Origins of the Bible

Before 2000 BC

• No written language• Stories told orally

Eventually written down

• Old Testament

After Jesus

• Stories told orally for several years

Letters written first (Epistles)

• Used in Church• Apostolic authority important

Different styles of writing/types of Literature

• Poetry• Prose• Wisdom• History• Prophecy• Parables• Etiological stories (how something came to be)

The Bible is Like Christ

• Fully human (Uses human words and actions), uses the language of men

• Fully divine

Original Languages of the Bible

• Hebrew• Greek• Aramaic

Diaspora (Dispersion)

• Jews living outside the Holy Land• Created a need for Greek Scriptures

Septuagint

• Greek or Alexandrian canon

Canon

• List of Books in the Bible

Deuterocanonical Books

• Books written originally in Greek and were removed from Protestant Bibles

• 2nd Canon• Jesus quoted fromSeptuagint, which Included Deut. books

The Church existed before the New Testament was Written

• Preaching was emphasized• Most apostles did not write anything• Thousands became Christians without reading

any of the NT!

• 1-50 AD – Oral (apostolic) teaching/preaching• 50-100 AD – NT written

Timeline of the Bible

After Jesus

• 1-50 AD: Oral teaching – Apostolic teaching (preaching)

• 50-100 AD: NT written. Epistles, then Gospels and Acts, then Revelation

After Jesus and the Apostles, no new Public Revelation

Hebrews 1:1-4. Jesus is the fullness of Revelation

• In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

How canonicity is decided

• Orthodoxy – Is it conformed to Christ’s message?

• Apostolicity – Is it traceable to the apostles?• Catholicity – Was it used consistently in the

liturgy? (Universality)

*All NT books can be traced to the apostles!

Apocrypha

• False writings

Protestants use Hebrew (Palestinian canon)

• Developed by Jews at Council of Jamnia in 90AD

Problem: Why let people who deny the divinity of Christ determine the canon?

Protestant

• Christian not in communion with the Catholic Church

Council of Rome (382)

• OT – 46 books, including all books of the Septuagint

• NT – 27 books we include today

*Documents of the Council of Rome are still around!

Vulgate

• Latin translation of the Bible• St. Jerome translated around 405 AD• Official Bible of the Church

Council of Hippo (393 AD)

• Upheld Catholic canon

Council of Trent (1546)

• Upheld Catholic canon (made it official)

King James Version (1611)

• Most popular protestant Bible

New American Bible

Translation used in Mass

Catholic

• Universal