1. WELCOME to DPBIB501E Introduction to Biblical Studies
Deacon Dennis Demes, Ph.D
Professor of Biblical Studies
St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary

2. Icebreakers for Table Groups
Go around the table; allow each person opportunity to answer the first question before moving onto the second, then the third. Keep your answers brief so everyone has time to share.
Brief introduction – name and parish or religious community
What are you seeking to get out of the Catholic Bible Institute?
If you could spend a day with any biblical character, who would it be, and why?

3. Faith Sharing Guidelines
As we listen to others share how God is speaking to them, God can also speak to us. We need to listen attentively, with our ears and eyes and hearts open, in order for us to hear God speaking to us through others.
See Jesus in every member of your group.
Love each member just as she or he is today.
Treat everyone as well as you want them to treat you (the “Golden Rule”).
Share only what God is revealing to you about yourself and your life.
Allow each person equal time to share, but don’t force anyone.
Be courteous of one another. Allow each person to speak without interruption.
Listening is even more important than speaking (we have two ears, one mouth).
Do not try to solve another person’s problems. Do not teach, preach, judge, condemn, or give advice. Just listen and offer support.
All members of the group assume responsibility for these guidelines. Gently remind and lovingly encourage one another if anyone forgets.

4. Intro to Biblical Studies
"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter1:20-21)

5. What is the Bible? Not just one book, but a whole library!
Greek biblia – “scrolls, books” (plural)
Books not all same type, but different kinds/genres
Some Key Terms (see: A Glossary of Important Biblical Terms
Scripture
Canon
Bible
Testament / Covenant
scriptural / canonical / biblical
non-scriptural / non-canonical / non-biblical

6. Wait! WHOSE Bible? Many different versions, with different contents!
Not just different editions or different translations
Jewish Bibles vs. Christian Bibles
Jewish: ancient or modern? In Hebrew, or Greek, or English? from Masoretic Text (MT) or Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)?
Christian: Orthodox vs. Catholic vs. Protestant Bibles?
New Testament – luckily, same 27 books for most (99%) Xns
Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testaments:
Sadly, different versions for different groups!
Jewish? Catholic? Orthodox? Protestant?
Different names, numbers, order, categories, texts…

7. Hebrew Bible / Jewish Scriptures
Hebrew Bible / Tanak (ancient & modern Jews)
Three Main Sections:
Torah = “Law”? “Teaching, Instruction”
Nevi’im = “Prophets”
Khetuvim = “Writings”
Torah ca. 6th Cent. BCE; Full Tanak ca. 1st Cent. CE!
Septuagint (ancient Greek-speaking Jews outside Palestine)
Greek Translation of H.B. plus more books!
Begun 3rd Cent. BCE; used widely by early Christians

8. Christian “Old Testament”
“Hebrew Bible” / “First Testament” / “Old Testament”?
“Old” does NOT mean “bad, defunct, out-of-date”
Differences between HB & OT:
Foundational texts are different:
Modern Jewish Bibles are based on the Hebrew Bible (HB or MT)
OT section of Christian Bibles are based on the Septuagint (LXX)
Total number of biblical books is different:
Jews count 24, Protestants 39, Catholics 46, Orthodox up to 53
Arrangement of the categories of books is different
Names/Titles of some books are different
Categorization of some books is different

9. Summary: HB vs. LXX vs. OT
Hebrew Bible (TaNaK – ca BCE; canonized 90 CE)
3 sections: Torah, Nevi’im, Khetuvim (24 books)
Septuagint (LXX – compiled ca BCE)
Greek translation, rearrangement, and expansion of HB
4 sections: Law, History, Wisdom, Prophets
“Deutero-canonical” books added: T.J. McWeb
Christian Old Testament (OT – as of 1st Century AD)
Law/Pentateuch, Historical, Wisdom, Prophets
Catholics follow Alexandrian Canon (46 books total)
Protestants removed the “Apocrypha” (39 books left)

11. Christian “New Testament”
Christian Scriptures? Second Testament?
Luckily the same 27 books for (almost) ALL Christians
Written in last 1/3 of 1st Century AD
Individual writings, all in Greek, only later collected
Four Main Sections:
Gospels (Synoptics & John)
Acts of the Apostles
Letters/Epistles
Revelation/Apocalypse

12. New Testament Overview
NT Content:
27 “books” (incl. many letters)
All originally written in Greek
Later translations: Latin, etc.
Composition History:
Jesus’ Life/Death/Resurr. (ca. 30)
Apostolic Preaching: Oral Traditions
Early Written Sources (30’s? 50’s?)
Letters/Epistles (50’s – 110’s?)
Full Gospels (late 60’s – 90’s?)
Collections (1st – 3rd Cent.)
Canonization (late 4th Cent.)

