“Bible” in Greek means small books, small in size and containing relatively short stories. Therefore, for a very long time this word was used in relation to all scrolls and documents. Later they began to call them letters, manuscripts, books, which differed in content and had a common theme. So the word “Bible” appeared as a proper name. What language was the Bible written in and what manuscript is considered the first? Let's deal with languages first.
Two languages - two parts
It is customary to see such a division: the first part - from Genesis to Malachi and the second - from Matthew to Revelation. Since they were written over the centuries, the languages spoken by the people who respected this book changed. Therefore, the question of what language the Bible was written in should be approached in detail: the Old Testament (first part) is written mainly in Hebrew (some passages in Aramaic), and the New Testament (second part) in Greek.
Naturally, over time, under the yoke of other peoples, the Jews adopted their language. Now for most of them, the Hebrew Bible is no longer understood. They spoke Greek, and if previous generations still understood the Scriptures, those who grew up in captivity already needed a Bible in Greek.
Septuagint
The need for a new translation was very vividly felt among the Jewish people, and 72 people were gathered who understood both languages well and set to work. The goal was to translate the Scriptures from biblical Hebrew to common Greek. As a result, completely Jewish Scriptures in Greek became available to the people by the end of the II century BC. e. Translation has gained widespread acceptance and has become frequently used. He was later named by the number of translators: "Septuagint", which means the number 70.
Other translations were created on its basis. Thus, the Vatican Codex, which was based on the Septuagint and included most of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, is very respected and reliable. It was added in the 4th century BC. e., but for a long time was inaccessible even to eminent scientists. Later, the Sinai and Alexandria codes appeared. However, with the spread of various translations, more and more errors began to appear. If initially one thought was written in the Hebrew language, then in more modern translations it could acquire a completely different meaning or turn into another, which is why the biblical stories themselves were distorted.
Which Bible can be considered the first?
By understanding what language the Bible was written in, it will be interesting to know when it was written. So, over time, the Greek language ceased to be widely used, and Latin gained great popularity. Most of the books were written on it, and all the training was in Latin. Cassiodor - a well-educated person who understands a lot of Latin grammar - saw the need to translate the Bible into that language. In addition, he had the opportunity to compare earlier scriptures in different languages with each other and understood what unforgivable mistakes were made during the translation.
Therefore, he gathered translators who were well versed in the grammar of the Latin language, and set a goal for them - to create a new, understandable translation. However, he did not place too much emphasis on grammar, but paid attention to meaning. He combined the Vulgate in Latin, old-Latin translations and already existing codes (Sinai, Vatican). As a result, the Grand Code, as it was later called, was the first translation that contained all the books of the Bible. The code is dated approximately V - VI century BC. e., and in this form the Word of God has survived to this day. Most often, the code is considered the very first Bible that everyone is used to seeing.
Uniqueness
Despite the fact that Christianity in some parts of the Earth is not as widespread as, for example, Buddhism or Islam, the Bible has long been a bestseller in the world market. It has been translated into more than 3,000 languages, while translation activities continue. What is the uniqueness of this book and why is it causing keen interest, heated discussions of critics and biblical scholars for many centuries? For example, all 66 books that it contains are consistent with each other and do not contradict each other. In many places, authors cite earlier books and even quote or retell entire stories.
So, Paul speaks of Abraham, of how he kept to the Mosaic Law and for this he was recognized as righteous (Romans 4: 3-12). He quotes Genesis 15: 6. Also known is the case when Jesus cites the example of people before the flood: “As in the days before then, people ate, drank and got married ...” (Matthew 24: 37-39). What he said was consistent with the events described in Genesis, chapters 6–8. Thus, biblical stories are consistent among themselves, although they are often written independently of each other.
66 books that have crossed the language barrier
There are 66 books in all that are written by 40 authors. Everyone who wrote the Bible acknowledges that they wrote it "under the inspiration of God." Often there are phrases: “Thus saith the Lord,” “Thus said God,” “These are the words of the Lord.” Starting with the book of Genesis: it says a prophecy about Christ, the details of which are gradually revealed in subsequent books. The Bible itself is divided into several semantic sections:
- Pentateuch or Law;
- The prophets;
- The scriptures;
- The gospel;
- Letters.
The era of translators
Today it no longer raises questions in what language the Bible was written, but there is still debate about the correctness of its translations. Modern biblical scholars have much more conditions for the study of ancient manuscripts than those who tried to make it understandable centuries ago. In addition, a large number of scrolls and ancient manuscripts have been discovered that help restore lost fragments or clarify dubious places. These include the Dead Sea Scrolls, perfectly preserved to this day due to the climate and the conditions in which they lay. Now these are the oldest copies of scripture known to science. Thanks to them, a more accurate understanding and in-depth study of the Word of God has become possible.