If you have done much searching for ancient literature, you will quickly discover that there simply aren't many available that were written before 500 B.C. which still exist in their entirety--even less which have been preserved in the original form. Even the Epic of Gilgamesh--perhaps the best known ancient text, dating to 2150-2000 BC--exists in both the Sumerian and Akkadian versions and is missing sections. Much of this loss of our ancient literature is, naturally, due to the corrosion or destruction of the materials on which they were preserved--such as stone stella, clay tablets, ostraca, papyrus, copper sheets, etc... Another reason for their disappearance is the disastrous event of the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt when is it believed that approximately 40,000 ancient books and texts were either burned or lost within the first several centuries A.D., though there is disagreement as to the culpable party.
Keeping this in mind, I find it very interesting that we have retained so little of our extra-biblical recorded past--despite our decided efforts to preserve it. Even more amazing, is that the Bible, which dates from as early as 2,000 B.C. to about the first century A.D., exists not only in its entirety, but in a startlelingly well-preserved form, with its original language, format and wording, despite many decided efforts to destroy it.
Here are some very interesting facts about the miraculous survival of the Bible:
1. Late 7th Century B.C.--King Johioakim of Judah threw the scoll of Jeremiah's prophecy into the fire; however, God simply had his prophet write the same words again with additional material (Jeremiah 36:21-32).
2. 200 A.D.--During the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, the Pentateuch was torn up and burned. "...anyone found possessing the book of the covenant was condemned to death by the decree of the King." (I Maccabees 1:56-57)
3. Early 4th century A.D.--Diocletian attempted to rid the Roman Empire of the Bible, only to have it reinstated by Constantine a few years later. (Reference.)
4. 19th century--The government of Korea outlawed and tried to keep the Bible out of the land... of course, that failed, as evidenced by the Church's presence there today.
5. The Soviet Union also tried to outlaw the Bible; now it is wide open to the Word and is flourishing.
6. Mid-20th century--A patient in an American hospital in Turkey was given a Bible. When dismissed from the hospital, he took the Bible back to his hometown in Turkey and proudly showed it to his friends. A muslim teacher* snatched it from him, tore out its pages and threw them into the street. The young man was afriad to pick them up. A passing grocer, however, did and took them and used them for wrapping paper. Before long, they were scattered all over the town. His costumers read the pages and returned to him for more. In a few days the entire Bible was distributed to interested readers. When a Bible salesman came to town, he was surprised to find a hundred people eager to purchase the Word of God! (Reference.)
7. The church itself, thinking it was doing the right thing, attempted to keep the Bible out of the hands of "ordinary people".
a. Jerome (405 A.D.) completed his translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin so the ordinary people could read it. He was condemned by the bishop and accused of tampering with God's word. Still, his Latin version became the Bible of Europe. (Reference.)
b. John Wycliffe (1320) sought to give the English people a Bible they could read, but the church fought him severely. The Archbishop described him as "that Pestilent wretch, John Wycliffe, the son of the old Serpent, forerunner of the anti-Christ who has completed his inequity by inventing a new translation of the scriptures." He was eventually hunted down and burned at the stake. Those who possessed copies of the Wycliffe Bible were also hunted down and burned at the stake with the scriptures hung about their necks.... but despite all of this, the English Bible spread like wildfire throughout Europe. (Reference.)
c. William Tyndale (1500), after the invention of the printing press, put the Bible in his common language. Priests and bishops burned thousands of copies of his translation as a "burnt offering most pleasing to the Almighty God". He too was burned at the stake. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes!" Less than three years after that, King Henry VIII authorized the publication of the Great Bible. This version was a combination of the Tyndale Bible and that of Miles Coverdale. A copy was chained to every pulpit in England so that everyone could read it. (Reference.)
8. French humanist, Voltaire, (1700) boastfully proclaimed, "one hundred years from now the world will hear no more of the Bible." Yet, in the year of his boast, the British museum purchased a manuscript of the Greek New Testament for $500,000 while the first edition of Voltaire's new book sold for eight cents a copy! Furthermore, fifty years after the death of Voltaire, Bibles were being printed by the Geneva Bible Society in the very house where Voltaire lived and on his own printing press! (Reference.)
9. It was during the Council of Toulouse that the religious leaders made their decision to outlaw God’s word. "We prohibit laymen possessing copies of the Old and New Testament...We forbid them most severely to have the above books in the popular vernacular." "The lords of the districts shall carefully seek out the heretics in dwellings, hovels, and forests, and even their underground retreats shall be entirely wiped out." Concil Tolosanum, Pope Gregory IX, in the year 1229. (Reference.)
10. It was again reiterated at the Council of Tarragona that "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after the promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned." Histoire de la Bible en France, D.D. Lortsch, 1910, p.14. (Reference.)
11. Even after the Reformation commenced and Bible societies were formed the Catholic Church classified them with Socialism and Communism. On December 8, 1866, Pope Pius IX made this amazing statement: "Socialism, Communism, clandestine societies, Bible societies....pests of this sort must be destroyed by all means." Encyclical Quanta Cura (Reference.)
