How We Got the Bible
Description
In this episode, Dr. Tim Wardle returns to discuss how the Bible we read every day became a concise, bound collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors over 1,600 years. We talk about how these books were selected, how they were arranged, who decided, and why it matters to us now.
Key Points
- The Old Testament developed over a long period and was largely settled by Jesus’ time, whereas the New Testament was written over a short period and formalized in the centuries that followed.
- Historians use four main criteria to describe the canonization of the Bible: apostolicity, catholicity, orthodoxy, and traditional usage.
- Reading other texts is valuable for learning history, but the canonized Bible should be our primary source of spiritual guidance.
- Understanding how the Bible was formed strengthens our faith by showing how carefully Scripture has been preserved, recognized, and passed down through generations.
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