CH 3: Surveying the Books of the Bible

VOCABULARY 1. Pentateuch 2. Law 3. Judges 4. Apocalyptic 5. Remnant 6. Gospel 7. Galilee 8. Kerygma 9. Didache 10. Epistle CH 3: Surveying the Books of the Bible

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Intro: Best Seller KEY IDEAS: The Bible has influenced culture and culture has influenced the way the Bible is made, distributed, and even read The Bible is an all-time best seller and published in many different editions and translations KEY TERMS: None

The Bible is the most-read book in history It has been translated into more than 2000 languages READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK In 2009, the Bible sold 25 million copies in the US alone: twice as many as the final Harry Potter book The Bible has had a great impact on our language and culture It contains wisdom, knowledge, and truth The more you read, the more you discover God s plan for your happiness

The amazing truth is that God is revealing himself to you through the Bible just as He did hundreds and thousands of years ago Yet He is revealing something new at the same time God does not change, but humanity does A monk living in a medieval monastery would have approached the Bible with different questions and concerns than you will

Sect 1: Formation of the Old Testament KEY IDEAS: There are three steps that went into the formation of the Old Testament: 1. For many years, the Israelites preserved their history through oral tradition 2. Scribes wrote down oral tradition 3. Editors examined different writings and compiled them into the books you read today KEY TERMS: Pentateuch

The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible and focuses on the covenant God made with his Chosen People READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ coming BOOK There are 46 Books in the Old Testament Why is it called the Old Testament? 1. The O.T. reveals God s Revelation prior to Jesus 2. It distinguishes the covenant God made with the Jewish people from the new one made by Jesus Christ

The O.T. consists of several sections with multiple books in each one The Pentateuch (or Torah, meaning Law ) are the first five books There are also historical, wisdom, and prophetic books They do not progress in sequence like a modern news report Many events were not recorded until long after they occurred Oral tradition preserved the history and wisdom until God inspired authors to record the material

In the ancient world, most people didn t have access to writing implements and few could read or write They preserved information in their minds; this is how the Old Testament initially existed READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK This is the period of oral tradition where the Chosen People told stories and passed them on to younger generations Is oral tradition an effective method of preserving history? What are some problems you can think of with oral histories?

Today we rely on technology to capture every detail, so we sometimes forget the power of human memory Illiterate people depended greatly on their memories and were able to remember quite a bit of information Many of the biblical traditions were in story form because it was easier for people to remember them

During the reign of King Solomon, the Chosen People began to write down their stories (around 950 BC) Solomon s court could afford to hire scribes who did the actual READ P67 writing MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Scribes began to write down Israel s history This material made up the first part of the Bible; the Pentateuch Then the scribes began writing about early kings, like King Saul and King David (these are called Historical Books)

After the Historical Books came the writings of the prophets Some of the prophets wrote their own books, but very often it was their disciples who collected and recorded their prophecies, sayings, and teachings Over time, editors collected, combined, and improved the texts

Many OT books are compilations, work of several writers The last of the OT books date around 100 BC READ P67 MOST years WIDELY READ BOOK This long editing process explains why some books repeat themselves and books like Psalms are really collections of wisdom form many people over many

Complete Section Assessment p73 Write out questions and answer in complete sentences

Sect 2: Survey of the Old Testament Books KEY IDEAS: The OT is divided into four main sections In the Pentateuch, you learn about how God called Abraham The historical books recount Israel s relationship with God as they moved toward and away from Him Over the years, the Israelites gathered stories and sayings into the wisdom books The prophetic books reminded the people how they should be living KEY TERMS: Law Judges Apocalyptic Remnant

The OT prepares people for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ Every book in the Bible uncovers God s love, which comes to its fullness in Christ The following section provides a survey of the 46 OT books

Pentateuch means five books READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK THE PENTATEUCH Genesis (Gn): The word genesis means beginning Genesis tells stories of prehistory: God s creation of the world, Adam and Eve s sin, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, and the tower of Babel The last chapters of Genesis relate the story of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

THE PENTATEUCH Exodus (Ex): The central book of the OT tells how the Egyptian pharaoh enslaved the Israelites and how God freed them in the great event known as the Exodus READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ the Law BOOK Exodus tells us how God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai, entered into a covenant with his Chosen People, and gave the Israelites There are 613 laws listed in the last four books of the Pentateuch

