The Bible at a Glance
66 Books
What are Scriptures?
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of
God may be thoroughly equipped for every
good work.
The Bible at a Glance
 Old Testament 39 Books
 New Testament 27 Books
 God used 40 different men over a period of
1,500 years in writing the Bible
– About 1400 B.C. to A.D. 90
The Bible at a Glance
History
17 Books
Law
Poetry
5 Books
Prophecy
17 Books
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of
Solomon
Major
Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
History &
Gov’t
Judges
Ruth
1 & 2 Samuel
1 & 2 Kings
1 & 2 Chron.
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Minor
Prophets
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Hagai
Zechariah
Malachi
History
5 Books
Gospels
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
The
Early
Church
Acts
Teaching
Paul’s
Letters
Romans
1 & 2 Cor.
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 & 2 Thess.
1 & 2 Tim.
Titus
Philemon
General
Letters
Hebrews
James
1 & 2 Peter
1, 2 & 3 John
Jude
Prophecy
1 Book
Revelation
The Law
 Genesis
 Exodus
 Leviticus
 Numbers
 Deuteronomy
The Prophets
 Joshua
 Judges
 Samuel
 Kings
 Isaiah
 Jeremiah
 Ezekiel
 The 12 Minor Prophets
The Writings
 Psalms
 Proverbs
 Job
 Song of Solomon
 Ruth
 Lamentations
 Ecclesiastes
 Esther
 Daniel
 Ezra-Nehemiah
 Chronicles
Hebrew Bible
(24 books)
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Genesis (1445)
Exodus (1445)
Leviticus (1445)
Numbers (1405)
Deuteronomy (1405)
Joshua (1405—1385)
Judges (1043)
Ruth (1000)
1 and 2 Samuel (1000—900)
1 and 2 Kings (561—538)
1 and 2 Chronicles (450—430)
Ezra (457—444)
Nehemiah (425)
Esther (475)
Job (lived in patriarchal times)
Psalms (1450—500)
Proverbs (950)
Ecclesiastes (931)
Song of Solomon (960)
Isaiah (740)
Jeremiah (561)
Lamentations (586)
Ezekiel (570)
Daniel (536)
Hosea (750)
Joel (830)
Amos (760)
Obadiah (845)
Jonah (780)
Micah (735)
Nahum (661—612)
Habakkuk (609)
Zephaniah (635)
Haggai (520)
Zechariah (520—518)
Malachi (430)
Time Period of Bible
The time span for the writing of the Bible
covers approximately 1500 years
Old Testament (1445—400 B. C.)
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Matthew (50)
Mark (50)
Luke (60-61)
John (80-90)
Acts (63)
Romans (56)
1 Corinthians (54-55)
2 Corinthians (55-56)
Galatians (48)
Ephesians (61)
Philippians (62)
Colossians (61)
1 Thessalonians (51)
2 Thessalonians (51)
1 Timothy (62)
2 Timothy (64)
Titus (63)
Philemon (61)
Hebrews (65)
James (45)
1 Peter (65)
2 Peter (67)
1 John (85)
2 John (90)
3 John (90)
Jude (70)
Revelation (95).
Time Period of Bible
The time span for the writing of the Bible
covers approximately 1500 years
New Testament
(A. D. 50—100)
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1,400 BC: The first written Word of God: The
Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.
500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew
Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of
the Old Testament.
200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek
Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old
Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.
1st Century AD: Completion of All Original
Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27
Books of the New Testament.
315 AD: Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria,
identifies the 27 books of the New Testament
which are today recognized as the canon of
scripture.
382 AD: Jerome's Latin Vulgate Manuscripts
Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old
Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Test).
500 AD: Scriptures have been Translated into
Over 500 Languages.
600 AD: LATIN was the Only Language Allowed
for Scripture.
995 AD: Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English
Language) Translations of The New Testament
Produced.
1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to
Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of
the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.
Timeline of
Bible
Translation
History
(Before the
Printing Press)
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1455 AD: Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be
mass-Produced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book
Ever Printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.
1516 AD: Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.
1522 AD: Martin Luther's German New Testament.
1526 AD: William Tyndale's New Testament; The First New
Testament printed in the English Language.
1535 AD: Myles Coverdale's Bible; The First Complete Bible printed
in the English Language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).
