(Originally Published as 7 Booklets, Copyright © 1989 by Richard Scott)
What is the Bible?
Promoters of our modern Bible -- in its many and various translations or forms -- make claims about the Bible that must be examined in the light of what scripture itself reveals.
It is also necessary to look at the different forms of the Bible, that are considered inspired by sundry religious groups.
The term "Bible" is generic enough to refer to each of these individually.
Particularly, there is the "Jewish" Old Testament only Bible, the Protestant Christian Old and New Testament Bible, and the Catholic Bible (which is the same as the original King James 1611 Bible translation, and nearly the same as the modern Protestant Bible but includes several other books spanning the bridge between the Old and New Testaments).
What Was The Bible Originally?
The Bible today is published in book form, as it has been for hundreds of years, since the first version published following the invention of the printing press, around 1456 (known as the Mazarin Bible, which was printed on the first movable-type press invented by Gutenberg).
Scripture, as originally written, was known as "the Scrolls".
Scrolls were long continuous sheets of parchment rolled up on two rollers (or originally only one roller). As one end was unscrolled from one roller, the other end was scrolled onto the second roller.
The various "books" of the Bible were all kept on separate scrolls.
The various scrolls were kept in scroll libraries, or collections of scrolls, and this led to the collection of "books" (scrolls), originally published separately, known today as the Bible.
The word "bible" comes from the Latin word for a library of books: bibliotheca.
So the Bible, by its very name, is actually a collection -- or library -- of formerly separate, individual books or scrolls.
Often this collection, in any of the various forms it now exists under the name Bible, is held out (by its proponents) to be a totally inspired canon.
This means that, in addition to considering each original book or scroll inspired, the collection itself is supposed to have resulted from an equally "inspired" selection process.
Of course this assumes that each and every scroll or book admitted to the so-called canon are recognized as being totally inspired, and that all the ancient scrolls or books not included in this "canon" are generally thought to be uninspired.
All Inspired?
There are some immediate problems with the totally inspired Bible point of view.
First is the fact that there are at least three separate and different "canons" of the Bible, each purported to be the totally inspired and "final" canon of scripture.
The second is archaeological findings of ancient scroll libraries from the time of the first century and before, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, near the Dead Sea in Palestine.
The main difficulty is in the fact that all these traditional canons are so different from one another, and therefore contradictory in the claims of inspiration in the canonization process being made for them.
For example, proponents of the "Jewish" Bible do not admit to the inspiration, or inspired canonization, of the entire New Testament or the so-called Apocrypha.
And the modern Protestant canon does not consider many books of the Catholic, or 1611 King James Bible, canon -- the so-called Apocrypha -- to be inspired scripture.
And though all three of these canon traditions admit and consider the book of Esther as "inspired," the Qumran Dead Sea scrolls obviously didn't -- for this is the one supposed book of the Old Testament not preserved or discovered among those scrolls.
Many other scrolls of scripture unearthed there -- the so-called "Pseudepigrapha", or supposedly falsely named for ancient writers not thought to have actually authored them by most modern historians -- are not found in any of these three modern "authorized" canons!
Obviously, then, the inspiration of canonization is a claim that -- at least in terms of efforts since the first century -- doesn't hold much, if any, water.
It is also rather obviously a ploy to grant "legitimacy", after the fact, to the particular scriptures accepted and endorsed by their individual proponent religious sects.
Without Error?
Many fundamentalists today wrongly claim the Bible is "the Living Word", and that it is entirely without any error whatsoever -- or "inerrant" -- and also that it is the complete and final revelation for all time.
These views are individually and collectively flawed in many ways, not the least of which is the idolization and actual idol worship type of reverence by which the Bible is viewed -- even feared by some, it seems -- by many religious adherents.
The idolization of the Bible as "the Living Word" (which phrase inspired the name of a modern translation/paraphrase of the Bible) is explored more thoroughtly in the next two lessons in this "Back To Scriptural Basics" series.
A few prime examples of Bible error should serve to prove the point here, that scriptures translated and preserved often by uninspired men have been corrupted in several places, not the least of which is in the altering, or changing, and then abandonment of the one and only revealed name of salvation in literally hundreds of places where it once stood in original inspired scripture.
