Is The Bible inspired

Answer 1

The dictionary definition says that a work can be considered inspired if it was prompted by or emanated from a supernatural source. An inherent assumption in this is that the supernatural source would have ensured that the work, in this case The Bible, was historically accurate, lacking in errors and inconsistencies, but containing prophecies or other material that could only have come from a supernatural source.

We can most easily tell that the Bible is not inspired because of the errors and inconsistencies in the text. We can also tell that the Bible was not inspired by comparing the authorship and date when each book was really written, with the author and dates supposed by tradition. Some archaeologists now dispute much of the supposed history of the early Hebrews, evidence once again that the Bible was not inspired.

The Bible contains a number of supposed prophecies, but these seem to have come true soon after they were announced. For example, Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that a young woman would have a son; this prophecy came true in verse 8:3 - unarguably before Isaiah wrote his book. The Book of Daniel contains many supposed prophecies, but it can be shown conclusively that the book was written in the second century BCE, after the 'prophecies' had come true.

There is no evidence that the Bible is inspired, so the conclusion is that it is not.

Christians believe that the Bible is indeed inspired by God. One good article is in the Related Link, "Faith Facts: But Is the Bible Really God's Word?"