Bible

Bible

This series explores the profound truths of the Bible, examining the nature of God, His moral will, and the ethical principles He established for humanity and creation. Through a careful study of key scriptures, the series demonstrates that God is corporeal, morally perfect, and committed to a life of compassion, non-violence, and righteousness. From the creation narrative in Genesis to prophetic visions in Isaiah, the series reveals the consistency of God’s guidance and the original ideals for human and animal life, offering readers a holistic and verse-by-verse understanding of Biblical ethics.

Few Facts about Bible

Bible is a compilation of various books, booklets, letters etc. approx 66-73 books in total. There are 39 (+7) books in the Old Testament (varies in protestant and catholic bibles) and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament and the New Testament are the two main sections that make up the Christian Bible.

Old Testament

The Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible, which is also the sacred scripture of Judaism (called the Tanakh). It was written over 1000 years. It includes the following.

• Torah - 5 Books. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These were revelaed to Moses.
• Historical books - 12 books. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Written by multiple authors. These were Not revealed. These are narratives.
• Wisdom and books of poetry - 5 books. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Job is attributed to Job or Moses. Psalms was revealed to and written by King David. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are attributed to King Solomon. He had the wisdom to write these.
• The writings of Major prophets - 5 books. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. These were revealed to individual prophets.
• The Minor Prophets - 12 shorter books. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These were revealed to individual prophets.

New Testament

Every single book in the New Testament was written decades after Jesus had already left the earth. It was written by his followers after his departure. It is a library of 27 different booklets and letters written by at least eight different human authors (such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Peter and also James and Jude). None of the books were revealed.

It mainly contains the Four Gospels i.e detailed biographies of Jesus's life, teachings, death, and resurrection, written by his disciples or their close associates. The four Gospels are

1. Matthew
2. Mark
3. Luke
4. John

Each one is an individual, standalone biography tracking the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew and John were part of the original twelve disciples. They lived, walked, and ate with Jesus for three years, writing from direct eyewitness experience. Mark and Luke were not part of the twelve disciples and did not follow Jesus during his earthly ministry. They wrote their accounts later based on interviews and close partnerships with original eyewitnesses.

Peter was also an apostle but Paul was a strange apostle who claimed to be appointed by Jesus following his resurrection. He was also a church leader.

While the New Testament presents them as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, modern biblical scholars widely agree that Mark was written first. John was written the last.

Apart from the Gospels, The New Testament also contains The Letters (Epistles) i.e. actual mail and correspondence sent by church leaders like Paul to early Christian communities to solve local arguments and explain theology.

The book of Hebrews is also in the New Testament but doesn't have an author. 

Complete list of 8 authors, who they were and exactly what they wrote:

1. Matthew (Eyewitness / Apostle) - wrote The Gospel of Matthew.
2. Mark (Historian / Scribe to Peter) - wrote The Gospel of Mark.
3. Luke (Doctor / Historian) - wrote The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (which tracks the history of the early church).
4. John (Eyewitness / Apostle) - wrote: The Gospel of John, three short letters (1, 2, and 3 John), and the final prophetic book of the Bible, Revelation.
5. Paul (unique Apostle) - wrote at least 13 letters sent to various churches and individuals (such as Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians). He wrote the largest chunk of individual books in the New Testament.
6. Peter (Eyewitness / Apostle) - wrote two letters sent to early Christians suffering persecution (1 and 2 Peter).
7. James (Brother of Jesus) - wrote The Letter of James. Traditional history notes that James did not believe Jesus was the Messiah during his lifetime, but became a primary leader of the Jerusalem church after seeing his brother resurrected.
8. Jude (Brother of Jesus) - wrote: The Letter of Jude, a very short, one-chapter warning about corrupt teachers entering the church. Like James, he is traditionally identified as one of Jesus's half-brothers.

Islamic Viewpoint

As per Islam The Torah, Zaboor, and Injil are the three major holy books revealed by God before the Quran.

• Torah - Revealed to Moses (Musa). It corresponds directly to the first five books of the Christian and Jewish Bibles (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) found in the Old Testament. Moses did not get any other books.
• Zaboor (Zabur) - Revealed to David (Dawud). It corresponds directly to the Book of Psalms found in the Old Testament of the Bible. David did not get any other book.
• Injil - Muslims believe that the Injil (the Gospel) was a divine book revealed by God directly to Jesus. Muslims do not view the Christian New Testament (the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or Paul's letters) as the original Injil. In Islamic theology, the Injil was a single book given to Jesus, not a collection of biographies and letters written about Jesus by his followers. However, acccording to Christianity, no book was revealed to Jesus. 

