The Bible God’s Holy Word

Both Christians and Jews look to the Bible as their sacred scripture.

In the Catholic version of the bible there are 73 books In the Catholic version of the bible there are 73 books. It has been likened to a “library” of books. The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblios meaning book. Plural – biblia.

Protestant and Jewish bibles (the Hebrew Scriptures) have 39 books in their Old Testament. Catholic bibles have 46 books.

UNDERLYING THEME OF THE BIBLE THE STORY AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE

SCRIPTURE: FACT VS. TRUTH IS EVERYTHING IN THE BIBLE TRUE? CAN EVERYTHING IN THE BIBLE BE PROVEN AS FACTUAL? FUDAMNETAL(LITERAL) TRANSLATION CONTEXTUAL MEANING

READING OF SCRIPTURE CONTEXTUAL-is the most consistent use of the method of Bible study that began in Antioch, Syria, in the third century. The Old Testament was given by God. God uniquely spoke through the Hebrew Scripture. Therefore, every aspect of the text had meaning—every sentence, clause, word, letter, and even the smallest embellishment or idiosyncrasy of the text.

READING OF SCRIPTURE CONTEXTUAL- It is important to study Bible passages and stories within their context. Taking verses out of context leads to all kinds of error and misunderstanding. Understanding context begins with four principles: literal meaning (what it says), historical setting (the events of the story, to whom is it addressed, and how it was understood at that time), grammar (the immediate sentence and paragraph within which a word or phrase is found) and synthesis (comparing it with other parts of Scripture for a fuller meaning). 

Contextual meaning

READING OF SCRIPTURE FUNDAMENTAL-Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning” conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The literal meaning is held to correspond to the intention of the authors.

DIVINE INSPIRATION Divine inspiration means that God preserved the writers from recording error when they wrote the various parts of Scripture. All things they recorded are accurate. The words were actually said, and the events actually happened.

DIVINE REVELATION Revelation means, "God disclosing to humanity truths they would not otherwise know" - human beings could not find out these truths for themselves.  Revelation, therefore, is concerned with the giving of truth while divine inspiration refers to the recording of truth.

Divine Revelation

Divine revelation, therefore, is concerned with the giving of truth while divine inspiration refers to the recording of truth.

DEFINE THE FOLLOWING WORDS: 1.INERRANCY 2. SACRED SCRIPTURE 3. TESTAMENT 4. INSPIRATION 5. REVELATION

ANSWERS 1. The belief that the bible is without error when it teaches about our salvation. 2. The bible is described as holy writings. 3. A covenant or sacred promise. 4. The act of God moving an author to include a lesson in the bible. 5. The act of God showing a lesson in the bible.

The Old Testament is the part of the bible that contains the sacred writings of the Jewish people. It contains history, poetry, advice wisdom, prophecy and laws.

It is called the Old Testament because it describes an early promise (agreement) between God and God’s people the Jews. Another name for such an agreement is a Covenant.

Covenants made by God and the people of Israel Covenants made by God and the people of Israel. God made a covenant (a two sided agreement) with the people of Israel on Mt. Sinai, see Exodus 20.1:17. When God delivered Israel from slavery, the people Israel pledged to do God’s will. This Covenant is known as the Ten Commandments.

God also made Covenants with Noah after the flood (Genesis 9:1-19)

God made a Covenant with Abraham, who left his family and the land to follow God’s will. (Genesis 12) Abraham was a man of great faith in God. His faith was tested many times as we read in the Book of Genesis.

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew , Aramaic and Greek The Bible was originally written in Hebrew , Aramaic and Greek. Most of the Hebrew Scriptures were written in Hebrew or Aramaic and the Christian Testament was written in Greek.

The Catholic Church asserts that the bible is without error in teaching the truth necessary for our salvation because the authors of the bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and all the books faithfully teach what God has revealed.

The bible was written over a period of 1000 years. It took 900 years to write the Old Testament and 100 years to write the New Testament. The bible was written by many different people in many different places, using many different literary forms, e.g. real history, poetry, laws, advice, letters and legend.

The canon of the bible is the official, authoritative lists of sacred Scriptures contained within the Bible.

The Four Major sections of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) The Pentateuch includes the accounts of the origins of the Jewish people, the story of Exodus, and the giving of the Law. The Pentateuch ends with the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

The historical books tell of the Israelites in Canaan and of Israel’s kings. These books also cover Israel’s break up, the kings of Judah and Israel and Judaism’s development after the exile.

The Wisdom Books contain the Psalms and other literature focusing on themes such as the meaning of life and suffering, how to lead a good life, and the joys of married love.

The prophetic books confront the wealthy and the proud The prophetic books confront the wealthy and the proud. These books also console people undergoing great trials, recalling God’s promise never to abandon them.

The New Testament The Four Major Sections The Gospels are the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each of which presents a distinctive portrait of Jesus and a different emphasis on his message. They are not biographies of Jesus, however. The Acts of the Apostles, sometimes called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, describes the activities and faith of the early Church.

The Epistles are the twenty-one letters that encourage, teach, and respond to the needs of the early believers. The Book of Revelation, full of strange and powerful symbols of the end of time, calls Christians to be faithful in the face of persecution, and to trust that God will finally be victorious.