Bible Facts You May Not Know

1 - Written over many centuries by various authors

Most biblical scholars believe the Bible was written over a 1,600 year period - 1500 BC to 1 AD. There were at least 30 authors who contributed writings in the Old Testament and about 10 scribes in the New Testament. Most Christians believe these Bible writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Moses was the first person to write portions of Scripture while John, the disciple of Jesus, was the last. Other famous people who wrote the Bible include: David, Solomon, Daniel, Isaiah, Jonah, Peter, and Paul.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." ~ 2 Timothy 3:16

2 - The best-selling book of all time

A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975. Recent estimates in the 21st century put the numbers at over 5 billion. By the end of 1995, combined global sales of Today's English Version (Good News) New Testament and Bible (copyright for which is held by the Bible Societies) exceeded 17.75 million copies. No book has ever been read more, bought more, or cherished more than the Holy Bible. There has never been a better seller at any time in all of human history than the Bible, and it is still the most widely read and most often bought book of all time.

"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face." ~ President Ronald Reagan

3 - Jesus did not author any books of the Bible

While Jesus is not considered as being one of the scribes of the New Testament, he is purported to have written an ancient letter to King Abgarus, who ruled from 9 AD to 46 AD in what is today's modern day Turkey. In response to a letter Jesus had received from the king asking the savior to heal him, Jesus replied that his ministry was not yet complete, but he would send one of his disciples to cure him after His ascension. According to Eusubeius, the 4th century historian, Thaddeus (also known as Jude) was the disciple that cured King Abgarus.

"Blessed is you who believes in me without seeing me." ~ John 20:29

4 - Various translations of the Bible

The entire Bible has been translated into 300+ languages around the world.  And another 2,100+  languages have translated at least one of the books of the Bible. The Bible has been adapted into many dialects from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The Latin Vulgate translation was dominant in Western Christianity through the Middle Ages. Since then, the Bible has been transliterated into many more languages. English Bible translations also have a rich and varied history of more than a millennium.

"The goal of Bible translation is be transparent to the original text - to see as clearly as possible what the biblical authors actually wrote." ~ Leland Ryken

5 - The Bible is the "Word of God"

While other holy books believe in a Higher Power, the Bible is the only book that claims to be the "Word of God". The Bible says more than 3,000 times: "Thus saith the Lord". Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Yet this book, for the past 200 years, has been under increased attack.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." ~ Isaiah 40:8

6 - The Bible predicted the rise and fall of empires

In Daniel, Chapter 2 , the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome are represented by various symbols. In Daniel 2:32-33 the narrative describes an image of "fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay". Many biblical historians believe the following empires qualify as proof that the predictions came true:

Head of Gold represents Babylon (605 BC-539 BC)
Chest & Arms of Silver represent Persia (539 BC - 331 BC)
Belly & Thighs of Bronze represent Greece (331 BC - 168 BC)
Legs of Iron represents Rome (168 BC - 476 AD)
Feet of Iron & Clay represents Divided Rome (476 AD - present)

7 - The Bible is scientifically accurate

Over the centuries, the Bible has been scientifically tested for the biblical accuracy and has never failed. For example: for thousands of years mankind believed the earth was flat, but Isaiah 40:22 boldly proclaims, "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:". This flat earth theory was finally laid to rest in the late 1950s when the first man was launched into space. Another interesting example is human longevity. Back in the late 1970s a government-funded group of scientists concluded that humans can live to a maximum age of one hundred and twenty years. Around that age the process which causes body cells to reproduce stops, and the body then dies.

"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." ~ Genesis 6:3

8 - The Bible is historically accurate

The Bible has been proven to be historically and archaeologically accurate, more than any other book in the world. The discovery of the Elba tablets in northern Syria in the 1970s is a good example. These tablets enlightened that there was a race of people known as the Hittites. Before this 20th century discovery, many scholars deemed the Hittites to be biblical legends. It’s not that the Bible verifies what archaeologists and paleontologists have unearthed. It’s actually the other way around. The findings of archaeologists and paleontologists continue to discover what has already been recorded in the Bible for thousands of years.

"Physics is the only profession in which prophecy is not only accurate but routine." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

9 - There is a bible called "The Wicked Bible"

"The Wicked Bible" is a Bible published in 1631 by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, the royal printers in London, meant to be a reprint of the King James Bible. The name is derived from a mistake made by the compositors: in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14), the word "not" in the sentence "Thou shalt not commit adultery" was omitted, thus changing the sentence into "Thou shalt commit adultery". This blunder was spread in a number of copies. The majority of the Wicked Bible's copies were immediately cancelled and burned, and the number of extant copies remaining today, which are considered highly valuable by collectors, is thought to be relatively low. One copy is in the collection of rare books in the New York Public Library and is very rarely made accessible; another can be seen in the Dunham Bible Museum in Houston, Texas, USA.

10 - The Book of Isaiah and the Bible

Just like the Bible has a total of 66 books, the Book of Isaiah has 66 chapters. Interestingly, the first 39 chapters contain scriptures about the law, and the last 27 books contain texts about grace.  Some biblical theologians divide the books as the Book of Judgment (Chapters 1-39) and the Book of Comfort (Chapters 40-66).  This is exactly how the Gospel is shared: law to the proud but grace to the humble.  It is also interesting to note, the Book of Isaiah was the tome that Jesus most often quoted. He quoted Isaiah eight times.

“He [Jesus] said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” ~ Matthew 21:13  (cross-reference: Isaiah 56:7)

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Other Amazing Bible Facts by Karin Lehnardt @ https://www.factretriever.com/ :

• The Geneva Bible is the first Bible to use numbered verses. It is also the Bible Shakespeare used and the one that the Pilgrims brought to America in 1620.

• William Tyndale produced first printed edited of the New Testament in English. He was later burned at the stake for his efforts.

• Muslims believe that the Bible is revelation from God that has been corrupted by men. They believe that the Qu’ran is its correction.

• Robert Aitken’s Bible (The King James Version without the Apocrypha) was the first English Bible printed in America.

• The Bible doesn’t mention how many wise men visited Christ, only that they brought three types of gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

• The Gutenberg Bible was the was the first book to be printed using movable metal type.

• The world’s smallest bible can fit on the tip of a pen. Scientists etched the 1.2 million letters of the Old Testament on a tiny silicone disk, which they call the Nano Bible.”

• The world’s largest bible weighs 1,094 pounds. Built by Louis Waynai in 1930, the book is 43.5 inches tall and a laid open width of 98 inches.

• Nearly all of the villians in the Bible have red hair.