13. NT Structure & Genres Four “Gospels” (Euangelion, lit. “good news”)
Canonical Order: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John (but Mark is oldest)
One “Acts” of the Apostles
Vol. 2 of Luke’s work (traveling companion of Paul?)
Twenty-One “Letters” or “Epistles”
“Pauline Letters” – attributed to Paul of Tarsus
Named after Communities & Individuals TO WHOM written
7 “Undisputed” & 6 “Disputed”
Hebrews – vaguely Pauline; not really a “letter” but a sermon
“Catholic/General Epistles” – attribute to other apostles
James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude
One “Apocalypse” = Book of Revelation (singular!)

14. Ancient Writing Materials
Papyrus (reed plant)
Cut in strips, flattened
Less expensive, durable
Vellum / Parchment
Animal skins, prepared
More expensive, durable
Other Materials: Stone, Clay, Wood, etc.

15. Ancient Writing Format
Scroll
Rolled, sealed on outside
Written on one side only
Papyrus or Vellum
Codex
Sheets stacked, bound
Written on both sides
Papyrus or Vellum

16. Ancient Scrolls Pompeii: Wall Painting
Prior to AD 79 (when Pompeii was buried by lava from Mt. Vesuvius)
Girl reading a scroll (a letter or short book).
Seated woman with a scroll in her left hand.

17. Ancient Writing Ancient Wall Painting
Woman holding a book and a writing stylus

18. Biblical Texts Pre-Constantine Era (1st – 3rd Cent.)
Christians were poor, persecuted, minority
NT texts: only few papyrus scraps survive
Emperor Constantine
Edict of Milan (312 C.E.)
Imperial support of Christianity
Construction of Churches
Full Bible Codices on Vellum some survive from 4th / 5th Cent.:
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Vaticanus
Codex Alexandrinus, etc.

19. Writing Styles Manuscripts Printing Lit. “hand-written”
Majuscule (ALLCAPSNOSPACES)
Minuscule (lower case, punctuation)
Printing
First: carved wood blocks
Moveable type: ~1453 Johannes Gutenberg

20. P52 - Oldest NT fragment
Ca. 125 – 150 C.E. (now in John Rylands Library, Manchester)
kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/greek/johnpap.html
front: John 18: back: John 18:37-38

21. P75 Papyrus Bodmer XV Ca. 175 – 225 C.E.
End of Luke & Start of John; both on same page! (so Luke/Acts separated)

22. P46 Oldest manuscript of the Pauline letters.
Originally part of the Chester Beatty Papyri
Written ca. AD 200
Total of 104 pages, but several are now missing
Included at least ten of the Pauline letters
This image shows the text of 2 Cor 11:33–12:9

23. Bible Versions & Translations
Ancient “Versions” (Languages):
Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac, etc.
Modern Translations:
German, English, Spanish, etc.
Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Ecumenical
English Translations (sometimes also called “Versions”):
older: KJV, Douay-Rheims, etc.
newer: JB , RSV, NEB, NAB, NIV, etc.
newest: NJB, NRSV, REV, NAB-rev, NIV-rev, etc.

24. Bible Formats & Editions
Ancient Writing Materials & Formats:
Papyrus (plant) & Vellum (skins)
Scroll (rolled) vs. Codex (bound)
Majuscule (ALL CAPS) vs. Minuscule (small letters)
Manuscripts (hand-written) vs. Print Editions (since 1453)
Modern Editions & Publications:
Reader’s Editions: text only
Study Editions: intros, footnotes, maps, etc.
Same translation might be used in different editions

