Information Related to "How Did We Get the Bible?"
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How was the Bible actually put together? How do we know that the Bible contains the books that it should have? These are important questions, and many books have been written to address them.
These questions concern the canon—the group or list of books that are considered to be inspired by God. The word canon is originally from a Semitic word, qaneh in Hebrew. It meant "reed" or "stalk," which is how it is used in Job 40:21 and 1 Kings 14:15. From this it conveys a secondary meaning of something with which to measure, a standard or benchmark.
The word then found its way into Greek, where it took the form kanon. And through Greek and into the Latin canna, it comes to us in the English form of canon—not to be confused, of course, with the large, heavy military gun known as a cannon (a word which also derives from the root meaning "reed" because it is a tube).
The dictionary states that other meanings of canon include regulations, principles, rules or standards of judgment. These bring us back to the ancient meaning of a measure, standard or benchmark—in this case the issue of which writings meet the standard or benchmark of being considered part of the inspired, hand-recorded Word of God.
The word Bible comes to us again through Latin from the Greek word biblia, meaning "books." It contains the books (originally written on scrolls) that are acknowledged or understood to be the canonical—divinely inspired—books of God. One might say, accurately, that they are the standard by which every human being should live.
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Sidebar to Has the Bible Been Preserved Accurately?
Table of Contents that includes "How Did We Get the Bible?"
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