JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even
denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on
themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth
into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they
have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their
destruction has not been sleeping" (2 Pe 2:1-3).
The Herbrew Scriptures ("sacred writings") became a complete collection when the last
books were written in Ezra's time (about 425 B.C.). According to Jewish tradition, Ezra collected
the remaining Old Testament books after the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile. Those
who invaded had scattered or destroyed many copies about 70 years earlier. A council of 120
devout Jews ("the Great Synagogue") was formed to restore the system of worship among the
Hebrews. It was these spiritual leaders who made the final collection of the Old Testament canon
according to Jewish tradition.
Many centuries before Christ the Jews revered the same Hebrew Scriptures they have
today. It was, and continues to be, the basis for their law and worship.
From the time of Moses to the time of the first printing press (over 3,000 years) all copies
of the Hebrew Scriptures were written by hand. Scribes had to follow extremely strict rules in
copying the ancient manuscripts. The painstaking process included:
"A synagogue roll must be written on the skins of clean animals, and prepared for
the particular use of the synagogue by a Jew. These must be fastened together
with strings taken from clean animals. Every skin must contain a certain number of
columns, equal throughout the entire codex. The length of each column must not
extend over less than 48 or more than 60 lines; and the breadth must consist of 30
letters. The whole copy must be first-lined; and if three words should be written
without a line, it is worthless. The ink should be black, neither red, green, nor any
other color, and be prepared according to a definite recipe. An authentic copy must
be exemplar, from which the transcriber ought not in the least deviate. No word or
letter, not even a yod (the smallest letter), must be written from memory, the scribe
not having looked at the codex before him. . . . Between every consonant the space
of a hair or thread must intervene; between every new parashah, or section, the
breadth of nine consonants; between every book, three lines. The fifth book of
Moses must terminate exactly with a line; but the rest need not do so. Besides this,
the copyist must sit in full Jewish dress, wash his whole body, not begin to write
the name of God with a pen newly dipped in ink, and should a king address him
while writing the name he must take no notice of him."60