THE BIBLE IS UNIQUE IN CHARACTER

Having tried to refute the Bible as God’s Word to humanity, the author finally concluded that not accepting the Bible must result from being either biased, prejudiced or simply unread.

Unique in time span

There are several uncommon and distinctive features of the Bible’s history, composition, and content. F.F.Bruce, former Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester, summarizes these characteristics:

“The Bible, at first sight, appears to be a collection of literature— mainly Jewish. If we enquire into the circumstances under which the various Biblical documents were written, we find that they were written at intervals over a space of nearly 1400 years. The writers wrote in various lands, from Italy in the west to Mesopotamia and possibly Persia in the east. The writers themselves were a heterogeneous number of people, not only separated from each other by hundreds of years and hundreds of miles but belonging to the most diverse walks of life. In their ranks we have kings, herdsmen, soldiers, legislators, fishermen, statesmen, courtiers, priests and prophets, a tentmaking rabbi and a Gentile physician, not to speak of others of whom we know nothing apart from the writings they have left us. The writings themselves belong to a great variety of literary types. They include history, law (civil, criminal, ethical, ritual, sanitary), religious poetry, didactic treatises, lyric poetry, parable and allegory, biography, personal correspondence, personal memoirs and diaries, in addition to the distinctively Biblical types of prophecy and apocalyptic. (Bruce, BP, 79)[1]

From the earliest book of the Bible (written during the time of the Hebrew exodus out of Egypt – 1400 to 1200BC) to the last book of the New Testament (completed by the second half of the first century) spans a period of 1,300 to 1,500 years. Compared to other literary and historical works, the Bible is exceptional in that it was written and assembled over a vast number of generations.[2]

Unique in its geographical production

The books of the Bible were written by peoples in areas as diverse as Rome in the West, Egypt in the South, and Mesopotamia in the East. The amazing geographical and ethnic diversity distinguishes the Bible’s origins from that of all other books.[3]

Unique in its authorship

The Bible is authored by approximately forty different people. It is edited and preserved by countless scribal schools and communities. The authors were a vast array of personalities from widely divergent social circumstances who recorded stories of all kinds of people.[4]

Unique in its literary genres

The Bible is not a homogenous text but a compendium of different forms and genres such as prayer, narrative, commandment, disputatious letters, wisdom dialogue etc which must each be appreciated on its own terms.

          “While one overarching story may be discerned, involving the central character of the one God, creator and sustainer of the earth, and his relationship with those who accept a relationship with him, and those who do not, there are many different voices behind the books of the Bible. A multitude of literary genres are found here, from long and short narratives to poetry and song, genealogies and historical accounts, biography, letters and apocalyptic writing. These voices tell different versions of the story, from a variety of perspectives. (Jack, BL, 6)[5]

Unique in its languages

The Bible is written in three different languages (two Semitic and one Indo-European), each with a unique character and essence.

          “Hebrew, like the other early Semitic languages, concentrates on observation more than reflection. That is, things that are generally observed according to their appearance as phenomena, not analyzed as to their inward being or essence. Effects are observed but not traced through a series of causes. Hebrew’s vividness, conciseness, and simplicity make the language difficult to translate fully. It is amazingly concise and direct. For example, Psalm 23 contains fifty-five words; most translations require about twice that many to translate it. . .”[6]

“Aramaic has perhaps the longest continuous living history of any language known. It was used during the Bible’s patriarchal period and is still spoken by a few people today. Aramaic and its cognate, Syriac, evolved into many dialects in different places and periods. Characterized by simplicity, clarity, and precision, it adapted easily to the various needs of everyday life. It could serve equally well as a language for scholars, pupils, lawyers, or merchants. Some have described it as the Semitic equivalent of English… Gradually, especially after the Babylonian exile, Aramaic influence pervaded the land of Palestine. Nehemiah complained that children from mixed marriages were unable to speak Hebrew (Neh. 13:24)… Eventually the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Aramaic paraphrases…Aramaic served as a transition from Hebrew to Greek… In that sense Aramaic connects Old Testament Hebrew with New Testament Greek. (Walker, BL, 228-230)[7]

Unique in its teachings

The Bible’s very message is unique!

Without the Trinity, the Incarnation & Atonement, and Faith vs Works, we would no longer be speaking of biblical Christianity.

          Trinity[8]

• God’s essential oneness
• The divinity of each person
• The simultaneous distinctions of each person

Considered in their entirety, the verses that support the above points proclaim one God, eternally existing as three distinct persons, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each being fully divine.

Incarnation & Atonement

• Of all the worlds religions, only Christianity proclaims that God has become embodied as a human being. Only Jesus claims to be God. It is unique to Christianity to discover a God who not only takes the initiative in becoming flesh but also does so in order to redeem sinful human beings.
• Jesus is truly God and Jesus is truly human. This redeeming work of God sets biblical Christianity apart from all other religious systems that are grounded in the moral actions (works) of people.

Faith vs Works

-the Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God (Lewis, MC rev. ed., 178). Other religions offer theories to overcome one’s wickedness but Christianity alone proclaims that God himself offers all people salvation that they cannot achieve on their own.  

[1] McDowell, Josh; McDowell, Sean. Evidence That Demands a Verdict (pp. 34-35). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition

[2] Ibid, 35

[3] Ibid, 35

[4] Ibid, 35

[5] Ibid, 37

[6] Ibid, 37

[7] Ibid, 38

[8] Ibid 40