If the Bible Was Written by Humans, Does that Change Its Reliability?

How the Bible Was Formed Q+R (E5) — What is the relationship between the written word of the Bible and Jesus as the Word at the beginning of creation? How do we reconcile the Bible’s editing process with Scriptures that forbid adding or taking away from God’s word? And what should we do with other writings that closely followed the New Testament? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from our How the Bible Was Formed series. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!CHAPTERSIntro (0:00-1:16)Do you have any new learnings or discoveries since the Making of the Bible series? (1:16-7:45)Does the Bible being written by humans, but inspired by God, change its reliability? (7:45-17:07)What is the relationship between the written word of the Bible and Jesus as the Word at creation? (17:07-31:00)How do you reconcile humans editing the Bible during its development with Scriptures that command not to add to or take away from God's Word? (31:00-42:18)What should we do with other writings that closely followed the New Testament? (42:18-1:00:46)Outro (1:00:46-1:02:52)REFERENCED RESOURCESThe first question references the Making of the Bible series from Tim’s podcast Exploring My Strange Bible.The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible by Paul D. WegnerThe Apostolic Fathers in English by Michael W. HolmesNew Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1: More Noncanonical Scriptures, edited by Tony BurkeThe Apocryphal New Testament, edited by J. K. ElliottCheck out our newly released video series, The Deuterocanon / Apocrypha.You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSICBibleProject theme song by TENTS SHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Redemption E4 — During a dark time in ancient Israel, idolatry, injustice, and death ruled the land and its people. In the midst of a famine, a destitute widow tragically loses her husband and adult sons and is left alone with her immigrant daughter-in-law. It’s a horrible situation, but God uses the faithful, loving, and generous acts of ordinary community members to redeem the widow’s story. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the cosmic redemption playing out in the short but profound story of Ruth.CHAPTERSRecap and Setup for Ruth (0:00-13:37)A Story Opening in Tragedy (13:37-27:26)In Comes the Redeemer (27:26-38:18)The Redeemer Redeems (38:18-53:43)Ordinary Acts of Love as Cosmic Redemption (53:43-1:04:40)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSICFour songs by Jackie Hill Perry“The Art of Joy”“Suffering Servant”“Ode To Lauryn”“Better”BibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Redemption E3 — So far in this series, we’ve explored the theme of redemption in the Eden story and in several stories in Exodus. In this episode, Jon and Tim look at how redemption language shows up in Torah laws about cities of refuge and unsolved murders, highlighting God’s provision for justice, the role of the blood redeemer, and communal responsibility in ancient Israel.CHAPTERSRecap of Where We’ve Been (0:00-10:50)Cities of Refuge and the “Blood Redeemer” (10:50-21:10)Preventing Bloodshed in the Land (21:10-29:29)A Sacrifice to Redeem a Guilty Community (29:29-47:20) OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Hard Times” by Courtland Urbano“Blue Sky” by C y g n“Untitled” by unknown artistBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Redemption E2 — Redemption involves a transfer of possession, and in the grand story of the Bible, humanity is under the possession of sin and death. But God’s plan is to snatch us back from death and bring us to life—to redeem us. But how does this redemption actually work? In this episode, Jon and Tim look at the Torah rituals of Jubilee and Passover, discovering the life-saving redemption that God is up to in both of these rituals.CHAPTERSRecap and Setup for Redemption in the Torah (0:00-11:24)Jubilee as a Redemption of Land and People (11:24-31:05)Redemption in the Passover Rescue (31:05-01:01:20)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Where Is the Love” by Johnny Gorillas“Lonely Like This Moon” by KicktracksBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Redemption E1 — Following our series on the Exodus Way, we’re going to explore a word that first shows up in the Exodus scroll, redemption. This word can mean lots of things: redeeming a coupon, redeeming an otherwise bad day, or—from a Christian perspective—being redeemed by Jesus. But what does redemption actually refer to in the story of the Bible? Jon and Tim kick off this new theme series by exploring how this word is used throughout Scripture and then defining the two Hebrew words that are translated as “redemption” or “redeem.”CHAPTERSBiblical Redemption (0:00-11:08): Jesus’ Sacrifice as Redemption (11:08-29:23)The Meaning of Ga’al and Padah (29:23-48:36)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Cookie” by Benno“Venice Beach” by Randy SharpBibleProject theme song by TENTS SHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

The story of Pentecost in Acts 2 is brimming with rich imagery and hyperlinks from the Hebrew Bible. God’s Spirit dramatically fills a house of Jesus’ followers like a wind, and fire burns over the disciples' heads as they begin speaking languages from across the known world! What is happening here, and how is it a fulfillment of God’s promises? In this re-released episode from our 2018 Luke-Acts series, Jon and Tim trace the significance of Pentecost, revealing how God’s presence now dwells within his people and empowers them to advance his Kingdom mission.CHAPTERSFire at Pentecost and the Place Where Heaven and Earth Meet (0:00–2:15)The Fiery Arrival of the Promised Helper (2:15–11:27)Overlaying Ancient Stories of God's Presence (11:27–24:12)Peter's Speech to the Crowd (24:12–31:13)Recovering the Exiles (31:13–35:37)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCES“Pentecost: Acts 1-7” from our Luke-Acts video seriesActs (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Eckhard J. SchnabelThe Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus: Luke's Account of God's Unfolding Plan by Alan J. ThompsonYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Color Pallette 90” by Dan Koch“Do it Right” by Dan Koch“Fall Back” by Dan KochBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSThis episode was originally produced in 2018 by Jon Collins, Dan Gummel, and Matthew Halbert-Howen. Production of today’s re-release is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