Other interesting facts:
1. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
2. As evidence to support the facts that early manuscripts tend to decay, or be lost or destroyed, consider these facts concerning the major existing manuscripts: We have only 10 records of "The Gallic Wars" by Julius Ceasar and there are 1000 years between that event to the first existing manuscript. We have only 7 records of Pliny the Younger's "History" and there are 750 years between the events he recorded and the first existing manuscript. We have only 8 early records of Thucydides "History" and there are 1300 years between those events and our first existing manuscripts. The same can be said for Herodotus's "History". Now, consider this--the second most prevalent ancient writing is Homer's "Illiad", with an impressive 643 early records with only 500 years between the events and the first existing manuscript. However, the New Testament (a collection of smaller texts) vastly surpasses them all, with 24,000+ early records and only a mere 25 years from the events of Christ's life and the early Church to those first existing manuscripts.
3. When the printing press was invented in 1450, the first book ever printed was the Bible. Since then the Bible has been printed more and read more than any other book in history.
4. "If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years [at least, possibly much longer] by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time." Jordan and Justin Drake (Reference.)
5. "A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put. No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles lettres of classical or modern times has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet?
The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions." Dr. Bernard Ramm, Protestant Christian Evidences (Reference.)
6. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 confirmed with fascinating clarity how reliable our biblical texts are, showing that the variations are less than 2% from the texts we have and not a single doctrine nor teaching has been changed. (Reference.) (25 Fascinating Facts About the Dead Sea Scrolls)
7. In 64 A.D. Emperor Nero not only tried to wipe out the Bible, but anyone who professed Christ. He blamed them for the burning of Rome (which, he did himself) and ordered their mass execution. There are about 7 million graves in 900 miles of caves beneathe the streets of Rome which speak of his attempt to rid Rome of Christians. (Reference.)
Obviously, there is something special about this Book. No other written document or collection of documents has even come close to surviving such trials or impacting our lives to such a degree. There is a very good reason for this--the Bible is indeed "God's Word". God extended His protection over the Scriptures so that His message to us would never be lost. Despite man's many efforts to wipe out God's words, He loves us enough to preserve them so that we might know Him and love Him. Remember, the Bible is God's love letter to you.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)
* unable to verify
Keeping this in mind, I find it very interesting that we have retained so little of our extra-biblical recorded past--despite our decided efforts to preserve it. Even more amazing, is that the Bible, which dates from as early as 2,000 B.C. to about the first century A.D., exists not only in its entirety, but in a startlelingly well-preserved form, with its original language, format and wording, despite many decided efforts to destroy it.
Here are some very interesting facts about the miraculous survival of the Bible:
1. Late 7th Century B.C.--King Johioakim of Judah threw the scoll of Jeremiah's prophecy into the fire; however, God simply had his prophet write the same words again with additional material (Jeremiah 36:21-32).
2. 200 A.D.--During the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, the Pentateuch was torn up and burned. "...anyone found possessing the book of the covenant was condemned to death by the decree of the King." (I Maccabees 1:56-57)
3. Early 4th century A.D.--Diocletian attempted to rid the Roman Empire of the Bible, only to have it reinstated by Constantine a few years later. (Reference.)
4. 19th century--The government of Korea outlawed and tried to keep the Bible out of the land... of course, that failed, as evidenced by the Church's presence there today.
5. The Soviet Union also tried to outlaw the Bible; now it is wide open to the Word and is flourishing.
6. Mid-20th century--A patient in an American hospital in Turkey was given a Bible. When dismissed from the hospital, he took the Bible back to his hometown in Turkey and proudly showed it to his friends. A muslim teacher* snatched it from him, tore out its pages and threw them into the street. The young man was afriad to pick them up. A passing grocer, however, did and took them and used them for wrapping paper. Before long, they were scattered all over the town. His costumers read the pages and returned to him for more. In a few days the entire Bible was distributed to interested readers. When a Bible salesman came to town, he was surprised to find a hundred people eager to purchase the Word of God! (Reference.)
7. The church itself, thinking it was doing the right thing, attempted to keep the Bible out of the hands of "ordinary people".
a. Jerome (405 A.D.) completed his translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin so the ordinary people could read it. He was condemned by the bishop and accused of tampering with God's word. Still, his Latin version became the Bible of Europe. (Reference.)
b. John Wycliffe (1320) sought to give the English people a Bible they could read, but the church fought him severely. The Archbishop described him as "that Pestilent wretch, John Wycliffe, the son of the old Serpent, forerunner of the anti-Christ who has completed his inequity by inventing a new translation of the scriptures." He was eventually hunted down and burned at the stake. Those who possessed copies of the Wycliffe Bible were also hunted down and burned at the stake with the scriptures hung about their necks.... but despite all of this, the English Bible spread like wildfire throughout Europe. (Reference.)
c. William Tyndale (1500), after the invention of the printing press, put the Bible in his common language. Priests and bishops burned thousands of copies of his translation as a "burnt offering most pleasing to the Almighty God". He too was burned at the stake. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes!" Less than three years after that, King Henry VIII authorized the publication of the Great Bible. This version was a combination of the Tyndale Bible and that of Miles Coverdale. A copy was chained to every pulpit in England so that everyone could read it. (Reference.)
