Through The Bible

Session #1

October 3, 2001

What this Study is about:

• The Bible – it’s themes, key verses, central messages, types of literature, questions that we don’t have all the answers to.
• This study focuses on the basics. We won’t spend a lot of time with individual passages unless they contribute to the basic message of the book.

What this Study will require of you:

• An openness that God will mature you through this process.
• A willingness to learn.
• A dedication to the material (1-3 hours per week). Ideally, we should read each chapter of every book. If you can’t do that, read the key sections as outlined in your study.
• Cost of material: $17.00 per person
• Recommended: A good study Bible (examples: The New Oxford Annotated Bible, The Harper-Collins Study Bible, The NIV Study Bible). Think about the following in choosing a Bible:

Translation – recommend either NRSV or NIV. Be sure to get a ‘translation’ rather than a ‘paraphrase.’ A translation seeks to be an accurate rendition of the original languages.

Maps & helps – take a look at what kind of aids the Study Bible you’re looking at offers. Can you understand the comments or helps?

What kind of schedule should we undertake?

1. Weekly – the study is designed to meet once a week for 52 straight weeks.
2. Bi-monthly – meet twice a month and either cover two chapters per time or cover one chapter and spread the study out.
3. Some other option?

Some comments about the study:

• Language – this study was written some years ago (1988 to be exact). Some of the language usage can be distracting. When you see the word ‘man’ in most cases the authors are referring to ‘humanity’ – both men and women.
• Theology – there may be some things you will disagree with. The perspective you will read about is that of the author of this study. You will also get the theology of the Bible study leader mixed in. You have to sort out where you fit into the perspectives you will hear.

Geography of biblical world

The word ‘Bible’ means “little books” or in Greek, biblion.

In America, there are approximately 3.2 Bibles per household yet we seem to have trouble taking time to read it. Why is that?

1. There are endless descriptions in the Bible.
2. It can be a very bloody reading.
3. The order we have for our Bible is not chronological. It seems to some disorganized. That can be frustrating at times to try and follow the continuity.
4. It’s about life as it really is; it’s about us – sometimes that’s hard to take.

What is the Message of the Bible?

Possible answers:

• God’s revelation to humanity the plan of salvation.
• Record of God’s relationship with humanity.
• God’s word in human language taking on the personality and style of the original writers.
• A living, dynamic revelation from God about how to live, work, and love God and other people.
• What would you add to this?

Challenges in Studying the Bible

1. It’s ancient – The biblical writings cover a span of at least 1,600 years. Some estimates have the earlier writings penned 1,800 years before Christ and the later writings happening 200 years after his death.

2. Requires a cross-cultural perspective – Jesus did not grow up in Orange Grove eating barbeque and going to Orange High School! Jesus was Middle Eastern. He was Jewish.

3. The Bible does not seek to be a history book – While the Bible is historical and contains historical information, it does not seek to be simply a historical record of events. It seeks to tell people about God and draw people into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

4. It uses different kinds of writings – poetry, prose, apocalyptic, wisdom literature, laments, genealogies, etc. Different kinds of writings have to approached with different sets of lenses.

5. People believe they won’t get it – One of the greatest challenges to overcome is a person’s lack of confidence in approaching Scripture. God’s revelation through Scripture is not only available to those who know the most.

How did we get the Bible we have today?

For nearly 100 years after Christ, people only used the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) for their Bible. Then, they began to ask, “Is this enough?”

Canonization – this word ‘canon’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘measuring rod.’ The canon of the Bible refers to the books we have in our Bible. The Protestant canon includes the 66 books we have in our Old & New Testaments – 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. The Catholic canon also includes what are known as the Apocryphal books. This word ‘apocrypha’ means, “things that are hidden.” There are 14 of these apocryphal books.

What about the Apocrypha?

• These books have been included in the canon for most of our church’s history.
• At the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther said the apocryphal books were ‘secondary’ and not to be considered as authoritative as the rest of Scripture. Protestants don’t consider the Apocryphal books as authoritative.
• The Roman Catholic Council of Trent in 1546 declared the Apocrypha as authoritative.
• Today, many Bibles are printed with the Apocrypha in them. The hard line against them has softened a bit.

There were many accounts of the life of Jesus (at least a dozen gospels) written and somehow the Church had to decide which ones were ‘authoritative’ and would be considered Scriptural, and which ones were not. Why did they have to decide this?

1. The early Church was developing standards for living, worshiping, and being in relationship with one another.
2. Many false teachings (that were claiming to be Christian) were being written and the Church needed to decide what was authentically Christian and what was not.

History of Canonization:

• Around A.D. 150 a man named Marcion drew up a canon that included 10 letters of Paul and Luke. He rejected the Old Testament because he believed the Creator was not the God of Jesus Christ.
• The Church responded by Marcion by saying

1. They believed the God of the Old Testament was also the God of Christ.

2. They moved toward the 4 Gospels we have now as authoritative.

3. Paul’s letters were considered authoritative as well as 1^st Peter, 1^st John, Barnabas, 1^st Clement, and Hermas.

· Irenaeus, a bishop in southern France (about A.D. 185) was the 1^st to indicate there was a collection he called the New Testament. He didn’t include books like Hebrews, James, 2^nd Peter, Jude, and Revelation.

· A.D. 303 Roman emperor Diocletian ordered all Scripture destroyed and all who didn’t hand them over were to be executed. People had to decide, “Which books of the Bible am I willing to die for?”

· Shortly after these persecutions began, church councils began to meet to define which books would make up the canon. In a letter dated around 366 A.D., written by Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria, he included a list of the canonical books that we have today.