The Bible in its Making: The Most Wonderful Book in the World by Mildred Duff

Author:Mildred Duff [Duff, Mildred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Google: 5a2BEAAAQBAJ
Published: 2010-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VIII

THE BIBLE IN THE DAYS OF JESUS CHRIST

(drop cap S) Reading from a Roll—old Roman Painting

lowly but surely, as time went on, God was adding to His Book, until about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the Old Testament Scriptures, in their present shape, were completed.

Many questions have been asked as to how the canon of the Old Testament was formed—that is, how and when did the Jews first begin to understand that

the Books of the Old Testament were inspired by God.

About the first five Books—the Books of the Law—there had never been any

question. From the very earliest times those Books, so wonderfully given to the people, had been the strength and stay of the Children of Israel.

But many books had been written in the days of the old Jewish kings, and also after the return of the people from Babylon: some of these were very beautiful and helpful. How were the sacred Scriptures first divided from the other Jewish writings?

We do not know. Some have thought that Ezra the scribe, with the assistance

of a council of elders, fixed the canon of Hebrew Scripture; others have supposed Nehemiah to have undertaken the work; but most likely it was a gradual process, directed by God Himself, who inspired His servants to carry out His will.

The Christian Bible is composed of two parts, the Old and the New Testament; but the Jews divided their Scriptures—our Old Testament—into three parts, and they certainly looked upon some books as far more sacred than others.

The ‘Torah’—that is, the Law—included, as we have seen, the first five books of the Bible. From the very earliest days the Torah was reverenced as containing the commandments and promises of God.

The second division consisted of the ‘Prophets,’ these being subdivided into

the ‘Former Prophets’ (four volumes)—Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings—and the

‘Latter Prophets’ (three volumes)—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel—and the Twelve Minor Prophets (which were included in one book).

Next in order of sanctity came the third division, the ‘Writings,’ and these again were subdivided into three groups: the poetical Books of the Psalms, Proverbs, and Job; the ‘Rolls’ or ‘Readings’ (seven volumes)—Solomon’s Song, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, and one volume containing Ezra and Nehemiah; and, lastly, in a separate book, Chronicles. Thus the whole Scriptures were contained in twenty-four books.

Indeed, not until the Greek translation was made were the books grouped in

the order in which we have them now, and at the same time their number was increased to thirty-nine by taking the writings of each of the prophets separately, and treating Ezra and Nehemiah as different books.

And now God, who has spoken in times past by many different ways and voices, spoke at last to the nations by His Son, ‘ by whom also He made the worlds.’ (Hebrews i. 2.)

Let us think for a little while of what was being done with the Scriptures in the days when the Lord Jesus learnt to read their words at His mother’s knee; words which from first to last told of Himself.

We have seen that no people could possibly honour the actual letters of the Scripture more highly than did the Jews. The care they took to keep the words exactly as they had been handed down to them was infinite; and God, who knows all things, knew that a time would come when the pure Hebrew words of

the old Bible would be eagerly sought for, and treasured by all who truly honour His Book.

Therefore, although the eyes of the learned Jewish scribes were so blinded, that they did not recognize their King and Saviour when He came, yet God blessed all that was true in their work, and it is from the Hebrew copies which they made of the Books of the Old Testament, and not from the ‘Septuagint,’ or Greek translation, that the Old Testament of our Bible has come to us to-day.

Yet, sad to say, while so careful to preserve the words of the Scriptures, the Scribes and Pharisees forgot its spirit, the very purpose for which the Bible had been given them.

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