What is Biblical Theology? The Bible is a Human Book

IIn his previous post in this short series on 'What is Biblical Theology?', Andy wrote: "The Bible was written by many people over many centuries, but ultimately, God is its author. This is the fundamental assumption that the biblical authors bring to the scriptures that preceded them. God was not only shaping his revelation for the people who originally received it, but was creating a body of revelation for all his people for eternity." Today, he unpacks what it means to understand the Bible is also a human book.

The Bible is a Human Book

The Bible is a divine book, but it is also very much a human book. Though God is the ultimate author of scripture, he authored it through the effort, creativity, and distinctiveness of human writers. However, we should not imagine them as simply parroting a voice they’re hearing; they’re not taking dictation. They’re bringing their own personalities, their own cultural experiences, their clever ideas. 

In a sense, the best way to think of the human element in Scripture is that the writers were brilliant in their own right. They knew the canon that had preceded them, and were creating complex, subtle, and beautiful works of literature. As we try to understand their works, we should approach them as we would any great work of literature. That is, studying it, giving it our attention, learning the original cultural and historical context of the books. 

The Bible is a collection of internally consistent works that should be read, and reread, and thought about, not only over many years, but over a lifetime to draw out and understand the literary genius present in it. And that is exactly what biblical theology is trying to do.