“one of the many divine qualities of the bible is that it does not yield its secrets to the...
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The WordThe Compilation of the Bible
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
“One of the many divine qualities of the Bible is that it does not yield
its secrets to the irreverent and the censorious.” --James I. Packer
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
How did we get the Bible?
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
“The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven…The Bible is the product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it
as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it
has evolved through countless translations,
additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the
book..” --Dan Brown in The Da Vinci
Code
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Canon
‘Measuring Rod’; ‘Standard’; ‘Rule’
Canon refers to the collection of books that passed a test of authenticity and authority; it also means that those books are our rule
of life – both in this world and the next.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
•Written over about 1,500 years• 66 books – 39 in the Old; 27 in the New• 40 authors
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Old TestamentOrder of original Hebrew Bible
The Pentateuch
Also referred to as “The Law”. Includes
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
The Prophets
Includes former prophets such as Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, and Kings. Major prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Also 12
minor prophets
The Writings
Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes,
Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra,
Nehemiah, Chronicles
Old Testament primarily written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Contained consonants only (no vowels; added later by Masoretes – Jewish
scholars - around A.D. 500). Oldest book is Job (not Genesis) with last book written likely being Nehemiah around 424-400 B.C.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The New Testament
The Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Church History
Acts
Apostolic Writings
Paul, writer of Hebrews, Peter,
James, Jude, John
New Testament written in Greek. Earliest book is either Mark or Matthew with the last book being Revelation around A.D. 94-96.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe Old Testament
Moses writesPentateuch
Pentateuch Put in Ark(Deut 31:24)
Other inspired
texts added to
Ark
David puts books in treasury (1 Kings
8:6)
Books cared for by
priests (2 Kings 22:8)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe Old Testament
More books added during
Hezekiah
Exile in sixth
century; Canon
scattered
Ezra restores
Canon; last books added
Canon stored in
ark constructe
d for 2nd temple
Canon meticulously
copied
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe Old Testament
Overview of Old Testament Formation and History
Pre-patriarchal period Creation – 2100 B.C.
Gen. 1:1-11:26
Patriarchal period 2100 – 1800 B.C. Gen. 11:27-50:26
Egyptian captivity/exodus
1800 – 1400 B.C. Ex. 1:1-Deut 34:12
Conquests/judges 1400 – 1050 B .C.
Josh. 1:1-1 – 1 Sam. 10:1
United Kingdom 1050 – 931 B.C. 1 Sam. 10:1 – 1 Kings 12:15
Divided Kingdom to fall of Israel to fall of Judah
931 – 722 B.C. 586 B.C.
1 Kings 12:15 – 2 Kings 16:6 2 Kings 25:26
Babylonian captivity and post-exilic period
586-420 B.C. 2 Kings 25:26-30Ezra; Nehemiah
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe Old Testament
"from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be
charged against this generation.’"(Luke 11:51)
Jesus confirmed the 39 books of the Old Testament in this verse – Abel’s death is found in Genesis and Zechariah’s in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21 (the last
book in the Hebrew Bible)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe Old Testament
"It is true our history has been written since Artaxerxes very particularly but has not been esteemed of the like authority with the
former by our forefathers, because there has not been an exact succession of the prophets since that time.“
- Josephus, A. D. 95
Statement indicates Old Testament Canon was already intact
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
“Eventually, four Gospels and twenty-
three other texts were canonized into a Bible. This did not occur, however, until the sixth century.”
– Dan Burstein, Secrets of the Code, 116.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe New Testament
The truth is the composition of the New Testament was officially settled at the Council of Carthage in A. D. 397.
However, the majority of the New Testament was accepted as authoritative much earlier.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe New Testament
First collection of New Testament books proposed by Marcion in AD 140.
• Marcion was a Docetist. They believe all spirit is good, all material is evil (typically Platonic dualism) and also claim that Jesus only appeared human)
• Excluded Matthew, Mark, John • Included 10 of Paul’s letters,
but edited them
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe New Testament
Next collection of New Testament books is the Muratorian Canon, dated AD 170. Included:
• All four gospels• Acts• 13 of Paul’s letters• 1, 2, 3 John• Jude• Revelation
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The History of the CanonThe New Testament
The final New Testament Canon was first identified by the Church father Athanasius in A. D. 367 and ratified by the
Council of Carthage in A. D. 397.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Proof the New Testament was Recognized Early
"and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his
letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)
"For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his
wages.”" (1 Timothy 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Proof the New Testament was Recognized Early
Writer Lived Gospel Quotes Quotes from Acts
Justin Martyr A.D. 133 268 10
Irenaeus A.D. 125 1,038 194
Clement (alex.)
