jjanecka wrote:Correction, the prequels were first written in Hebrew, the new testament was first written in Syriac, Ancient greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and other mid-east languages.
Outside of the 1st five books written by Moses, the prequels were a mix of Chronicals and written accounts of the prophets along with stories of notable Jews through history. The Oral Law is only accounted for in Modern time by the Mishna which was written after the destruction of the Second Temple according to the Jews or it is preserved as the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospel (In a Trinitarian view it can be argued that If God is the written Law, Jesus is consequently the Oral Law [Father/Son] and the Holy Spirit is the fruit and merit that proceeds from knowledge of the Law; therefore, to be baptized by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit requires acceptance of both the Laws and their Fruit).
Additionally, by Jewish Tradition, the Bible is a living document which is decided upon ecumenically. No King has the right to modify pages and declare his copy authoritative. It must be decided upon by religious scholars as to which books have merit as that has been the precedent since the time of Moses.
However, interpreting the entire Bible as literal divine revelation poses severe problems for serious Bible study. Besides some apparent internal contradictions and conflicts with science and history, there is evidence within the Bible itself that it has both human and divine origins. Luke attributed his Gospel to his own research:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (NIV, Luke 1:1-4)
Paul's letters (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, etc.) were originally written as letters to churches he had founded, not as part of Scripture. They dealt not only with divine revelation but also with many mundane matters like disputes among church factions. Paul sometimes stated his own personal opinions:
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. (NIV, 1 Corinthians 7:12)
There is also evidence within the Bible that portions of it are intended to be interpreted figuratively rather than literally (John 16:25, Galatians 4:24, Revelation 1:20, 17:18, etc.)
http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_BibleTrue.htm