|
The Bible is the basis of the Christian faith. Within its pages we find
a variety of literary styles, stories, wisdom sayings, songs of worship,
historical accounts, prophecies and their fulfillment, and the
person of Christ. We see the Bible pointing to Jesus (John 5:39), who
claimed to be God in flesh (John 8:58 and
Exodus 3:14), who said that He alone was "the way, the
truth, and the life," (John 14:6). The Bible teaches us that
forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus alone, "And there is salvation
in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been
given among men, by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12). Such
fantastic claims means that the Bible will be critiqued in a manner
unlike other books. People have different world views. They
have opinions about the nature of the world, people, spirituality, that
differ from biblical revelation and they will view the Bible through
that worldview. When the Bible conflicts with their opinions, then
the Bible is often attacked.
If you want to be an apologist, or if you desire to be
able to give an answer for the reason of your faith lies within you (1 Pet. 3:15), then both a
knowledge of and a defense of the Bible are absolutely necessary.
If you haven't already, you will most assuredly encounter various
attacks upon its truth and realize how important it is to have answers.
How many times have you read the Bible? Are you
familiar enough with it to be able to give basic explanations of
creation, Abraham and Isaac, the exodus, David and Goliath, the story of
Jesus including his death, burial, and resurrection? Are you able to
defend basic Christian doctrines from the Word of God such as the
Trinity, or that Jesus is God in flesh, or that Jesus rose from the dead
in the same body He died in? These questions are important because they
are a gauge of what you know. Of course, you don't need to be a
Bible scholar. But you should be familiar with the Bible enough to
give basic answers. There is no better way to do that than to
simply read it and study it.
Of course, if you're doing this course, then
you have a desire to learn God's word, give answers, and defend the
faith. This is good. But, let me give you some very advice. You must not let the desire to have
answers overcome your relationship with the Lord. You need to study the Bible devotionally as well as
critically. You need to be touched by it. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and He
uses it to guide you, to teach you, and to feed you spiritually. It was
given to us for a reason and it is necessary throughout this course,
that you compare everything taught here with Scripture, as well as seek
to be shaped and molded by the truths of God's holy word. The Bible is
the source of truth and it comes from the very heart and mind of God. Bathe
your soul in it.
The Canon
The word "canon" means "standard" or "rule." It is the list of
authoritative and inspired Scriptures. Different religions have
different canons. In Judaism the canon consists of the books of the
old Testament only. In Protestant Christianity, the canon is the body
of scripture comprised in the Bible consisting of the 39 books in the Old
Testament and 27 in the New Testament. In
Roman Catholicism,
additional books were added in 1546. These books are known as the
apocryphal books: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, The Wisdom of Solomon,
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), and Baruch. I need to add here that Roman
Catholicism maintains that the apocrypha was always inspired along with
the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and Armenian churches. The Protestant
movement has not accepted the apocrypha due to its historical inaccuracies
and because neither Jesus nor the apostles every quoted it. This
last comment is crucial: Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever
quoted from the apocrypha. Therefore, the Protestants have never
considered it scripture since, apparently, neither did Jesus or the
apostles.
Miscellaneous Info on
the Bible
The Bible was written by about 40 men in about 1600 years dating from
1500 B.C. to about 100 A.D. These men wrote as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).
They wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Holy
Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13).
Septuagint
The
Septuagint is the
ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The word
is derived from the Latin word septuaginta which mans
"seventy." Therefore, the Septuagint is often referred to
as LXX. Supposedly 70 or 72 men translated it. This
translation was urged by the emperor Ptolemy II.
The Septuagint is important because it is another version of the OT
translated by Hebrews around 250 B.C.
The Old Testament
Books
-
Pentateuch - 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy
-
Historical Books - 12 books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second
Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second
Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
-
Poetical -
5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song
of Solomon
-
Prophetical - 17 books:
Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel; Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi
The New Testament Books
-
Historical Books - 5 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
-
Pauline Epistles
- 13 books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
-
Non-Pauline Epistles
- 9 books: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2
John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
- Note: Some authors
attribute Hebrews to Paul.
------------------------ Focus Points ------------------------
-
People will view the Bible through
their worldview, a set of presuppositions that they have through
which they view and interpret reality.
-
The word "canon" means "standard" or
"rule." It is the list of authoritative and inspired Scriptures.
-
The Roman Catholic Church added the apocrypha in 1546.
-
The Bible was written by about 40 men
in about 1600 years dating from 1500 B.C. to about 100 A.D.
-
The Septuagint (LXX) is the ancient
Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.
|