Sep 27: Bible 101 - Got Bible?

Next week we start a 4-week series on God's Calling. Don't miss it!

Here's a recap of this week's discussion on Bible 101.

The Old Testament:

There’s the Protestant Bible, the Hebrew Bible, The Greek Bible (the Septuagint). Legend has it that 70 scholars in 70 days translated the entire Hebrew Bible into Greek. Hence the name includes the prefix “Sept-” referring to 70.

Oral tradition – there was nothing written down, so how do you assure that it gets passed on accurately? Corrections were made by the rest of the community. Take note of the importance of the spoken word in the stories of the Bible.

The New Testament:

Most of the New Testament is written in Greek. The writers of the NT wrote according to their level of education and knowledge, which varied from writer to writer. Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, was the language of the common people (e.g. “Throw the cow over the fence some hay.”) but not the language of the upper crust.

The Gospels

The first three gospels are called the “Synoptic” gospels (from the Greek meaning “same view”). Mark was probably written first; Matthew and Luke have similar outlines as Mark. Matthew was a Galilean Jew and wrote his gospel for Jews. Luke was a Gentile scholar. In his gospel, Gentiles and women have a more active role than in the other gospels. Luke wrote two volumes: Luke and Acts.

The gospel of John is different than the other 3 gospels. In theory it was written much later, which means, some scholars believe, that the writer had time to process the theological ideas of Jesus’ ministry. One comment: the gospel of John emphasizes the divinity of Christ.

Pauline letters: The Pauline letters are ordered by length (how they fit best in the scroll). Romans is the most deep and theologically focused of the letters.

Other letters:

Hebrews: uses the most eloquent Greek in the New Testament. Maybe it was written by Apollos (see Acts 18:24-28), or by Priscilla (cheers from women everywhere) (see Acts 18:2-4; 18-28).

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Found in 1947, The Dead Sea Scrolls included an almost intact scroll of Isaiah. This manuscript predated existing/known texts of Isaiah by 1500 years, but was practically the same as the later versions of Isaiah. Thus the DSS confirmed the text of Isaiah.

Other tidbits:

Pauline was not Paul’s wife.

2/3 of Job is bad advice.

Proverbs 31: written by the mother-in-law. Behind every successful man is a surprised mother-in-law.

Sep 20: Bible 101

The Big Question of the hour was: What is the Bible?

Here’s one classic definition: God’s authoritative word, useful for instruction in all areas of faith and life.

What’s your definition?

Our teacher, Pastor Larry, helped us create a “living time line.” Representing various Biblical personages and events, we tried to put ourselves in chronological order across the room. It’s harder than it sounds. We determined:

whether Methuselah came before or after the Tower of Babel;

which one of those patriarchs Rachel was married to;

was Enoch a prophet;

who came first, Jacob or Esau;

how was Elizabeth related to John the Baptist

Handouts:

Choosing the Right Bible by James Rodgers. With so many Bibles available, how can you know which one is best for you?

Bible Basics: Old Testament and New Testament organization

The Books of the Bible: Varieties of the Old Testament Canon, and The New Testament Canon

A good time was had by all

Hope everybody enjoyed the picnic! See you next week on Sep 20 for Bible 101.

Christ, Coffee and Conversation

C3 begins on Sep 20, 2009.