The next lesson in this series will give more details about this abominable transformation of that name in scripture into the flawed and false forms inspired by pagan Judaism and pagan Christianity.
Provable error in the Bible is, of course, no good reason to abandon all hope or faith in original inspired scripture, truths which you can still unearth in surviving documents -- even some modern translations of the Bible -- once you know where and how to discover that truth.
If you have faith and inspiration you can escape the trap of devious doubts, endless questions and (the foundation of all these) the faithless agnosticism that underlies the efforts of many modern Bible "scholars".
Some Examples of Bible Error
One example of Bible textual corruption concerns David's wife Michal.
Michal was the daughter of Savel ("Saul") and, according to II Samuel 6:23, she died childless.
But in the same book, in II Samuel 21:8 (in the King James version, but not in the NIV or New American Standard translations, for instance), we read about the "five sons of Michal the daughter of Savel".
This is apparently a copyist's mistake, that is repeated even in the modern English translation of the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament.
But the actual Greek text of the Septuagint, as well as a marginal note in the Oxford edition of the King James English Bible, and James Moffatt's translation, all reveal the "daughter of Savel" who was the wife of Adriel (revealed in I Samuel 18:19), mentioned in II Samuel 21:8, was actually Merab, Michal's sister.
The two names were similar in the original Ibreyan (ancient "Hebrew") language, and were obviously confused by a copyist prior to (or during, but it is doubtful after) the creation of the Masoretic Hebrew version of scripture (that underlies both the "Jewish" and English Bible Old Testaments), which also contains this textual error.
Another classic case of Biblical error -- one which helps prove the fact that the Greek New Testament is actually a translation from Aramaic or Ibreyan language originals, during the production of which several such errors crept into the texts -- and was not originally written in Greek at all, occurs in the book of Acts.
The Greek wording of Acts 9:7 and 22:9 is clear and unmistakable, and only through mistranslation can we understand how the blatant contradiction between these verses came about (for the original author was most assuredly not responsible).
In the first verse, the men who were with Paul ("Savel") at the time of his conversion on the road to Damascus, heard the voice that spoke to Savel but saw no man, whereas in Paul's own account, given in the latter verse, the men with him did not hear the voice, though they saw the light.
Clearly this error is not to be found in the original text from which the Greek language version of the book of Acts was translated.
The English and both Greek and Hebrew Bibles, then, contain provable and unarguable errors and textual contradictions which are not to be lightly dismissed, especially in view of the "inerrant Bible" doctrine held steadfastly by many fundamentalist Bible worshipers.
False Traditions
Today, modern fundamentalists do the exact same thing the Pharisees and Sadducees did at the time of the Apostles, when they wrongly claim the Bible is completed, final, inerrant, infallible and literal truth.
The Apostles mostly quoted from the Old Testament.
But they also wrote books (scrolls) and letters, a collection of which became known as the New Testament.
These were doubtless roundly rejected by the Pharisees and Sadducees alike as "modern additions to the Bible", as they then knew it, or the Old Testament collection of books/scrolls known as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, or Minor Prophets.
They must have considered the New Testament writings as false and heretical, just as they also rejected our Savior, who is revealed therein.
Today, those who claim the Bible -- particularly the King James English Bible -- is "the complete and final revelation, preserved perfectly" and "the Living Word", have missed the point that their entire concept of the Bible is not only wrong, but blasphemous!
It is a tradition as false as the traditions of the modern descendants of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
No Other Witnesses
To say, as Christian fundamentalists also do, that the Greek New Testament is original and inspired scripture -- while Greek was not even a common language in the Middle East at the time of the Savior and His Apostles, either as a written or spoken language -- is simply false historically.
This is according to the preeminent Galilean scholar and historian Yavceph ("Josephus"), who lived in the time of Paul:
"I have also taken a great deal of pains to obtain the learning of the Greeks, and to understand the elements of the Greek language, although I have so long accustomed myself to speak OUR OWN TONGUE, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness: for our nation does not encourage those that learn the languages of many nations...because they look upon this sort of accomplishment as inferior...on which account, as there have been many who have done their endeavors with great patience to obtain this learning [circa 93 to 94 C.E.] there have yet hardly been so many as TWO OR THREE that have succeeded therein, who were immediately well rewarded for their pains." (Josephus' Antiquities, XX, xi, 21).
