The Bible in 75 Hours Session 1: Introduction

Transcription

1 Aims The Bible in 75 Hours Session 1: Introduction To equip the saints with a better understanding of the Bible. To promote a love for the Scriptures. To show that the Written Word contains the Living Word (Jesus, John 1:1) from Gen 1:1 to Rev 22:21. Objectives At the end of the course the student will have: Read the entire Bible. Memorised the books of the Bible in order. Memorised a Scripture from each and every book of the Bible. 66 books by 40 authors, yet we now find that it's an integrated message system from outside our time domain (Chuck Missler). Inspiration See 2 Timothy 3:16. inspiration of God = God breathed. God's superintendence of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to men in the words of the original autographs (Arnold Fruchtenbaum). The writings of the original authors are guided by the Holy Spirit so the word of God is alive. We only have copies of the original writings. Textual criticism is the attempt to get as close as possible to the original text from the copies we have. The Bible in your hand is NOT, strictly speaking, divinely inspired. But it most certainly is the written Word of God. Languages Old Covenant mainly in Hebrew, but part of Daniel (2:4-7:28) is in a related language called Aramaic, the official language of the Persian Empire, and Aramaic words occur in Esther, Job, the Psalms, Song of Songs and Jonah. See Isaiah 36:11 for a time when Aramaic was preferred, and Mark 5:41 for an example of Jesus using Aramaic. About 300 BC the Old Covenant was translated into Greek (by 70 or 72 Jewish scholars) because Hebrew had fallen into disuse and Greek was the common language of the region. This translation is called the Septuagint from the Latin for seventy, and is abbreviated to LXX. When people in the New Covenant quote Scripture from the Old Covenant it is usually the LXX not the Hebrew because the LXX was, for them, the Bible. See 1 Peter 4:18 with Proverbs 11:31, for example. New Covenant Koine Greek ( koine = common ), the language of the region and the same as used in the Septuagint. David Pawson describes it as Cockney Greek i.e. not classical language but what the man in the street would use. Canon Not cannon! Means rule in the sense of a yardstick. All the books were measured and those considered inspired became part of the Bible. The canon of Scripture is now considered closed - no new additions are going to be made. The Protestant Old Covenant is similar to the Jewish Bible (see below) but some books (in the Apocrypha, e.g. Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees etc.) are recognised as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church. Page 1 of 6

2 Translation The Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, as noted above. The Bible as we know it was translated into Latin, the official language of the Church, by Jerome in about AD 400. He went to the original Hebrew and Greek texts a far as possible. The Church frowned on languages other than Latin, so when Wycliffe translated the Bible into English about AD 1390 the Council of Constance declared Wycliffe (on 4 May 1415) a stiff-necked heretic and under the ban of the Church. It was decreed that his books be burned and his remains be exhumed. The latter did not happen till twelve years afterward, when at the command of Pope Martin V they were dug up, burned, and the ashes cast into the river Swift that flows through Lutterworth (from Wikipedia). William Tyndale did not fare so well he was strangled then burned in After Tyndale came Myles Coverdale's Great Bible (because of its size). He was only exiled. Next is Matthew's Bible by John Rogers under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew, which didn t help as he was still burned at the stake as the first martyr under Mary I. English scholars were again driven into exile and produced the Geneva Bible in These translations led, via the Bishops' Bible to the King James' Bible, which still casts a long shadow. Bible translation became less risky and so we have a vast range today. Structure Study Tanakh the layout of the Jewish Bible (Torah, Neviim, Khetuvim, the Law, the Prophets and the Writings; see Luke 24:44 and Acts 24:14) differs from our Old Covenant. See separate chart, page 6. Parshiyot/Chapters the Torah is divided into sections called parshiyot e.g. Parsha Lech Lecha, Genesis 12:1-17:7. A parsha is read in the synagogue each Shabbat so that the whole Torah is read in a year. Our Bible was divided into chapters by Archbishop Langton about They are not inspired divisions and sometimes you need to read a chapter with the tail-end of the previous chapter and/or the beginning of the next chapter to get the full sense. Verses Robert Estienne divided the Greek New Testament into verses in 1551, and the Geneva Bible of 1560 was the first English translation to be entirely divided into chapters and verses. To hear from God. To understand more clearly. To protect from error. Page 2 of 6

