How Were The Scriptures Written?

 

 

What other book in the world possess (own, have, keep, retain, hold, influence) the virtue (asset, feature, quality, advantage, benefit, good feature, desirable quality) the Holy Scriptures have whose author is Yahweh?  The Holy Scriptures are rooted in Yahweh, hence having a supernatural Power that distinguishes them from any other book.  The power of the Scripture come from “its message”, “its content”, of course, it’s backed by Yahweh.

 

Paul taught that “the Word of Yahweh is living” (Hebrews 4:12).  The faithful in the faith living in Rome said:  “The gospel is the power of Yahweh, for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)

 

For the redaction (writing) or composition (structure, arrangement, configuration, work, masterpiece, creation, work of art) of the Scriptures, three languages were used: in Hebrew, in Aramaic and in Greek in very few cases.  An historical event in the composition of the Scriptures was when the finger of Yahweh (His Spirit according to Luke 11:20), moved on two stones surface prepared by Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai.

 

This is how the first written copy of the Decalogue (commandments) was written; recorded in writing in Hebrew (Exodus 31:18; 32:16; 34:1-4).  How do we know that the Decalogue was written in Hebrew and not in another language?  The reason is simple: both Moses’ people of Israel that were literate were Hebrew.  That was the original language from Adam, ancient language of the descendants of Shem.  That is, the language spoken since Eden.

 

The first writer who was authorized to write was Moses.  We must not overlook the fact that it was easy for Moses to compile (collect) all the events from Adam due to two powerful reasons.  First, it was Yahweh himself who inspired him through his Spirit; and second, Moses was humanly connected with Adam in this order: Methuselah lived in Adam’s approximately two hundred forty (240) years of life.  Amran was the father of Moses and the chain of communication was not interrupted for too long.

 

Another thing we must forget, is that Lamech as Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Isaac contributed much help, since they had stupendous (marvelous, terrific, great, wonderful) memories to remember important events.  That is way it was easy for Moses to write the history (story) since Eden, and Yahweh’s Spirit inspired him to undertake a monumental spiritual work, in addition to the patriarchs, who provided help.

 

So for inspiration, Yahweh is the author of the Scriptures.  But this does not mean that Yahweh is the only author, there were 35-40 authors over some fourteen centuries Yahweh used to pen the Scriptures.

 

The word “BIBLE” in reality is in plural (“books”) which is derived from the Greek work “Biblos”.  “Byblos” is the name of the bark of a plant called papyrus, which the Egyptians made and used for writing.  The word in Hebrew is “know-fer”, which means the first book, scroll, writings, law deed, document, scriptures, and record.  The word “Bible” is derived from the Greek word “bi-bli-a”, (Byblos), a word that was collected (picked up) by the Latin, equivalent to a term that simply means the interior (inner, inside) of the papyrus plant, of which was a means (or used as we use paper) of paper.  Hence, our Congregation has adopted the more correct name to refer to the sacred writings calling them Holy Scripture.  The Holy Scripture does not use the word Bible-it uses the words, scripture.

 

Remember that our teacher, Yahshua, never mentioned the word Bible when he made mention of the sacred writings, He called them “Law”, “the Prophets”, the “Psalms” and also, called “the Scriptures” as Matthew 22:29.

 

Paul and Peter referred the writings as Yahweh’s Word, the Scriptures, etc. (2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

 

 

Scriptural Foundation or Basis

1. ·Yahweh commands Moses to write in a book.  Exodus 17:14; 24:4; 34:27

2. ·Moses wrote the Book of the Covenant.  Exodus 24:4, 7

3. ·Yahweh declares that Moses wrote the Ten Commandments.  Deutronomy 4:13; v.12-13

4. ·Moses finished writing the Book of the Law.  Deutronomy 31:24-26

5. ·Joshua followed exactly as written by Moses.  Joshua 1:7-9

6. ·Joshua is recognized as the second writer.  Joshua 24:22-26

7. ·Daniel was studying the writings of the prophets.  Daniel 9:2

8. ·Yahweh commanded Jeremiah to write.  Jeremiah 36:1-2

9. ·The Prophets spoke by divine inspiration.  1 Peter 1:10-12

10. ·Yahshua recognized the Hebrew writings.  Luke 24:44

11. ·Moses was the author of the Pentateuch.  John 5:46-47

 

• Pentateuch: The first 5 books in the Torah written by Moses referred as the Tanakh.

• Torah – “Teaching”, but usually translated “Law”

• Tanakh – The Law, the Commandments or books of Moses – The Hebrew Bible.  Acronym formed from the first letters of the three parts of the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi’m and K’tuvim. Hence, the Old Testament. Rendered “scripture” or “it is written” in most translations of the New Testament. The reason the New Testament writers cite the Tanakh so frequently is that they understand it as Yahweh’s authoritative Word to mankind.