Such a claim would be like saying English was the language spoken by the Savior, or spoken and written by the Apostles -- centuries before this language ever came into existence -- simply because we find modern Bibles are published in the English language!
That, of course, would be historical nonsense, just as the claim of an original Greek New Testament also is.
Scripture can best be proven and established through reference to many different translations and historical or scriptural sources other than what you find in a modern Bible ("In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" -- Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; II Corinthians 13:1; I Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28 and Revelation 11:3).
Just one witness, such as the King James English Bible, is NOT sufficient to establish, or prove true, many doctrines that are commonly but falsely taught and believed today, based on this one source alone.
The King James English Bible does contain many provable errors, such as self-contradictions -- where one verse of scripture seems to contradict another, parallel scripture -- due to copyist's mistakes, scribal errors in copying from more original copies of inspired scripture, or even some deliberate changes or additions to the text to promote some popular falsehood of the time or period.
Such errors, in the case of the English Old Testament, are also to be found in the underlying Hebrew Masoretic Bible, upon which the King James translation of the Old Testament was mainly based, and from which it was translated.
But what does all this mean to those of us who seek scriptural truth in the magazine of the Bible?
How can you trust what is clearly imperfect?
WHY Do Bible Errors Exist?
In your Bible are ancient prophecies concerning the fact that what we know of scripture would become tainted by evil men and women intent on eradicating the truth, which also explain WHY this was allowed by our Almighty Creator.
Here is what those prophetic scriptures have to say:
"How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Yes, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; who think to cause my people to forget my name by [means of] their dreams [fantasies, fictions] which they tell every man to his neighbor, [even] as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal" (Jeremiah 23:26-27).
Here, and in Jeremiah 44:26, we learn about how the very sacred name of our Creator -- the only name of salvation, "Joel" 2:32; Acts 4:12) -- was prophesied to become generally abandoned and forgotten.
Of course, this would eventually have to include its near (but not total) eradication from the popular written texts, such as the Bible, in order for these prophecies to actually come to pass.
Next you will see how this ties in prophetically with all modern Bibles, starting with the following prophecy:
"As for you, O house of Yasrael, thus says Sovereign Yahveh [true name restored to text]. Go you, serve you every one his idols, and hereafter also, if you will not listen to me: but you will pollute my sacred name no longer with your gifts, and with your idols" (Ezekiel 20:39).
What idols does modern man use, with which -- if His name were generally known today -- you could pollute the sacred name of your Creator?
Another ancient prophecy holds the key, and gives you the answer, once you know how to "read between the lines", by fully understanding what the prophet was really saying in the vernacular of his day and age:
"Those who make a graven image are nothing; and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them [the hand-made idols] are blind; they [the idol makers] are ignorant, to their own shame" (Isaiah 44:9).
Modern Idolatry
The same prophecy goes on to describe some particular kinds of idols, which modern men and women also make, bow down to, and falsely worship:
"The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with planes and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of a man, of man in all his glory, that it may remain in the house [or shrine; place of worship]" (Isaiah 44:13).
The "carpenter" spoken of here could as easily be referring to a graphic artist, who crafts photographic images into printed materials with the assistance of physical or computerized T-Square, triangles, rulers and compasses.
The magazines, newspapers, books and such that result from this "craft" are certainly intended to "remain in the house" of those who purchase them.
But how can you be absolutely sure this is what this prophecy is actually saying? A few verses later you are given another clue:
"From the rest [of a tree, see verses 14-16] he makes a 'mighty one', his idol [graven image]: he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, 'Save me; you are my mighty one'" (Isaiah 44:17).
Today you will see that the residue of a tree, or wood, is sawdust. And from sawdust wood pulp is made, which in turn is made into paper.
And it is onto paper that images are engraved (by the printing process known as engraving, but which can also include laser or other forms of modern, now mostly computerized printing processes)!
The end product of this process (magazines, newspapers and particularly books; especially Bibles) are generally worshiped by modern man (just as the subjects of most of these modern printed idols, celebrities or known personalities, are often called "stars").
The Bible An Idol?