3 What do I need? Which Bible? Key: Interlinear word by word translation NASB New American Standard Bible AMP Amplified Bible ESV English Standard Version RSV Revised Standard Version KJV King James' ( Authorised ) Version NKJV New King James' Version HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible NRSV New Revised Standard Version NAB New American Bible NJB New Jerusalem Bible NIV TNIV NCV ICB NLT NirV GNT CEV Living Message New International Version Today's New International Version New Century Version International Children's Bible New Living Translation New International Reader's Version Good News Translation Contemporary English Version Living Bible The Message Bible. For serious Bible study a version towards the left of the diagram would be preferred. Cross-references allow you to find other verses in Scripture related to the one you're looking at. Concordance allows you to find Scripture passages on a particular topic or word. Bible dictionary explains words and gives meanings of Biblical names. Maps allows you to grasp the geography of the area and events, e.g. Gen 14: How do I study? With prayer Topical/expositional Solo In a group With/without study guides Names of God When you read the Bible you ll see God referred to as God, GOD, Lord, LORD and several other names. Here s a brief description of some of these names: 1. Elohim = God. This name is used e.g. in Gen 1:1, and indicates that God is all-powerful. It is actually a plural word, and is translated gods in Gen 31:30, 32 in connection with the idols Rachel had stolen from her father (Gen 31:19). Though the word form is plural, it does refer to the singular God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the True and Living God. Some Christians see the plurality of the Godhead Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this name. 2. El = God. This name is the singular of Elohim and is also translated God. Both forms are found in Gen 35:1 Then God (Elohim) said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; make an altar there to God (El), who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother. This name of God was also used to form personal names in OT times, e.g. Israel ( God prevails ); Othniel ( Lion of God ); Daniel ( God is my Judge ). Be careful, though - not all names ending in -el are derived this way, e.g. Jael simply means mountain goat. Page 3 of 6

4 3. Compound names with El: a) El Shaddai = God Almighty. See Gen 17:1 and Ezek 10:5. It has been suggested that All Sufficient would be better than Almighty in that God is everything man needs. b) El Elyon = God Most High. See Gen 14:18 and Ps 57:2, where we understand that this name indicates God is the Possessor of heaven and earth. c) El Olam = Everlasting God. See Gen 21:33. d) El Gibor = Mighty God. See Isa 9:6. and Jer 32:18. e) El Roi = God who sees, the name given to God by Hagar after He had told her about her unborn son Ishmael (Gen 16:7-16). 4. Adonai = Lord. Although translated Lord, Adon and Adonai convey the idea of Master. The word is also used of human relationships e.g. Sarah calls Abraham Adon (Gen 18:12), as does Abraham s servant (Gen 24:12). This, then, is the name of God when emphasising His authority and sovereignty. 5. (Heb letters Yod Hey Vav Hey). Here we are REALLY standing on holy ground. You ll notice there s no transliteration (or writing down the sounds of the Hebrew letters in English, as in Adonai) of this word, nor is there an English translation (as in Lord). The technical term for this word is the Tetragrammaton, which is simply Greek for four letters, in English YHVH. It is the very personal name of God, in the same sense that Stuart is my own personal name. Out of reverence, respect and in accordance with the 3 rd commandment ( You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, Ex 20:7), the Israelites never pronounced this name and after such a long time no one now knows how to pronounce it. A few years ago there was a fashion of calling God Yahweh, and before that it was Jehovah, but these are just guesses at the pronunciation and nobody knows. In the Bible, the personal name of God is represented by the word LORD or GOD (all capital letters), as in the quotation above, so wherever you see the word LORD or GOD in the Bible you can mentally note that this is God s personal name. implies past, present and future, so the Name has been represented by The Eternal or The Self-Existing One. When reading the Scriptures in Hebrew, a Jewish person would, on meeting this Name in the text, substitute the words hashem (= the Name ), Elohim (= God ) or Adonai (= Lord ), depending on the exact context. There is a contraction of this personal name of God to its first two letters, or in English either JAH or YAH (e.g. Psalm 68:4). Just as El was used to form names, so YAH was used in the same way except (just to add confusion to confusion) the yah is changed to iah in the English translations. The best known examples are probably Isaiah ( salvation of the LORD ) and Jeremiah ( appointed by the LORD ), and others include Azariah, Hezekiah, Josiah, Obadiah and Zedekiah. 6. Compound names with YHVH. a) YHVH Elohim = LORD God. A name for God found especially in the Prophets. It is first used in Gen 2:4, and is often used of God in His relationships with man. b) Adonai YHVH = Lord GOD. This name intensifies the meaning of Adonai, that God is Master. This Name is translated Sovereign LORD in some editions of the Bible. See, for example, Gen 15:2. c) YHVH Tsevaot, = LORD of Hosts (1Sam 1:3), YHVH Elohim Tsevaot, (Heb) = LORD God of Hosts (Ps 80:19), and Adonai YHVH Tsevaot, (Heb) = Lord GOD of Hosts (Isa 3:15). Here s one example of how a knowledge of God s various names can bring out the subtleties of the text. You ll probably meet Tsevaot in its Anglicised version Sabaoth. I used to think this was related to Sabbath but it isn t, it relates to God as the head of His hosts (or armies) of angels. The Stone Edition of the Hebrew Scriptures translates this word as legions. See Amos 5 for various uses of Lord (Adonai, v16), LORD (YHVH, v4), Lord GOD (Adonai YHVH, v3), and LORD God of Hosts (YHVH Elohim Tsevaot, v15). Page 4 of 6

