When I published my book “The War Against the Bible: Ishmael, Esau and Israel at the End Times,” I wrestled with a decision that troubled me throughout the writing process. Should I use the traditional Hebrew word Torah or the more familiar term “Bible”? I chose “Bible” because I wanted to reach a broader audience, but that choice came with a cost that most readers never realize.
This choice connects to an ancient teaching that reveals something most people never see.
The Sages teach: “These are the ones who have no portion in the world to come: one who says there is no resurrection of the dead, and that the Torah is not from Heaven, and an apikoros (heretic). Rabbi Akiva says: Also one who reads in the external books.”
Why does Rabbi Akiva say that someone who reads in the external books receives such harsh punishment? The external books refer to apocryphal books – religious writings that exist outside the accepted biblical canon. These were works like the Book of Ben Sira that contained ethics and fear of Heaven but were not considered part of the divine Scripture. Ben Sira was a great sage whose teachings the Talmudic sages occasionally quoted. What could be so dangerous about reading apocryphal books that promoted moral behavior and reverence for the Almighty?
The traditional Hebrew name for Scripture is Torah. This word carries the weight of eternity in its letters. Torah comes from the root yoreh, meaning “to teach” or “to show.” But this isn’t ordinary teaching. The very word Torah declares that what we hold in our hands is divine instruction, not human philosophy. When the Creator teaches, He reveals content that lies beyond human knowledge, beyond what human wisdom can achieve through its own powers. Human wisdom can be sublime, beautiful, even transformative, but it remains human. Torah is revelation from outside the boundaries of human understanding, given only by divine power. As the prophet Isaiah declares: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
This is the essence of Torah: divine thoughts transcending human thoughts.
The Greeks gave us the word “Bible,” and with it, they gave us a theological revolution that most people never noticed. The Greek word biblios means “book,” but in their theological framework, it specifically referred to books of human wisdom. The Greeks distinguished between two types of sacred texts: biblios for human wisdom and hieroi (sacred) for wisdom based on revelation.
When we translate Torah as “Bible,” we don’t just change languages. We change the entire theological foundation of Scripture. We unintentionally transform a book of divine revelation into a book of human wisdom. This isn’t translation; it’s desecration. It’s a philosophical attack on the very status of the Torah itself.
This explains Rabbi Akiva’s seemingly harsh judgment of those who read in the external books. Notice the precision of his language. He doesn’t say “one who reads the external books” but “one who reads in the external books.” This distinction unlocks everything. To read a book means to study its content. To read in a book means to treat it as Scripture, to approach it with the same reverence reserved for divine revelation.
When someone treats the Book of Ben Sira as Scripture, they reveal that their criterion for Scripture is corrupt. Ben Sira’s book contains wisdom, ethics, and fear of Heaven, but it lacks divine spirit. It’s a great book of human wisdom, not divine wisdom. Anyone who treats it as Scripture shows that they don’t understand the difference between human insight and prophetic revelation.
Rabbi Akiva teaches us that one who reads in the external books belongs with “those who do not believe in Torah from Heaven.” This isn’t about the content of these books but about the category we place them in. The external books aren’t Torah in the biblical sense because they aren’t prophetic revelation. They’re human wisdom, however elevated.
Now you understand why I struggled with the title of my book. By calling it “The War Against the Bible,” I was participating in the very war I was trying to expose. The war that woke progressives and Islamists have declared against God’s word isn’t just about external enemies attacking Scripture. It’s about the subtle ways they undermine Scripture’s authority. When we use language that frames divine revelation as human wisdom, we unwittingly support our enemies in that war.
When I chose “Bible” for my book title, I made a calculated compromise. I sacrificed theological precision for broader appeal. But every compromise carries a cost. When we consistently use language that obscures the divine nature of Scripture, we train ourselves and our readers to think of God’s Word as just another book. The Torah isn’t a book like any other. It’s not human wisdom about God; it’s God’s wisdom revealed to humanity. When we lose sight of this distinction, we risk turning the Torah into just another book, stripping it of the power it holds to shape our lives.
Though the name may be troubling, The War Against the Bible: Ishmael, Esau and Israel at the End Times is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the great drama of the end times. Buy it here today!