1537 AD: Tyndale-Matthews Bible; The Second Complete Bible
printed in English. Done by John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers (80
Books).
1539 AD: The "Great Bible" Printed; The First English Language
Bible Authorized for Public Use (80 Books).
1560 AD: The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language
Bible to add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).
1568 AD: The Bishops Bible Printed; The Bible of which the King
James was a Revision (80 Books).
1609 AD: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheims New
Testament (of 1582) Making the First Complete English Catholic
Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).
1611 AD: The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books.
The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66
Books.
1782 AD: Robert Aitken's Bible; The First English Language Bible
(KJV) Printed in America.
1791 AD: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas Respectively Produce the
First Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible Printed in America. Both
were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.
1808 AD: Jane Aitken's Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First
Bible to be Printed by a Woman.
1833 AD: Noah Webster's Bible; After Producing his Famous
Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James
Bible.
1841 AD: English Hexapla New Testament; an Early Textual
Comparison showing the Greek and 6 Famous English Translations
in Parallel Columns.
1846 AD: The Illuminated Bible; The Most Lavishly Illustrated Bible
printed in America. A King James Version, with All 80 Books.
1885 AD: The "English Revised Version" Bible; The First Major
English Revision of the KJV.
Timeline of
Bible
Translation
History
(Printing Press to
Modern Day)
 1901 AD: The "American Standard
Version"; The First Major
American Revision of the KJV.
 1971 AD: The "New American
Standard Bible" (NASB) is
Published as a "Modern and
Accurate Word for Word English
Translation" of the Bible.
 1973 AD: The "New International
Version" (NIV) is Published as a
"Modern and Accurate Phrase for
Phrase English Translation" of the
Bible.
 1982 AD: The "New King James
Version" (NKJV) is Published as a
"Modern English Version
Maintaining the Original Style of
the King James."
 2002 AD: The English Standard
Version (ESV) is Published as a
translation to bridge the gap
between the accuracy of the
NASB and the readability of the
NIV.
Timeline of
Bible
Translation
History
(Modern Day
Translations)
Divine Characteristics of the Bible
-Perfection (inerrant – Psalm 19:7)
-Purpose (redemption of humanity
Isaiah 55:11/Luke 19:10)
-Prophecy (unbreakable promises
Matthew 5:18, John 10:35,5:9,5:46,
Luke 24:27, Deut. 18, Psalm 22,
Isaiah 53)
-Power (millions of changed lives –
2 Corinthians 5:15-17)
-Preservation (Matthew 24:35,
Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)
Bibliology
– Is the Bible written by God
or man?
- Is the Bible without error?
- Is the Bible sufficient –
everything I need for life
and godliness?
HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE
www.biblebb.com/files/howbible.htm
By Dr. MIKE VLACH President of Theological Studies.org
www.theologicalstudies.org
M.A.P.S.
M-A-P-S to Guide You through Biblical Reliability
by Hank Hanegraaff
Use M-A-P-S to guide you through Biblical reliability:
Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, Statistics
Have you tried to show someone the historical reliability of the Scriptures, and not
known where to start? A quick trip to your local well-stocked Christian bookstore
likely will overwhelm you. Where among the dozens of impressive,
comprehensive reference books should you start?
Fortunately, while there is a wealth of information available to support the reliability
of Scripture, you don’t have to burn, the midnight oil to give a reasonable answer
to those who ask, “How can we know the Bible is reliable?” Four basic principle
chart your way to understanding basic biblical reliability.
To help you remember, I’ve developed the simple acronym “MAPS.” Remember the
word MAPS and you will be able to chart Bible reliability.
Manuscripts (OT)
Manuscripts relates to the tests used to determine the reliability of the extant
manuscript copies of the original documents penned by the Scripture writers (we
do not possess these originals). In determining manuscript reliability, we deal
with the question: How can we test to see that the text we possess in the
manuscript copies is an accurate rendition of the original? There are three main
manuscript tests: the Bibliographic, Eyewitness, and External (a second
acronym — BEE — will help you remember these).
The bibliographic test considers the quantity of manuscripts and manuscript
fragments, and also the time span between the original documents and our
earliest copies. The more copies, the better able we are to work back to the
original. The closer the time span between the copies and the original, the less
likely it is that serious textual error would creep in. The Bible has stronger
bibliographic support than any classical literature — including Homer, Tacitus,
Pliny, and Aristotle.
