The Bible originated from ancient Israelite communities, where its contents were first passed down through oral tradition before being written down over centuries

. The Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, was composed primarily in Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) and was written and compiled from roughly 1200 BCE through the first centuries BCE, with the earliest texts dating back to the early Iron Age around 1200 BCE

. These texts were preserved and transmitted by scribes and religious communities, gradually forming the Jewish canon by the 5th century BCE for the Torah, and later for the Prophets and Writings sections

. The New Testament, written mostly in Koine Greek, emerged in the first century CE as an extension of the Jewish tradition, documenting the life and teachings of Jesus and the early Christian community. It was compiled over the first few centuries CE and became recognized as scripture by the second century

. The Bible as a whole is a compilation of various books written by multiple human authors inspired by religious belief, with God regarded as the ultimate author according to Christian tradition

. The texts were originally written on papyrus scrolls and later copied and translated many times, with no original manuscripts surviving

. The Bible’s formation involved both oral and written traditions, linguistic development, and religious canonization processes spanning over a millennium

. In summary, the Bible came from ancient Israelite oral traditions that were written down and compiled into the Hebrew Bible, with the Christian New Testament added later, all preserved and transmitted by religious communities over centuries