 

• Romans 1:16  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  16 For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is Yahweh’s powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.

 

• Luke 11:20  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,[a] then the Kingdom of Yahweh has come upon you!

 

• Exodus 31:18  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  (ii) 18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Yahweh gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of Yahweh.

 

• Exodus 32:16  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  16 The tablets were the work of Yahweh; and the writing was the writing of Yahweh, engraved on the tablets.

 

• Exodus 34:1-4  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  34 (v) Yahweh said to Moshe, “Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.” 4 Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had ordered him to do.

 

• Matthew 22:29  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  29 Yahshua answered them, “The reason you go astray is that you are ignorant both of the Tanakh (Old Testament, Scriptures) and of the power of Yahweh.

 

• 2 Timothy 2:15  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  15 Do all you can to present yourself to Yahweh as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.

 

• 2 Peter 1:20-21  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  20 First of all, understand this: no prophecy of Scripture is to be interpreted by an individual on his own; 21 for never has a prophecy come as a result of human willing — on the contrary, people moved by the Ruach HaKodesh (divine presences, Holy Spirit) spoke a message from Yahweh.

 

• Exodus 17:14  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  (Maftir) 14 Yahweh said to Moshe, “Write this in a book to be remembered, and tell it to Y’hoshua (Joshua): I will completely blot out any memory of ‘Amalek from under heaven.”

 

• Exodus 24:4  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  4 Moshe wrote down all the words of Yahweh. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el.

 

• Exodus 24:4-7  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  4 Moshe wrote down all the words of Yahweh. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el. 5 He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to Yahweh. 6 Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, “Everything that Yahweh has spoken, we will do and obey.”

 

• Deuteronomy 4:12-13  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  12 Then Yahweh spoke to you out of the fire! You heard the sound of words but saw no shape, there was only a voice. 13 He proclaimed his covenant to you, which he ordered you to obey, the Ten Words (Ten Commandments); and he wrote them on two stone tablets.

 

• Deuteronomy 31:24-26  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  24 Moshe kept writing the words of this Torah (Instruction, Teaching) in a book until he was done. When he had finished, 25 Moshe gave these orders to the L’vi’im (Levites) who carried the ark with the covenant of Yahweh: 26 “Take this book of the Torah (Instruction, Teaching) and put it next to the ark with the covenant of Yahweh your Elohim, so that it can be there to witness against you.

 

• Joshua 1:7-9  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  7 Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah (Instructions, Teachings) which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. 8 Yes, keep this book of the Torah (Instruction, Teaching) on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. 9 Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Yahweh your Elohim is with you wherever you go.”

 

• Joshua 24:22-26  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  22 Y’hoshua (Joshua) said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Yahweh, to serve him.”  They answered, “We are witnesses.”  23 “Now,” Y’hoshua (Joshua) urged, “put away the foreign gods you have among you, and turn your hearts to Yahweh, the Elohim of Isra’el.” 24 The people answered Y’hoshua (Joshua), “We will serve Yahweh our Elohim; we will pay attention to what he says.” 25 So Y’hoshua (Joshua) made a covenant with the people that day, laying down for them laws and rulings there in Sh’khem (Shechem, city in the mountains of Shomron, on the southeast edge of modern Nablus, Neapolis). 26 Y’hoshua (Joshua) wrote these words in the book of the Torah (Instructions, Teachings) of Yahweh. Then he took a big stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of Yahweh.

 

• Daniel 9:2  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  2 in the first year of his reign, I, Dani’el, was reading the Scriptures and thinking about the number of years which Yahweh had told Yirmeyah (Jeremiah) the prophet would be the period of Yerushalayim’s (Jerusalem) desolation, seventy years.

 

• Jeremiah 36:1-2  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  36 In the fourth year of Y’hoyakim (Jehoiakim) the son of Yoshiyahu (Josiah), king of Y’hudah (Judah), this word came to Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) from Yahweh: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you against Isra’el, Y’hudah (Judah) and all the other nations, from the day I started speaking to you, back in the time of Yoshiyahu (Josiah), until today.

 

• 1 Peter 1:10-12  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  10 The prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you, pondered and inquired diligently about it. 11 They were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the glorious things to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that their service when they spoke about these things was not for their own benefit, but for yours. And these same things have now been proclaimed to you by those who communicated the Good News to you through the Ruach HaKodesh (divine presence, Holy Spirit) sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things!

 

• Luke 24:44  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  44 Yahshua said to them, “This is what I meant when I was still with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.”

 

• John 5:46-47  Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)  46 For if you really believed Moshe, you would believe me; because it was about me that he wrote. 47 But if you don’t believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”