How We Got the Bible

by Timothy Paul Jones

Have you ever wondered who wrote the books in the Bible and how they ended up together? Has anyone ever told you that some books were cut out of the Bible or that the stories of Jesus in the Gospels can't be trusted? In this book, dive into the fascinating account of the most amazing and best-preserved book the world has ever seen. Dr. Timothy Paul Jones gives easy-to-understand answers to popular questions on the Bible's reliability and accuracy.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Church History, Christian, History, Nonfiction, Religion

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Timothy Paul Jones is an American evangelical scholar known for his work in apologetics and family ministry. He serves as the C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jones has authored influential texts defending the historical reliability of the New Testament and has promoted a model of “family-equipping ministry,” which balances family discipleship with age-specific church programs. His apologetics have evolved from evidential to presuppositional approaches, emphasizing the role of the church’s moral witness and care for the marginalized. He has been recognized for books such as Misquoting Truth, How We Got the Bible, and In Church as It Is in Heaven, the latter promoting multiethnic church communities. Jones is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and has been praised as a leading voice in engaging both secular critics and intra-faith debates. He and his wife Rayann have four adopted children.

Reviews

[Jake Wohlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but also Wes Huff talks about basically everything in this book more in depth if you'd rather watch some videos

[Steve Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: http://equip.sbts.edu/publications/to.... Interview: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ar....

[David J. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and helpful.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my Christian Apologetics class with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones.

A decent, brief introduction to how we got the Bible. A nice blend of history and explanation. Some nice graphs and tables. Easy to read. Accessible.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout my childhood, I was presented with a number of opportunities to examine the faith of my parents and the church that we attended. However, most of these opportunities were fairly black and white with challenges coming from folks who were generally antagonistic to Christianity. It wasn't until I attended a Christian university that my New Testament professor introduced me to the world of textual criticism and Bart Ehrman. In spite of his profession of faith and role as a pastor at a local church, that man seemed to do everything he could to undermine the Bible. I was unprepared to refute the claims I encountered, but I didn't thoughtlessly embrace the man's teaching or that of the books he was promoting. God faithfully brought me through that rocky season and used it to strengthen my faith. Over the years, I've continued to study the subject a bit, and I've sought to equip my kids to face "the real world" with a strong, biblical foundation. I want them to examine their beliefs and the beliefs of others and to think critically about them all. When it comes to considering the claims made about Scripture, Timothy Paul Jones has given us an excellent primer in How We Got the Bible.

According to Dr. Jones, the "purpose of this book is to deepen your trust in the Bible by helping you understand how God's written revelation made the journey from the mind of God to the sixty-six texts in your Bible today". In seven concise chapters, Jones explains what the Bible is, how the Old and New Testaments were composed and answers many questions, including:

- What's so special about the Bible?
- Is it different from other books?
- Is it reliable?
- What does it mean that it is inspired and inerrant?
- Do Christians need the Old Testament?
- How was the Bible collected and arranged?
- Which books belong in the Bible?
- Why do some Christian religious groups include additional books (like the Apocrypha) in their Bibles?
- Why don't we continue adding books to the Bible today?
- How did early Christians recognize which texts truly were God's Word and choose to receive them?
- Did early Christians care whether the events described in the New Testament really happened or whether the books were written by the authors who claimed to write them?
- How can the Bible be without error if the copyists made mistakes?
- How do archaeological discoveries such as the 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls serve to confirm the accuracy of the Bible and result in increasingly accurate translations?

Throughout How We Got the Bible, Jones is faithful to the Bible. He utilizes relevant anecdotes and humor to keep his presentation engaging and relates many historical accounts to show the continuing importance of this subject today. He includes numerous visual aids such as colorful paintings, photographs, and charts that are sure to benefit the reader. Jones reminds us of the privilege of having God's Word in our language and concludes his work with a challenge explaining the work that remains for the 1,800 people groups who do not yet have a Bible translation in their language. I recommend this work for any group or individual who desires a gentle introduction to the means through which God has been faithful to bring His Word to us.

*Many thanks to Rose Publishing for a complimentary ebook copy of How We Got the Bible in exchange for my honest opinion!

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

In How We Got the Bible, Dr. Timothy Jones delivers the church an easy-to-read textbook, fulfilling the title perfectly. Don’t let the glossy, full-color pages fool you into thinking that it lacks hefty material—this book could easy be required reading for college students. Coupled with the accompanying DVD with the same title, churches have a wonderful resource for building lay confidence in Scripture in a classroom or small-group setting. I highly recommend for high-schoolers and older.

[Jennifer DeFrates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is slightly academic written at a lay level to help armchair apologists like me understand the history of the text we call the Holy Bible and defend it. I think anyone with concerns about the reliability of scripture would be greatly served by reading this book. The author himself wishes he had had this book when he began to question the reliability of our scriptures and how series of scrolls and papyri became a single book. One of my favorite quotes is from the Acknowledgements in the back, "In the end, I left behind my trust in the supremacy of one single version of the Bible --- but I ended up believing more than ever before in the truths that the Bible taught. I never did find that one fabled manuscript that preserved every syllable of Scripture without a single variant. What I found instead were thousands of manuscripts that, taken together, have preserved the Word of God sufficiently for us to trust and to follow Jesus Christ."

This book has lots of visuals and charts that aid in understanding and make a useful reference source. The author's tone is conversational and sometimes humorous, but also reverential towards the Bible. How We Got the Bible refutes so many of the current, "we can't trust the Bible...." arguments without being argumentative. Jones is straightforward and clear, well-researched, and intelligent. If you've ever felt inadequate to defend the Bible, this book will help you fill that void.

