Who Wrote the Bible: Presbyterian belief.

Dr. Rev. Timothy Coombs' explanation of who wrote the bible.

Who wrote the Bible?

Life of Jesus Christ

Jesus of Nazareth was a Galilean Jew born at the beginning of the first century. He was born during a time when the Roman Empire was in power and was controlling Jewish provinces. What is known about Jesus’s life is derived from the four gospels in the New Testament.

The gospels say that Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem. Jesus’s birth was a miracle and he was born to a virgin mother, the gospels say that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. Jesus spent his childhood in Galilee, the gospels say he began to work as a carpenter as he grew older.

The gospels go on to tell the story of Jesus’s baptism, performed by John the Baptist, after which a voice from Heaven says that Jesus is my son and the Holy Spirit comes down to Jesus. After this Jesus begins his ministry, and he appoints twelve apostles. Jesus and his apostles then go on to teach and preach about the Kingdom of God. During this time Jesus also performed many miracles that proved his divinity to his followers. But these miracles also caught the attention of others, those that are against his teachings and these men plot to kill Jesus.

At the Last Supper, the last time that Jesus and his 12 apostles are all together before his death, Jesus predicts that one of his apostles will betray him. In the gospels the betrayer is said to be Judas, Judas identifies Jesus, by kissing him, to a group of Jewish priests and who arrest him and put him on trial. They accused Jesus of claiming to be the King of Jews and take him to Roman governor Pontius Pilate to judge him. Pilate finds Jesus not to be guilty but then put Jesus, along with another prisoner, in front of a crowd and gives them the power to choose which prisoner gets released. The gospels say that the Jewish priests convince the crowd to choose the other prisoners and Jesus is sent to be crucified.

The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci

Judas's Betrayal

After Jesus is crucified and dies he is buried in a tomb, the gospels say that one week after the crucifixion Jesus’s tomb is found empty and he has been resurrected. Jesus then appears to the disciples with messages for them, and before he ascends to heaven he tells them to spread his teachings to the world. 

Jesus's crucifixion

Christian History - General

Christianity was founded early-mid 1^st century AD in Palestine, what was then known as the Levant. Christianity has both Judaic and Pagan roots; it is based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Christianity is now the world’s largest religions, there are an estimated 2.1 billion followers of Christianity and these followers are called Christians. There are many different types of Christians throughout the world as Christianity has many different branches. The major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. 

Christians believe in God as one being who exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (also known as The Trinity). They believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God who is both human and divine, was sent to save the world. The Bible, the sacred text of Christianity, is considered the word of God. The bible includes both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  

Christians worship through prayers and hymns, this is usually done during gatherings at churches. They also have sacraments such as Baptism and Confession. Evangelism is where Christians preach the Gospel and their beliefs to others with the intent to convert them, this has helped Christianity spread throughout the world. There are also many symbols within Christianity including one of the most recognizable symbols in the world today the cross.

Protestantism & The Reformation

In the 16th century, a new denomination of Christianity was formed and spread quickly throughout Europe. Many cultural, religious, and political factors caused the split of the Christian Church. Firstly, the leaders of Catholic Church in the west and leaders of the Orthodox Church in the east of Europe both made claims to be the Pope. Catholic and Protestant priests and bishops tried to hold and gain power to legitimize their claim and in doing so engaged in war, resisted reform, and built up their coffers, which angered the laity. Furthermore, England was becoming much more powerful in Europe and following the direction of a Pope in Rome was inconvenient for one particular King, Henry VIII. King Henry had so far been unable to produce a male heir to the throne with his current wife, Catherine of Aragon, and lusted for Anne Boleyn. The King, unable to full-fill his desire to be with Anne while married, requested a divorce from Pope Celment VII. The Pope denied the divorce. King Henry then claimed that the Pope did not have jurisdiction over England and eventually divorced Catherine without approval from Rome. This was the final break from Rome. The reformation swept across the United Kingdom and soon it became treason to remain Catholic.

Protestants share the core beliefs of all other Christians: the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible, the Trinity, and the divinity of Christ. Different to other denominations however, Protestants adhere to the scripture in the Bible alone and it is the supreme authority for the church. Less importance is placed on traditional liturgy as the path to Salvation is a personal journey based on faith in Jesus. For example, Protestant clergy are allowed to marry and have children. Another example is the departure from the traditional hierarchy of the Catholic church. Instead of a hierarchy of priests and bishops Protestants believe in a universal priesthood of believers, and that the laity may take in government and public affairs of the church. 

