The concept of an "inerrant Bible" is the bedrock of modern fundamentalism, yet what if the most sacred tenets of Christianity were not delivered from on high, but hammered out in the messy, politically charged courtrooms of post-apostolic bishops?
This article—a sneak peek into my new book, Revisiting the Inerrant Bible—argues that the foundational doctrines of the New Testament were largely shaped not by first-century apostles, but by fourth-century political dogma. This process systematically silenced the alternative voices of early Christianity, leaving a curated, not comprehensive, narrative.
I. The Evolving God: From Tribal Deity to Universal Monotheism
The most powerful evidence against "inerrancy" is the fluid, constantly evolving character of God within the biblical texts themselves. The God of Abraham is fundamentally different from the God of Moses, who is different again from the God of Nicaea.
| Epoch | Key Identity/Focus | Theological Reality |
| Adam to Noah | Universal Creator (El, Elohim) | Focused on universal judgment/creation, vague personal identity. |
| Abraham | Subordinate Son (Yahweh as the chosen deity) | Part of a Divine Council led by El Elyon, the Canaanite supreme God. |
| Moses | Personal Covenant God (YHWH) | Shift toward exclusivity (Henotheism—worshiping one god while acknowledging others exist), often merging with El's titles. |
| Post-Exile/Prophets | Exclusive, Unified Monotheism | The final synthesis where Yahweh completely absorbs all previous supreme deities and titles, becoming the singular God of the universe. |
The Scandalous History of El Elyon and the Divine Council
To understand this evolution, we must go back to the story of Abraham and the mysterious Melchizedek, the King of Salem and "Priest of God Most High" (El Elyon)
Historical religious scholarship reveals a stunning truth:
Elyon, the Patriarch: El Elyon was the supreme creator deity and the head of the ancient Canaanite pantheon.
3 Yahweh, the Son: According to older theological frameworks preserved in texts like the Masoretic text of Deuteronomy 32:8-9, El Elyon divided the nations among his divine sons. Yahweh (YHWH) was simply assigned Israel as his portion.
The Theological Merger: Over centuries, Yahweh did not defeat his rivals—he absorbed them in a process known as syncretism, transforming Israelite religion from a form of polytheism into the fierce monotheism we recognize today.
Expert Insight: "Deuteronomy 32.8–9 proves Yahweh started as a lesser god in a polytheistic divine council." – James Keith, on the historical evidence of the divine merger. This evidence suggests that the God Abraham worshipped was part of a polytheistic system, a far cry from the exclusive, unified figure enshrined in later dogma.
II. Solomon: The King Who Knew Politics Trumps Piety
The traditional condemnation of King Solomon is that he was a wise man seduced by his 700 foreign wives into idol worship, leading to the division of his kingdom.
The Ridiculous Claim of "Idolatry" in a World Without a Canon
No Written Bible: The bulk of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) had not yet been finalized or even fully written down during Solomon’s reign. The Deuteronomic law forbidding foreign wives was a later theological insertion.
Realpolitik, Not Romance: Solomon’s 1,000 wives and concubines were not a harem of passion; they were political alliances [Source 1.4]. Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh was a strategic move of realpolitik that solidified trade, diplomacy, and peace with surrounding kingdoms, including those where Canaanite gods were still actively and overtly worshipped.
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In context, Solomon’s actions appear less like a pious king's moral failure and more like a necessary political strategy to secure his empire in a profoundly polytheistic world—a world where the exclusive worship of Yahweh was still a novelty.
III. Myth Making in Action: The Evolution of Heaven and Hell
The concepts of the afterlife—rewards and punishments—are essential to modern Christian dogma. Yet, these concepts were not suddenly revealed but developed over time, incorporating influences from Greek philosophy and Zoroastrianism.
| Era/Text | Concept of Afterlife | Source of Idea |
| Early Old Testament (e.g., Job, Psalms) | Sheol: A silent, shadowy place of all the dead; no rewards or punishments. | Ancient Semitic/Mesopotamian tradition. |
| Classical Greece | Hades/Elysian Fields: Places of specific reward/punishment based on life lived. | Plato, Virgil, etc. (The concept of eternal justice for the soul). |
| Late Old Testament (Daniel 12) | Resurrection: Some awakened to everlasting life, others to shame and contempt. | Persian/Zoroastrian influence (dualism, resurrection). |
| Jesus & Apostles (Gospels, Paul, Revelation) | Heaven and Hell: Explicit destinations, often fiery (Hell/Gehenna) or paradisiacal (Heaven/New Jerusalem). | Synthesis of Platonic philosophy, Jewish apocalypticism, and the need for moral accountability. |
The evolution from the neutral oblivion of Sheol to the dualistic, fiery torment and eternal bliss of Hell and Heaven proves that core theological concepts are cultural and historical constructs, not static revelations.
