Why Is The Bible Unique?
1. The Uniqueness Of Its Composition
2. The Uniqueness Of Its Thematic Unity
3. The Uniqueness Of Its Relevance
4. The Uniqueness Of Its Circulation
5. The Uniqueness Of Its Survival
6. The Uniqueness Of Its Literary Character
7. The Uniqueness Of Its Moral Character
8. The Uniqueness Of Its Accuracy
1. The Uniqueness of its Composition
The
Bible is comprised of 66 separate books, and it was written over a
period of at least 1.500 years by more than 40 authors who for the
most part didn't know each other personally.
The
writers of the Bible came from different social and occupational
backgrounds (for example Moses – political leader, educated
in Pharao's palace; Joshua – general; Solomon – king;
Amos – shepherd; Nehemiah – cup-bearer; Daniel –
politician; Peter – fisherman; Luke – physician;
Matthew – tax-collector).
The
authors of the Bible wrote in completely different geographic
environments and under different circumstances (for example Moses
– in the desert; Jeremiah – in a prison; David –
in the mountains and in his palace; Paul – in prison; Luke –
during his journeys; John – during his exil on Patmos).
They
wrote in different states of mind – one in a state of great
joy, the other in a state of mourning and despair.
The
Bible was composed on three different continents (Asia, Africa and
Europe) and in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek).
2. The Uniqueness of its Thematic Unity
Unity
in its objective: Although
the Bible was written by about 40 different authors during a
period of at least 1.500 years and although these writers lived on
three different continents and belonged to various cultures, the
Bible has a unifying objective. The main theme is to give answers
to these basic questions:
Who
is God?
Who
is man?
Is
there a possibility for a relationship between God and man, and if
so – how?
The Bible wants to lead man to God (cf. John 20:31 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
Unity
in its contents: The
whole book is about one central figure – Jesus Christ.
Basically, the complete Old Testament points to this Person, be it
through metaphors or be it through direct prophecies. The New
Testament shows us the fulfillment of these prophecies and the
meaning and the consequences of the coming of Christ.
3. The Uniqueness of its Relevance
Although
the Bible is already many centuries old, it is still read
regularly and with great interest by very many people.
The
Bible is a book that has been relevant in every epoch of world
history – whether in times of war or peace, in the Dark Ages
or in our modern technological age. Millions of people have found
nourishment, help, and encouragement in this book.
The
Bible is the
only book in the world that is read by people from all walks of
life and from every age group.
4. The Uniqueness of its Circulation
The
Bible is one of the first
books that have ever been translated. About 250 B.C. the Old
Testament was translated into the Greek language (the Septuagint).
The
Bible was the first major book that was printed – in form of
the Latin Vulgate on Gutenberg's press.
It
is the most-translated and most-spread book in the world (in 2002,
the Bible had been translated into 2287 languages: the complete
Bible into 392 languages, the New Testament into 1012 languages
and single books of the Bible into 883 languages), with a still
increasing tendency.
5. The Uniqueness of its Survival
It
has survived time: Although
the Bible was written on perishable material and therefore had to
be copied by hand for many centuries until the art of printing had
been invented, neither its accuracy nor its existence has
suffered.
It
has survived persecution: The
Bible has withstood the most malicious onslaughts of its enemies
like no other book. For centuries people have tried to burn, ban,
and outlaw the Bible.
It
has survived criticism: An
army of rationalists arose who thought up the wildest and most
intense attacks against the Bible. But nevertheless, the Bible has
been distributed more, read more and cherished more than any other
book.
6. The Uniqueness of its Literary Character
According
to Arthur Brisbane (a non-Christian), the Bible contains brilliant
examples of great literature in any form: lyric poetry – the
Psalms, epic poetry – Genesis; dramatic poetry – Job;
historic narrative art – the Books of Samuel, Kings and
Chronicles; rural idyll – Ruth; patriotism – Esther
and Daniel; practical wisdom – Proverbs; philosophie –
Ecclesiastes; moving depth – Isaiah; short stories –
the Gospels; letters – the various Epistles of the New
Testament; thrilling mysticism – the Book of Revelation.
A
long literary stream of books inspired by the Bible testifies to
the influence of the Bible on the world literature.
7. The Uniqueness of its Moral Character
The
absolute unique moral character of this book forces man to make a
choice, a decision. It seems that nobody can remain untouched or
neutral in the presence of the Bible.
For
that reason is the Bible not only the most-sold, most-spread,
most-translated and most-read, but also the most-hated book in the
world.
But
it is just as much the most-cherished book in the world. Other
books may represent certain ideals. But practice proves the
impossibility of lifting fallen man up to the level of these
ideals, because the power is missing that only the Bible seems to
possess. The Bible brings the impossible about by bringing us into
contact with Jesus Christ who does not “repair” fallen
man, but who has died for them. And fallen man has died in and
with Christ, and has become a completely new human being, a new
creature in the risen Christ. Scripture tells us that everybody,
who truly has accepted Christ in faith, can rest in this
assurance. – The biblical answer to the moral problem of the
modern man is a personal, spiritual new birth, an actual inner
change – not the conversion to a system, but to a Person,
and the sincere, believing trust in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
8. The Uniqueness Of Its Accuracy
The
Bible itself tells us how it was written: “All Scripture is
inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Men “moved by the
Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21). The Greek word
for inspired, theopneustos,
means “God-breathed.” The Holy Spirit carried men
along, moving and guiding them as they wrote in their own words
what God wanted them to say. Thus we have verbal inspiration,
because the words of the original text were inspired by God.
Many
indicators for the accuracy of the Bible can be found in the
fields of science, such as astronomy, physics, medicine, or
biology. You will find many examples to support this statement if
you follow this link: Scientific
Evidence for the Accuracy of the Bible
No
historic fact in the Bible ever has been shown to be in error. For
more information on this claim, please visit the following link:
Historical
Evidence for the Accuracy of the Bible
One
of
the strongest objective evidences of biblical inspiration is the
phenomenon of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible is essentially unique
among the religious books of mankind in this respect. –
Prophetical
Evidence for the Accuracy of the Bible
Reference:
Bible Study And Christian Evidences
Die Geschichte der Bibel (points 1-7)
The Bible (NASB)