Grace Bible Church Sunday School 01/10/10

 Divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Old Testament contains 39 books, 929 chapters, 23,138 verses.  The New Testament contains 27 books, 260 chapters, 1189 verses.  The Old Testament is typically divided into three sections: The law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  The New Testament is typically divided into four sections: the gospels, church history (Acts), the Epistles, and the end times (Revelation).

 Written over a span of over 1500 years.  Written by over 40 authors.  Written in different places.  Written at different times.  Written in different moods.  Written on three continents.  Written in three languages  Written in a wide variety of literary styles.  Addresses hundreds of controversial topics  Presents a single unfolding story.

 The bestseller of all time  Has been translated into more languages  Miraculous survival through the ages  Prophecy predicted and fulfilled  Historical accuracy  Character, for better or worse  Influence on literature  Influence on civilization

 We refer to the books of the Bible as the Canon, a word derived from the Greek word Kanon, meaning “cane”, which was used as a measuring rod.  No church or council created the canon; they only recognized and collected the books that were already discovered to be the inspired Word of God.

 The Old Testament canon was established by 150BC, and most likely by 400BC.  The main tests for inclusion in the canon were:  Was it written by a Prophet of God?  Was the writer confirmed by acts of God (miracles)?  Some scholars believe the Jamnia Council (90AD) met to agree on which books would be included in the Hebrew canon.  Apocryphal books were recognized as having some value, but they were rejected for various reasons.

 The New Testament canon was substantially completed by 175AD, documented in letters by Athanasius in 367AD, and confirmed by the Synod of Hippo in 393AD.  The early church had many reasons to establish the canon:  As early as 140AD, the heretic Marcion developed his own incomplete canon.  Many Eastern churches were using counterfeit books.  The rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world required knowing which books to translate.  The persecution of the early church necessitated the determination of which books were sacred.

 The main test for inclusion in the canon was apostolic authorship.  Many apocryphal books were rejected for a variety of reasons.

“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in the fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin” (Voddie Baucham)