A.D. 150-212 1,107 44
Origen A.D. 185-253 9,231 349
Tertullian A.D. 160-220 3,822 502
Hippolytus A.D. 165-235 734 42
Eusebius A.D 265-340 3,258 211
Totals - 19,368 1,352
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Proof the New Testament was Recognized Early
• Matthew• Mark• Luke• Romans• 1 Corinthians• Ephesians• 1 Timothy• Titus• Hebrews• James• 1 Peter
Clement (c. A.D. 95)• Matthew• Mark• Luke• John• Acts• Romans• 1 & 2 Corinthians• Galatians• Ephesians• Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 1 & 2 Timothy
• Titus• Philemon • Hebrews• James• 1 & 2 Peter• 1 & 3 John • Revelation
Ignatius (c. A.D. 107) Polycarp (c. A.D. 110)• Matthew• Mark• Luke• John• Acts• Romans• 1 & 2 Corinthians• Galatians• Ephesians• Philippians • Colossians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 & 2 Timothy• 1 Peter & 1 John
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
A Christocentric View of ScriptureName Aspect Viewpoint
Law Foundation for Christ Downward
History Preparation for Christ Outward
Poetry Aspiration for Christ Upward
Prophecy Expectation of Christ Forward
Gospels Manifestation of Christ Downward
Acts Propagation of Christ Outward
Epistles Interpretation and application of Christ
Upward
Revelation
Consummation of Christ Forward
* Geisler and Nix
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
What was the test for canonicity?
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
1. Written by apostle (defined as person seeing Jesus Christ after His resurrection) or companion of apostle
2. No contradiction in core teachings of the faith (analogy of faith)
3. Accepted early and by majority of churches (catholicity)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Canon and the ChurchIncorrect View Correct View
Determines Canon Discovers Canon
Mother of Canon Child of Canon
Magistrate of Canon Minister of Canon
Regulates Canon Recognizes Canon
Judge of Canon Witness of Canon
Master of Canon Servant of Canon
When the decision was made as to what books were canonical, the Church used the Latin term ‘recipemus’, which means “we receive.” What the Church
said is that we receive these particular books as being canonical, as being apostolic in authority and in origin, and therefore we submit to their authority.
It’s one thing to make something authoritative, and it’s another thing to recognize something that already is authoritative.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Challenges to the Canon
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Apocrypha“hidden” or “doubtful”
14 books, 11 accepted by CatholicsWas in original King James Bible
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Why consider the Apocrypha for the Canon?
• New Testament cites it (e.g. Jude 6)• Greek Old Testament contained the books• Some early Church fathers cite them• Early catacombs had pictures from them• St. Augustine accepted them• Eastern Church accepts them• Early King James Bible had them• Cave with the Dead Sea Scrolls had them
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
• New Testament never refers to Apocrypha as Scripture; simply mentions statements in passing. Also cites pagan poets. • No one knows if original Greek Old Testament
contained it. • No Hebrew Bible ever had them• Many early Church fathers rejected them (e.g. Jerome,
who was a greater Biblical scholar than Augustine). Again, they may allude to them, but never cite them as Scripture (it is written…)• The catacomb pictures simply proves they contained
religious history• St. Augustine accepted them because he said they
contained stories of Christian martyrs; not test for canonicity• Eastern Church has not always accepted them• King James Bible had them in the middle; not included
in either Testament
Protestant Response to the Apocrypha
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
• Were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, but no indication they were considered inspired. I have many books in my library too along with a number of Bibles. • No commentaries ever written on Apocrypha• Special parchment was used for Scripture; not used for
Apocrypha• No Apocryphal book written by prophet or apostle of
God• Contains non-Biblical doctrines (e.g. references to
works salvation; prayers for the dead)• Contains errors in geography • Never mentioned as being inspired in first 400 years of
the Church• Never quoted by Jesus • Never quoted by Philo (Jewish teacher who quoted
from all Old Testament books) or by Josephus as being Scripture
Protestant Response to the Apocrypha
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Documentary Hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis is a theory that challenges the authorship of the Pentateuch by Moses. It asserts many authors
wrote the first five books of the Bible and did so many years after the events took place. The theory was first asserted by a priest named H. B. Witter who noticed that two distinct names for God
(Elohim and Yahweh) were used throughout the book of Genesis. A French physician named Jean Astruc published a work on the same theory, but the one who provided the most force to the theory was
Julius Wellhausen who divided the Torah up into four distinct sections – J.E.D.P.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
• Exodus 17:14: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua…”
• Exodus 24:4,7: “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord…Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people.”
• Exodus 34:27: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write down these words…”
• Numbers 33:2: “Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.”
• Deuteronomy 31:9: “So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests…”
• 1 Kings 2:3: ““Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses…”
• Matthew 19:8: “He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.”
Biblical Support for Mosaic Authorship
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
• Mark 12:26: ““But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses…”• John 5:46-47: “For if you believed Moses, you would
believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” • John 7:19: “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet
none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”• Acts 3:22: ““Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for
you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.”• Romans 10:5: “For Moses writes that the man who
practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.”
Biblical Support for Mosaic Authorship
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Documentary Hypothesis
“Clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God (יםRִהTֹלVֱא - Elohim) with the voice of joy. For the Lord (ִהR Yִהִו (Yahweh - י
Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.”