5 Bible memorisation We are all influenced by the world. But the world is antagonistic to God. We have to change our outlook and the way we think, and we need to resist the attacks of the enemy. Jesus triumphed by quoting Scripture. We must be able to do the same. Our minds need to be renewed (Romans 12:1,2). You are what you eat is worldly wisdom and is WRONG. The Bible says As he thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7) or, in other words, You are what you think. 1. Choose do not take Scriptures out of context nor claim promises made for other people at other times. 2. Memorise set aside a time. read a portion out loud, repetitively; add more until the whole verse or passage can be recited; write it down; review review review! (cards?). 3. Personalise substitute I, me, my as appropriate. For God so loved Stuart Hatch that He gave His only Son, that if I believe in Him I should not perish but have everlasting life. 4. Analyse life's situations in the light of the Scriptures you have absorbed. It will often be impractical to start searching a Bible in the heat of the moment. Psalm 119:11 is the classic principle here. Homework Learn by heart the names of the first 14 books of the Bible. Page 5 of 6

6 The Bible Old Testament New Testament Law History Literature Prophecy Gospels History Letters Prophecy Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs 4 Major: Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel 12 Minor: Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation The Tanakh Torah (The Law) Neviim (The Prophets) Khetuvim (The Writings) Bereshit (Genesis) Shemot (Exodus) Vayikra (Leviticus) Bemidbar (Numbers) Devarim (Deuteronomy) Yehoshua (Joshua) Shophtim (Judges) Shmuel (Samuel) Melachim (Kings) Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Yirmyahu (Jeremiah) Yekhezqiel (Ezekiel) Hoshea (Hosea) Yoel (Joel) Amos Ovadyah (Obadiah) Yonah (Jonah) Mikhah (Micah) Nakhum (Nahum) Khavhakuk (Habakkuk) Tsephanyah (Zephaniah) Khaggai (Haggai) Zkharyah (Zechariah) Malakhi (Malachi) Tehilim (Psalms) Mishlei (Proverbs) Iyyov (Job) Shir hashirim (Song of Songs) Rut (Ruth) Eikhah (Lamentations) Qohelet (Ecclesiastes) Ester (Esther) Daniel Ezra (Ezra/Nehemiah) Divrei hayamim (Chronicles) Page 6 of 6