It is said that someone once asked a servant of God to write something in defense of the Bible. He replied “Defend the Bible! I should as soon think of defending a lion. Let it out. It is well able to defend itself.”
The following pages were written somewhat from this point of view. It is to be hoped that the Bible needs no defense to the young Christian. And, on the other hand, in taking up this outer and historical study of the Bible, may we not be actuated by curiosity, or even love of knowledge, but by love of the Word of God, which makes us treasure all facts connected with it.
There are scarcely any extraneous sources, or even traditions, to tell us anything about the sources of the Old Testament, but a great deal may be learned from the Bible itself.
During the first 2500 years of the world’s history, there was no written Word of God, but God revealed Himself to the patriarchs in a simple and intimate way. On comparing the ages of the patriarchs given in Genesis 11, it will be seen that Abraham was over a hundred years old at the death of Shem. From Shem, of whom Noah said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,” no doubt Abraham had heard at first hand the story of the flood, and the preceding history of the world.
Seven faithful persons would be sufficient to hand down the history of the creation from Adam to Jacob, that is, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
But the lives of men becoming shorter and shorter, the Lord chose to commit the revelation of Himself to writing. The first instrument chosen for this purpose was Moses who wrote the Pentateuch or first five books about 1500 years before Christ.
We read in Exodus 17:1414And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. (Exodus 17:14) “And the Lord said to Moses, write this for a memorial in a book.” In chapter 24:4, “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord.” In Numbers 33:22And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. (Numbers 33:2), “And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord;” and in Deuteronomy 31:19-2219Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware. 22Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 31:19‑22), “Now therefore write ye this song... Moses therefore wrote this song the same day.”
It is wonderful to think of this man, Moses, the scholar, the shepherd, the law giver, writing books which are the voice of God. Is there not in inspiration something which is akin to the incarnation of the Blessed Lord? As He is God and yet man, so the Bible is divine and yet human. As someone has said, “It is authoritative, because it is the voice of God; it is intelligible because it is the language of men.”
When the Scriptures consisted only of the five books of Moses, they still had all the characteristics of the whole Bible. Joshua was to find blessing and strength in obedience to, and meditation in, the law of God. (Josh. 1:7, 87Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:7‑8)). Zephtha quotes from them. Later on, Asaph When oppressed by the enigma of life, cast down and full of doubts, turned to the Scriptures, the first five books of Moses. Psalm 73; 77; 78.
After the five books of Moses, we are not told who are the authors of the historical books from Joshua to Chronicles.
The Jews divided the books of the Old Testament into three classes, i.e., the Law, the Prophets and the Sacred Writings. This division is also used in the gospels, for example, Luke 24:4444And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44). The books are distributed usually in the following manner.
The Law.
The prophets (consisting of)
Joshua.
Judges.
Ruth.
1, 2 Samuel.
1, 2 Kings.
Isaiah.
Jeremiah.
Lamentations.
Ezekiel.
Daniel.
12 Minor prophets.
Hagiographa or Sacred Writings.
(consisting of)
1, 2 Chronicles.
Ezra.
Nehemiah.
Esther.
Job.
Psalms.
Proverbs.
Ecclesiastes.
Song of Solomon.
There is a passage in the. Talmud which seems to embody a very old tradition which asserts that Moses wrote the book of Job; that Joshua wrote his own book and the last eight verses in the Pentateuch; that Samuel wrote his own book and the books of Judges and Ruth. Jeremiah wrote his own prophecy and the books of Kings and Lamentations.
Hezekiah and his friends wrote, or rather collected or edited, Isaiah, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
But apart from any tradition, there is internal evidence that the historical books were written by prophets. Insight is as much prophetic gift as foresight, and how marvelously accurate those historic books, portray the motives and actions of men! Consider also the very important part played by prophets at that time. Remembering that “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” we may expect to find types of the Lord Jesus throughout these books, and we shall not be disappointed in our search.
Reviewing briefly the period of the Old Testament. we may note that it began with Moses about the year 1500 B. C.; that David and Solomon lived and wrote from about 1050 to 1018 B. C. Then came the long period of the kingdom ending about 588 with the captivity and the group of prophets who lived at that time, that is, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, Isaiah and six other prophets, that is, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah and Nahum had prophesied some years before during the later kings. After the return from Babylon come Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai and Zechariah about 450 B. C. Malachi is later still. With Malachi the divine revelation to man closes for awhile. It is remarkable that although other books, as for example the book of Jasher, were written during this epoch, none were received by the Jews as the Word of God, but the 39 books of the Old Testament. Nor were any of the books written after this period, and now known as the apocrypha, admitted to have the same sacred character. The testimony of Jewish writers is very full and unanimous on this point.
A few words may be interesting in connection with the language of the Old Testament. Almost the whole of it is written in Hebrew, the language of the Israelites up to the captivity. During the captivity, however, they seem to have adopted the language of their conquerors, Syriac. This explains why in Nehemiah 8, the book of the law had to be read very distinctly, and even explained to the people. They had become unfamiliar with their own language, Hebrew. In the time of our Lord, the same language, Syriac, was spoken in Judea. A small part of the Old Testament was written in this language. The first passage occurs in Jeremiah 10:1111Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. (Jeremiah 10:11), where it is announced to the nations that their gods shall perish. The second passage is Ezra 4:8-16; 18-228Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: 9Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, 10And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time. 11This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. 12Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. 13Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. 14Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king; 15That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. 16We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river. (Ezra 4:8‑16); and 7:12-26 where the oppressors of Judah are told in their own language that God will take care of His people. The third place is Daniel 2:44Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation. (Daniel 2:4) to chapter 7 where the origin, prosperity and destructions of the Gentile powers are described.