How Did the Bible Become One Big Book?

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s Truth for us one drive at a time!You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

In this season, Dannah Gresh, author of Lies Girls Believe and the True That Sets Them Free, joins up with her friend Staci Rudolph to be detectives.

But they’re not solving mysteries like you read about in books. They’re investigating some of the questions people have about the Bible . . . questions like, “Who wrote the Bible really?” and “How did the Bible become one big book?” That’s what we’ll investigate today.

So, True Girl, grab a notebook, a magnifying glass, and your mom’s trench coat, because we’re going on another Bible mystery-solving adventure!

Today’s episode is full of sweetness, because Dannah and Staci are rolling to a special kind of ice cream shop. This is episode 5 of season 6, titled, “How Did the Bible Become One Big Book?” Here’s Staci.

Staci Rudolph: What a beautiful day! I feel so invigorated when the sun is shining bright like this! 

Dannah Gresh: I feel it, too! Hey Staci, I noticed you’re not wearing any of your detective gear today.

Staci: Yeah, it’s too hot for the hat and trench coat. It’s a shorts and t-shirt kind of day for me. But don’t worry, I still have my handy little tape recorder with me!

Dannah: Okay, what Bible mystery are we going to solve today?

Staci: Hmmm, we could be going to the pet store to talk about Noah’s ark?

Dannah: Really? 

Staci: No. Do you think we’re going back to your barn to talk about the birth of Jesus and the whole manger situation?

Dannah: Ha ha. No, I don’t think so. Tell me, Staci, where are we going?

Staci: We’re going to an ice cream shop to answer the question, “How did the Bible become one big book?” 

Dannah: Say no more! You had me at “ice cream shop.” 

Staci: This isn’t just any ice cream shop though. It’s a special kind of ice cream, and . . . we’re here!

This place is cool! And I mean that figuratively and literally! BRRR!

Let’s place our order on this iPad here. I’m getting the Matcha Oreo Madness. Sounds refreshing!

Dannah: I’m going with the Strawberry Cheesecake Explosion. That sounds great! 

Staci: Let’s move over to the counter to watch the ice cream guy make our order.

Dannah: I hope they don’t make the scoops too big. I hate it when I lick my ice cream too hard and push the scoop right off the cone! Have you ever done that?

Staci: First of all, yes, and I hate it when that happens, too. Secondly, you won’t need to worry about that here. Look how he’s making your ice cream.

Dannah: What!? (whispers) Is that the same guy who was at the donut shop and cat cafe?

Staci: (whispers) I think so.

See, he’s pouring what looks like melted ice cream onto that really cold plate thing. And now he’s adding the matcha powder and oreos. He’s chopping and mixing it all together.

Here comes the really cool part! He’s spreading it all out into a rectangle. It looks like it’s all frozen into ice cream now. He’s scraping it up into rolls! Rolls of ice cream! How cool is that?!

Ice Cream Guy: Here ya go! Enjoy your Matcha Oreo Madness!

Dannah: Amazing! I’m so happy that you brought me here, Staci! 

I can see why you said this place is different. I’ve only seen videos of people rolling ice cream online, but to see it in person is pretty amazing! It’s like ice cream art.

Staci: Let’s head outside and put on our detective hats . . . figuratively.

It’s so pretty I almost don’t want to ruin it by eating it!

Dannah: I’m not struggling with that. YUM! I’ll slow down a little. How does yours taste? And, more importantly, how does yours look?

Staci: Well, it tastes delicious and it looks . . . um. Well, it looks . . . I dunno green? Because of the matcha powder.

Dannah: I mean, what shape is your ice cream? Do those little rolls remind you of anything?

Staci: Let me see. I think those little ice cream rolls tucked in there look kind of like rolled up pieces of paper, like a treasure map or a scroll of some kind. Is that what you mean?

Dannah: Ding! Ding! Ding! We HAVE a winner! Scrolls! 

Staci: Nice transition Dannah Gresh! I see what you did there. Scrolls, as in the paper scrolls that used to contain the words of Scripture. That’s connected to today’s Bible investigation of “How did the Bible become one big book?” 

The truth is, the Bible was not always one book. 

Dannah: That’s right. We’ve already learned that it’s sixty-six books all put together, right?

Staci: Yeah! True Girl, hey, I’m sorry I forgot to get you some ice cream. But anyway, do you remember what I told you about the Bible in episode one? Just in case, let’s review! We’ll have to go back a few years to ancient Hebrew culture.

The Hebrew people—the Israelites—were like many other ancient civilizations. But they had these special dudes called prophets who loved writing.

These guys wrote about how the world began. They wrote about their history including wars and victories. They wrote down the laws of their land and how it was protected . . . and so much more.

And then when it comes to the New Testament, well, those books were written by men who were witnesses to the life and impact of Jesus Christ. 

Oh hey, I just had a thought I don’t want to forget:

Note to self: Eye witnesses are an important part of any investigation! End Note.

All together, these writings tell one long love story!

“Love story?!” you might say. 

Yes, the Bible is about God’s love for us and how God is working to bring hope for the whole world through Jesus Christ!

Dannah: Right! And all those writings were different forms like poems . . .

Staci: . . . letters . . .

Dannah: . . . prophecies . . .

