Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-03-27
WHO WROTE THE
RIBt FL


There is an abundance of proof that
the bible was inspired by God and that
he directed that it be prepared and
arranged as His message to the world
and yet there Is considerable mystery
as to just how and by whom 1t was
prepared. Many are under the impress
sion that because the books are con-
tanned in one volume that they were
produced at the same time. or at least
put into the present shape within a few
years.
But instead it might be properly
described as the spiritual transcript of
the Hebrew people for more than two
centuries. The historical part begins
with the 18th chapter of the Book of
Genesis. where Abram receives his
mission. The purpose of writing the
old testament was to set down the en-
tire record of the progress of the He
brews from their very beginning. The
chapters that precede these are used
more especially to show the descent of
Abram from Adam.
Abram, who was later called Abra-
2,l0O years before Christ, a fact now
established by the discovery of cunt
form tablets bearing the names OF
kings mentioned in Genesis as con-
temporaries of Abraham This proves
that the bible began about 20 centuries
before Christ. but it is uncertain who
first wrote down that early record.
The old theory that Moses and other
biblical writer's received the bible in
the form of dictation from God has In
great measure been abandoned. 1t
is plain that Moses would have been
able to have written the books attrib-
uted to him, for he had the benefits
OF prtncely tutelage at the court of
Egypt and no nation was further adj
vanced in science and literature at that
time, but discoveries in the last 20
years have proved that writing was
very common in his day. and he GER
talnly had every opportunity to learn.
After the time of Moses the record
- more or less continuous, though the
writers are anonymous, with the ex-
ception of the prophetical books? After
the Babylonian exile, which ceased
with the permission given the Hebrews
by Cyrus to return to Palestine-more
than five centuries before Christ, con-
siderable literary activity took place.
the speeches of the various prophets
who had spoken before and during cap
tivity being collected, and more or less
shaped under the hand of Ezra, the
famous scribe.
A Hebrew tradition states that Ezra
decided which books were to be ac-
copied as sacred and which TO be re-
Jected as unworthy. But many schol-
ars agree that some of the psalms, the
book of Daniel and other books like
Ecclesiastes and Job. were either writ
ten or added to as late as the Mac
cabean period. only 1877 years B. G..
The facts seem to indicate that the
old testament was not closed until after
that time. as it took some 1000 Wears
to write all that is contained in its
books.
The composition of the new testa-
ment covers a much shorter period
for it has to do with the life of Jesus
and the doings of His immediate
apostles only, SO not more than cen
fury is given to it's composition. The
four gospels were written by Matthew
Mark. Luke and John probably rpwar,l
the end of the first century. although
the earliest date assigned to the COM
pletion OF any of them is now given
as 100 A. d.
It was at least century later be.
was at all fixed by the church bur
this was not made really definite until
367 when the church decided which
were to be accepted as sacred books
and which had no divine authority be-
hind them
1t is clear now that something more
than 2,200 years We're required for the
writing of the Whole bible. and that
therefore. it is necessary to take this
into consideration when studying tho
bible, as 1t was natural for different
ideas to prevail at such widely sep
arate points of time and in the minds
OF such different men.