The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). Constantine did come around until 306-337 A.D.


Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite about 1500 B.C. Others hold that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books in the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.

What is the youngest book in the Old Testament? The book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C.

What is the oldest book of the New Testament? Probably the book of James, written as early as A.D. 45.

What is the youngest book in the New Testament?

The Book of Revelation is the youngest book of the New Testament, written about 95 A.D.

What languages was the Bible written in?

The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

When was the Bible canonized?

The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.

What does "canon" mean?

"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible "canonized" meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.

 
When was the first translation of the Bible made into English? 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.

When was the Bible printed?

The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.

What is the oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence?

The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however-- the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Rayland's Library in Manchester, England).

 

The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages). (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.)

 
Is the Bible still the best-selling book in the world?

Yes, indeed!

The Bible itself mentions various books, that did not end up in the collection of books which were viewed as inspired of God. Numbers 21:14 'The Book of the Wars of the Lord'. Joshua 10:13 'Is it not written in the book of Jashar?'; 2 Samuel 1:18; 1 Kings 11:41 'in the book of the acts of Solomon'; 2 Chronicles 12:15 'the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer.' Willis J. Beecher lists 25 extracanonical books mentioned in Chronicles alone in his article on "Chronicles" (ISBE. Rev. ed., Volume 1, p. 630) 1 Corinthians 5:9 'I wrote you in my letter'-indicating that Paul had corresponded with the Corinthians before the First Corinthian letter.

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