WHEN WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN?
The Christian Bible is not simply one book with one date of conception, it is a collection of 66 different books, representing 9 different genres of literature, written across approximately 2000 years, by nearly 40 different authors who lived around various regions of the Eastern World. When we consider the vast scope of inputs across history and cultures, the bible becomes a much more interesting text. We can consider the bible to be a library, the existence of which tells a strikingly cohesive story about the way that God engages with his people across time and space. What is compelling about the Christian Bible is not its diversity of ideas and unique perspectives, but rather, the remarkable agreement between all of these authors despite their cultural and temporal isolation from one another. In this article, we will explore the structure and compilation of the Christian Bible and highlight some of the core themes that are traceable throughout.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Christian Bible is split up into two segments, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament (OT), as the name suggests, is much older. In fact, before it was ever a part of the Christian Bible it was solely known as the Hebrew Bible. The OT is a compilation of historical narrative, poetry, Jewish prophecy, and wisdom literature that tell the story of humanity’s creation, relationship with their creator, and the transcendent hope of salvation from pain and death. The first 5 books of the OT are known as the Torah and they are the Jewish holy text. These books outline the history of the Jewish people from the beginning of human history all the way up to their foundation as a nation. Through the Torah, the ancient Hebrews understood their place in reality, their relationship to God, their role as humans, and the direction of time. The first of these 5 books, Genesis, is believed to be the oldest in the OT, put into writing around 1500 BC by a Hebrew priest named Moses. However, the narratives of Genesis existed many thousands of years before our earliest physical manuscripts in the form of oral tradition, being passed down from generation to generation.
The OT contains many other books that were all written by ancient Jews who were deeply and profoundly shaped by the Torah. Within the rest of the OT, there are narratives that further develop the history of the Hebrew people, detailing their cultural rises and falls as they go in and out of exile in various nations. There are books of wisdom written by kings to share their philosophical and religious musings. There are even books of prophecy written by people who heard directly from God about future disasters and blessings. The youngest book in the OT is the writings of the prophet Malachi, composed around 430 BC.
The authorship of the Old Testament was a 1000 year collaborative effort beginning roughly 3500 years ago and coming to completion about 2500 years ago.
This collection of books known as the Old Testament, though written with no Christian influence, is essential to understanding the Christian New Testament, as its various authors across time and space all agreed and were waiting for God to bring heaven on earth through their lineage. The bold claim of the New Testament is that the entire Old Testament was fulfilled and this hope was finally accomplished through Jesus of Nazareth.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament (NT) was composed by the followers of Jesus in the 1st century AD. The NT includes 4 different biographical accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. These accounts are written from the perspective of four of Jesus’s closest friends and ministry partners. These biographies are narratives about real events, teachings, and relationships in the life of Jesus. Much of these biographical accounts are centered around the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. These authors cite eyewitnesses and trusted sources for their first century readers to fact check their shocking claims. In addition to factual narratives, many of Jesus’s teachings are in the form of parables, which are metaphorical puzzles designed to prompt meditation and consideration from the hearer. These books were all written between AD 40 and AD 95.
One of these 4 accounts, the Gospel according to Luke, has a sequel titled, “The Acts of the Apostles”. This book outlines the formation and work of the early church directly following the resurrection of Jesus, onward.
Much of the rest of the NT is a compilation of letters written from various church fathers to the churches they had been forming around the Mediterranean. These letters were full of teachings, admonishments, personal greetings, and laments for hardship. These so-called “epistles” were extremely personal, emotional, and specific letters to specific people. The last and youngest book in the NT, written around AD 95, is a book of prophecy regarding the promised return of Jesus and finalization of the redemption of the world.
The entirety of the NT was written over the course of about 50 years in the first century following the death and resurrection of Jesus.
HOW DOES THE OLD TESTAMENT RELATE TO THE NEW?
All in all, the OT tells a cohesive story about the perfect creation of the world, humanity’s fall into corruption, God’s promise to deliver humanity from its corruption, by establishing the kingdom of heaven through the Hebrew people. Every author shares a hope in the promises of God and writes with the belief that he will accomplish what he said. Every narrative story in the OT details failure after failure, reinforcing humanity’s need for a wise and righteous leader who can bring the kingdom. The 613 laws of Israel are designed to act as a litmus test for such a leader, but it’s exceedingly high standard only proves that no one is fit for the job. The OT hammers home humanity’s dire need for a savior; every leader of Israel is characterized as a hopeful candidate for this savior, but ultimately fails to satisfy the law, becoming a massive let down.
The cycle of the OT is that of a hope for some righteous leader to rise to the occasion and establish the kingdom of heaven, followed by constant let downs when that person is shown to be just as weak and corrupt as everyone else. The OT ends on a somber note as candidate after candidate fall short of the standard of savior and seemingly no one is qualified for the job. The theme of the OT is a hopeful waiting on God’s promise to end corruption and death in the face of constant doubts and let downs. The readers are left feeling a great tension between God’s promised restoration and the current state of reality. But the heroes of the OT are not those who come closest to fulfilling the law, but those who, despite their failures, never gave up hope in God’s promises, even in the most dire of circumstances.