How the Bible Was Formed E4 — In the last three episodes of this short series, we focused on the formation of the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament. We also talked about other works of literature from the Second Temple period, known collectively as the Deuterocanon or Apocrypha. Today, we’ll finally explore yet another collection of Second Temple literature that was formed around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—the New Testament. In this episode, Jon and Tim look at the people in the early Jesus movement who wrote, collected, and distributed these biographies about Jesus and letters to churches across the Roman Empire.CHAPTERSThe Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures (0:00-13:51)What the Gospels Are and How They Came to Be (13:51-25:42)The Crew Who Shaped the New Testament (25:42-47:19)The Letters That Lasted (47:19-52:35)Sacred Scribal Abbreviations (52:35-1:05:01)Conclusion to Series (1:05:01-1:08:15)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe DidacheJesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard BauckhamThe Formation and Significance of the Christian Biblical Canon: A Study in Text, Ritual and Interpretation by Tomas BokedalCheck out the The Deuterocanon / Apocrypha video series.You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“at the pictures” by Lofi Sunday, Cassidy Godwin “little adventures” by Lofi Sunday, Cassidy Godwin “Church Pew ft. Oly.Lo, WISDM-02” by Lofi Sunday “Yo-05” by Lofi Sunday, Just DerrickBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

How the Bible Was Formed E3 — Today, most Bibles are a single book that’s easy to carry and flip through. But the Bible started as an assortment of scrolls, bound together into a collection. The Hebrew Bible—or the Old Testament—went through a centuries-long, iterative development process with a variety of scribes and prophets. It didn’t come into its final form until roughly the time of Jesus. So how does this history interact with a view of Scripture as God’s word? In this episode, Jon and Tim continue exploring the formation of the Bible, discussing how to hold a high view of these sacred texts while also acknowledging the humans who shaped them. CHAPTERSAn Inspired, Collaborative Work Over Centuries (0:00-12:00)A Final Shaping of the Hebrew Bible After Exile (12:00-26:59)The Second Temple Period’s Flourishing Literary Culture (26:59-43:42)The Tanak’s Standardization as the Masoretic Text (43:42-53:32)Wisdom Literature Designed for Meditation and Formation (53:32-1:00:03)Coming to Peace With the Bible’s Formation (1:00:03-1:05:02)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible by Paul D. WegnerYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Nice Day ft. Marc Vanparla, John Lee” by Lofi Sunday “Know My Name” by Lofi Sunday, Opto Music “But Hopeful ft. Maddox.” by Lofi Sunday “Forever Yours ft. Cassidy Godwin” by Lofi SundayBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, and he also edited today's episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

 How the Bible Was Formed E2 — The Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, is a collection of 24 scrolls, passed down for generations, that tells the long, complicated story of ancient Israel. But who wrote these scrolls, and how did they come together in their final form? And how do we understand the claim that these books are the very voice of God? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the formation of the Hebrew Bible and the crew who shaped its stories, poems, and laws into intricately designed literary works.CHAPTERSThe First Writing Mentioned in the Torah (2:56-13:01)Prophets as a Spirit-Led, Multigenerational Literary Community (13:01-36:30)Divine Inspiration in a Diverse, Literary Mosaic (36:30-1:03:20)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Lost World Series by John H. Walton and othersThe Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority by John H. Walton and Brent SandyThe Shape of the Writings (Siphrut: Literature and Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures), edited by Julius Steinberg and Timothy J. StoneYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“StrollingThroughThePark ft. Goodiegumdrops” by Lofi Sunday“Radiance ft. solae” by Lofi SundayBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, and he also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

How the Bible Was Formed E1 — If you’ve ever compared a Protestant Bible to a Catholic Bible, you may notice some additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, etc. These books, called the Deuterocanon by Catholics and the Apocrypha by Protestants, are Jewish Literature from the period after the Babylonian exile but before the time of Jesus. The Jewish people were back in the land, being ruled by Syria and other empires descended from Alexander the Great. As they read the Hebrew Bible, they created many new literary works, reflecting on stories in Scripture and what was happening in their own day. So how do we understand the status and value of these books when compared to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the background, history, and content of this Second-Temple Jewish literature.CHAPTERSMultiple Bibles on the Shelf (00:00-21:10)History of the Protestant Apocrypha (21:10-34:35)How Jesus and the Apostles Engaged With These Books (34:35-43:05)Why We’re Talking About the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (43:05-57:36)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by James H. CharlesworthOld Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, edited by Richard Bauckham, James Davila, Alex PanayotovYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Pure Joy ft. John Lee” by Lofi Sunday“Chillbop ft. Me & The Boys” by Lofi Sunday“Answered Prayers ft. PAINT WITH SOUND” by Lofi SundayBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.