The Holy Bible

Waldmark, 04 June 2008

Not only is the Bible the first and therefore oldest book on earth, I am convinced it is also the source of wisdom and the inspiration for understanding.

The Bible consists of two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament, each being a collection of writings, or books. The authors of these books lived in widely differing times and areas, over a time-span of more than 1500 years. Yet, because they were inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, their accounts confirm or enhance one another in stunning agreement.

An important book in the Bible is Genesis. As the name implies, this book tells us about the origins, the genealogy, of man and of the earth and of the wider cosmos. For anyone interested in finding the meaning of life, reading the Book of Genesis seems a most appropriate starting point since it allows one to trace how mankind and the universe came about in the first place.

The Book of Genesis offers fascinating insights in the circumstances of humanity, as well as an amazingly knowledgeable account of some aspects of the universe that modern science – with the aid of telescopes and microscopes and explorer missions – has only just now advanced to. I especially recommend focussing attention on the very first chapter of the book while assuming that it was actually hand written by the Author of Life and Cosmos.

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Who understands the Bible?

Just as God’s Holy Spirit has inspired the writing of the Bible, so His Spirit is, even today, inspiring an understanding of the words. Essentially, because the Bible is a spiritual book, it needs a spiritual approach in order to be grasped.

That is not to say that a scholarly or a disciplined method could not lead to new insights and perspectives. Clearly that happens continuously, especially concerning historical and other factual backgrounds.

It does mean, however, that in order to grasp the wisdom hidden in the words of the Bible it is necessary to be reverent to Adonai, the God of the Bible. After all, the fear (reverence, awe, deep respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This approach may help a person appreciate that there is only little value in knowledge itself, regardless of the number and the sizes of the libraries mankind chooses for its storage; knowledge needs wisdom external from itself for instructions on how and when it is applicable.

It is precisely this wisdom, this bird’s eye perspective on mankind’s accumulated knowledge, that the Bible provides. Mankind’s knowledge – let’s call it science and history – describes in ever increasing detail the universe, our world, mankind, and the way it all interrelates with each other. The Bible describes why there is such knowledge in the first place and in doing so places knowledge itself in perspective, within a framework that describes how and in what way are science and history relevant, but also, when its ability to explain is exhausted and where its boundaries lie.

It’s a very interesting book, this Bible.

Tags: Holy Bible, cosmos, Bijbel, Genesis, knowledge, wisdom