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The earliest events of creation were revealed to man thousands of years ago
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Solutions to modern-day problems were also revealed
They are found in a book unequaled in scope and value of
Of that book it has been said men have lived by it men have died for it no other book approaches its influence
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The Bible has the widest circulation of any book in history in
Whole or in part it has been translated into over 2,000 languages
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It is not a scientific textbook, but it agrees with later scientific discoveries
In the Middle Ages popular wisdom said that the earth was flat
But 700 years before Christ the Bible spoke of the circle of the earth
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Some in ancient times believed that the earth was supported by four elephants standing on the back of a sea turtle
Nearly three thousand five hundred years ago the Bible simply stated that God was hanging the earth upon nothing
In this the Bible agrees with modern science
Only recently did scientists discover the genetic role of DNA which fixes a person's hereditary makeup
In prayer to God King David expressed this principle
Your eyes saw even the embryo of me and in your book all its parts were down in writing
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3,000 years ago the Bible in simple terms described the natural water cycle that involves clouds rain and snow
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The Bible explained
Every river flows into the sea but the sea is not yet full the water returns to where the rivers began and
Starts all over again
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How did the Bible writers know these facts
They were inspired by God
Consider the amazing account of how the Bible was recorded
Papyrus making in Egypt
This ancient writing material dates back to thousands of years before Christ
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Moses probably used papyrus to write the first five books of the Bible
Sheets of papyrus were joined together to form scrolls with an average length of from 14 to 20 feet
Doubtless the Christian disciples wrote their books and letters on papyrus
Tanners making leather parchment flourished when exports of papyrus were banned for a time in the second century BCE
Long-lasting leather was better than papyrus
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Parchment scrolls were in use in Jesus day
Early Christians were commanded to spread the good news
Scrolls however were costly and not easy to handle
A more practical form of written text was needed
The Codex was invented by the end of the first century
It was made by folding sheets to form leaves which were then stitched together a
Similar method is used to produce modern books
In what languages was the Bible written
The first 39 books were written mostly in Hebrew
They are called the Hebrew scriptures also known as the Old Testament
Small portions were penned in Aramaic
By the time of Jesus Greek had become an international language
It was the language used to write the concluding 27 books of the Bible known as the Christian Greek scriptures
It was the language used to write the concluding 27 books of the Bible known as the Christian Greek scriptures or the New Testament
How can we be sure that our modern Bibles accurately represent the original writings
Jewish and Christian copyists took great care in preserving the sacred writings
Many very early copies have survived to our day
Two valuable examples are the Chester Beatty collection in Ireland and the John Rylands fragment in England
In the British Museum is an outstanding manuscript that serves to confirm the accuracy of the Bible
The Alexandrine Codex dating from the 5th century CE
contains an almost complete text of the Bible in Greek
The Vatican in Rome is the home of a codex that dates from the 4th century CE
Hidden for centuries, it was finally made available to scholars in facsimile form in 1889
The wilderness region of Sinai
German scholar Count Tischendorf visited the monastery of St. Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai in 1844
According to his account, he found a large basket of old parchment set aside to be burned as rubbish
Among this so-called rubbish, he claims to have discovered 129 pages of the Hebrew scriptures translated into Greek, the oldest he had ever seen
He had found what came to be known as the Sinaitic manuscript, probably copied in the 4th century CE
The Dead Sea region is where the most famous biblical scrolls were found
In 1947, a young Bedwin herdsman discovered the first of the Dead Sea scrolls in a cave near Kirbet Cumran, southeast of Jerusalem
Some scrolls can be seen today in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem
It is the oldest collection of Hebrew manuscripts yet found, some dating to the second century before Christ
It contains portions of all the books of the Hebrew scriptures except Esther
An outstanding feature of these ancient texts is the frequent use of the divine name, the Tetragrammaton, pronounced Jehovah in English
In the Hebrew scriptures, this name occurs nearly 7,000 times
The scrolls prove that modern Bibles faithfully reflect the original writings
But how did the Bible spread around the world?