25. Manuscripts vs. Print Editions
Manuscripts = “written by hand” (ancient or modern)
Copying introduces differences (intentional or accidental)
Many small differences in spelling, grammar, word choice
Some large differences in content, placement, omission of whole books!
Printing invented in 1540’s (Gutenberg Bible) – standardization
We have no original MSS, only “copies of copies”
First MSS written long after events; surviving copies even later
Oldest HB texts before 1940’s: "Masoretic text" (9th -10th CE)
HB books in DSS (discovered 1940’s): written in/before 1st Cent. CE
Oldest NT texts: a few fragments from 2nd -3rd Cent. CE
Whole NT Manuscripts from 4th - 5th Cent. CE
“Textual Criticism” tries to determine best/original readings

26. Why So Many Translations?
No original manuscript of any biblical book has survived!
Extant manuscripts contain numerous textual variations!
Important old manuscripts were found in last 200 years!
Meanings of some biblical texts are unknown/uncertain!
Ancient languages are very different from modern ones!
Every "translation" is already an "interpretation"!
All living languages continually change & develop over time!
Cultural developments require new sensitivities in language!
(See English Translations for more detail)

27. Two Main Types of Translation
“Formal Correspondence” Translations
Preserve original wording & word-order of Hebrew & Greek 
Require explanations (footnotes) to avoid misinterpretations
Good for in-depth academic study of the Bible
Difficult to understand when heard or read aloud
Ex: Douay-Rheims, KJV/NKJV, RSV/NRSV, NAB, NIV
“Dynamic Equivalence” Translations
Focus on meaning & ideas, not “word for word” translation
better for public proclamation or liturgical use
Ex: NEB/REB, TEV/CEV, JB/NJB

28. Alternative Versions “Biblical Paraphrases” “Amplified Bible”
Not accurate translations  (don’t even claim to be)
Often intended for children or teenagers
Condense and/or omit much of the biblical material
Freely change the wording of the original texts
“Amplified Bible”
“Amplifies” the text, adding many extra words & phrases to explain the meaning (but whose opinion?)
Avoid either of these for Bible Study purposes

29. Which Is the Best Translation?
Over 500 different translations in English today!
More and more produced each decade
No “Perfect” or “Best” Translation Exists!
But some are better than others, for various purposes
More Recent Ones are Usually Better:
Based on best/oldest manuscripts discovered in past years
New insights from biblical scholarship
So avoid KJV or Douay-Rheims !
Which translation do you have?

30. Translations vs. Editions?
Bible Translation (or Version)
An interpretation of the meaning of the Bible from its original languages into another (modern) language
Ex: King James Version (KJV), New English Bible (NEB), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Jerusalem Bible (JB), New American Bible (NAB), etc.
Reader’s Edition – translation printed w/ little extra material
Study Edition or Study Bible
Printing of a certain translation by a particular publisher, with added introductions, study helps, commentary, references, etc.
Ex: “The Catholic Study Bible: New American Bible”; “New Oxford Annotated Bible: NRSV with the Apocrypha”

31. What’s the Point? What Is the Bible? That’s a complex question!
Whose Bible? Different versions (Jewish, Prot, Cath)
Different contents, based on different manuscripts.
Different translations, due to many factors.
Not All Bibles Are Equal !
Newer translations are often better than older ones.
Study editions provide helpful tools for learning.
Which Bible should you use for LEMP?
Your choice; there’s no “best” or “required” version.
But a “Catholic edition” or “…with Apocrypha”

32. Resources for Biblical Study
See the Basic Bibliography (handout or online) for details
Study Bibles (with good intros, notes, maps, etc.)
Bible Dictionaries (alphabetical order of entries)
Bible Commentaries (canonical order of books)
Jerome/Collegeville, for example
Bible Atlases
Bible Concordances
Other Resources

33. Use of Bible in Liturgy & Prayer
Lectionary Readings:
Catholic: Lectionary for Mass
Protestant: Revised Common Lectionary
See the Roman Catholic Lectionary website
Personal Prayer & Study:
Lectio Divina
Reading the Bible Daily
Small Group Bible Study

34. Biblical References: Caution!
Book Names & Abbreviations
Ex vs. Ez vs. Ezr
Hb vs. Heb
Jon vs. Jn
Phil vs. Phlm
Ti vs. Tim
Jn 1 vs. 1 Jn
1 Cor vs. Cor 1 ?
Chapter & Verse Numbers
John 9:12
John 9, 12
John 9:1, 12
John 9:1-12
John 9:1; 12:36
John 9:1-12, 36
John 9:1—12:36

35. Closing Prayer