How long did it take to write the Bible? — Holly of Lexington, NC

Dear Holly,

The Bible was written over a period of at least 1,600 years, although no one really knows for sure.

We get that number by adding up the number of years from before the time of Moses, to just after the apostle John finished the book of Revelation. Why we do we start before Moses? Many people believe that Job lived before God's people left Egypt. That happened around 1450 B.C. The book of Revelation was finished around A.D. 100. So, from 1500 B.C. (just before the time of Moses) to A.D. 100 is 1,600 years. Just remember: this is a rough figure only.

You have to keep in mind, also, that Scripture was being written only when God guided someone through inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16). This means there were long stretches of time when no one was writing anything. For instance, there was a "silence" of over 400 years between the death of the last Old Testament prophet, and the coming of John the Baptizer.