Forgeries in the Bible

by Bandoli.no

Errors and forgeries in the Bible. A brief overview.

Of all the 66 texts in the Bible, there doesn't exist one single handwritten original. We don't even have the first copies of the originals, we just have copies of copies of copies of copies etc. The writers in Antiquity also had somewhat looser standards for accuracy when writing down or copying texts. Sometimes they wrote in other authors' names (usually more famous and authoritative, authors), - they usually added, subtracted, altered and removed "historical" events in the texts as they saw fit. They often mixed fiction with non-fiction, and some could write texts in the name of their adversaries to discredit them, and then use the forged text against them later. Cunning...

To start with the beginning:
The Old Testament.
The first five texts in the Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are not written by Moses as the Church usually claims. Unknown Jewish priests wrote these five books between 900 and 100 BC. Their final editing was first done around 200 AD. The Psalms of David are not written by him, but were actually written much later.
We have our knowledge of this king David ("the bloodhound") from his son, the "prophet" Solomo (in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon). But then there is the problem that the alleged Solomon died at least 100-400 years before these texts ascribed to him were first created! Looking at the texts, it is obvious that they are the product of several different writers, writing at different times between 500 BC and 100 AD.

Both Judges, Kings and Chronicles are anonymous manuscripts, written at a much later time than the events they present. The same is the case for the books of the so-called prophets, which also were subjected to heavily editing later. (Prophecies made much later than the events they predict, are never particularly impressive.)

The chapters 24-27 and 40-55 of Isaiah, are forgeries in Isaiah's name. Only the first chapter of Zechariah are really by him, the rest is a forgery. Only 200-300 of the total 1273 verses by Ezekiel are probably by Ezekiel. Etc etc.

A lot of the stories in the Old Testament are in fact borrowed material. Particularly from the rich mythical heritage of the Sumerians, the inventors of writing. The story of Noah and the great flood, Cain and Abel, the gardens of Eden, creation of Eve from Adams rib, and numerous other myths are stories found recorded on Sumerian clay tablets dating 2-3000 years back, long before the earliest parts of the Old Testament were written down.

The version of the Old Testament as we know it (with its 39 texts) was first assembled in the 15th Century AD!! Up through history there have existed a number of different Christian Bibles. All the different early Christian sects had their own compilation of religious texts, and way different creeds. Most of our Old Testament is based on translated medieval manuscripts not older then the 9.th or 10.th century AD.

The New Testament
None of the gospels were written to be part of a "holy Bible" inspired by God (Simply because the Bible as such, didn't exist at that time.) We don't know anything about who wrote the gospels. The Church ascribed the names of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John to the texts much later. These four texts were not originally in the Bible, and they first became authoritative (approved by the church) late in the 2. century AD. The gospels are all written in Greek and there is no indication of any Hebrew originals, which rules out that the authors could be anyone among the followers of Jesus (who spoke Arameic). According too the gospels both Jesus and his disciples had no education and were illiterates, as most of their contemporaries. The gospel texts are also heavily edited by editors, in particular the gospel of St. John.

The letters of John are not written by John the apostle. All the "Catholic letters" (I Peter, II Peter, I-III John, Jude) are also forgeries. And six of the thirteen letters of St. Paul are not by him. Even his "real" letters were later heavily edited by the Church.
Around 400 AD the scholar Hieronimus made a major editing of the Latin Bible, the result is the Latin Vulgata version of the Bible. This became the mother of all later translations. Hieronimus changed no less than 3500(!) instances in the text.

Among the later added parts, not in the original Gospel texts:
The sermon on the Mount,
The story of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:1-21)
and the stories of Jesus' resurrection!


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There are two classes of men:
intelligent men without religion,
and religious men without intelligence.

Abu Ala Al-Ma'arri,
Arab philosopher 973 - 1057 AD