the bible. bible – from the greek word biblia meaning “the books or library” it contains 66...
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The Bible
Bible – From the Greek word biblia meaning “the books or library”
It contains 66 books divided into two sections: New and Old Testaments
The Old Testament is the scripture of the Jews and deals with the time prior to JesusReveals the nature of God and His relationship with
humanity in 39 separate booksCreation narrative (Genesis) and Moses and the
Ten Commandments (Exodus) are found in Old Testament
Only major religion that contains another religions scripture in its holy book
Christians believe that its writings of a coming deliverer, the Messiah, were about Jesus
The New Testament deals with: The early life of JesusThe early ChurchBeginning of new relationship between God
and humanityThe New Testament caintains 27 booksThe four books about Jesus are called the
gospelsGospels (“Good News”) record Jesus’ early
teachings and his lifeWritten by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Referred to as “Synoptic” books or gospels because they are dealing with similar content from different perspectives – lots of overlap
New Testament made up of the four gospels plus: One book about the early Christians – Acts
Concentrates on exploits of Peter and Paul and the apostles as they spread Jesus’ teachings after the ascension
21 letters –called epistlesLetters written by early Christian leaders to gatherings
of of believers to give them advice and encouragement – sent to churches
Give insight into beliefs and concerns of early ChristiansOne Prophetic book – Revelation
Written at end of 1st century CETheme is that good will eventually win over evil and
Christ will return to earth in victoryUnderstood ay symbolic, not literally
The “canon” of the New Testament” was finally settled around 200CE
Books had to meet the following criteria:Widely read by ChristiansConsidered helpfulWritten by one of the apostles or thought o be
faithful in their teachingsChristians look to the New Testament for:
Advice on leading a life characteristic of Christian values – ethically and spiritually
Guidance in the practices of the ChurchHelp in matters of doctrine (written Christian
teachings)
Bible was not written as a complete workIt is an edited and translated compilation of
many authors worksWritings were from different places and timesConsequently, many different renderings and
translations of the bibleOriginal languages were Greek, Hebrew and
Aramaic – the first translated version was Latin
First English translation was in 1539 in England
Recent translations try to put bible into more modern languageExample:
http://www.bibleontheweb.com/Bible.asp Because of the way the bible was compiled
and translated, its authority and interpretation has been debated for centuries (Literal vs. Symbolic)
Bible is basis for private study and often an important part of church services (readings)
Sermons are interpretations of readings