Jewish Viewpoint (Judaism)

Jews do not consider Jesus as God. They don't even consider Jesus a Messiah as Jesus doesn't fulfill the Jewish criteria for being one. Judaism completely rejects Jesus as God, a prophet, or the Messiah. To hold Jewish messianic status, a figure must rebuild the Temple, gather all Jews back to Israel, and usher in an era of global peace—criteria Judaism maintains Jesus did not fulfill.

Jews mainly follow the Torah (The Law). They also follow Zabur (The Book of Psalms) written by King David but it does not hold the exact same legal authority as the Torah. Torah (the first five books) holds the supreme legal and spiritual authority in Jewish law.

Jesus is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. This name Jesus doesn't appear in the Old Testament at any time. Christians however believe that it talks about Jesus at various points.

Trinity

There is no mention of the word trinity in the Bible. This term was coined later on by church councils. It was formalised at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) to standardise Christian belief. The Bible consistently distinguishes between: God (the Father) Jesus (the Son) God’s Spirit (His power and presence).

Jesus did not claim to be God

Jesus never explicitly says the exact phrase "I am God" anywhere in the Bible. Rather Jesus explicitly directed people to worship God the Father. John in his gospel declares him god in one of the verses in his own narration.

It is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible that Jesus died for other's sins. It is merely an assumption.

Judaism also entirely rejects the idea of a human sacrifice or a son of God dying for the sins of the world. Human sacrifice was strictly condemned by God throughout the Torah (Deuteronomy 12:31). Islam also rejects the idea of sacrifice to clear human guilt. They consider the god forgiving and infinitely merciful who can forgive sins (if he wishes).

FAQ: Understanding the Origins of the Bible, Jesus, and the Trinity

1. Is the word "Trinity" mentioned in the Bible?

No, the word "Trinity" does not appear anywhere in the Bible. The term was first coined by the Christian theologian Tertullian around 200 AD. However, mainstream Christian theology argues that while the specific word is absent, the concept of one God existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. Does Jesus ever explicitly claim to be God in the Gospels?

No, Jesus never explicitly says the exact phrase "I am God" in the text. Instead, Christian scholars argue he claimed divinity through 1st-century Jewish cultural context—such as applying God's personal name ("I AM") to himself, forgiving sins, and claiming the exclusive right to judge the world at the end of time.

3. If Jesus is the Son of God, how can he also be God?

In orthodox Christian theology, the Father and the Son are distinct in identity (Persons) but identical in nature (Essence). The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. However, just as a human father begets a child who is 100% human, Christianity teaches that the divine Father begets a Son who shares the exact same, undivided divine nature.

4. Is Jesus mentioned in the Old Testament?

Strictly speaking, the name "Jesus" never appears in the Old Testament, which was completed centuries before his birth. Whether he is "in" the text is a matter of interpretation:

• The Jewish View: The text is strictly about ancient Israelite history, laws, and immediate events.
• The Christian View: The text is filled with prophetic puzzles, clues, and symbols (like the "Suffering Servant" in Isaiah 53) that find their sole fulfillment in Jesus.

5. Why do Jews not accept Jesus as the Messiah?

Judaism rejects the claims of Christianity for three primary reasons:

• Unfulfilled Prophecies: Judaism teaches the true Messiah must bring world peace, gather all Jews to Israel, and rebuild the Temple, which Jesus did not accomplish.
• Strict Monotheism: Judaism teaches that God is entirely non-physical and undivided; the concept of a divine man is incompatible with Jewish law.
• No Mediator Needed: In Jewish theology, humans can pray directly to God for forgiveness without needing a divine sacrifice or savior.

6. Where did the idea come from that Jesus died on the cross for human sins?

While the text of the New Testament explicitly states that Jesus died for human sins, the theological concept was built by taking ancient Jewish Temple sacrificial laws (substituting an innocent animal for a guilty person) and applying them permanently to Jesus’s crucifixion. The Apostle Paul heavily formalized this system in his letters.

7. What do the terms Torah, Zaboor, and Injil mean?

In Islamic theology, these are the three major holy books revealed by God prior to the Qur'an:

• Torah (Tawrat): The law revealed to Moses (Musa), corresponding to the first five books of the Bible.
• Zaboor (Zabur): The book of praises revealed to David (Dawud), corresponding to the Psalms.
• Injil: The gospel message directly revealed to Jesus (Isa).

