The Story of the Bible: What It Is and How We Got It

It has been my privilege to devote my career to studying and teaching the Bible. My study of the Bible as God’s inspired Word began during my college days at the University of Oregon. I met weekly with a small group of fellow students to read the Bible and share our personal thoughts and reflections. Our many questions led us to dig deeper in our search for answers.My interest in studying the Bible peaked as I approached college graduation. My absorption with the Bible led me to enroll at Western Seminary to continue my studies. After receiving both the Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Western, I considered seeking a pastoral ministry, but felt that a few more years of study would better equip me to help others explore the teachings of the Bible. After being accepted into a doctoral degree program at Dallas Theological Seminary, I spent the next three years being mentored and guided by my professors as I prepared for my career as a preacher and Bible teacher.When I completed my studies at Dallas Seminary in 1977, I was invited to teach the Biblical Literature at Western Seminary. Returning to Portland, Oregon where I had earned my previous degrees, I was privileged to spent the next forty years studying and teaching the Bible.While my focus in teaching the Bible has been the gospel centeredmessageof Scripture, I also sought to answer questions about the book itself. What essentially is the Bible? How did the Bible come into being? How was it revealed to humanity? Who recorded the sacred texts? How has it been preserved? Who translated the Bible from the original texts? Why do we have an Old Testament and a New Testament? How do these two parts of the Bible relate to each other? Why should we be interested in reading the Bible? Which translation best preserves the meaning of the prophets and apostles?This book is intended to answer these and many more questions which readers may have about the Bible. There are many books and commentaries that have been written to explain and expound the Bible