Staci: . . . very long lists of family records . . . I guess ancestry.com had nothing on these writers.

Dannah: Well anyway, all these things got pulled together into sixty-six books that would have originally been written on scrolls or tablets.

Staci: But it wasn’t always sixty-six books within a book. Once it was a canon.

The word canon comes from the root word “reed,” like, a tall piece of grass. Well, in ancient times, if you wanted to measure something, a reed was used kinda like a yardstick. So the ancient word came to mean “standard.” 

As applied to the Bible, canon means “an officially accepted list of books.” 

At some point in early Christianity, church leaders needed to rely on God’s Spirit to help them understand which books had been inspired by God. They would be included in the canon. People needed something to measure their teaching and beliefs by.

Dannah: Okay, I understand that need, and that sounds great, but how’d they decide what to include in the canon?

Staci: There were all these big long meetings—called councils—where scholars used five questions to decide what to include. Dannah, these were long meetings. You being fairly allergic to meetings in general probably would not have liked them.

Dannah: eah, I probably wouldn’t have

Staci: Anyway, the scholars asked these five questions. 

1. Was the book written by a prophet or apostle of God?

Dannah: So, if it was written by someone who was especially appointed by God it passed that one?

Staci: Yeah.

Dannah: So, let’s take Paul, because he wrote a ton of the New Testament. Before he was Paul, he was Saul. 

And I would say, Saul’s experience on the Damascus Road, when a light came from heaven and Jesus spoke to him, that was a pretty major way to be selected by God! In fact, He was so changed by God that day that He changed his name to Paul!

Staci: Yeah, but that was only a good start to make Paul’s writings worthy to be included in the canon. Here’s the next question. 

2. Was the book confirmed by acts of God?

Dannah: Ah, so Paul’s life was marked by the power of God, and that confirmed his testimony that he was really called by God.

Staci: Yes, but then the writing itself was examined to answer this question.

3. Did its message tell the truth about God?

Dannah: Oh, so, here’s where we get to content having harmony and unity with other parts of the Bible. So they would have asked, did what Paul write line up with what Old Testament prophets wrote and had been known to be true about God?

Staci: Yes, that’s right! And then . . .

4. Does it come with the power of God?

Dannah: Okay, so in the book of Acts, I’ve been thinking about this, we read several accounts where Paul had power over evil spirits, and that God supernaturally got him out of jail a time or two.

Staci: Yep! You can see power in Paul’s life, and even His writing had power. Now finally, here’s our last question: 

5. Was it accepted by God’s people?

Dannah: So, the churches that Paul wrote his letters to, they sensed God was guiding Paul when he wrote the letter, and they lived by it!

Staci: The point is this, True Girl, don’t let people cause you to doubt the trustworthiness of the Bible . . . and they will. Some people will say, “Oh, those were just some letters a man wrote to his friends, not the written Word of God. 

But I’m here to tell you that through the centuries, people much smarter than you and me examined the writings of the Bible carefully! They decided which writings should be in the library we call the Bible. You can trust the words of the Bible!

Dannah: Yeah, and we need to always remember that even though there are sixty-six books between the covers of our Bible, they are all divinely connected to tell one story. The most important story of all: God’s great love for us!

Staci: Amen to that! True Girl, do you know what would be a fun challenge this week? To memorize all the books of the Bible in order. It may take you longer than a week to do it, but that’s okay! It will make your big Bible feel less intimidating, and it will help you find verses you’re looking for much faster! You could even get your mom to help you or do it with you.

Dannah: You know, True Girl, I memorized the books of the Bible like. But every now and then I still need a refresher course—especially when I’m trying to find books like Hosea or Amos!

Staci: Yeah, me too. But I never forget where Genesis is! 

Dannah: Okay, good for you. 

Staci: Hey, Dannah, do you think we can solve next week’s Bible mystery here at this ice cream shop, too?

Dannah: Nice try, nice try, but nope. I’ve got something else in mind, and you better come really hungry.

Staci: Alright, no problem there. I feel like I’m always ready to eat tasty food!

Note to self: Rolled ice cream is the bomb, and bring an empty tummy next week. End note.

Claire: Oh man, that ice cream sounds so cool! I wonder if there’s a shop like that in your town? Wasn’t it so fun how Dannah used the ice cream scrolls to remind us about the Bible’s history? It wasn’t always a book, but many books, or scrolls. 

And remember, if you want to keep diving deeper into God’s Word, you should check out our online Bible studies! Right now, we’re registering for our Fall 2022 study, based on Dannah Gresh’s book Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. This book has helped over 160,000 girls and moms to be set free from anxiety, body image issues, peer pressure, and so much more! This study is your chance to find biblical answers to problems. 

True Girl lead teachers Shani McKenzie and Janet Mylin—who wrote this season of The True Girl podcast—will guide you through Lies Girls Believe week by week. They’ll be joined by Staci Rudolph with special appearances from the True Girl tour bus . . . and Dannah will pop in too. Go to MyTrueGirl.com to learn more and register!

On the next episode of the True Girl podcast, Staci brings an empty tummy, because they’re diving into some delicious and unique pizza. You won’t want to miss this episode, because you’ll learn about all the different types of books of the Bible—poetry, minor prophets, letters. You’re going to feel like a true detective. See you then!

True Girl is a production of Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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