What other book, apart from the Bible, does modern humanity fall down on their knees before in worshipful reverence, with the idea that salvation is somehow contained therein?
Could this be what the prophet was really saying? A few verses later you will find another, more conclusive clue:
"No one stops to think, nobody has the knowledge or understanding to say, 'Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Should I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?'
"He feeds on ashes, a deluded [deceived] heart misleads him [away from the truth]; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'" (Isaiah 44:19-20).
Think about that...
Don't modern preachers teach many falsehoods and lies about supposed salvation -- about which they in truth neither know nor understand -- even while holding up their Bible in their right hands?
Yet another prophet had something to reveal about such idolatry, that verifies modern Bibles are indeed worshiped as idols by most supposedly well-meaning, but entirely deceived people today:
"Of what value is a graven image, since a man has carved it? [or engraven, or printed it] Or an image that teaches lies? For whoever made it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak [but through printed or engraved words, seem capable of teaching]. Woe to anyone who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' [even modern computers, the chips of which are made from sand, or silicon -- which, like stained glass, is a form of stone -- are said to "be put to sleep" and to "wake up"] Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it" (Habakkuk 2:18-19).
Modern people, when reading these verses of scripture, tend to think only of oriental or Polynesian style cast or carved idols.
But yet another fitting fulfillment of the idols described in these scriptures are modern gilt-edged, or gold leafed Bibles, especially those containing "religious" engraved images!
What is more like saying "Awake!" than calling the Bible "the Living Word", and what other object of modern man is proclaimed to be an instructor -- a teacher -- of alleged truth and an author of supposed salvation?
By means of engraving, and gilding or leafing with golden or silvered letters, these modern idols of man's hands are often worshipfully enshrined.
Even though it might seem to you absolutely incredible that modern man could be so deceived, as to blatantly and commonly worship such idols, yet you now find this to be an astonishing, undeniable fact!
The TRUTH About Scripture
Only by viewing the Bible in this true light can you finally be free to learn about the many truths that are to be found in original scripture, that are often times hidden underneath the modern translations and versions you know as the Bible today.
But exactly what is scripture?
The best answer to that is to learn what scripture was originally.
When first written, scripture was really nothing more than historical and prophetic writings of inspired men who used the written word as a means of warning, correcting, teaching and codifying messages they were given through direct inspiration from, or contact with, our Almighty Creator, to give to their fellow man (often at great threat and peril to their lives)!
Not all such scripture became canonized, and a small part of the canonized Bible is not -- and never was -- inspired scripture.
For example, the book of Esther -- which is so blatantly historically inaccurate and self-contradictory -- was and is, in fact, an ancient Babylonian myth deliberately fictionalized and palmed off as "inspired scripture", which in reality it is anything but.
Esther and Mordecai are none other than the pagan idols known anciently as Isthar and Marduk!
Furthermore, many scriptures once known by the Apostles -- and other authors of inspired scriptures found in the canon -- as inspired scripture, never achieved or were granted canonical recognition, and therefore have never been published in any modern Bibles.
For instance, unknown to most people today, the books of Enoch (see; "Hebrews" 11:5; "Jude" 14), and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (see: Josephus Against Apion, II, 25), and the book of Jubilees, among others, are quoted profusely throughout much of the New Testament by the Savior, His Apostles and their converts, as well as by ancient historians and others.
In fact, such sources were quoted just as often as the Old Testament (with the lone exception of the so-called book of Esther, of course), in the New Testament.
Likewise, these so-called non-canonical scriptures have all been unearthed, along with copies of later canonized books/scrolls of the Old Testament (again, with the lone exception of Esther) with the Dead Sea Scrolls discoveries at Qumran.
Clearly the modern concept of "inspired scripture" must be revised in light of these historical facts.
Complete And Final Revelation?
You will recall how the Pharisees and Sadducees, the scribes and lawyers of the Savior's day, almost unanimously rejected all new revelation, of what was later codified and embodied in the (originally Ibreyan or Aramaic) New Testament.
They simply could not accept the fact, any more than their modern heirs the "Jews" of today can, that the Old Testament alone is not the only inspired scripture in existence.
The so-called "complete and final revelation" -- in the form of the Old Testament only -- is utter rubbish, and an abominable myth that causes those believing this to totally reject out-of-hand the TRUE and ONLY Savior of humanity.