8. French humanist, Voltaire, (1700) boastfully proclaimed, "one hundred years from now the world will hear no more of the Bible." Yet, in the year of his boast, the British museum purchased a manuscript of the Greek New Testament for $500,000 while the first edition of Voltaire's new book sold for eight cents a copy! Furthermore, fifty years after the death of Voltaire, Bibles were being printed by the Geneva Bible Society in the very house where Voltaire lived and on his own printing press! (Reference.)
9. It was during the Council of Toulouse that the religious leaders made their decision to outlaw God’s word. "We prohibit laymen possessing copies of the Old and New Testament...We forbid them most severely to have the above books in the popular vernacular." "The lords of the districts shall carefully seek out the heretics in dwellings, hovels, and forests, and even their underground retreats shall be entirely wiped out." Concil Tolosanum, Pope Gregory IX, in the year 1229. (Reference.)
10. It was again reiterated at the Council of Tarragona that "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after the promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned." Histoire de la Bible en France, D.D. Lortsch, 1910, p.14. (Reference.)
11. Even after the Reformation commenced and Bible societies were formed the Catholic Church classified them with Socialism and Communism. On December 8, 1866, Pope Pius IX made this amazing statement: "Socialism, Communism, clandestine societies, Bible societies....pests of this sort must be destroyed by all means." Encyclical Quanta Cura (Reference.)
Other interesting facts:
1. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
2. As evidence to support the facts that early manuscripts tend to decay, or be lost or destroyed, consider these facts concerning the major existing manuscripts: We have only 10 records of "The Gallic Wars" by Julius Ceasar and there are 1000 years between that event to the first existing manuscript. We have only 7 records of Pliny the Younger's "History" and there are 750 years between the events he recorded and the first existing manuscript. We have only 8 early records of Thucydides "History" and there are 1300 years between those events and our first existing manuscripts. The same can be said for Herodotus's "History". Now, consider this--the second most prevalent ancient writing is Homer's "Illiad", with an impressive 643 early records with only 500 years between the events and the first existing manuscript. However, the New Testament (a collection of smaller texts) vastly surpasses them all, with 24,000+ early records and only a mere 25 years from the events of Christ's life and the early Church to those first existing manuscripts.
3. When the printing press was invented in 1450, the first book ever printed was the Bible. Since then the Bible has been printed more and read more than any other book in history.
4. "If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years [at least, possibly much longer] by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time." Jordan and Justin Drake (Reference.)
5. "A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put. No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles lettres of classical or modern times has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet?
The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions." Dr. Bernard Ramm, Protestant Christian Evidences (Reference.)
6. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 confirmed with fascinating clarity how reliable our biblical texts are, showing that the variations are less than 2% from the texts we have and not a single doctrine nor teaching has been changed. (Reference.) (25 Fascinating Facts About the Dead Sea Scrolls)
7. In 64 A.D. Emperor Nero not only tried to wipe out the Bible, but anyone who professed Christ. He blamed them for the burning of Rome (which, he did himself) and ordered their mass execution. There are about 7 million graves in 900 miles of caves beneathe the streets of Rome which speak of his attempt to rid Rome of Christians. (Reference.)
Obviously, there is something special about this Book. No other written document or collection of documents has even come close to surviving such trials or impacting our lives to such a degree. There is a very good reason for this--the Bible is indeed "God's Word". God extended His protection over the Scriptures so that His message to us would never be lost. Despite man's many efforts to wipe out God's words, He loves us enough to preserve them so that we might know Him and love Him. Remember, the Bible is God's love letter to you.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)
* unable to verify
8 comments:
Reference for a.^ Grammar of the Vulgate, W.E. Plater and H.J. White, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1926
found on wikipedia "Vulgate."
Correction: John Hus, not Wycliffe was burned at the stake, with copies of Wycliffe's Bible used as kindling around the fire.
Source:http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/john-hus.html
Wycliffe died from a stroke.http://www.wardsbookofdays.com/31december.htm
There were not 7 million Christians buried in Rome "some estimates have placed the death toll as high as 100,000 people during that period."
Source: http://www.unrv.com/culture/christian-persecution.php
No. 11- Source
http://www.champs-of-truth.com/books/house/appendix_a.htm
There is a lot of wrong information here. Probably because the writer is wanting to give a protestant twist to the history. Remember, the protestant forces under Cromwell slaughtered 600,000 Catholics in Ireland. And it was illegal in England to be a Catholic. About 70,000 Catholics were executed there.
To the last anonymous commentator, I am certainly not trying to malign history to advance a protestant vs. Catholic agenda of some sort. We both believe in the same God and Scripture. However, it's possible some of these statements are inaccurate (though I did try to research my sources prior to posting). So, in the interest of accuracy and transparency, please tell me, specifically, which details here are suffering from revisionist history? I will gladly alter or delete them if you can show me they are incorrect.
Great post, brother. I appreciate your research and insights on this. Amazing history of the Bible!
Thanks, Christopher. Glad you enjoyed it.
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