Much of the NT is written by Jewish authors who were steeped in the teachings of the Torah. They saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the entire OT and wrote accordingly, constantly citing OT prophecy, using OT imagery, and speaking about Jesus’s life and work as a mirror and consummation of Jewish history. It was the conviction of the NT authors that Jesus was the savior that God promised to bring, the one who fulfilled the law perfectly and led the way to the kingdom of heaven.
A visual representation of the 63,779 cross references made between books in the bible, showing the drastic interconnectedness of scripture.
These authors believed that Jesus came to fulfill God’s promised salvation, but with a surprise twist: not to establish heaven on earth, but to bring earth up to heaven. Jesus understood the OT better than anyone and he knew that everything on earth, no matter how good and pure, will ultimately be corrupted and destroyed. Jesus saw the need, not for a temporary kingdom here, but for a new, uncorrupted mode of existence. The NT authors believed that Jesus came, not to simply free Israel from oppression from foreign empires, but to free humanity from the oppression of suffering and death. He came to lead the way through death into resurrection life. They saw Jesus’s death and resurrection as the exact means by which all of humanity can be freed from the oppression of death and enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus entered death and defeated it by raising himself up from death. His promise is that anyone who follows him will also be raised from death. He promises his followers that they will conquer death with him, that death will not have the last word for them.
In light of this, he commands his followers to live with radical generosity toward one another, trusting in the abundant love and generosity of God. Only in a world where death is not a threat can we live truly generously toward one another. Jesus, in all of his teachings, puts forth a vision for communities characterized by generous love and self sacrifice. In this way, by bringing his followers into the kingdom of heaven, does the kingdom of heaven actually come on earth.
conclusion
If all this sounds fanciful, let me ask you to pause for a moment and consider that this text is one of the most studied in history. It has undergone centuries of critique and there is a real reason so many billions of people have considered it to be the truth. This book can handle your questions and critiques, so don’t let your concerns go unsearched. Whatever your opinions on the person of Jesus, what remains remarkable is the coherence between the 40 authors of the 66 books over 2000 years, the authors, all making identical claims about the nature, character, and promises of God. The beautifully cohesive story of God’s love for his people transcends time and culture in this compilation of books. It is the full and complete timeline of redemption from beginning to end and it has been the solid foundation for much of the western worldview for the last 2000 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
HOW IS THE BIBLE DATED?
The strategy for dating biblical texts is the same strategy used for all ancient documents, achieved through a combination of textual analysis, historical context, linguistic studies, and, where possible, radiocarbon dating of manuscripts. For example, the Documentary Hypothesis suggests that the Pentateuch (the first five books) is a compilation of sources from different periods, identified through variations in language and style.
HOW RELIABLE ARE BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS?
The reliability of biblical manuscripts depends on textual transmission, manuscript evidence, and scholarly analysis. The Bible has been preserved remarkably well compared to other ancient texts. The Old Testament is supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls (dating from 3rd century BCE to 1st century CE), which confirm the accuracy of later Hebrew texts. The New Testament has over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, some dating to within 100 years of the originals (e.g., Papyrus P52, ~125 CE). While variations exist, most are minor (spelling, word order) and do not alter core doctrines. Scholars use textual criticism to reconstruct the most accurate version.
WHAT ARE THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS?
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of Jewish texts discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea (1947–1956). Dating from c. 250 BCE – 70 CE, they include portions of every Old Testament book except Esther, plus apocryphal works and sectarian writings. The scrolls confirm the accuracy of later Hebrew Bible texts and offer insights into Second Temple Judaism. Notably, the Great Isaiah Scroll (c. 125 BCE) aligns perfectly with the Masoretic Text (c. 10th century CE), proving textual stability over a millennium.
DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD?
There are over 25,000 individual original manuscripts which attest to the resurrection of Jesus. For comparison, there are only 250 original manuscripts which attest to the life of Julius Caesar. The manuscripts of Jesus’s resurrection represent over a half dozen languages all within the first couple of centuries after Jesus’s death.
The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection primarily comes from early textual sources within the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, written by Paul around 50–55 CE, contains an early Christian creed stating that Jesus died, was buried, rose on the third day, and appeared to Peter, the Twelve, over 500 people, James, and Paul himself. This creed is widely recognized by scholars as originating within a few years of Jesus’ death, indicating that belief in the resurrection was not a later invention. The Gospels (Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20-21) independently report the empty tomb, a detail unlikely to be fabricated, especially since women—whose testimony was considered unreliable in that culture—were the first witnesses. Additionally, skeptics-turned-believers, such as Paul (Acts 9, Galatians 1:11-24) and James (Mark 6:3, Acts 15), claimed to have seen the risen Jesus, leading to their radical transformation. The rapid growth of Christianity, despite persecution (Acts 4-5), further supports the sincerity of early believers' conviction that Jesus rose from the dead.