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Historical Adventures of the Written Word and the Truth of the Spirit
By: Evangelos Dim. Kepenes (May 11, 2026, 16:00)
The First Recording of the Written Law
The first recording of the written law on stone tablets had a dramatic end; they were shattered by Moses himself as soon as they were given to him by God on Mount Sinai, due to internal strife and the apostasy of the people of Israel (the golden calf). —Exodus 32:19
During the reigns that turned away from the commandments, the written law appears to have been lost or entirely forgotten even within the Temple itself, until it was rediscovered by chance during repairs. —2 Kings 22:8. This suggests a long period where the written law was non-existent in daily life and state administration. Furthermore, impious kings of the "chosen" but apostate people did not hesitate to tear and burn the manuscripts of prophets. —Jeremiah 36:23
The Destruction of Sacred Scriptures by Enemies
During the conquests and sieges of Jerusalem (e.g., by the Babylonians), the sacred vessels and the scrolls of the Law kept in the Temple suffered the consequences of fire and the looting of the sanctuary. The people were cut off from their feasts, their liturgical activities, and the hearing of the word. —Psalm 74:7-8.
The repeated judgments of God upon apostate Israel brought about a "famine" of hearing the word, which had become scarce.
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." —Amos 8:11-12
The Spiritual Condition of the People and the Birth of Expediency
The biblical narrative often presents the descendants of Abraham as a people "stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart." Despite the Covenants, the people often rebelled, integrating the worship of surrounding nations with the worship of the true God.
The transition from the period of the Judges to the institution of the Monarchy introduced the logic of dynastic nepotism, where political interests and the preservation of power within royal houses prevailed over spiritual guidance. Deficient teaching by the priests led to "ignorance of the written Law," a characteristic example being the era of King Joash, where the Temple had been completely neglected. —2 Kings 12:4. This spiritual crisis brought about schisms, the division of the twelve-tribe Israel, and bloody civil wars.
The Involvement of the Elite and Nationalism
In the history of the house of Judah, King Jehoshaphat’s effort to restore the Law stands out, as he sent officials and Levites to teach the people. —2 Chronicles 17:7-9. However, the involvement of the political elite in religious matters carried a heavy price:
a) The gradual transformation of the written law into a nationalistic ideology, where God, instead of being the universal benefactor of all nations (as promised to Abraham), is presented as a "National Protector" to ensure state supremacy.
b) The replacement of internal ministry with external ritualism, turning a living relationship with God into a tool for social control.
The Journey of Manuscripts: Losses and Alterations
It is a historical fact that the written Law suffered destruction due to wars with neighboring nations and civil conflicts, but also due to the indifference regarding its protection and maintenance by the responsible priests. The copying of surviving manuscripts, when done for the purpose of returning to and promising to keep the commandments, was a process vulnerable to:
Human Errors: The fatigue of the copyists.
Intentional Interventions: The tendency to harmonize texts with personal or religious beliefs.
Fabricated laws and heroes to boost national morale and confirm identity as a chosen people: After the destruction of the Temple, the intellectuals of the era (now centered in Synagogues—substitutes for the Temple) sought to stimulate national pride. In this context, many skeptics believe that stories of "super-heroes" and harsh "divine commands" (such as the extermination of infants and animals) were incorporated. These stand in complete contrast to the God of love and providence for the stranger, the widow, the orphan, and the weak: "but thou shalt love him [the stranger] as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" —Leviticus 19:33-34 and 1 John 2:7. This contradiction confirms the need for spiritual discernment (search the Scriptures), so that the word of God may be distinguished from the nationalistic additions of men.
Nehemiah Rescued Written Texts
Nehemiah attempted to gather the scattered writings and founded a library with surviving copies of the books of kings and prophets, the writings of David, and royal letters regarding offerings. —2 Maccabees 2:13. Later, Judas Maccabeus gathered the books that had been dispersed due to the war. It is indisputable that there were other texts of the law or prophets that were lost to time, such as:
Book of Jasher (the Upright/Just) —Joshua 10:13.