IV. The 4th Century Shift: When Doctrine Became Law
The most significant theological architecture of the Christian faith was constructed not by the apostles but by powerful Roman Emperors and Bishops at the great ecumenical councils of the 4th and 5th centuries.
Nicaea and Constantinople: The Birthplace of the Modern Trinity
Prior to these councils, the nature of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Mary were subjects of intense and often contradictory debate. The councils settled these debates by excluding rival interpretations (like Arianism and Modalism) and enforcing the concepts that became the foundation of Catholicism and, later, Protestantism.
Deity of Jesus: Nicaea (325 CE) decreed Christ is "of the same substance as the Father" (homoousios).
6 The Holy Spirit: Constantinople (381 CE) officially established the Trinity: one divine substance, three divine persons, equal in power and eternity.
Mary’s Status: Ephesus (431 CE) proclaimed Mary as Theotokos ("Mother of God"), cementing her theological role in the newly defined Christological dogma.
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V. The Forgotten Dogma: Baptism and the Canonical Gap
Why did the early Church Fathers place such immense importance on baptism when there is virtually no direct, explicit, salvific proof for it in the Old Testament?
OT's Silence: The Old Testament speaks of ritual cleansing (like mikveh), but never a one-time, salvific, water-immersion rite.
The Church Father's Need: Baptism became essential to the Fathers to mark the boundary of the new covenant community, differentiating it from Judaism and Gnosticism. It was a visible, communal rite of initiation and purity, establishing institutional authority and membership.
Dogma Precedes Scripture: The Church Fathers did not simply read the New Testament and institute baptism; they instituted it as a necessary theological and political boundary, then interpreted the New Testament through that lens.
VI. The 95% Problem: The Catholic DNA of the New Testament
The final victory of the Nicene-Trinitarian view was achieved through the Roman State Church systematically persecuting those who held alternative, older beliefs (the "heresies").
Arianism: The main theological rival, believing Jesus was divine but a created being, was eventually crushed after centuries of conflict.
8 The Power to Execute: The first Christian executed for heresy (deviation from orthodox dogma) was Priscillian in 385 CE.
9 The state church now had the power to define truth and eliminate dissent.
The term "New Testament" as a fixed collection of 27 books was not formalized until the 4th century CE. By this time, the dogmas of the Trinity, Christ's full deity, and Mary’s divine motherhood had already been defined by Church Councils driven by imperial power. The result is that the theological framework of the modern Bible is deeply embedded in the decisions of the politically powerful, theologically selective institution that became the Catholic Church.
The inerrant Bible we cherish is, in fact, the product of a post-apostolic, politically powerful, and theologically selective institution.
The Experts Know the Secret History
If you are ready to peel back the layers of dogma and see the raw, fascinating historical truth about the Bible’s origins, your journey starts here. Scholars, skeptics, and historians all converge on these hidden facts:
Dr. William Lane Craig (Christian Apologist): Acknowledges historical critical challenges, forcing sophisticated defenses of theological concepts against historical evidence.
Richard Dawkins (Prominent Atheist): Would point to the evolutionary nature of God and the afterlife as conclusive proof of myth-making in action.
Dr. Tovia Singer (Rabbi/Counter-Missionary): Focuses on the lack of Old Testament proof for New Testament concepts (like the salvific nature of baptism), supporting the idea of a post-Jewish theological invention.
Dr. Ninian Smart (Religious Studies Scholar): His work on world religions provides the framework for understanding how syncretism and polytheistic absorption (like Yahweh absorbing El Elyon) are natural processes in religious evolution.
Graham Hancock (Investigative Historian): Would emphasize the suppression of Gnostic and other alternative histories by the dominant power structure (the Roman State Church) to maintain a singular, authoritative narrative.
Grab your copy of my book today:
Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4C93M4F
👉 Revisiting the Inerrant Bible: A Fresh Perspective.
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