History of the Bible, Old Testament, Word of God

“...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” - Isaiah 59:19b

SHARE THIS PAGE:

How Much Do You Know About the History of Your Bible?

Learn more about the Word of God and its origins with the resources at Floyd Nolen Jones Ministries. We believe knowledge is the path to understanding the power of His Word. Tracing the history of the Bible, the origin of its name and each of the books contained within it, will give you a better understanding of the scope of His divine power and the importance of the messages contained within it.

Origins

"Bible" is the English form of the Greek name Biblia, meaning "books." This name started circulating in the fifth century to describe the entire collection of sacred books, the "Library of Divine Revelation." The name "Bible" was adopted by Wickliffe and came gradually into use in our English language. The Bible consists of 66 different books, composed by many different writers, in three different languages, all under different circumstances. The writers originated from almost every social rank, from statesmen to peasants, as well as kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers, and tent makers. They included the educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles. Most of them were unknown to each other and many wrote during various different periods within the space of about 1,600 years. And yet, in the end, the Bible is only one book dealing with only one subject in its numberless aspects and relations: the subject of man's redemption.

Old & New Testaments

The Bible is divided into the Old Testament, containing thirty-nine books, and the New Testament, containing twenty-seven books. The names given to the Old in the writings of the New are "the Scriptures" (Matthew 21:42), "Scripture" (2 Peter 1:20), "the Holy Scriptures" (Romans 1:2), "the Law" (John 12:34), "the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms" (Luke 24:44), "the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 5:17), and "the old covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:14, R.V.). There is a break of 400 years between the Old Testament and the New (See [68] APOCRYPHA). Between the Old and the New Testament, no addition was made to the revelation God had already given. The period of New Testament revelation, extending over a century, began with the appearance of John the Baptist.

The Old Testament is divided into three parts:

The Law (Torah)	Consisting of the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses.
The Prophets	Consisting of (1) the former, namely, Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings; (2) the latter, namely, the greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets.
The Hagiographa, or Holy Writings, Including the Rest Of the Books	These were ranked in three divisions: (1) The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, distinguished by the Hebrew name, a word formed of the initial letters of these books, emeth, meaning truth. (2) Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, called the five rolls, as being written for the synagogue use on five separate rolls. (3) Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.