One factor was that in early Christian times, Greek was an international language
The reason? Before Christ, the Greek armies had conquered the world and spread their language
Later, the Romans had built an empire tied together by a network of roads
Thus, Christian missionaries could readily travel and spread the Bible message
By the year 405, Catholic scholar Jerome had translated the Bible into Latin, the language of his time
His translation continued to be the official Catholic Bible even when Latin ceased to be the language of the people
The beautifully illustrated Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells of the 8th century could be read only by the educated
For centuries, most people were left without a Bible they could read
However, some courageous Catholic scholars were willing to risk all to bring the Bible to the people in their own language
In the 14th century, the English reformer John Wycliffe rejected some church teachings
He held that the Scriptures were the supreme authority
Little did he know that he was going to be a powerful influence on other dissenters
In 1380, Wycliffe and his collaborators set to work on the first English translation of the Latin Bible
Of course, only handmade copies were available
He died of a stroke in his church in Lutterworth, England in 1384
His enemies were not content to let his bones rest in peace
Over 40 years later, they dug up his bones, burned them, and threw the ashes into the River Swift
His followers were the Lollards, traveling preachers of the Bible
Hunted down by the church, some were imprisoned in what came to be known as the Lollards Tower
Efforts to distribute handwritten copies of Wycliffe's Bible were greatly hindered by the fierce opposition of the church
However, about 1450, something happened that changed history
Printing from movable type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg
In 1455, Gutenberg printed the first Bible in Latin in three volumes
Now, thousands of Bibles could be turned out in a relatively short time
Some 40 Gutenberg Bibles still exist
Some churches had libraries of chained books and Bibles
Bibles were still rare, expensive, and in Latin
Another step was needed to make the Bible available to the people
Translation into the common languages
Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England produced in the 16th century a Bible scholar and man of integrity
William Tyndale believed that every Christian should be able to read the Bible in his own language
He was the first to translate from the original Bible languages into English
In 1522, Tyndale said to a learned clergyman
If God spare my life, before many years have passed, I will cause a boy that drives the plow to know more of the Scripture than you do
This went against official policy
One church spokesman said
The New Testament translated into the Vulgar Tongue is in truth the food of death, the fuel of sin, the enemy of unity, the murderer of truth
Persecuted by the church, Tyndale fled to Germany where he completed his translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures
Some of the first Bibles that were smuggled into England were consigned to the flames
Tyndale meanwhile turned to translating the Hebrew Scriptures
Before he could finish, he was betrayed and captured at Antwerp, Belgium
He was strangled and then burned at the stake as a heretic in 1536
His chief accuser said
It is no great matter whether they that die on account of religion be guilty or innocent, provided we terrify the people by such examples
In 1555, Mary, Catholic Queen of England, had bishops Latimer and Ridley burned alive
Their reading of the Bible had led them to contradict church teaching
On this spot in Oxford, as these martyrs stood at the stake, Latimer said
Be of good comfort, Brother Ridley, and play the man
We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out
In those days, it was a brave soul indeed who dared to defy the church by reading the Bible
In other countries across Europe, lovers of the Bible were persecuted for daring to promote God's word
John Hoos, a Catholic priest, was one example
Influenced by the teachings of Wycliffe, Hoos became the most important Catholic priest in Europe
Influenced by the teachings of Wycliffe, Hoos became the most important religious reformer of the 15th century in Bohemia
He was lured into capture by church authorities
When accused, he asked only to be proved wrong from Scripture
He was declared a heretic, defrocked, and burned at the stake on the outskirts of Constance
Martin Luther lived in 16th century Germany
German princes protected him from his enemies
His translation of the Bible into German in 1534 has been called a literary masterpiece
It became the basis for Bibles in other languages, such as Swedish, Icelandic, Danish, and Dutch
Excommunicated, Luther refused to recant, saying,
Unless I'm convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures of my clear reason, I'm bound by the Scriptures I've quoted, and my conscience is captive to the word of God
Another persecuted Bible translator was the Spaniard Cassiodoro de Reina
His translation was published in 1569 and was smuggled into Spain in wine casks
The Bible also appeared in Italian, Czech, Slovenian, and Belorussian
People were thirsting for first-hand knowledge of this remarkable book
The floodgates had opened, never to be closed again
In the 19th century, another step was taken to make the Bible available to everyone
The countryside of Wales was home to a little girl who loved the Bible
Mary Jones had saved her pennies for years, and then in 1800 walked 25 miles to buy a Welsh Bible from a clergyman in Bala
Her perseverance inspired some clergymen to found the London-based British and Foreign Bible Society
One of its early representatives was the English writer and linguist George Barrow
He had Bibles printed in Russia, Portugal, and Spain, and was persecuted for his efforts
The American Bible Society was founded in 1816. Today it is supported by more than 80 Protestant denominations
In the United States, in 1870, a young man in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania started an intensive study of the Bible that was to lead eventually to a vast worldwide program of Bible education
His name? Charles Taze Russell
In 1881, Russell and his collaborators founded what is known today as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
This society has printed or shared in the distribution of over 40 Bible translations in several languages
Some 80 million copies of the New World Translation, produced by the Watchtower Society, have been placed worldwide in 15 languages
In 1993, it had over 900 translators around the world working on additional translations of the Bible and other Bible literature
This afternoon we release the New World Translation, the complete Bible, both in the Slovak and in the Czech languages
The Watchtower Society is producing Bibles in Japan, in the United States, in Brazil, and in the United States
and in other countries
How is this ancient book a practical guide for people facing today's problems?
