THE BIBLE: THE BOOK OF BOOKS
When my health failed, forcing me to pull the plug on over thirty years of ministry in the Sunshine State, as well as to return home to my beloved Smokies, I spent my first year back in the hills of East Tennessee writing this book. It was a labor of love, since I've spent my life devoted to the study of the Scripture. Unlike other books I've written, however, this book is not so much about the teachings (doctrines) or truths taught in the Bible, but about the Bible itself.
How did we get the Bible? When, where, and by whom was the Bible written? How was the Bible copied, translated, and preserved through the centuries? How and when was the canon of Scripture put together? What proof do we have of the Bible's incredible claim to be the divinely inspired, inerrant, and infallible written revelation of God to man? What unprecedented influence has the Bible had upon our world? This book answers these important questions and many more.
Truly, the story of the Scripture is a most spectacular one. As Sir Fredrick Kenyon, the former Director and Principle Librarian of the British Museum, once said: "The Bible has a human history as well as a divine inspiration. It is a history full of interest, and it is one which all those who value their Bible should know, at least in outline, if only that they may be able to meet the criticisms of skeptics and the ignorant." It is our sincere hope and earnest prayer that this book will prove to you, the reader, both informative and inspirational, inspiring in you a lifelong appreciation for the Bible, the most incredible book that has ever been written!
CHAPTER 1
The Bottomless Pond |
CHAPTER 2
The Old and New Testaments |
CHAPTER 3
The Books |
CHAPTER 4
Divine Revelation |
CHAPTER 5
Divine Illumination |
CHAPTER 6
Divine Inspiration |
CHAPTER 7
The Bible's Reliability |
CHAPTER 8
The Original Manuscripts |
CHAPTER 9
The Ancient Manuscripts |
CHAPTER 10
The Scriptorium |
CHAPTER 11
The Canon of Scripture |
CHAPTER 12
Early Translations |
CHAPTER 13
English Translations |
CHAPTER 14
The King James Translation |
CHAPTER 15
Modern-Day Translations |
CHAPTER 16
Spiritual Authority |
CHAPTER 17
The Rock of Our Republic |
CHAPTER 18
The Bible's Incomparability |
CONCLUSION
The All-Important Question |
APPENDIX 1
The Apocrypha |
APPENDIX 2
Debunking the Da Vinci Code |
APPENDIX 3
The Bad News About the Gospel of Judas |
APPENDIX 4
Translators' Preface to the King James Bible |
APPENDIX 5
The King James Only Controversy |