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Give 'im about 70min and he can tell you.

 

Flawed? Likely so as its early books are so ancient its provenance will never be known with reliable accuracy. It is a compilation of books written at diverse times by an unknown number of writers with varying degrees of enlightenment or inspiration. The case may be genuinely and arguably made some of the gospels and epistles were written by authors other than the scribes, apostles or writers they are traditionally attributed. Biblical scholars are generally in agreement the Torah and other early books were written or compiled during the years of Babylonian captivity to assist in establishing a cohesive identity among the captives. Most also agree the book of Isaiah had 3 different authors. The Christian canon was not compiled until the 4th century CE by a group of men with various motivations. It was the era when the establishment church emerging in Rome partnered with the Roman empire. The canon was again altered or had some books shifted from Catholic to Reformation and vice versa after Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church.

Aside from the doubts about the miracles and messages contained within the Book, it's useful to know Christian biblical scholars from ancient times have interpreted biblical scripture on 4 levels - the literal, the moral, the allegorical, and the analogical to explore the spiritual significance. Various biblical scholars may have their own ordering or descriptive terms but mostly agree it is a work of many layers and interpretations. Scholars of mystical Judaism refer to the 4 levels as PaRDeS, a Hebrew acronym for P'shat - the literal or surface; Remez - allegorical or symbolic; D'rash - to seek what is hinted, or compare what is given in similar situations; Sod - the esoteric, spiritual or mystical. The word Pardes means orchard or garden and is etymologically related to the English word paradise.

Most evangelicals are stuck in the literal, but as human drama is centered around recurring themes, Bible stories can, and should be be understood and appreciated on deeper levels. The book was not written to assure or instruct the fearful or credulous of eternal life if only they believe the dogma and doctrines established by the religious tradition of their choice or the choice of the authoritarian governments to which they are subject. It is a complexly layered guide, a roadmap of a sort, instructions on how to conduct one's life in dealing with others.