Leviticus (Lv): examines the particulars of the Law and focuses on holiness in all aspects of life READ P67 Land MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Numbers (Nm): the books name comes from two censuses The Book of Numbers continues the story of the Israelites in the desert until they come to the edge of the Promised Deuteronomy (Dt): means second law THE PENTATEUCH The Book of Deuteronomy repeats much of the material of Ex, Lv, and Nm through sermons attributed to Moses

Read: Sampling Scripture Abraham, Father of Faith p76 The Bible: Abraham READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Imagine you are Abraham, Isaac, or Sarah What are your thoughts and feelings on the journey to the sacrifice?

The Historical Books narrate the events of Salvation History, namely God s covenant and how the Israelites struggled to live according to the Law READ P67 BC to 142 BC) MOST WIDELY READ historical BOOK data in them HISTORICAL BOOKS The Historical Books cover about 900 years of time (1020 Although they are called Historical Books, we are reminded to seek the religious truth rather than

HISTORICAL BOOKS Joshua (Jo): Joshua was a military leader who lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, conquered it, and divided the land among various tribes READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Judges (Jgs): The Israelites fall into a cycle of apostasy (abandonment of religion) in the Book of Judges God sends a judge to deliver Israel and lead its troops BIBLE: HOMELAND

Ruth (Ru): The Book of Ruth is generally paired with Judges, but is a short story of Ruth, a Gentile, who showed great fidelity to her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ regret BOOK having a king Read: Sampling Scripture p78 First and Second Samuel (1 Sm and 2 Sm): tells the story of Israel s transition from leadership of judges to monarchy Samuel appoints Saul king and God warned them they would Saul disobeyed God, so Samuel anointed David HISTORICAL BOOKS

HISTORICAL BOOKS First and Second Kings (1 Kgs and 2 Kgs): After David s death, his son Solomon took the throne READ P67 poorly MOST WIDELY READ north and Judah in the south BOOK He built the Temple in Jerusalem, but managed resources After Solomon died, the kingdom split in two: Israel in the Both kingdoms eventually fell to outside forces

HISTORICAL BOOKS READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK First and Second Chronicles (1 and 2 Chr): These books retell many of the stories in Samuel and Kings, but focuses mainly on the southern kingdom (Judah) from the time of King David until the Babylonian conquest

HISTORICAL BOOKS Ezra (Ezr) and Nehemiah (Neh): Scholars believe that the Chronicler wrote Ezra, Nehemiah, and First and Second READ P67 Chronicles from exile in Babylon MOST WIDELY READ inspiring BOOK works of fiction Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the Jews after they returned Tobit (Tb) Judith (Jdt) and Esther (Est): These three books are Tobit is on a romantic conquest; Judith conquers a powerful army; and Esther saves her people from genocide These books were written to inspire the Jewish people

First and Second Maccabees (1 and 2 Mc): give the account of events in the second century BC when various groups tried to READ P67 suppress Judaism in Palestine followed MOST WIDELY READ BOOK HISTORICAL BOOKS The Jews revolted and a period of Jewish independence

QUIZ: INTRO, PENTATEUCH, AND HISTORICAL BOOKS Make sure your note packets are complete and correct! You can utilize the Powerpoint on the class page to double check and review

WISDOM BOOKS Job (Jb): this famous story tells the trials of an innocent man and raises the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Job teaches us that God s ways are not human ways Psalms (Ps): a collection of five books of poetry/song lyrics composed over 500 years Those worshiping at the Temple sang many of the 150 psalms The psalms praise God, ask him for help, and express sorrow and repentance A psalm is read at every Mass during the Liturgy of the Word

Proverbs (Prv): contains short sayings on moral living READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK The proverbs educate us on how to live a good life Read: Sampling Scripture p80 WISDOM BOOKS Ecclesiastes (Eccl): in this book, a fictional character names Qoheleth teaches important lessons about life through questions, sayings, and proverbs Song of Songs (Sg): a poem that celebrates the idea of romantic love and relates God s love for his People

WISDOM BOOKS Wisdom (Ws): written about 100 years before Christ, encouraged Jews living in Egypt to remain faithful to their heritage Sirach (Sir): Sirach was likely a sage (one who attained wisdom) He recounted many wise lessons and sayings

