Overview

The Bible is not a single book but a collection of religious documents compiled for over 1,000 years. Nor does it contain a single message, but many messages that often contradict each other. Each generation of its authors and editors built upon original themes, beginning with God's promise to Abraham of many descendants and a land that would be their inheritance forever. Beginning with King David, God promised him an endless dynasty. The promise evolved into the hope for a super king, an anointed one (Messiah) who would deliver Israel from her enemies and preserve the nation and the dynasty. That was good news (gospel) for the Jews who suffered captivity in Babylon. After the crucifixion of Jesus and his alleged resurrection, Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) transformed Jesus into a super-Messiah to save both Jews and Gentiles from their common enemies--transgressions, the judgment of God, Satan, and death. Gentiles attracted to Paul's message transformed Jesus Christ into God the Savior. The author traces the evolution of the gospel in the Bible by analyzing critical documents in the Old and New Testaments. The value of both Bibles (the Hebrew and Christian Bibles) is that they are very human documents reflecting what ancient people believed, what they hoped, and how they understood the world.

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9781087956299

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