Alleged Discrepancies of the BibleLesson 1

“How We Got the Bible”

Rationale:This section will familiarize you with how we got the bible, as well as its writing and construction. This section is only a familiarization and not intended to be an exhaustive study of the compilation of the cannon, thus one should possess a great appreciation of how the cannon was compiled.

Materials Used1. Papyrus: Papyrus came from the papyrus plant. 2. Parchment: Parchment is the name given for

animal skins that have been prepared for writing materials.

3. Vellum: Vellum was the name given to calf skin.

Additional materials used for other forms of writing:

4. Ostraca: unglazed pottery used primarily by the common people.

5. Stones: stones inscribed with Iron pen have been unearthed by Archaeologists.

6. Clay tablets.7. Wax tablets.

Primary writing Instruments:

1. Chisel: an iron tool used to engrave stone. 2. Metal Stylus: a three sided instrument used to

make incursions into clay and wax tablets.3. Pens:4. Ink:

Forms of Ancient Books

1. Rolls or Scrolls.2. Codex: Wittings in the form of a book.3. Autographs: Autographs are original texts which

were written either by the actual author or by a scribe under the author’s personal direction.

4. Manuscripts: copies of the autographs.

Some facts about the manuscripts:The evidence in the copies of the original autographs we have now, helps support the claim of the reliability of the Bible as a historical account of human and world events, as well as a revelation from God.

The Old Testament Manuscripts1. The Jewish Religion Was The Gatekeeper Of the

Old Testament.2. The Jewish Masorets Were Diligent Scholars,

That’s Good News!3. The Essenes Confirm The Precise Reliability of The

Old Testament. 4. The Jewish Scribes practiced profound reverence

for the text.

The New Testament Manuscripts1. The New Testament champions overwhelming

evidence of manuscript purity and trustworthiness.

The New Testament Manuscripts

2. One Must Understand The Difference Between a Mistake And a Variant.

The New Testament Manuscripts3. Patristics, Is the writings of the early church

fathers, confirm reliability and consistency of the N.T. we are indebted to them.

The New Testament Manuscripts

4. The Inerrancy Of The Bible Is Not Only True, It Is Believable.

PrintPrint additions of all Bibles occurred after the very first printed Bible by Johannes Gutenberg and his Gutenberg press in 1455-56

How did the sixty six come about? Canonicity is the word that determined which books would be in what we call the Bible.

Canon:The third century Church Father Origen used the word Canon to denote what we call the rule of faith, the standard by which we are to measure and evaluate. Latter the term would also mean list or index. Applied to the scripture canon means an officially accepted list of books. The church did not create the canon!

Please note the contrasting truth regarding the canon:

The Incorrect View:1. The Church is Determiner of Canon 2. The Church is Mother of Canon3. The Church is Magistrate of Canon4. The Church is Regulator of Canon5. The Church is Judge of Canon 6. The Church is Master of Canon

Please note the contrasting truth regarding the canon:

The Correct View1. The Church is Discoverer of the Canon2. The Church is Child of the Canon3. The Church is Minister of the Canon4. The Church is Recognizer of the Canon5. The Church is Witness of the Canon6. The Church is Servant of the Canon

Tests for Inclusion in the Canon1. Was the book written by a prophet of God? 2. Was the writer confirmed by acts of God?3. Did the message tell the truth about God?4. Did the message come with the power of God?5. Was the message accepted by the people of God?

Tests for New Testament Canonicity1. Was it written by the apostles or dictated by the

apostles?

Reasons for Their Collections (the books to canonize them)1. They were prophetic.2. The needs of the early Church.3. The rise of Heretics.4. Missions.5. Persecution.

The Canon Recognized•450 B.C. Ezra collects and arranges the books, according to Jewish tradition. These books make up the Hebrew Scriptures also called the Old Testament.•A.D. 350 the early Church fathers accept the writings of the Gospels and Paul’s letters as canonical. The council of Carthage lists 27 books as authentic. These 27 books make up the New Testament today.