God sent prophets to encourage the people of Israel to stay faithful to their covenant with him READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK PROPHETIC BOOKS A prophet spoke to the People on behalf of God and sometimes spoke to God on behalf of the People Prophets generally tried to keep kings or the Chosen People in line when they strayed from the covenant with God

PROPHETIC BOOKS Isaiah (Is): The Book of Isaiah spans three centuries with Isaiah and his disciples addressing different audiences The book is divided according to prophecies for Jerusalem, the Exile, and the return Jeremiah (Jer): Jeremiah came from a priestly family He delivered words of warning and hope to Jews living in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian Exile (when Jews were held in captivity) He told the Jews God would make a New Covenant with them

Lamentations (Lam): this book may be the work of Jeremiah, it consists of five poems lamenting the fall of READ P67 Jerusalem MOST WIDELY READ people s BOOKinfidelity to God PROPHETIC BOOKS Baruch (Bar): Baruch was probably Jeremiah s scribe, but other authors more than likely wrote this book in his name It serves as a reminder that the Exile happened because of

PROPHETIC BOOKS Ezekiel (Ez): God called Ezekiel to be a prophet in Babylon Once the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, Ezekiel promised Salvation and a New Covenant if the Jews returned to God Daniel (Dn): is apocalyptic text (Greek for revelation ) Daniel is included in prophetic books because it was initially interpreted as being prophetic Twelve Minor Prophets: The works listed previously are considered major prophets because their works were larger, not more important Minor Prophets: Hosea (Hos), Joel (Jl), Amos (Am), Obadiah (Ob), Jonah (Jon), Micah (Mi), Nahum (Na), Habakkuk (Hb), Zephaniah (Zep), Haggai (Hg), Zechariah (Zec), and Malachi (Mal) Read: Sampling Scripture p82 Micah

Sect 3: Formation of the New Testament KEY IDEAS: The Apostles preached about Jesus himself as the Good News and spread his message across the Mediterranean world They preached to the needs of the people and worshipped according to Jesus instructions The eventually wrote down the Gospel because the end of the world had not come as they anticipated and people were distorting the message KEY TERMS: Gospel Galilee Kerygma Didache Epistle

The New Testament s name describes it content These books describe the Good News of Jesus and his New Covenant with humanity READ P67 life, death, and Resurrection MOST WIDELY READ BOOK The Gospels (meaning Good News ) refers to Jesus message, Jesus himself is the Gospel, and the 4 written accounts of his The Gospels share the Good News The Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (letters), and Revelation talk about the spreading of the Gospel message in the early Church

The Gospels are the heart of the New Testament and the whole Bible because through them you can know Jesus Christ and learn READ to live P67 as his disciple other readings: Why? MOST WIDELY READ BOOK We stand at Mass when the Gospel is read but sit during We honor the Gospels as the most important biblical texts

The Evangelists did not write down the Gospels like news reports after Jesus Ascension READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK There are three stages in the formation of the Gospels: 1. the time of Jesus own life 2. the years when the Apostles and other early disciples of Jesus preached the Good News orally 3. the actual writing of the Gospels

Stage 1: The Historical Jesus: 6 BC to 30/33 AD Scholars estimate that Jesus was born in 6 BC READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK By using historical records of Herod the Great s reign, the Gospels record that Herod was alive when Jesus was a small child, which is how they estimate his date of birth

Jesus lived a typical life of a Jewish boy growing up in Nazareth, a town in Galilee (present day northern Israel) READ P67 father, Joseph MOST WIDELY READ Kingdom BOOK As a child, he learned the carpenter trade from his foster Jesus came into the public scene about 28 AD During his ministry, he traveled the countryside and visited small towns, teaching, healing, and proclaiming God s

At the instigation of some religious leaders who saw Jesus as a threat, the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate crucified him READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and visited his apostles, revealing himself completely as the Son of God

Stage 2: Oral Tradition 30-50 AD The Apostles followed Jesus command to go into the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature Mk 16:15 While remaining pious Jews themselves, the early Christians believed that Jesus was the fulfillments of God s Old Testament promises READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK The Apostles told all the marvelous things Jesus did to fellow Jews Later they found that Gentiles were also receiving the Holy Spirit

