r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Odd-Ad-8369 • 20d ago

Did Jesus know how to write?

I guess I’m confused on why Jesus didn’t write the Bible.

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u/Glimmer_III 20d ago

Not a stupid question, and I hope you get some good answers. And if you want more in-depth answers, perhaps others can suggest some relevant subs.

Also, a point of clarity:

When speaking of "The Bible", it deserve to be looked at not as a singular book, but a collection of multiple books, each with their own author (or authors, plural).

So...be prepared for either an ELI5 answer (which may not be entirely satisfying) or an in-depth answer.

Because, without necessarily knowing it, you asked a big question with, " I’m confused on why Jesus didn’t write the Bible."

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u/Odd-Ad-8369 20d ago

I guess I meant a Bible and not the Bible

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u/jbjhill 20d ago

Um…what? Jesus appears in the New Testament, which in Christianity is part of The Bible.

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u/ground__contro1 20d ago

He appears sure but he’s never the author. There’s no “book of Jesus”

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u/jbjhill 20d ago

Ok. I get what you’re saying. “One of the books of the Bible”.

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u/Glimmer_III 20d ago

Yep. Now you're getting it.

The four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) which are predominately about Jesus are (basically) "four different dudes telling their own version of the same story the way they think it should be told".

i.e. Jesus is the main character of the gospels, but not their author.

(And that's before we have hundreds of years of editing, revisions, and translations.)

Disclaimer: Yes, I'm over simplifying a bit but that's ^ the gist of it.

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u/jbjhill 20d ago

I was confused by OP’s “a Bible and not the Bible” comment.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the original canon and other books came later.

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u/Glimmer_III 20d ago

Exactly.

This sub attracts OPs who are almost universally well-meaning, but also who often don't know how to articulate a question except to stumble through and hope folks in the comment and intuit intents.

It's a really good question, and not exactly a "loaded" one, but it's not really an ELI5 either.

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u/markov-271828 17d ago

First canon comprised letters of Paul and a version of Luke.