text: There is no doubt that the Bible is a mix of stories told over thousands of years by many people for various reasons.  Historians look at these as evidence of what people believed at the time they were written. There are methods to glean out what is real what is made up. So, it's not a binary choice of useless or 100% true. Just like today if you were to read the account if the last 50 years by ISIS ideological fanatics, you'd likely get some history, as well as some insane stories of divine intervention.