The Bible is an educational force that changes minds, hearts, and actions
It gives sound, practical counsel on how to live a happy, rewarding life, but is often not appreciated
Do you think the Bible is practical for our day?
I have a Bible, but I don't read it very much
The true benefit of the Bible comes to those who read it
For example, Lum, living in Hong Kong, was a compulsive gambler from childhood
The Bible changed his attitude toward money
I would pray to God, and I remembered the Bible principle at 1 Timothy 6, 9, and 10
that the love of money is the root of all sorts of injurious things
And I appreciate that by following Bible principles, I no longer feel the tension and the heart pounding that I used to feel when betting on horses
Things are much better now, and I am able to show love toward others, not just thinking about money as I did before
Separated from her husband, Wendy found family peace by learning about God's Word
I can think of the biblical definition of love
Love is long-suffering and kind, and it does not keep account of the injury
I mean, that is so distinctly different from the worldly view of love
And that has certainly helped us as a couple, because you would always put the other person's interest first
So life is so much better these days
In Brazil, Cesar lived for immorality
His life was transformed when someone showed him the Scriptures
He started the study, stressing Ephesians about the duties of a husband toward the wife
Love your wife, treat her well
This gave me comfort because it was what I was looking for
I wanted to be a moral man
I had a wife that deserved to be treated well because she always was a loyal, submissive wife
Educated, polite, and well-mannered, I saw that the morals taught in the Bible would be those that could repair my life
Taiwanese Chu Kuo, paralyzed from the chest down, finds strength in the Word of God
Psalm 348 tells us, taste and see that Jehovah is good
My encouragement for all those who have impediments, physically or psychologically, is that we can stand up and have faith
As Jesus said, faith, even as small as a mustard seed, can grow and move mountains
Kazuhiro became a millionaire from bicycle racing, but he almost lost his family and his health
However, the Bible gave him new values
I was very much impressed with the Scripture at Matthew 16 26
What benefit will it be to a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?
I thought, yeah, even if I worked really hard but hurt myself, and even if I gained a lot of money and came to have a high position, it would all be in vain if I lost my life
Peter, who lived a life of violence and corruption, reflects on the changes the Bible brought him
Where would I be if I had not studied the Bible? I really don't know. Maybe I would be dead by now, and my family would have been destroyed by now
But then through the changes that I made after studying the Bible, and my whole family as well, we can really say that it has helped us
We are now united, we are one, and we are happy
Mercedes gave up guns and revolution because of the Bible
I live in peace, my family itself is more united
No longer do we feel the confusion and anguish that we experienced before
Now the Bible knowledge has brought us appreciation even from people who knew my previous way of living
They are now amazed at the radical change in my life
Even in countries that are torn by hatred, people are finding solutions to the most difficult problems
When we think of the political situation in Ireland and how the practical guidelines in the Bible could solve that problem, people would really apply them
Because if we really loved our neighbour as ourselves, then we wouldn't plant bombs, we wouldn't have hatred for him, we wouldn't shoot him, we would actually have love
So when I started applying the Bible in my own life and trying to live as Jesus says, to love your neighbour, I found myself not hating these people who I once really hated
I really hated them, the Protestants and the British
As I was applying the Bible, it was making me view people as human beings, not as they're of that religion and they're of that nationality
But I learned to love my neighbour
In Israel, Jews and Arabs have learned to meet together in peace
In South Africa, blacks and whites have found racial harmony, proof that modern problems can be solved by an ancient book
I think it's tremendously practical because many people today say the Bible is an old book, and so it is, but when we read the Bible, it's as modern as any sort of local newspaper
I realised that God's word is true, I never was left in want
Yes, the Bible, although of ancient origin, is also a modern book
Millions of people around the world live happy lives and have a solid hope for the future because of learning its contents
They have personally experienced the Bible's own words, that all scripture is beneficial
Will you let this modern book benefit you?