Book of the Wars of the Lord —Numbers 21:14.
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel / Judah —1 Kings 14:19-29.
Books of Samuel, Nathan, and Gad —1 Chronicles 29:29.
Book of Enoch —Jude 14-15.
Book of Ahijah the Shilonite and the Visions of Iddo —2 Chronicles 9:29.
Hellenization and the Septuagint (LXX)
The translation of the Old Testament into Greek became necessary as the Jews of the Diaspora had become Hellenized and did not know the Hebrew language. A key figure was Philo of Alexandria, who attempted to combine Scripture with Platonic philosophy. Many historians argue that the Septuagint translation saved Judaism, as through the Greek language, Jews gained knowledge of their religion at a time when apostasy and the turn toward Greek gods were so prevalent that some identified the God of the Old Testament with Zeus.
The Canon of the New Testament
The canon of the 27 books was finalized late, with the Council of Carthage (399/419 AD). The explicit prohibition of reading other writings ("nothing else shall be read in the church") proves the existence of many other books that were excluded because, for various reasons, they did not serve the theological or political line of the institutional religion of the time.
Testimonies on the Corruption of Texts
Already from the early centuries, prominent writers and historians admitted the corruption or degradation of copies:
Origen: States that corruption arose either from the negligence of scribes or the audacity of some to add or remove elements at their discretion. (Commentary on Matthew 15.14)
Hegesippus: Notes that some attempted to "corrupt the sound rule" of preaching. (Hypomnemata III)
Irenaeus: Denounces that Gnostic groups used "an unspeakable number of apocryphal and spurious writings." (Against Heresies 1.20.1)
Celsus (Pagan critic): Scathingly comments that Christians alter the text of the Gospels three and four times to avoid criticism. (Celsus, On the True Doctrine)
The Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonians not to be deceived by letters falsely presented as his own (2 Thess. 2:2), while urging Timothy to avoid "falsely called knowledge" (1 Tim. 6:20).
The historian Eusebius: "I saw with my own eyes the houses of prayer being pulled down and leveled to the ground, and the God-inspired and Sacred Scriptures being committed to the flames in the middle of the market-place... This was the nineteenth year of the reign of Diocletian, in the month of Dystrus, which the Romans call March. Then, as the festival of the Savior's passion approached, royal edicts were published everywhere, commanding that the churches be razed to the ground and the Scriptures be destroyed by fire..." (Eusebius, Church History, Book VIII 2:1, 4)
Dionysius of Corinth: "I wrote letters indeed when the brethren requested me to write. And these the apostles of the devil have filled with tares, exchanging some things and adding others, for whom the 'woe' is reserved. It is not marvelous, therefore, if some have attempted to adulterate the Scriptures of the Lord, since they have also designs upon writings of an inferior class (those not of the Lord)." (Eusebius, Church History, Book IV 23:12)
Eusebius on the Trail of Nehemiah
Eusebius was a student of Pamphilus, who founded the library of Caesarea with the help of collaborators and copyists, functioning as a publishing house and a center for text correction. Eusebius was responsible for the catalog of books in this library and the bibliographic workshop from which copies of the Holy Scriptures originated. Pamphilus and Eusebius also worked on correcting errors in the Septuagint translation.
Conclusion
It is clear that other books existed, as well as proven alterations or additions serving philosophical and political purposes. However, the foundation of the truth of Christ remains accessible to anyone who searches with sincerity.
The biblical definition of the New Covenant of grace and regeneration opens new horizons: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." —Hebrews 8:10. The promise that "they shall be all taught of God" through His Spirit (John 6:45, as foretold by Isaiah 54:13 regarding the sons) abolishes the authority of the O.T. priests.
After all, Christ left no written works, but promised that His Spirit would lead people into the truth. "Religions of books" are often trapped in the letter of the law—which they frequently idolize, leading to violence—while the spiritual connection with the truth through the holy Spirit sets one free.
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