THE UNIQUE BOOK
Every time you see or hold a Bible in your hands, you are holding something that is completely unique! Many people do not know how special this book is, so it is worth spending a few words on it.
BESTSELLER. When the renowned Johann Gutenberg (from Germany) invented the printing press in the 15th century, and it became possible to mass-produce books, the Bible was first in line. Since then, the Bible has been the world's most widely printed and sold book ever.
ORIGIN. The Bible, which is actually a mini library between two covers, was created over a period of about 1500 years. The world knows of no other book with a similar history.
MANUSCRIPTS. Needless to say, all writings from the time span the biblical books originate, are handwritten manuscripts. Writing was a demanding craft in several ways. The writing instrument was a straw or a feather. The ink was applied to "sheets" of the Papyrus plant. Papyrus is a straw up to ten centimeters thick and several meters high with special properties. The straw stem was cut into thin layers, which were placed on top of each other in a crisscross pattern. The sap in the stem acted as glue, thus providing a writing surface. Without an eraser, writing had to be carried out with the greatest care.
NUMBER. Based on the previous, we can easily understand why only important things were written down. The vast majority of manuscripts from antiquity (about 1500 BC to 500 AD) have disappeared over the centuries, understandably so. It is therefore incredibly interesting that there are more preserved manuscript copies of the biblical writings than of any other written material from the time before printing began! Reputable European museums hold around 5,500 such handwritten New Testament manuscripts. What does that tell us? Exactly: That from the very beginning, the biblical writings have been perceived as extraordinarily significant.
HISTORICALITY. When people go around claiming that “the Bible is an old fairy tale,” we don’t need to be irritated. We can rather smile a little at their ignorance. If any ancient book is historical, the Bible is. It bears all the hallmarks of true history: Names of people, names of places, time references and the mention of recognizable details remove any doubt that this is real history and not fairy tales. We can let Acts 18:1-4 be an example for reflection:
“After this he left Athens and came to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Emperor Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to them and stayed with them, because they were in the same trade, and they worked together. They were tent-makers by trade. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”
WORDS OF LIFE. Having said all this about the exclusivity of the Bible as a historical document, the most important thing remains: The Bible brings us Christ! The Reconciler. The Risen One. The Word made flesh. Life itself!
