The Church Used This Bible for 1000 Years 🤯

The content explores the historical development of the biblical canon, beginning with Paul's statement in Romans that Jews were entrusted with God's oracles. The speaker focuses on Jerome, a 4th-century scholar and competent linguist who created the Latin Vulgate, which served as the church's primary Bible for a thousand years. Jerome's methodology involved consulting directly with rabbis to determine which books the Jewish community considered authentic scripture, demonstrating his knowledge of both Greek and Hebrew languages. The speaker mentions theological disagreements between Jerome and Augustine regarding certain Old Testament books, indicating that canonical debates were ongoing even among church fathers. The discussion traces how these conversations eventually led to the establishment of 66 core books that form the foundation of the modern biblical canon. The speaker notes that debates about additional books continued even up to the Reformation period, when Martin Luther advocated for focusing on the established core rather than disputed texts. The narrative concludes with the observation that even some popes questioned the scriptural status of certain books, leading to a consensus to maintain the books that Jews themselves recognized as scripture as the authoritative word of God.