1. Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures Chapter 3, Section 2
RJ Bowling, Esteban Fernandez, Henry Franco, Noah Sepulveda
Period 2

2. Vocabulary
Apocalyptic- A prophetic or symbolic revelation of the end of the world. These were written in a number of Jewish and Christian texts from around the second century BCE to the second century CE.
Canon- For Catholics, the twenty-seven New Testament books and forty-six Old Testament books that are accepted as inspired books by the Church.
Heresy- For Christians, an obstinate denial after Baptism to believe a truth that must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or an obstinate doubt about such truth. 

3. Origin of the Christian Bible
The Bible comes from the Greek word meaning "books"
Collection of sacred Christian writings, or Scriptures
Includes the Hebrew Scriptures: the Old Testament
Written by first-century Christians
367 CE: father Athanasius first provided the complete list of the 73 books belonging to the canon. 

4. Old Testament vs. New Testament
Old Testament: 39 books (Catholic Bible: 46 books)
New Testament: 27 books
The Old Testament explains life before Jesus. 
The New Testament explains the life of Jesus and His death. 
Christians aim to fulfill a life like that of Jesus Christ. This leads to the study of the New Testament by Christians. 
This is why Jews do not study the New Testament.

5. Inspired by God God inspired the human authors of the sacred books.
"To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more." (11)
Dei Verbum, Second Vatican Council document

6. The New Testament Four specific literary genres: 1) Gospels 2) History
3) Letters
4) Apocalyptic
All but one author was Jewish
The author of Luke and Acts of the Apostles was a Gentile

7. Genre 1: Gospels Total count: 4
The Gospels are the pre-eminent books of the New Testament. They proclaim Jesus as the Son of God through the telling of his life, ministry, death, and resurrection (CCC, 139). 
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Written between CE, except for John's, which was written between CE. 
The Gospels recount the life of Jesus
Each gives us a unique perspective of the work of Jesus. 

8. Genre 2: History Total count: 1 The Acts of the Apostles
This book narrates a history of the first Christians and their missionary efforts from Jerusalem to Rome. 
Tells us of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. 

9. Genre 3: Letters Total count: 21
Epistles, which comes from the Greek word for "letters" or "message"
We consider these to be formal letters written by an individual to Christian communities or to individuals. 
Often written on a scroll, these epistles were a form of communication. 
Follow similar format: introduction identifies any associates, mentions his audience, and gives a greeting. 
13 Epistles were written by the apostle Paul. 

10. Genre 4: Apocalyptic Total count: 1 The Book of Revelation
"The Revelation to John" 
A highly symbolic and allegorical account of a vision a man named John had of future earthly disasters and the intervention of God to set up the kingdom of heaven here on earth. 
Final book of the New Testament. 

11. Criteria of the Christian Canon
Four requirements for a book to become part of the Christian canon:
1) Apostolic, that is, attributed to an Apostle or one of his companions
2) Ancient
3) Widely read among the faithful
4) A source of the truth of God's revelation and not heresy
There were many other writings that were written as gospels, epistles, or of apocalyptic nature, but they did not meet the four requirements to become part of the official canon. 
Examples: 
Apocalypse of Peter
The Epistle of Barnabas
Infancy Gospel of James

12. Disagreements on the Official Count of Books
All branches of Christianity agree on the authority of the same 39 books of the Old Testament. 
Catholics add 7 more books to the Old Testament that were written during the Second Temple period. 
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes (Sirach), Baruch, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. 
Many Eastern Orthodox churches have more than 46 books. 
Protestants typically consider books other than the 39 as apocryphal, meaning of "dubious" authority. 
All Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God despite the disagreements on the number of books in the Old Testament. 

13. Apologetics
Apologetics is a style of writing that defends and explains the Christian faith. 
Began to emerge in the second century. 
The intended audience is Christians so that they could use these writings to explain and defend their faith in a world they felt that did not always understand them. 
Defending Christianity to Latin- and Greek-speaking polytheists. 
Influenced by Greek philosophical writings. 
Examples: 
One of the first authors of apologetic literature: Irenaeus of Lyon. 
The best-known apologist: Just Martyr ("disciple of Plato")

14. QUIZ
What is the name of the Second Vatican Council document that explains that the authors of the Bible are inspired by God? 
A) Lumen Gentium
B) Nostra Aetate 
C) Dei Verbum
D) Dignitatis Humanae 
How many authors in the Bible are not Jews? 
How many genres are there in the New Testament?
TRUE/FALSE: It is a necessary requirement for a book to be ancient for it to be considered part of the official canon of the Bible
How many more books are there in the Catholic Old Testament that that of a Protestant Bible?