The Apostles preaching took on 3 forms: 1. Kerygma: preaching to unbelievers The Acts of the Apostles records several sermons from St Peter and St Paul outlining the basic beliefs about Jesus Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension READ P67 prophecies MOST WIDELY READ BOOK The connected Hebrew Scriptures to Jesus fulfillment of During this time some disciples began to collect material about Christ, such as miracle stories, his parables, and the Passion narratives The Evangelists would draw from this material to compose their Gospels

Form 2: Didache: further teaching to those who accepted Jesus The Didache was further catechetical instruction for those who accepted Jesus READ P67 explain LISTENING it in greater TO depth THE MOST WIDELY READ written down BOOK Catechesis means to sound down : to repeat the message and Originally this instruction was shared orally, eventually it was

The Apostles preaching took on 3 forms: Form 3: The Liturgy: Early Christians recalled Jesus central moments, teachings, and prayers in Eucharistic celebrations READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK EX: Words at the Last Supper, the Lord s Prayer, and his Passion The early Church s primary interest was to interpret the meaning of Jesus main deeds and sayings Local communities varied the wording of liturgical prayers, but they faithfully recounted the spirit of what Jesus did and said

Stage 3: The New Testament Writings (50-120 AD) The final stage in the formation of the N.T. was writing down the Gospel The four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation were written down in the latter half of the first century and early second century READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Some of the first New Testament books written were the letters of St. Paul

All four Gospels share the Good News of Salvation and Redemption The Gospel writers told the story differently in different Christian communities: Mark highlighted Jesus suffering portraying a man who freely gave his life for humanity READ P67 prophecies MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Matthew emphasized Jesus as a teacher who fulfilled Luke shows Jesus as a Savior to all people, reaching out especially to the poor and neglected John s Gospel, written 30 years later than the others, focused on Jesus divinity

Why did the N.T. authors wait to write anything? In Jesus time, many people couldn t read or write, so oral transmission was the main means of conveying knowledge READ P67 LISTENING them TO THE MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Students needed to remember what their teachers taught Knowing this, Jesus used vivid stories and striking images his audience would remember (I.E. Prodigal Son) Eventually, early Christians realized the Good News needed to be written down for 3 main reasons

REASONS WHY N.T. AUTHORS WAITED TO WRITE GOSPELS DOWN 1: The end of the world did not come as quickly as anticipated Many early Christians believed Jesus would come back to judge the living and the dead in their lifetime They had the urgent tasks of preaching the Gospel and preparing for the Lord s return But they were mistaken about the timing of Christ s Second Coming People who heard Jesus firsthand were dying (many as martyrs) so the need to preserve accurate testimony was needed

REASONS WHY N.T. AUTHORS WAITED TO WRITE GOSPELS DOWN 1: The end of the world did not come as quickly as anticipated 2. Some people were distorting the Gospel After the Apostles preached in an area, other people would distort the original, authentic message In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul wrote your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere commitment to Christ -2 Cor 11:3 To combat this practice and clarify Jesus true message, a written record of the Good News was needed

REASONS WHY N.T. AUTHORS WAITED TO WRITE GOSPELS DOWN 1: The end of the world did not come as quickly as anticipated 2. Some people were distorting the Gospel 3: Christians needed more instruction A written record would help instruct Christians in the Faith in a consistent way The Church included the epistles (letters) and Gospels in the Eucharistic liturgy

QUIZ: WISDOM & PROPHETIC BOOKS AND FORMATION OF N.T. Make sure your note packets are complete and correct! You can utilize the Powerpoint on the class page to double check and review

Section 4: Survey of the New Testament KEY IDEAS: KEY TERMS: The Gospels are at the heart of Scripture because they allow us to know Jesus The Acts of the Apostles and epistles help us get a sense of the early Church The Book of Revelation reminds us that being a Christian can be dangerous; apocalyptic language became necessary for that reason catholic

The N.T. canon developed over time READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and their successors determined what writings belonged in it By AD 200, Church leaders discerned that God inspired the four Gospels, the Pauline Epistles, Acts, and some other epistles By 367, the canon consisted of 27 books for the N.T. DEVELOPING THE N.T. CANON The Council of Trent (1543-1565) reemphasized that this canon was the inspired Word of God