[Kevin Bessey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book to go through a small group study and found it to be very useful in understanding how the bible came together. I also bought the study/leader's guide as well as the six-part DVD series which helped highlight much of the book's content.

The DVD was helpful to use this in a study group, but for personal study this book would have done fine on it's own. The information is organized in way that flows very well and Jones uses plenty of charts, pictures, and notes to break the content up in memorable ways.

Pros: written from the perspective of a seminary professor, the book was laid out in a way that was easy to follow and understand.
Cons: not any, really. This book served it's purpose and did exactly what it needed to do.
Bottom line: highly recommended for anyone in their personal or small group study that would like to understand how the bible came together in present day, without feeling like you're in a seminary class.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction. Very readable, well-organized, and very informative. Dr. Jones presents his material logically and in terms that everyone can understand. He even throws in witty remarks that make the reader smile. He covers topics from the Old Testament used in Jesus' day to the many translations that we have today and how they are classified. Topics I thought of particular interest: why certain books were selected by the Jewish religion to make up the Old Testament Canon; the Gnostic Gospels; and the consistency in the message of the Bible despite the variations in the 5,000 surviving manuscripts (whole or in parts.) These variations include misspellings, omitted words, added words and yes, even some theological changes. But these changes are easy to spot when compared with the many other early manuscripts which Bible scholars have avaiable.

[N. Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

My small group leader recommended this book to me when I asked how and why the deuterocanonical books were classified as canon in the Catholic church but not the Protestant denominations.

I was hoping for a deep dive into early church history, and was sorely disappointed. This book reads like it's aimed at young teenagers. It's filled with too many pop culture references and too much hand-holding. (I know what papyrus is, thanks; you don't have to describe it as an ancient iPad.) The interesting historical facts are few and far between. It also tries very hard to hammer the point home that "all scripture is God-breathed". Yes, I believe that. No, I don't particularly want to get beaten over the head with the arguments for it in every chapter.

[Clay Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the KJV-only movement. This book is not necessarily about that movement, and barely references it explicitly. However, it does demonstrate how it is false. It is a bright, well-illustrated, and easy to read volume on exactly what the title indicates: How We Got the Bible in its present form. It will strengthen your trust in scripture and give you a good background for further study if you are interested in the topic. Highly recommend!

[Hannah Lipetska · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We are deeply indebted to those early copyists of Scripture. Many risked their lives making or saving copies of the New Testament…The Bibles that we have today are as reliable as they are because early copyists preserved the text of the New Testament so well. We have their manuscripts. They should have our gratitude.”
A helpful read. I particularly enjoyed learning about the history of Bible translation. I want to learn more about John Wycliffe now🤓

[Marc Minter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Jones offers both quality information and a fun, fast-paced presentation. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought, "I wish I could know more about this subject, but I just think I would get lost in the weeds of scholarly dates and names." This book will greatly help the novice and enjoyably refresh those who are familiar with the subject.

[Arieshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent beginning resource, this book covers a broad topic very well. If you have ever wondered howl the modern Bible came to be, this is a well written starting point, whether you are a Christian or not. In fact I would encourage non-believing friends to read this book, and use it to begin evangelizing to them. It has also challenged me to study further into the history of the Bible.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent work with a lot of information. The positive points were that there was a good chunk of information presented in a super easy way to follow and understand. Jones is a fantastic communicator. Negative side was that there was just too much reliance on the Critical Text. Preservation and sufficiency of the text is something I fear I will not see a return to in my lifetime. Ad fontes!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An able introduction to how we got the Bible, but overall a little light. The tone and quippy nature makes it seem like it is best for teenagers. It was a little more superficial than I would like, but I appreciated that it was reasonably well footnoted and so could serve as a springboard to more research.

[Aaron Z Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an alright book. I read this as part of a Wednesday study group. There is a dvd that goes along with the book. It gives a preview of how the Bible came about, however the author sometimes puts his own personality a little too much into the book that makes you have to fact check what he is saying is authentic or hyperbole.

[Seth Hering · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing overview of how we got the Bible today. Includes a solid level of detail while still very easy to understand. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more the origins of the Bible. This book has helped me become confident in the accuracy of the Bible’s translation over the years and my ability to communicate that to those who question it.

[Bob Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was written by a Christian apologist who's objective was to convince the reader that the bible (he wasn't clear which version) was the inspired word of god despite all of the literature that disproves it. I found his logic to come up woefully short.

[Rex Blackburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is intended as an introduction to issues like Canon, translation, and transmission of the biblical text. Not bad in that regard, but I think James White's 'The King James Only Controversy' gives much more detailed and helpful information.

[Monique Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read.

There is much education in here, one may not be won over but will indeed be more knowledgeable as to how we got the sacred text. Don’t be shy, give it a try. Then read the Bible in the best translation for you, why come this far and not be saved.

[Alicia Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and great for additional study. I've always known that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and that its history is full and interesting. This book delves even more into it and I'm so glad to have read it. I'm sure I'll read it again more than once. Highly recommend!

[Nate Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Packed full of facts and history, this was an engaging read on the origins of Scripture and how God has preserved his Word throughout the years and multiple translations.

[Eric Fults · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introductory piece on the origins, preservation, and canonization of the Bible. Easy to read and very helpful!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and organized, easy to read and discuss with teen to adult.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, informative book on the history of the Bible. Very well laid out and organized.

[AM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and informative!

[Arthur Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book. Especially for kids.

[Spencer Wendell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was helpful, however it was pretty rudimentary in historical data concerning how we got the Bible.

[Caleb Batchelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and well-written.