There are some basic facts about the Bible that are commonly agreed upon by believer and skeptic alike. I have been thinking about them lately and why some of them provide really strong evidence for the Bible being from God (and really prove His existence at the same time). This list comes from www.allaboutgod.com/bible-facts.htm:
- over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100)
- over 40 generations
- over 40 authors from many walks of life (i.e. – kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)
- in different places (i.e. – wilderness, dungeon, palaces)
- at different times (i.e. – war, peace)
- in different moods (i.e. – heights of joy, depths of despair)
- on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)
- in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)
The unity of the Bible in its theme, characters, and storyline are quite remarkable when you think about the aforementioned facts. What skeptics call inconsistencies are easily dismissed and often show a grasping at straws for those who want to deny the holiness of Scripture and the God who delivered it to man.
It is simply amazing that a book written over 1500 years by at least 40 authors in different places, times, continents, and languages can be such a unified document. Sixty-six different agreed upon books in the Canon of Scripture. The vast majority of the writers never met, yet the story stays focused and book after book builds upon one previously written. Yet, modern day journalists have trouble writing a complete story without errors or inconsistencies.
The unity of the Bible is remarkable in light of my experiences with talented doctoral students who struggle to keep their dissertations consistent and flowing in the same direction over 125-150 pages. This is even though they are the only writer and they do the research and writing over 1-2 years.
Let’s recap some of those Bible facts: 1500 years, 66 books, 40 writers, three languages, three continents, one consistent thread running from Genesis to Revelation. Don’t bother trying to convince me that the Bible is not true and it is not from God. I do not need to be convinced any further.