Exam 2: Why Is the Bible so Hard to Understand

Correct Answer:

Verified

The Bible is not a single book but a collection of many books written over a long period of time and in different places. We do not have the original-or even a near copy of an original-manuscript for any biblical book but rely upon long distant copies transmitted by hand for centuries. These books are written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), and those languages changed significantly over time. These books were also written by numerous authors, most of whom were anonymous, and include many pseudonymous books or books falsely attributed to a historical figure. Not knowing the historical or social context of a given book can make it more difficult to understand. These authors also did not all agree with one another and came from different historical contexts or worldviews-and their contexts and worldviews were all radically different from those of modern readers. There are also numerous genres of literature represented in the Bible, with some books including sections of more than one genre or even combining different genres into one. There are also numerous internal tensions and discrepancies within and among the various books. Finally, many of the historical details found in various biblical books are either unverified or outright contradicted by external evidence such as archaeology. It is therefore imperative to take a careful historical and literary approach to bridge these gaps and get as close as possible to how these documents might have been understood in their own contexts.