We have more than 14,000 manuscripts and fragments of the Old Testament of
three main types: (a) approximately 10,000 from the Cairo Geniza (storeroom)
find of 1897, dating back as far as about AD. 800; (b) about 190 from the Dead
Sea Scrolls find of 1947-1955, the oldest dating back to 250-200 B.C.; and (c) at
least 4,314 assorted other copies. The short time between the original Old
Testament manuscripts (completed around 400 B.C.) and the first extensive
copies (about 250 B.C.) — coupled with the more than 14,000 copies that have
been discovered — ensures the trustworthiness of the Old Testament text. The
earliest quoted verses (Num. 6:24-26) date from 800-700 B.C.
Manuscripts (OT)
The same is true of the New Testament text. The abundance of textual witnesses is amazing. We possess over
5,300 manuscripts or portions of the (Greek) New Testament — almost 800 copied before A.D. 1000. The
time between the original composition and our earliest copies is an unbelievably short 60 years or so. The
overwhelming bibliographic reliability of the Bible is clearly evident.
The eyewitness document test (“E”), sometimes referred to as the internal test, focuses on the eyewitness
credentials of the authors. The Old and New Testament authors were eyewitnesses of — or interviewed
eyewitnesses of — the majority of the events they described. Moses participated in and was an eyewitness
of the remarkable events of the Egyptian captivity, the Exodus, the forty years in the desert, and Israel’s
final encampment before entering the Promised Land. These events he chronicled in the first five books of
the Old Testament.
The New Testament writers had the same eyewitness authenticity. Luke, who wrote the Books of Luke and
Acts, says that he gathered eyewitness testimony and “carefully investigated everything” (Luke 1:1-3).
Peter reminded his readers that the disciples “were eyewitnesses of [Jesus’] majesty” and “did not follow
cleverly invented stories” (2 Pet. 1:16). Truly, the Bible affirms the eyewitness credibility of its writers.
The external evidence test looks outside the texts themselves to ascertain the historical reliability of the
historical events, geographical locations, and cultural consistency of the biblical texts. Unlike writings from
other world religions which make no historical references or which fabricate histories, the Bible refers to
historical events and assumes its historical accuracy. The Bible is not only the inspired Word of God, it is
also a history book — and the historical assertions it makes have been proven time and again.
Many of the events, people, places, and customs in the New Testament are confirmed by secular historians
who were almost contemporaries with New Testament writers. Secular historians like the Jewish Josephus
(before A.D. 100), the Roman Tacitus (around A.D. 120), the Roman Suetonius (A.D. 110), and the Roman
governor Pliny Secundus (A.D. 100-110) make direct reference to Jesus or affirm one or more historical
New Testament references. Early church leaders such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Julius Africanus, and
Clement of Rome — all writing before A.D. 250 — shed light on New Testament historical accuracy. Even
skeptical historians agree that the New Testament is a remarkable historical document. Hence, it is clear
that there is strong external evidence to support the Bible’s manuscript reliability.
John Ryland
papyrus p52
fragment of
John 18 written
around 98-138 AD.
Codex
Sinaiticus
(01) MidFourth Cent.
Cursives or
Minuscules
 There are at least
2,764 cursive New
Testament manuscripts
known today. On the
right is a cursive
manuscript of John 1
from about 1022 AD.
Archaeology
Returning to our MAPS acronym, we have established ,the first principle,
manuscript reliability. Let us consider our second principle,
archaeological evidence. Over and over again, comprehensive field
work (archaeology) and careful biblical interpretation affirms the
reliability of the Bible. It is telling when a secular scholar must revise his
biblical criticism in light of solid archaeological evidence.
For years critics dismissed the Book of Daniel, partly because there was no
evidence that a king named Belshazzar ruled in Babylon during that time
period. However, later archaeological research confirmed that the
reigning monarch, Nabonidus, appointed Belshazzar as his co-regent
whi1e he was away from Babylon.
One of the most well-known New Testament examples concerns the Books
of Luke and Acts. A biblical skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, trained as an
archaeologist and then set out to disprove the historical reliability of this
portion of the New Testament. However, through his painstaking
Mediterranean archaeological trips, he became converted as — one
after another — of the historical statements of Luke were proved
accurate. Archaeological evidence thus confirms the trustworthiness of
the Bible.
