Major Assumption #2
The Bible is God’s message to humans about Who He is, what He is like, who we are, why we were created, and what it means to know our Creator. If we have been created with the abilities to think, reason, read, write, understand and know, then it is reasonable to believe that this would be the means by which God would communicate to us.
How can it be shown that the Bible is actually God’s message to us, spoken through chosen human vessels, writing down the very words of God?
What are the Hebrew Scriptures?
ABOUT THE WRITING OF THE HEBREW BIBLE, THE TENACH:
1. The Formation
Written in the Hebrew language, some 30 different authors wrote the books of the Hebrew Bible. Their lives covered a period of about 1,100 years [from 1500 B.C.E. to about 430 B.C.E.] The first books of the Bible were written by Moses and the last by Malachi. Moses wrote the first 5 about 3,500 years ago, and Malachi the last about 1,100 years later.
The Hebrew Bible has been traditionally divided into 3 parts: The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. The word “Tenach” is an acronym made from the first Hebrew letters in Torah [Law], Nefillim [Prophets], and Chetuvim [Writings].
The early Bible was written by hand on rolls of papyrus. The Jews later wrote them on leather rolls. In some cases the Bible authors did their own writing. In other instances they dictated to scribes. Meticulous care was taken to keep the letters, words and order accurate and without error. Those who later copied the original manuscripts did likewise, as they believed they were handling the very words of God. One mistake would be cause to discard an entire scroll and begin again.
Prior to 1947, critics of the Bible would point to the fact that the oldest Hebrew manuscript, the Masoretic Text, was copied between the seventh and tenth centuries C.E. They questioned the accuracy of manuscripts completed at least 1,500 years from the originals. Then in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. After many years of tedious recovery, every book of the Hebrew Bible (except for Esther) has been found in at least a scrap or partial form and the scroll of Isaiah was found in its entirety. The Dead Sea Scrolls date from 100 B.C.E. to 100 C.E., a good 1,000 years earlier than the Masoretic Text. The most amazing discovery is that there are no significant differences or variations between the 2 texts, except in small cases of grammar, syntax and spelling.
2. The Authors
The 30 authors differed widely in their cultures, personalities, educational and intellectual levels. They were shepherds, soldiers, priests, prophets, and kings. They were poor, wealthy, educated and uneducated. They wrote in times of war, peace, exile, famine and prosperity. They wrote in various regions of the Middle East.
The Bible includes history, biography, poetry, speeches, proverbs, songs, parables, prophecies, romances, drama, tragedies, sermons, dialog, and ethical teachings. The ethical teachings are unparalleled and have served as the basis for most of the law codes in the Western world, even though it is an 'Eastern' book. The ethics and morals of the Bible are comprehensive, dealing with every possible human relationship--marriage, parenting, employment, government, sexuality, business, economics, and even recreation.
However, despite all this vast variety, the central themes of the Scriptures are the same and do not contradict one another! Imagine 30 different authors, from all walks of life, cultures and educational backgrounds; having different personalities, skills and styles; writing over an 1,100 year period; in all different circumstances, using at least 7 different literary forms; covering every ethical issue known to man; and yet consistently agreeing on all points regarding the Bible’s main themes:
1) the centrality and attributes of One God;
2) man in relation to God and to one another;
3) redemption (the mending of God’s relationship to man) and even
4) the unfolding of human history from beginning to end!
How could this happen unless there was a Guiding Hand, a Divine Spirit working through the various authors?
Imagine trying to find even 5 human authors, having the same cultural and educational backgrounds asked to write on only one topic, being able to agree on all points without contradiction? It could never happen by mere human means.
THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE HEBREW BIBLE:
1. External Evidence
From the earliest times, the various books of the Tenach have been received as inspired documents, and have become part of the Sacred Canon. As our knowledge of the past increases, whether historic, geographic, cultural or archaeological, the Scripture records continue to be confirmed. Not one discovered archaeological object or text has disproved or refuted any Biblical references, and in many cases, has confirmed them. In the Scriptures, we have the most authentic account of ancient times that have come down to us. More information on Biblical archaeology is in Stone 12.
2. Internal Evidence
To the external testimony must be added the internal testimony of the books themselves. They come out of the tiny Jewish nation separated from the rest of mankind by religion, by unique customs, and by physical position. This is not a collection of fictional or mythical works of literature produced by powerful dynasties, like Egypt or Greece. The details of people, places, and customs of the Hebrew Bible arise from the fabric of ordinary life, from biographies of real people with documented ancestries. All this gives the reader a sense of authenticity unlike that which comes from reading fiction.
3. Circumstantiality
The Hebrew Bible records contain histories, genealogies, and biographies, all of which are capable of more or less verification from other records and no material discrepancy has yet been proved. The facts recorded are illustrated from the most diverse archaeological sources, from monumental inscriptions, from remains of cities, from modern exploration in Israel and the adjacent countries. Likewise, ancient kings, ancient towns, and ancient books are constantly rising from the dust in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia, and the recovery of these ancient civilizations of the East makes it clear that the Jews before the Exile were a literary people, well acquainted with the art of writing, and that the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, wherever they can be tested by contemporaneous documents, are accurate even to the most minute details.
4. Physical allusions
It is also worthy of notice that the physical allusions in the Hebrew Bible accord exactly with its assumed geography.
The fauna and flora are exclusively applicable to Israel and the country east of Israel, and have been proved by modern explorers to correspond in the minutest details with the phenomena of the region indicated. The geographical and geological conformation of Israel is unparalleled, so that it has been called "the museum country" of the world; and the physical allusions in the Tenach, infinitely varied as they are, are in precise keeping with the special features of the region as indicated by recent explorations, and attested by the latest travelers.
5. Survival
The Bible is the most widely circulated book in history. It has survived numerous bans and burnings and continues to be the number one best selling book in every generation. Many famous people, like Roman Emperor Diocletian, Voltaire and Thomas Payne predicted the Bible’s demise and extinction, yet it lives on.
From its formation and from the external, internal, archaeological, circumstantial, geographical, geological evidence, and remarkable survival, the Hebrew Bible can be trusted as authoritative, authentic and inspired. If you have never read the Hebrew Bible or considered its relevance to your life, now may be the time to make the choice to look into its depths and revelations. What have you got to lose?
Suggestion: If you’ve never really read or studied the Scriptures, how about saying, “God, please help me to understand if the Bible is true.” If you don’t have a Bible, now would be a good time to get one to help you to continue the journey.
If you’ve accepted the 2 major assumptions (even for the sake of the journey!) it’s time to discover what God has told us about Himself in His own words.
Are you ready for Stone 3? -> 
