The Bible was not "discovered" by a single person, but rather written, compiled, and transmitted over many centuries by multiple authors. The Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, was composed by various writers in Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) over the first millennium BCE, with stories originally passed down orally before being written down by waves of scribes. The New Testament was written mainly in Greek by early Christian figures, including the apostles and their contemporaries, from about 48 to 125 CE. No single author wrote the entire Bible; instead, it is a collection of texts from various authors, compiled and edited over time. For example, the first five books traditionally attributed to Moses are now thought to be the work of multiple unknown authors. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, are the oldest known biblical manuscripts, dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE. The Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg in 1455, was the first major book printed with movable type, making the Bible more widely accessible. In summary:
- The Bible was composed by multiple authors over centuries.
- The Old Testament texts were written in Hebrew and Aramaic, starting from around 1200 BCE onward.
- The New Testament was written in Greek during the first century CE by early Christian leaders.
- The Bible was compiled, copied, and translated by many scribes and scholars over time.
- Its first major printed edition was the Gutenberg Bible in the 15th century CE.