Today there are many variations of Protestantism around the world; Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptists, Lutheran, and Episcopalian the most prevalent. Protestants are most concentrated in the U.K., Scandinavian countries, Germany, the United States, Australia, and South Africa.

 

Eastern Orthodox

The division of Christianity to East and West stemmed from similar political and cultural differences that divided the Roman Empire shortly after the first Millennium. Claims over who was the universal pope and differences in belief over the origin of the Holy Spirit, combined with a political struggle between the Rome in the west and Constantinople in the east divided the church in what is referred to as the "Great Schism". The Catholic Pope excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople and in return Latin churches were closed in the East. The church remained divided; however, in 1965 Pope Paul VI attempted to bring the churches closer together by formally lifting the excommunication of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The Eastern Orthodox church is organized similarly to the Catholic church except for the power held by its leader, the Patriarch of Constantinople. While the Patriarch is the head of the church he does not have the same powers given to the Pope. Each region of the Orthodox church is governed by a bishop. Major Orthodox Church's include the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and other churches mostly spread throughout the Balkan states and others in Jerusalem and America.

The beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox are founded on Christian principles of the Bible, the Old Testament and New Testament, and the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Freewill is a key concept in Christianity and arguably more prevalent in the Orthodox faith. Catholics and Protestants ask for forgiveness for the sin of Adam and Eve almost in a legal fashion; however, Eastern Orthodox Christians receive communion with God and participate in His divine life. The complete communion with God means freedom for humans to not be God but act as God, and are most human when living without sin.

Orthodox religion survived Muslim influence in Turkey, the Balkans, and the Middle East throughout history largely because of its highly liturgical worship practices and lack of reformations. Examples of this are the Greek language used in prayer, traditional music, and traditional dress.

Catholicism

The Catholic Church, also referred to as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest denomination of Christianity. For the first thousand years of Christianity there was only one universal church. The term 'Roman Catholic' was only created in the sixteenth century to differentiate those Catholics that were in communion with Pope from the Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Like the East Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church still claims to be the one, true, holy, and universal church.

The largest concentration of Catholics are in Latin America, making up almost half of its over one billion followers. Almost a quarter of its followers are in Europe with the rest spread between Africa, Asia, and North America in that order.

 Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Protestants share fundamental beliefs in the Bible, the divinity of Christ, and the Holy Trinity. Their similarities put them under the same religious umbrella of Christianity. However, one key differentiating factor of the Catholic faith is the apostolic succession. It holds that the Pope and his bishops of the Vatican, or Holy See, have been given the spiritual authority Jesus gave to his apostles. Catholics accept as factually true the scriptures of Jesus as determined by the Catholic Church and interpreted by its bishops. Catholics follow the scriptures in the Bible a and uniquely Catholic traditions and sacraments, such as the bread in mass, the Eucharist, becoming the body of Christ after a blessing by the Priest.

Catholics have other unique beliefs and traditions. A Catholic mass is usually more formal and the Eucharist is celebrated more frequently than in Protestant churches. The veneration of saints is another tradition not practised by Protestants, although it is by Eastern Orthodox Christians. In Catholicism, the Pope has the authority to make a deceased Catholic a Saint and Catholics worship saints in prayer. An example of this is the 'Hail Mary', a Catholic prayer to the virgin mother of God. More currently, the Holy See is in the process of possibly making Mother Teresa a saint.

The Christian Afterlife

 The Christian belief regarding the Afterlife is a huge topic because of the Bibles apparent ambiguity on the subject. Each denomination and individual Christian seems to have their own ideas about what the Bible tells us happens when we die. This depends on what passages are taken literally or metaphorically. Generally, they all appear to vary to some degree around the theme of eventually spending eternity in either Heaven or Hell.

 Heaven is a place, physically or spiritually, where one spends eternity basking in God’s love, free from suffering and sin. Whereas Hell is a place where sinners and non-believers are punished.

 The Roman Catholic Church also believes in two other places called Purgatory and Limbo. Purgatory is a place where people with unconfessed sins go before they may continue to heaven. It is traditionally viewed as a place of torment and unimaginable pain, for the purpose of purifying the soul. Limbo is a place where unbaptized infants spend eternity suspended between heaven and hell. Though many Catholics still believe in Limbo, a concept they devised in the 13^th century, the Catholic Church officially denounced the idea of it in 2007, stating that God wants all to be saved and would certainly make an exception for babies who didn’t have time to be baptized.

 Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Limbo cover just a few general Christian beliefs about the Afterlife, and there are far too many to cover in this post. 

Sources:

Religioustollerance.org

Religionfacts.com

Reuters.com (Catholic Church Buries Limbo after centuries)

Cathar.info