The Biblical Cannon
The Apocrypha
Means "hidden" or "doubtful" catholic version of the Old Testament contains these books These 14-15 books were written in the last 200 years BC They reflect popular beliefs of the time Included in the Septuagint (LXX), the earliest Greek translation of the OT New Testament has no direct quotes from the Bible Jerome (Latin translation of Bible) and the reformers (Martin Luther) didn't accept them Augustine accepted them, and later the Roman Catholics
The Contents of the Bible
The Bible: Old Testament (Protestant) Apocrypha (Catholic) New Testament (Protestant)
The Biblical Canon
The word "canon" comes from the Sumerian word for "reed" It refers to a body of sacred writings carrying the highest authority for some religious community The Jewish canon consists of the Hebrew Scriptures The Christian canon consists contains the Hebrew Scriptures and Aramaic (OT) and the collection of Greek documents (NT)
When Choosing a Version...
Thing to check for: 1. It's attitude toward the original text 2. It's way of rendering that text 3. Whether it communicates clearly to the modern reader
The New Testament
contains 27 books Less than 1/3 as longs as the Old Testament Written entirely in Greek Written by about 8 different authors Written over a period of 50-60 years New Testament Theme: The origin of the Christian Church The Gospels describe the Mission of Jesus The rest of the books refer to the ministry of the Apostles
The Old Testament
39 Books written by 39 different persons Written over a period of 1,000 years BC Originally written in Hebrew, except for parts of Daniel and Ezra (written in Aramaic) Old Testament Theme: God's dealings with the nation of Israel Old Testament: -History (Chronicles) -Legal Material (Deuteronomy/Leviticus) -Poetry (Psalms/Songs of Solomon) -Prophetic Writings (Jeremiah/Lamentations) Apocalyptic Literature (Daniel/Parts of Isaiah)
Biblical Scholarship
-Biblical Criticism: the process that helps us to understand the historical or original composition of the Bible -Textual Criticism: Analyzes the history of the transmission of the Bible and seeks to determine the most accurate Biblical text.
Reasons for Different Versions
1. As better manuscripts come to light: to produce as close to the original as possible, and as accurate as possible to the original language manuscripts 2. To make the Bible as easy to read and understand as possible: language changes and previous translations become difficult to comprehend 3. Translators working with illiterate or semi-literate people groups need to find ways to express Scripture in simple, easily understood language 4. As counterpoints to translations that accept different options for problem texts
Categorizing Different Versions
1. Literal; translate word for word close to the original Eg: KJV and New American Standard Version 2. Dynamic Equivalency; explain original thought in modern language Eg: NRSV, NIV and the New Living Translation 3. Paraphrases; Explanation or restatement of text; Devotional Eg: Living Bible, Message and the Clear Word
New Testament Inclusion Qualifications
1. Personal contact with Jesus- either an apostle himself or a close friend of an apostle 2. Divine Ordination for their work- Apostle Paul received a resurrection appearance
Early Development of the Canon
Jewish Canon in Christ's Time Law Prophets Writings Jesus and the Pharisees accepted all three as divinely authoritative The Sadducees only accepted the Law New Testament writers refer to these as "Scriptures"
Later Development of the Canon
The Early Christian Church Law Prophets Writings New Testament The adoption of the New Testament into the Canon was a gradual process that was not completed until the 4th century after Christ
Canonical Authority
The life of Christ and the testimonies of those who witnessed the history of Jesus are both unique. Therefore.. 1. The canon is closed 2. Authority of the Apostles cannot be passed from one generation to the next 3. The Bible has authority over the Christian Church