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[The Jern]

How can you have “faith” in the Bible? Regarding it was written, rewritten,edited, changed by the most powerful people this world has had?

The Bible is the #1 selling book of all time. In its “earlier” days the church constructed the Bible in Latin which was unknown to most. It has been edited, rewritten, redacted by the most powerful people of later history. Even today the Bible has version after version. So how can you have faith in a book that is “of God” but written, controlled, edited by the most powerful people (man) in the world? I’m far too lazy to find and quote articles/studies I’ve read in the past. Use that against me if you want. I don’t care. A lot of ideas that are in modern christian/catholic teachings come from several ancient texts/religions. All the major “religious” holidays are repurposed pagan holidays that existed far before modern western religon. Yes there’s the Dead Sea scrolls but also the Qumran as well as others. My point is not one of argument or challenge but how to have a divine faith that is written by man. By all means, I agree and believe the message. But cannot have a faith in a named god who’s words have been “transcribed” by the most rich and powerful our world has had.

This isn’t a prove me wrong kinda a post. Just more curious on the mindset and ideals of those whole heartily have faith in the Bible and the named Christian god.

I’m not challenging your belief. But how do YOU have FAITH in a named god from words written by man.

[jimwalton]

OK, let's talk. Your post shows a few misunderstandings. First of all, the Old Testament was in place by 250-300 BC when the Septuagint was written (translating the Hebrew text into Greek). The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, not Latin. The books included have never been disputed, and the list of those books has never varied. It has, since its writing and assembly, always been recognized as authoritative by the Jewish (and later by the Christian) community.

As far as the edits, rewrites, and redactions, they were part of the process God used to bring us the Word as He wanted it to be. The authorship and the process of transmission have given us what has always been regarded as an authoritative text.

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain at least pieces and parts of every OT book except Esther, so we know they existed in at least 150 BC. But since we have the Septuagint (the LXX), they date back further than the DSS.

The New Testament books were written in Greek (not Latin) in the first century. We have many thousands of manuscripts and fragments so that we can be confident we are reading the authentic text as written by the authors, LONG before any editors, re-writers, or redactors got their hands on it. But the textual variations are well known and mostly easily sorted out. We can be confident we have a reliable text of the NT.

As far as those texts being manipulated and distorted "by the most powerful people (man) in the world," there is simply no evidence to support that conspiracy theory.

> A lot of ideas that are in modern christian/catholic teachings come from several ancient texts/religions.

It's virtually impossible to speak in generalities about these things. I'd have to have specifics to have a meaningful conversation.

> but how to have a divine faith that is written by man.

There are many factors that I take into consideration to come to the conclusion that the Bible is God-breathed, not written by man. Certainly your analysis (Latin, edited by the most powerful man in the world, stolen from other religions) isn't the way it came down. There are a collection of misunderstandings in your case.

> But cannot have a faith in a named god who’s words have been “transcribed” by the most rich and powerful our world has had.

I hardly know where to go with this. It's neither the case with the OT or the NT. We need to talk more.