Examples of Archeology confirming
the TRUTHFULNESS of the Bible
 Ancient Tyre (verification of Ezekiel 26 prophecy –
Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great)
 Jericho (verification of Joshua’s conquest)
 Ebla Tablets (cities of Genesis 19)
 Cities of the Bible - TRUE
 History of the Bible (Acts) - TRUE
 Culture of the Bible - TRUE
 Archeologists have been saved
 Archeologists use the Bible as their compass to
discoveries because it is TRUSTWORTHY
Prophecy
The third principle of Bible reliability is Prophecy, or predictive ability. The Bible records
predictions of events that could not be known or predicted by chance or common sense.
Surprisingly, the predictive nature of many Bible passages was once a popular argument
(by liberals) against the reliability of the Bible. Critics argued that the prophecies actually
were written after the events and that editors had merely dressed up the Bible text to look
like they contained predictions made before the events. Nothing could be further from the
truth, however. The many predictions of Christ’s birth, life and death (see below) were
indisputably rendered more than a century before they occurred as proven by the Dead
Sea Scrolls of Isaiah and other prophetic books as well as by the Septuagint translation, all
dating from earlier than 100 B.C.
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Phoenician city of Tyre were fulfilled in ancient
times, including prophecies that the city would be opposed by many nations (Ezek. 26:3);
its walls would be destroyed and towers broken down (26:4); and its stones, timbers, and
debris would be thrown into the water (26:12). Similar prophecies were fulfilled concerning
Sidon (Ezek. 28:23; Isa. 23; Jer. 27:3-6; 47:4) and Babylon (Jer. 50:13, 39; 51:26, 42-43,
58; Isa. 13:20-21).
Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the Living Word of the New
Testament, it should not surprise us that prophecies regarding Him outnumber any others.
Many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire
to fulfill — such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:3; 17:19; Num.
24:21-24); His birth in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isa. 53:12); the
piercing of His hands and feet at the crucifixion (Ps. 22:16); the soldiers’ gambling for His
clothes (Ps. 22:18); the piercing of His side and the fact that His bones were not broken at
His death (Zech. 12:10; Ps. 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isa. 53:9). Jesus also
predicted His own death and resurrection (John 2:19-22). Predictive Prophecy is a
principle of Bible reliability that often reaches even the hard-boiled skeptic!
Concerning his birth
Concerning his birth
Prophesied
Fulfilled
1. Born of the seed of woman
Gen 3:15
Gal 4:4
2. Born of a virgin
Isa 7:14
Mt 1:18-25
3. Seed of Abraham
Gen 22:18
Mt 1:1
4. Seed of Isaac
Gen 21:12
Lk 3:23+34
5. Seed of Jacob
Num 24:17
Lk 3:34
6. Seed of David
Jer 23:5
Lk 3:31
7. Tribe of Judah
Gen 49:10
Rev 5:5
8. Family line of Jesse
Isa 11:1
Lk 3:32
9. Born in Bethlehem
Mic 5:2
Mt 2:1-6
10. Herod kills the children
Jer 31:15
Mt 2:16-18
Concerning his nature
Concerning his nature
Prophesied
Fulfilled
11. He pre-existed creation
Mic 5:2
1 Pet 1:20
12. He shall be called Lord
Ps 110:1
Acts 2:36
13. Called Immanuel (God with us)
Isa 7:14
Mt 1:22-23
14. Prophet
Deut 18:18-19
Acts 3:18-25
15. Priest
Ps 110:4
Heb 5:5-6
16. Judge
Isa 33:22
Jn 5:22-23
17. King
Ps 2:6
Jn 18:33-37
18. Anointed by the Spirit
Isa 11:2
Mt 3:16-17
19. His zeal for God
Ps 69:9
Jn 2:15-17
Concerning his ministry
Concerning his ministry
Prophesied
Fulfilled
20. Preceded by a messenger
Isa 40:3
Mt 3:1-3
21. To begin in Galilee
Isa 9:1-2
Mt 4:12-17
22. Ministry of Miracles
Isa 35:5-6
Mt 9:35;11:4
23. Teacher of parables
Ps 78:1-4
