Before the real Bible was changed, there was 777 Books of the Bible. Why is there now only 66 Books in the Bible? Is there 777 Books in the original Bible?
Hi Bill. Maybe you've picked up on this information from a source not readily available to us. What we do know is that there were many writings, both what are considered apocryphal books & other little known, possibly spurious, writings. These were generally single productions on parchment or on other material & have been lost to us. Only the apocryphal books have survived and been retained & sometimes incorporated into the Canon of Scripture.
So if you know of 777 books of the Bible, then you may need to cite your source, as the Bible wasn't even anything like what we have today in one binding. It never had as many books as you suggest and as mentioned, most of the writings that were known through those earliest days, have since been lost or disintegrated over time.
The 66 Books we have now in the Bible was first put together by Jerome around AD 400 written in Latin, & often referred to as the Vulgate. The selection of the NT Books (to the exclusion of the apocryphal books) was based generally on the following: was it written by a disciple or one (e.g. Luke) who learned the accounts from a witness of Jesus' Life & Ministry; they had to be written within the 1st Century; and the selected Books could not contradict any other book, to maintain a faithful account of events. Even disregarding the OT Apocrypha, the NT Apocrypha (e.g. Gospels of Thomas, Barnabas, Mary, etc.) have been found to contain erroneous material, & was omitted when the Canon of Scripture was formed. So what we have now in our hands, we believe is what God has determined for us to read & learn from. There may be truths found in other writings, but to avoid entertaining accounts that may be erroneous, it is best to rely on the strict rules of canonization, under the Will of God for us.
So if you know of 777 books of the Bible, then you may need to cite your source, as the Bible wasn't even anything like what we have today in one binding. It never had as many books as you suggest and as mentioned, most of the writings that were known through those earliest days, have since been lost or disintegrated over time.
The 66 Books we have now in the Bible was first put together by Jerome around AD 400 written in Latin, & often referred to as the Vulgate. The selection of the NT Books (to the exclusion of the apocryphal books) was based generally on the following: was it written by a disciple or one (e.g. Luke) who learned the accounts from a witness of Jesus' Life & Ministry; they had to be written within the 1st Century; and the selected Books could not contradict any other book, to maintain a faithful account of events. Even disregarding the OT Apocrypha, the NT Apocrypha (e.g. Gospels of Thomas, Barnabas, Mary, etc.) have been found to contain erroneous material, & was omitted when the Canon of Scripture was formed. So what we have now in our hands, we believe is what God has determined for us to read & learn from. There may be truths found in other writings, but to avoid entertaining accounts that may be erroneous, it is best to rely on the strict rules of canonization, under the Will of God for us.
May God bless you and all you do.
This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.
Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Please Sign In or Register to post comments...
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?