The Bible itself

Where the Bible came from — who wrote it, the centuries it took to gather, the councils that recognised it, and what that history means for reading it today.

What Is the Ark of the Covenant, and Where Is It Now?
The Ark of the Covenant is the gold-covered acacia-wood chest that the biblical tradition associates with Israel's covenant tablets and God's presence. The Bible places it in Solomon's Temple, and 2 Chronicles 35:3 still speaks of "the holy ark" in connection with the house Solomon built during King Josiah's eighteenth year, conventionally about 622 BC, roughly three and a half centuries after that Temple was built. That creates a real chronological tension with the Kebra Nagast, which says Menelik's companions removed the original Ark in Solomon's lifetime and left a replacement behind. Ethiopian Orthodox tradition identifies the Ark with the guarded object at Aksum, but no publicly verifiable archaeological or scientific examination has authenticated that object. Historically, the Ark's present location remains unknown. Christian theology asks a different question: Hebrews 9-10 presents the old sanctuary as provisional and directs the reader to Christ, whose priesthood, blood, covenant, and access to God fulfill what the sanctuary system anticipated.
26 min read·31 sources cited
Who wrote the Bible?
No single person wrote the Bible. Historically, it is a collection of books written, edited, copied, and preserved by many human authors and communities over many centuries, mainly in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Some books name their authors or are traditionally linked to figures such as Moses, David, the prophets, and Paul; others are anonymous or composite, so the exact number of contributors is unknown. If you ask me who the author of the Bible is from a Christian perspective, my answer is that God inspired these human writers rather than bypassing them. And no emperor or single council created a universally accepted Bible at one meeting, which is one reason Christian canons still differ.
17 min read·20 sources cited

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What Is the Ark of the Covenant, and Where Is It Now?

Who wrote the Bible?

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