Out Of The Mists Of Time: Who Wrote The Bible And Why

The purpose of this small book is obvious by its title.  Forbes attempts a nearly impossible task in only 125 pages: to make some sense of the origins of the Bible.  The scriptures have been copied and re-copied, translated and re-translated, changed, altered, added to, subtracted from, re-written and tampered with in so many ways and by so many people over such a long period of time that it is highly doubtful that scholars will ever be able to construct a complete story of its origins and history.  Nonetheless, Forbes explains how a number of these changes did come about and, intentionally or not, makes us realize why the Bible is so inconsistent and how much of it has completely lost its original meaning.

Chapter two opens with the discovery of some scrolls inside Solomon’s temple, which at the time was being re-built by Josiah, king of Judah, which took place circa 622 BCE.  These scrolls describe Yahweh’s covenant with Moses.  Not previously aware of these laws, Josiah soon incorporated them into the law of the land.  Later, these scrolls were expanded to form the present book of Deuteronomy.  Hilkiah, the high priest who discovered the scrolls, may actually have written them himself, as Forbes points out.  Thus, we have our first potential biblical forgery!

Some of the topics discussed include the question of why some of the Psalms are duplicated, and the pagan story of Moses in the basket.  Perhaps most importantly, Forbes illuminates the story behind one of the most famous, though misunderstood, texts of the Bible, contained in Isaiah 7:14; ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  According to countless preachers throughout history, this is the divine revelation foretelling the birth of Christ.  The child referred to, however, clearly cannot be Jesus since “Immanuel” was born in Isaiah 8.  One can only wonder at the ignorance and/or dishonesty of preachers who continue to insist that this passage foretells the birth of Christ.

Because so may Christians to this day accept this (and much more) claptrap as “revealed truth,” a thorough understanding of the text proves to be extremely advantageous to an atheist.  Once confronted with the evidence (from their own book, no less!) believers’ sputtering rationalizations can prove to be most amusing.

Thus, Out of the Mists of Time can be a powerful ally for skeptics.  Despite the rather pedantic writing style, it should be in every freethinker’s library.