Conversely, though Christians believe both the Old and New Testaments, found in their Bibles, are inspired and completed final revelation, they err in this gross assumption in at least three major areas!
First, they study and accept mainly only the New Testament, considering the Old Testament as somehow inferior revelation which is supposedly now outdated and superseded by the New Testament.
These Christians miss the point that the Old Testament was considered of primary importance to the Savior and His Apostles -- was used and quoted by them almost exclusively and profusely -- and this was the only scripture then in existence (with the exception of other non-canonized scriptures, which were also often cited and quoted, not presently found in either Old or New Testament canons, including the Catholic Apocrypha).
The second primary area of scripture overlooked by modern Christians is just that: scripture outside the "orthodox" canons, obviously known as inspired by the Savior and His Apostles, since they often quoted from it as well as the known canonical scriptures (other than Esther).
In fact, many familiar "New Testament" phrases are not original to the Apostles credited with their authorship, being in fact quoted by them from these non-canonical and today generally unrecognized scripture sources, which were known and considered to be inspired scripture long before uninspired canonization wrongly rejected them.
Finally, there is another primary area of scripture overlooked by modern "Jews" and "Christians" alike.
In fact, it is the one type of scripture almost all modern men and women -- because of their rebellious lawlessness masquerading as "religious wisdom" and "righteousness" -- utterly reject.
Modern Inspired Scripture
Is it possible for inspired scripture to be written now?
Most people today, out of unspiritual jealousy and animosity against even the thought of anyone else living today having such a gift of the Spirit, say this is absolutely impossible!
-- But is it really?
Remember, with our Creator, "All things are possible..." (Mark 10:27, 14:36), and then consider carefully whether or not you might be reading -- at this very moment -- inspired scripture!
Scripture is, after all, simply the writings of inspired men. The key is inspiration, and although there are reams and tons of books, magazines, booklets, pamphlets, tracts, newspapers, newsletters, emails, web sites and blogs today being passed off as supposedly "inspired", they all lack the one key ingredient of being truly spiritually inspired by the right source!
There is such a thing as satanic counterfeit "inspiration" that masquerades as the "truth" -- promoting lies, falsehoods and subtle twistings of the truth, in reality -- or so-called "heavenly inspiration" which are nothing of the kind!
Countless millions of well-meaning, but actually unrepentant -- in terms of all the law and prophets -- sinners have thus been deceived into accepting and embracing a false substitute for the real PURE TRUTH.
This is why Christians almost universally accept the false savior taught in their religions and translations of the Bible, with absolutely no regard for or acceptance of the one and only true Savior, whom they actually flagrantly DISobey, even while thinking and believing they serve Him (see: Matthew 25:41-46).
Of course, knowing the aversion of most people toward considering any modern writings on the same level as inspired scripture, the publishers of so-called but falsely "inspired" religious publications stop short of proclaiming them "scripture" (even though they are often promoted with more zeal than most Bibles today, as if they were indeed inspired scripture).
None of this precludes the possibility of modern truly inspired, actual scripture being written or published today.
However, in light of this possibility and considering the sorry state of ancient scripture -- partly preserved in the Bible, and imperfectly at that -- there is one final important question you must ask:
"What Use Is The Bible, Then?"
The correct answer is MUCH in every way.
Without the Bible the ordinary man or woman would have NO idea of what was once taught and of its spiritual significance, as opposed to all the pagan philosophers and false religious and secular teachers.
Of course, you should first curb your human nature, and its inclination to assume that you primarily are capable of understanding scripture easily and correctly.
You must acknowledge the need for other living inspired men of truth today, to help point out the uninspired flaws and inconsistencies of modern Bibles, but more than that the true meaning and intention of the original authors of inspired scripture (and which so-called scripture is not inspired).
Without inspired knowledge and UNDERSTANDING -- i.e. VISION -- you will perish in your own pompous ignorance (Proverbs 29:18)!
It is the purpose of ALL truly inspired scripture to point out to you your errors, and call upon you to change your ways and beliefs (repent) accordingly.
This won't always be easy to swallow or take, but it is the first necessary step that alone can lead you to actual salvation!