The "Old Testament" - dignified old texts, thousands of years old, evidently communicated with great diligence from generation to generation.

The believers estimate them as the word of God.

Of course, these texts are historical, for sure they are very old, but are they really the word of God?

For quite a time theologians explored those texts as if they were literature. They were looking for characteristics, for literary patterns in the texts.

2004 there was a significant result: They discovered a pattern, which is to be found frequently.

For a certain range in the text you can find this pattern, which points out a central message.

The pattern is rather elementary: The range of the pattern may cover a few verses, but also greater areas. The pattern may even conclude a number of books.

Here we talk about the "Ketuvim" , which, besides the books of Moses and the Prophets, are the third unit in the Old Testament. ( Ketuvim = Writings )

These are: Ruth-Ps-Job-Prov-Ecc-SoSo-Lam-Dan-Est-EsrNeh-Chr. The books in this sequence represent the pattern. The central message is: "From sorrow to joy".

It is valid for the single person but also for Israel as a nation.

And in this case: The pattern tells us, whether the order of the books is correct.  The order of the books in the bible of Luther is not correct.   The order of the books of historic bible schools shows the pattern.

These books have been written in the course of time. And sometimes centuries are between their writing down. We cannot see, that the pattern is a construct from the writers.

But there is one, who has inspired all the books: This is the Holy Spirit. The pattern is practically His seal.

The believers always knew, that the Bible is the word of God.   The Holy Spirit did tell them.                 ( Otherwise, of course, they could not know.)

But: For our sceptical time this pattern is a major sign.

The discoverer of this pattern is the theologian Prof. Dr. Julius Steinberg, TH Ewersbach.

                                                                        * * * * *

We can think of the order of the books in the Bible as a horizon.  Here we see a mountain range, which represents the Ketuvim.

On the left it starts with the Book of Ruth, and the end on the right is the Book of Chronicles.

Now: If a book is not placed correctly, then there is a disorder at the horizon, which is to be seen instantly. The 4th book is at the 8th place.

                                                                                * * * * *

Result:  In regard of the interpretation of the pictures in the Book of Revelation, this is of most important significance:

If the Bible would not have been written in one spirit, then we could assign to the pictures only a "local" meaning, if possible.

But so we know:  Each picture claims the total size of the room - in time and in life of mankind.