The Bíble was written between 1,000 and 160 BC, in Hebrew language; it was written on papyri, or parchments called "manuscripts" (that is: written by hand); the men who copied them were called scribes.
The first translation, made into Greek language, in 300 BC was done through seventy wise men who lived in Alexandria (Egypt), where many Jews dwelled.
This translation is called "The Septuagint" version most used in the time of Jesus. Other translations followed this one, in Aramaic and Latin. In the times of exile to Babylon, Palestine was colonized by the Assyrians and other nations that introduced the Aramaic language and the Israelites when they returned accepted the language of the then population of the country. Thus Aramaic became the language of Palestine, of Jesus and of the Apostles.
The most famous translation into Latin, was the VULGATE, translation made by S. Jerome around 400 AD and served as the basis for the versions of English and Portuguese.
The New Testament was written in Greek and it is supposed that the first book to be written was the Epistle to the Thessalonians, being until then the gospel transmitted orally, then transcribed in texts called "logia" that formed the elements of the first three Gospels.
The most important of the ancient manuscripts that we have today is the "THE CODEX VATICANUS" and has this name because it belongs to the Vatican.
The first New Testament in Portuguese was printed in 1,516. The first translation in Portuguese is by João Ferreira de Almeida, it was made in 1,691, we have after that the one by Fr. António P. de Figueiredo, in 1,778, and the Brazilian one by Saraiva in 1,790.
The Catholic Bible has more books, which are called "apocryphal" and "spurious", that is, without authenticity, false and without divine inspiration.
The Bible was written in 1,600 years, by about forty writers, contains 66 books and are called "canonical" for being true that have the following division and classification:
BIBLE
Old Testament and New Testament, respectively:
Written in Hebrew.
929 chapters.
29,314 verses.
30 writers approximately.
classification:
5 Pentateuch 12 Historical
5 Poetic
5 Major Prophets 12 Minor Prophets
39 Total
Written in Greek.
9 writers approximately. classification:
4 Biographical 1 Historical 13 Epistles of Paul 8 General Epistles 1 Prophetic
27 Total.
The Bible when correctly interpreted does not contradict itself.
There are several "supposed" contradictions and errors, but the Bible is exact, it presents itself with inerrancy and we will never try to change our eyes, for it warns us Deuteronomy 4.2, Proverbs 30.6 and Revelation 22.18 and 19, not to add to or diminish from the Word that the Lord commanded us. Let us see some examples of what some claim to be a contradiction:
a. 1) SUPPOSED ERROR OF PAUL
Numbers 25.9 "...and those who died from that plague were twenty-four thousand". I Corinthians 10.8 "...and fell in one day twenty-three thousand". The apostle Paul writing by divine inspiration, declared that 23,000 died in one day, read that one should consider the Jewish custom of counting less so as not to sin. When Paul said he had been beaten, he said he had taken five times forty stripes minus one.
a. 2) DAVID NUMBERING THE PEOPLE
II Samuel 24.9 "...And there were in Israel 800,000 men of war, that drew the sword". I Chronicles 21.5 "...And all Israel was 1,100,000, of those that drew the sword".
a. 3) DESCENT OF THE CHRIST
Matthew chapter 01 turns to the side of Joseph and Abraham Showing Christ as heir to the throne of Israel, while Luke chap. 03 turns to the side of Mary and Adam, emphasizing the true humanity of Christ, showing him as the promised seed of the woman (Genesis 3.15).
a. 4) SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:1 "And Jesus, seeing the multitude, went up into a mountain..." Luke 6.17 "And, coming down with them, he stood in a plain place..." It is concluded that there were two sermons, one preached on the mountain to the disciples and another in the plain to the multitude. Matthew was not present at the first sermon (Matthew 9.9) and Luke was not present at the second
(Luke 6.15).
a. 5) SUPPOSED ERROR OF MATTHEW
Matthew 27:9 "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value..." Zechariah 1.12-13. "...give me that which is my due; and if not, leave it. And I weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord". Matthew wrote under inspiration, he could not be as exact as Judas vs. 14, referring to the prophecy of Enoch. A prophecy similar to this is found in Zechariah, and Jeremiah could have said it in the same way as Zechariah since both were contemporaries.
a- 6) SUPPOSED ERROR OF PETER
Matthew 28:19 "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost". Acts 2.38: "...and every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins". We have already seen abundantly in this literature, when we studied about Baptism in THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST that between Matthew and Peter (Acts 2) there is no contradiction whatsoever, but rather a glorious revelation of the Word of God.
a. 7) CONCLUSION
While some seek in the Word of God a way to question it, we know that the Gospel is the power of God for the Salvation of him that believes and whoever believes in the Lord will not be confounded. It is interesting that the skeptics never want to stop and see the millennial prophecies being fulfilled in our days, nor do they want to see the power and glory of God abundantly manifested all around us, in the things created. Those who want to suppose contradictions should remember that the worst kind of blind man is he who does not want to see.