How did we get our Bible in it's present form, and how do we know that what we have is God's Word?
The history of how the Bible has come to us is one of the most fascinating aspects of Bible study. How the books were assembled, the Apocryphal books left out, and the Word transmitted through the ages is a miracle in itself.
Follow along in the outline, and listen to the audio as Pastor Hileman tells this illuminating story.
The Story of the English Bible
I. Does our Bible contain all of the inspired Word of God?
A. The Apochrypha - a group of books added to the Old Testament by the Roman
Catholic Church, though not included in the Hebrew (Jewish) Bible.
1. Not written by Prophets who claimed to be writing God's Word, and were
not recognized as inspired when written.
2. Never part of the Hebrew Old Testament, though they were included in
the Septuagint (Greek translation).
3. Not considered to be God's Word by Jesus or the disciples.
4. Contain historical and geographic inaccuracies and teach false doctrines
(like purgatory).
5. Rejected by many church fathers and later by many Roman Catholic
scholars and Popes.
6. Declared canonical at the Council of Trent in 1546 as a reaction
against the Protestant Reformation.
B. Has God given new Scripture since the New Testament was completed?
1. Jude v 3
2. Ephesians 2:19-22
3. Galatians 1:6-9
4. Revelation 22:18-19
II. How did we get our present Bible?
A. Early versions
1. The Vulgate
2. Wycliffe - 1384
3. Tyndale - 1494
4. Geneva Bible - 1560
5. King James Version - 1611
B. Today's Versions
