Dating the Bible

With the exception of a couple of fragments (found among the Dead Sea scrolls), discussed below, no Bible texts that we currently have predate about 200 BCE. Nor are they mentioned by historians outside Israel. Therefore differences that exist between different schools are more ideologically driven than based on historical documentation.

Related Topics:
Dead Sea scrolls - Bible - 200 BCE - Israel

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There are two main schools of thought: one based on the belief that the Bible is an accurate history of God?s actions into history, and the other, about 200 years old, has a spread of beliefs ranging from ?maximalists?, who believe that most of the Bible may be historical, to ?minimalists? who accept almost none.

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