GOSPELS The Gospels are the heart of all Scriptures because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior CCC 125 Matthew (Mt) Mark (Mk) Luke (Lk) John (Jn) We will examine the Synoptic Gospels in Ch 6 and John s Gospel in Ch 9

The Acts of the Apostles is really the second part of the Gospel of Luke READ P67 Paul MOST in the late WIDELY 50s READ BOOK ACTS OF THE APOSTLES It tells the story of the history of the early Church and reports the spread of the Gospel from Pentecost to the imprisonment of St. One of the central debates in the early Church was whether Gentiles could join without becoming Jewish The Council of Jerusalem determined they did not The three missionary journeys of St. Paul are the central focus of Acts

THE PAULINE LETTERS St. Paul or his disciples wrote the epistles (formal letters written to teach a person or group) The epistles appear in the Bible in order of length, from longest to shortest Each of St. Paul s letters are addressed to the community he was writing to Some call the letter to Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians the prison letters because Paul wrote them in jail

Romans (Rom): St. Paul s longest letter and contains the most advanced theology of Jesus The letter stresses having faith in Jesus, who justifies and saves all believers READ P67 It also offers instruction on Christian living in Corinth MOST WIDELY READ The first letter he gave important BOOK Resurrection 1 and 2 Corinthians (1 Cor /2 Cor): address problems converts were having instructions on the Eucharist and Jesus It also includes a beautiful passage about love (1 Cor 13:1-13) The second letter encourages forgiveness and to be generous in the collection for the Church PAULINE LETTERS

THE PAULINE LETTERS Galatians (Gal): Paul defended his role as a true Apostle of Christ He also said Christians must preach to Gentiles because Christ s love extends to all Ephesians (Eph): develops the theme that the Church is the Body of Christ It also emphasizes the unity of Gentiles and Jews in Christ Philippians (Phil): Paul wrote from prison in Northern Greece This is a deeply personal and joyful letter: Paul told his readers to rejoice in Christ the Savior, the one who teaches us the meaning of true humility

Colossians (Col): instructs the Colossians to reject false teachings and accept only Jesus Christ as true Lord of creation READ P67 and the source of new life piece of writing in the N.T. MOST WIDELY READ BOOK PAULINE LETTERS 1 and 2 Thessalonians (1-2 Thes): The first letter is the oldest It reminds Paul s converts how to live until Christ comes again The second letter reminds converts to keep working for the Kingdom of God and tries to quell the rumor that the end of times has begun

THE PAULINE LETTERS 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (1-2 Tm, Ti): these are called the pastoral letters because they are correspondences between those who shepherded (or pastored) Christians These letters are unique because they are written to individuals, not communities These letters give advice on issues of Church leadership, Church organization, worship, and moral living They also warn against certain false teachings and the need to be faithful to true doctrine passed from the Apostles

Hebrews (Heb): Although identified as Paul s Letter to the Hebrews, it is more likely a sermon or homily by someone else READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ advice BOOK that is helpful to all churches Emphasizes Christ s superiority over all creation The Catholic Epistles are letters intended for all These letters are catholic (or universal) because they contain general These letters can also help us understand the formation of the early Church They are identified by their author OTHER LETTERS

CATHOLIC EPISTLES James (Jas): advises it readers to treat people justly, to take care of the poor, and to control their speech; faith in Jesus will lead to good works 1 and 2 Peter (1-2 Pt): emphasizes that Christians should imitate Jesus when they suffer by not returning evil for evil; good example will lead others to Christ 1,2, and 3 John (1,2,3 Jn): the first two letters stress love as proof of faith in Jesus and our need to love others The 3 rd letter supports a Church leader who needed help in missionary efforts

Jude (Jude): warns Christians to remain firm in their faith against false teachers READ P67 MOST WIDELY READ BOOK CATHOLIC EPISTLES It also speaks of punishment that will come to false teachers Revelation (Rv): a highly symbolic work, John relates visions he has of God, the Risen Christ, and the future This book was meant to encourage Christians being persecuted Using apocalyptic language, John reassures readers that Christ will reward the faithful in heaven at the end of time

QUIZ: SURVEY OF N.T. Make sure your note packets are complete and correct! You can utilize the Powerpoint on the class page to double check and review Chapter Test to follow this quiz