecclesiastes, for example, is a philosophical discourse on wisdom. Most of the New Testament consists of letters written by early Christian Church fathers to various people.

Traditional scholars divide the Bible into the following writings:

THE LAW, Hebrew "Torah", also known as the Books of Moses, and the Pentateuch - the first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deutoronomy.

THE PROPHETS
The Early Prophets - Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings I & II.
The Later Prophets - Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial
The Twelve, or Minor, Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

THE WRITINGS
Most of the rest of the Old Testament, including Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, etc.

THE GOSPEL
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

ACTS of the Apostles

LETTERS mostly written by Paul. Even Revelation of John is actually an "open letter" addressed to seven churches.

So the Bible cannot ben seen as one sort of book or another. It must be recognized as a compilation of many books of different sorts, from histories to song books. Originally they all would have been reproduced seperately and distributed as such.
The Torah was the first set of scrolls grouped together and considered a "Bible" as such by the people of the day, and for a long time was the only such compilation.
The last prophetic writings didn't appear until around 500BC or so, and the Tanach, or Hebrew Bible, Christian Old Testament, wasn't compiled as such until, I believe, first century AD.

Respect.

Messages In This Thread

Is the Bible a history book?
Re: Is the Bible a history book?
Re: Is the Bible a history book?
A History Book of Prophecy
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Re: Is the Bible a history book?
Re: Is the Bible a history book?
Re: Is the Bible a history book?
Re: Is the Bible a history book?


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