- Psalm 47:1-2
Notice that the writer uses two different names for God in these verses.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Documentary Hypothesis
Fifty-four Israeli scholars subjected the Pentateuch to the most rigorous linguistic syntactical evaluation that
any portion of the Bible has been submitted to by a computer program. The software analyzed objectively the work of those books, and in the end, the conclusion was this: There is no question that, from a statistical
standpoint, the first 5 books of the Bible were written by a single individual.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Gnostic ‘Gospels’
“More than eighty gospels were considered for the New
Testament, and yet only a relatively few were chosen for
inclusion – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them. . . . The
early church needed to convince the world that the mortal
prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus’ life had to be omitted
from the Bible.” --Dan Brown in The Da Vinci
Code
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Gnostic ‘Gospels’
• Accidentally discovered in 1945 near the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi.
• Six Bedouin camel drivers were digging for fertilizer when one of them uncovered a human skeleton buried next to an earthenware jar.
• Inside the jar, they found thirteen leather-bound volumes containing fifty-two treatises.
• The books included Gospels (e.g. Thomas, Philip), Acts (e.g. Peter and the Twelve Apostles), letters (e.g. Peter to Philip) and Apocalypses (e.g. Paul, Peter).
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Gnostic ‘Gospels’
• Clearly Gnostic in their writing• Departure from core teachings of Scripture
(Nature of God, person of Christ, nature of mankind, salvation, view of women, etc.)
• Not written by apostle or companion of apostle• Rejected by early churches (e.g. Irenaeus)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Mormon Version of Scripture
Joseph Smith, by ‘divine inspiration’, introduced thousands of changes
(additions, deletions, etc.) to the King James Version
of the Bible. Smith went so far as to add a passage in Genesis 50 that predicted
his own coming: “That seer will I bless . . . And his name shall be called
Joseph.”
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Book of Mormon
• The book of Mormon has been edited and revised over four thousand times – strange for something called out letter by letter by Joseph Smith from letters that divinely appeared to him, and something Smith called “the most correct of any book on earth.”
• Plagiarisms from the Bible are found in the book of Mormon – whole chapters in Isaiah from the 1611 version of the KJV have been lifted, including the italicized words, which are words inserted by the KJV translators (i.e. they are not divine).
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
The Canon We Have is Complete
• Jesus promised His followers would have “everything I have said to you” brought to them by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26); nothing would be omitted
• God’s providence ensures that what God revealed through inspiration would be preserved with nothing lost
• The meticulous preservation by the saints guarantees nothing was lost
• The end of the apostolic period removes any chance of extra-Biblical inspiration – the Church was built on their foundation (Eph. 2:20)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Why do we have different translations of the Bible?
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
John Wycliffe (ca. A. D. 1330-1384) is credited with creating the
first English translation of the whole Bible from the Latin
Vulgate. Later, William Tyndale created the first English
translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, and the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution. Tyndale
was arrested on the orders of King Henry VIII, jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde outside Brussels for
over a year, tried for heresy and burned at the stake. He was
strangled before his body was burnt.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Philosophies of Biblical Translation• Free Translation or Paraphrase: Translates the ideas from
the original text but without being constrained by the original words or language. Readable, but not always exact because interpretation depends upon the translators. Example: Peterson’s "The Message."
• Dynamic/Functional Equivalence: Does not translate by structural units or words but by “meaningful mouthfuls” or “thought by thought” with the goal being to reproduce a response in the reader that is equivalent to the response of the original readers. Examples: NIV, New English Bible.
• Literal or Formal: Starts with a word for word translation but will conform to the target language grammar (e.g. adding words); however it still remains lexically word-for-word. Examples: NASB, King James, New King James, ESV.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
“Either the translator leaves the writer alone as
much as possible and moves the reader toward the writer, or he leaves
the reader alone as much as possible and moves the writer toward the
reader”- Friedrich
Schleiermacher
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
Example of Dynamic vs. Literal" Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them,
saying:"(Matthew 5:1-2; Dynamic – NIV)
" When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,"(Matthew 5:1-2; Literal - NASB)
Why does Matthew say Jesus “opened His mouth”? Is there anything important lost in the NIV by that omission? The Sermon on the Mount
is a parallel in Scripture to the giving of the law at Sinai. God gave Israel principles for the Theocratic kingdom and Jesus gives His
disciples principles for the Messianic kingdom. Deut. 8:3 says, “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord”
Matthew is depicting Jesus as reenacting the history of God’s Son, Israel; the Spirit inspires him to make this link between Christ and
God’s giving of the Law.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
So What Bible Should I Use?Dynamic/Functional
EquivalenceLiteral/Formal Equivalence
Essence of Thought-for-Thought Sentence-for-Sentence
Proper Setting Target Language Source Language
Interpretation Thematic Interpretation Linguistic Interpretation
Meaning/Words Meaning Expressed without Words (Know Thought Apart from Words)
No Meaning Expressed without Words (Know Thought Through Words)
Locus of Meaning In the Mind In the Text
Goal Reproduce Same Effect Reproduce Same Meaning
Focus Response to the Message Form of the message
For Bible study, many conservative theologians recommend a Bible produced from a literal / formal equivalence framework (e.g. NASB, ASV, ESV, KJV, NKJV). It doesn’t mean you should throw out your Bible if it’s not one of these, but it may be good to have one as a
reference.
The WordThe Compilation of the Bible
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