Khrietuonyü Noudi
The bestselling book in history is the Holy Bible. Down the pages of human history, many have tried to discredit the authenticity and credibility of the Bible. Rulers have ordered the banning and even burning of the Bible. There were also times when the Bible was made inaccessible to the common men and only the clergy and the aristocracy were allowed to own and read it. Many intellectuals have also pointed out the many inconsistencies, contradictions and irrationalities in the Bible. Many theories have been propagated by brilliant scientists to challenge the claims and assertions of the Bible.
Many scientific, revolutionary and fictional books also captured the imaginations of mankind and recorded unprecedented global sale. But to this day, the Bible remains as the undisputed cornerstone of history and mystery.
When Johannes Guttenberg invented the printing press way back in 1440, the first book he printed was none other than the Holy Bible. When Charles Darwin put forth the Evolution Theory, it was targeted towards discrediting the creation story found in the book of Genesis. When the Big Bang Theory was propagated in the 1920s, the primary motive was also to make people accept that there never was a Creator who created humans and started the human race but that everything happened just by chance when all the elements slowly came into perfect order on its own after a big explosion in the universe millions of years ago. And yes, for a moment these scientific theories captured the imaginations of the people and made people to ponder and wonder about life and its origin and the flow of human history. And there are also still people who believe these scientific theories to be truer than the creation story found in the Bible.
But it is also true that no scientific theory to date has been able to surpass the creation story and the historical accounts found in the scripture when it comes to capturing the imagination of mankind, touching the human heart and changing the whole attitude and life of man.
Scientific theories like the evolutionary theory and the big bang theory do not have any moral or spiritual elements attached to it. As per the evolutionary theory, man is no different from animal but that man is just an advanced species of animal. But if this is true, then there is no need for man to live in societies or under any kind of law or order. And man can live like animals purely according to his instinct and impulse. But everything inside us tells us that this cannot be the case and that man is certainly not just an upgraded species of animal but a being created for a specific purpose. And thus when the Bible says that man was created in the image of God to be like the Creator himself, what can be truer than this?
The big bang theory says that there was an explosion in the universe millions of years ago. And after this explosion, slowly but steadily over many millions of years, all elements of the universe came into perfect order which enabled life to originate on planet earth. But our reasoning power tells that such a coincidence is too unlikely to happen without the hand of a master who was setting everything up from behind the scene. So which one do you believe more, that everything happened just by chance or that there was a master creator and master planner who set everything in motion?
People have also tried to dismiss the Bible just as another mythological book which comprises full of ancient accounts and stories which cannot be proven or ascertained in any manner today. But the Bible is certainly different from other mythological books on the ground that the accounts, stories and dialogues (between god and man or even between man and man) are so relatable to our own lives even today.
There may be many contradictions and discrepancies in the Bible but the description and revelation of human nature found in the Holy Scriptures are so accurate and authentic that one can’t help but accept that this must be the book of God despite its many questionable accounts. The Bible is not only the bestselling book in human history but it is also probably the oldest book in history. And I believe the Bible is still relevant today for many across the globe because it describes and reveals human nature in such a fantastically authentic way.
There are many historical accounts in the Bible and thus it may not be wrong to label it as a history book. But the Bible is much more than a history book. History tells us about the story of man, the rise and fall of kingdoms, wars, expansion and dominions of mankind over mankind. But the Bible is superior to history books because it tells us about the story of the Creator God and His relation with mankind and reveals the purpose of man’s life and the core human nature which became the stumbling block between God’s intended relation with His most precious creation.
So, since the Bible is considered both a mythological and historical book, it is no surprise that the Bible remains a cornerstone for history and mystery even today. If we read a mythological book from any part of the world, we will find many supernatural and fantastical stories and the Bible is no different because there are many supernatural and miraculous accounts in the Bible. Likewise, like a history book, the Bible also records the stories of many kingdoms and empires vis-a-vis the people of Israel.
But for someone who can relate to the accounts found in the Bible, it is truly the revealed word of God. Human history started the moment the first man and woman fell short of the glory of God and were chased away from the beautiful garden. But God did not want his most precious creation to wander away from him forever without providing them a route to return back to Him. Thus he came in the flesh in the person of Christ and dwelt amongst us to take us back to His original intended plan. And throughout the history of the Israelites, God appeared to them, saved them from impossible situations, performed miracles and opened their eyes to many supernatural sights because God wanted man to know that there is someone much more powerful than history and that man, because of his selfish and sinful thoughts and actions, have wavered away from God and the motive behind creation.
The stories, accounts and dialogues found in the Bible are very different from the stories, accounts and conversations found in other history and mythological books. This is so because once we can relate to the stories and accounts of the Bible, it changes our lives completely.
In a history book, we may read the story of Alexander the Great or Asoka or Julius Caesar. But that is it. It will remain as just the story of these ambitious rulers. But when we read the story of Saul and David or the story of Moses or the story of Cain and Abel, etc we would realize that it is not just their stories but that it is our own stories because in these biblical accounts, the human nature, i.e. our own nature is exposed and we realize that we are reading our own story.
Likewise, in a mythological book, one may read about characters like Achilles, Rama or any other character. But it will remain just as that i.e. a fantastic story from the bygone era. But when we read the stories of Biblical characters like Adam, Eve, Daniel, Joseph, etc, we can relate to their stories in a personal way and realize that we are not reading the story of some characters who lived long ago but that we are reading our own story. This is what makes the Bible much more than a cornerstone of history and mystery and rightly so. And thus it is no surprise that the Bible has not lost its relevance and appeal even in this age of artificial intelligence and information technology.
Human history is also full of accounts of so-called enlightened prophets who came along and brainwashed their generations and amassed massive followings and started world religions which have continued to our day. And thus it is easy to assume that Christianity is no different from such religions founded by the likes of Buddha and Mohammad. But the Bible is not just a history or mythology book because it reveals to us that the man who started Christianity was not just another historical figure who came along 2000 years ago and founded another religion but that he was God himself in the flesh who dwelt amongst us and died and rose again to turn the whole human history and mystery upside down.