8. Was the New Testament given to Jesus during his life?

No. Jesus never saw or read a single page of the New Testament. Unlike the Islamic concept of the Injil (a book sent down to a prophet), the Christian New Testament is a library of 27 separate booklets and letters written by at least eight human authors decades after Jesus’s death and resurrection.

9. Who wrote the four Gospels, and were they all eyewitnesses?

The first four books of the New Testament are biographies of Jesus written by two distinct groups:

• Matthew and John: Original disciples and direct eyewitnesses to Jesus's ministry.
• Mark and Luke: Historians who were not eyewitnesses. Mark recorded the first-hand accounts of the Apostle Peter, while Luke was a Greek physician who interviewed original eyewitnesses to compile an orderly history.

10. Who wrote the rest of the New Testament?

Excluding the four Gospels, the remaining books were written by four other key leaders in the early church movement:

• Paul: A unique Apostle who converted after a visionary experience; he wrote 13 letters managing and correcting early churches across the Roman Empire.
• Peter: The leader of the original twelve disciples, who wrote two letters.
• James and Jude: The physical half-brothers of Jesus who initially doubted him but became powerful early church leaders after the crucifixion.

FAQ: Understanding Apostles, Prophets, and Scriptures Across Faiths

Section 1: Apostles & Disciples in Early Christianity

Q: What is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?

• Disciple means "student" or "learner." It refers to anyone who follows and learns from a teacher. Jesus had thousands of disciples.
• Apostle means "one who is sent out." It refers to an official ambassador commissioned with direct authority to preach and establish the church.

Q: Was Paul a human, and how could he be an apostle if he never met Jesus on earth?

• Human Status: Yes, Paul was fully human. He was a 1st-century Roman citizen, a Jewish Pharisee, and a tentmaker named Saul of Tarsus.
• His Apostleship: Although he did not follow Jesus during his earthly ministry, Paul is recognized as an apostle because he received a direct, supernatural commission from the resurrected Jesus during a vision on the road to Damascus.

Q: Did only the original 12 apostles witness the resurrection of Jesus?

• No. While an eyewitness encounter with the risen Christ was a requirement for official apostleship, hundreds of others saw him.
• Other Eyewitnesses: The New Testament records that Jesus appeared first to women disciples (like Mary Magdalene), his brother James, two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and a crowd of over 500 followers at a single time.

Q: Were Peter and John both apostles?

• Yes. Both were part of the original twelve disciples chosen by Jesus. Along with James, they formed an "inner circle" of leadership within the early Church.

Section 2: Revelation and Scripture (Christian vs. Islamic Views)

Q: Do Muslims believe a book called the Injil was revealed to Jesus?

• Yes. In Islamic theology, the Injil (Gospel) is a holy book given directly by God to the prophet Isa (Jesus) to guide the Children of Israel.

Q: Does Christianity teach that a holy book was revealed to Jesus?

• No. According to Christian theology, Jesus did not receive or write a book.
• The Living Word: Christianity teaches that Jesus is the message in human form ("the Word made flesh"). The Christian New Testament is not a book written by Jesus, but a collection of eyewitness accounts and letters written about him by his apostles and their peers.

Section 3: Jewish Scripture and the Old Testament

Q: Do Jewish people follow the Zabur (Psalms) as well as the Torah?

• Yes. Both are part of the Hebrew Bible, which Jews call the Tanakh (an acronym for Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim).
• Torah: The first five books revealed to Moses, holding the highest legal authority.
• Zabur: The book of Psalms (largely written by King David), which sits in the Ketuvim (Writings) section and is used daily for prayer and worship.

Q: Do Jewish people follow the New Testament?

• No. Judaism rejects the New Testament entirely. Jews do not believe Jesus was the Messiah because they maintain he did not fulfill specific literal prophecies, such as establishing universal world peace. They also reject the concept of the Trinity, maintaining a strict belief in the absolute oneness of God.

Q: Is the Hebrew Bible the same thing as the Christian Old Testament?

• Yes, essentially. The Protestant Old Testament contains the exact same books as the Jewish Tanakh. The differences lie in the arrangement of the books and the terminology. Jews avoid the term "Old Testament" because it implies the texts have been replaced or made obsolete by a "New" testament.