Mt 13:34-35
24. He was to enter the temple
Mal 3:1
Mt 21:10-12
25. Enter Jerusalem on donkey
Zech 9:9
Mt 21:1-7
26. Stone of stumbling to Jews
Isa 28:16; Ps 118:22
1 Pet 2:6-8
27. Light to Gentiles
Isa 49:6
Acts 13:46-48
The day Jesus was crucified
The day Jesus was crucified
Prophesied
Fulfilled
28. Betrayed by a friend
Ps 41:9
Jn 13:18-27
29. Sold for 30 pieces of silver
Zech 11:12
Mt 26:14-15
30. 30 pieces thrown in Temple
Zech 11:13
Mt 27:3-5
31. 30 pieces buys potters field
Zech 11:13
Mt 27:6-10
32. Forsaken by His disciples
Zech 13:7
Mk 14:27+50
33. Accused by false witnesses
Ps 35:11+20-21
Mt 26:59-61
34. Silent before accusers
Isa 53:7
Mt 27:12-14
35. Wounded and bruised
Isa 53:4-6
1 Pet 2:21-25
36. Beaten and spit upon
Isa 50:6
Mt 26:67-68
37. Mocked
Ps 22:6-8
Mt 27:27-31
38. Fell under the cross
Ps 109:24-25
Jn 19:17; Lk23:26
39. Hands and feet pierced
Ps 22:16
Jn 20:24-28
The day Jesus was crucified
The day Jesus was crucified
Prophesied
Fulfilled
40. Crucified with thieves
Isa 53:12
Mt 27:38
41. Prayed for enemies
Isa 53:12
Lk 23:34
42. Rejected by His own people
Isa 53:3
Jn 19:14-15
43. Hated without cause
Ps 69:4
Jn 15:25
44. Friends stood aloof
Ps 38:11
Lk22:54;23:49
45. People wag their heads
Ps 22:7;109:25
Mt 27:39
46. People stared at Him
Ps 22:17
Lk 23:35
47. Cloths divided and gambled for
Ps 22:18
Jn 19:23-24
48. Became very thirsty
Ps 22:15
Jn 19:28
49. Gall and vinegar offered Him
Ps 69:21
Mt 27:34
50. His forsaken cry
Ps 22:1
Mt 27:46
The day Jesus was crucified
The day Jesus was crucified
Prophesied
Fulfilled
51. Committed Himself to God
Ps 31:5
Lk 23:46
52. Bones not broken
Ps 34:20
Jn 19:32-36
53. Heart broken
Ps 69:20;22:14
Jn 19:34
54. His side pierced
Zech 12:10
Jn 19:34+37
55. Darkness over the land
Amos 8:9
Lk 23:44-45
56. Buried in rich man's tomb
Isa 53:9
Mt 27:57-60
His Resurrection & Ascension
His Resurrection & Ascension
Prophesied
Fulfilled
57. Raised from the dead
Ps 16:8-11
Acts 2:24-31
58. Begotten as Son of God
Ps 2:7
Acts 13:32-35
59. Ascended to God
Ps 68:18
Eph 2:8-10
60. Seated beside God
Ps 110:1
Heb 1:3+13
Statistics
Our fourth MAPS principle works well with predictive prophecy, because it is Statistically
preposterous that any or all of the Bible’s very specific, detailed prophecies could have
been fulfilled through chance, good guessing, or deliberate deceit. When you look at some
of the improbable prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, it seems incredible that
skeptics — knowing the authenticity and historicity of the texts — could reject the statistical
verdict: the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the Son of God, just as Scripture
predicted many times and in many ways.
The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years by forty different human authors in three
different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), on hundreds of subjects. And yet there
is one consistent, noncontradictory theme that runs through it all: God’s redemption of
humankind. Clearly, Statistical probability is a powerful indicator of the trustworthiness of
Scripture.
The next time someone denies the reliability of Scripture, just remember the acronym MAPS,
and you will be equipped to give an answer and a reason for the hope that lies within you
(1 Pet. 3:15). Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, and Statistics not only chart a secure
course on the turnpikes of skepticism but also demonstrate definitively that the Bible is
indeed divine rather than human in origin.
The Importance, Inerrancy, and Sufficiency of Scripture: 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 18:30, 119,
Matthew 5:17, 22:29, Luke 4:21, 24:44, John 2:22, 5:39-46, John 10:35, 1 Timothy 4:13, 2
Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 20-21