Part ITHE BIBLE:

ITS DESIGNAND SCOPE

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The Bible and Its Preservation

The universal truths and the beauties andconsolations of the Bible are the world’s heritage, a religious literature unsurpassedin loveliness and sublimity. These are available to all men, but fully to hear theWord of God one must look perceptively beyond the written words. In the Bible thehistory of the Messianic people and the golden thread of spiritual truth and revela-tion are closely interwoven—the one transfigured in character by the other, as whena strong light held behind translucent paper illumines the paper with light.

The Bible truths provide a practical guide and impetus for every good thoughtand action—from the smallest detail of daily living to the fullness of a consecratedlife. At every level a study of the Bible is rewarding, but to benefit from its great-est richness everyone must approach it for himself in the attitude of “What is thissaying to me?”

The Bible is sacred literature, telling over and over again of God’s presence,always availing and always available. The Bible is an ancient Oriental literature. Thelanguage and customs of the ancient Israelites are in many ways unlike those of thetwenty-first–century Western man. The Old Testament is a rich historical and spir-itual storehouse which grew out of the life of this Oriental people, the life of a smallnation continually tried in its loyalty to its God.

To the English-speaking world Bible designates primarily the ChristianScriptures—the Old and New Testaments—consisting of thirty-nine books in theOld and twenty-seven in the New. “Bible” is derived from the Greek word biblos(book, the pith of the Egyptian papyrus plant used in ancient times to make writ-ing material); “testament” (Latin testamentum) means “covenant” or “will.” The Oldand New Testaments are thus translated literally “Old Covenant” and “NewCovenant.” The Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew, the language ofthe Israelites, with a few portions in Aramaic; the New was written in Greek, thelanguage of the Graeco-Roman world of the first century A.D.

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4 THE BIBLE: ITS DESIGN AND SCOPE

Preservation of TextThe sixty-six books we now have in our Bible passedthrough centuries of scrutiny and selection. Otherwritings were eventually discarded because they werenot considered inspired sources of doctrine or reliablehistory. Rabbinical scholars exercised great care anddiscrimination to safeguard the authenticity of OldTestament books, and the early Christian ChurchFathers were equally scrupulous to ascertain the gen-uineness of New Testament writings.

The word canon is derived from the Greekkanohn, “a straight rod,” “a rule,” “a standard,” “a cat-alogue,” and the term is applied Biblically to the col-lection of sacred books considered divinely inspiredand authoritative.

Development of Old Testament Canon

The sacred literature of the Old Testament, whichpreserved the divine revelations of God to the chosenrace of Israel and memorialized its history, varies incharacter from the historical, the prophetic, the legaland priestly to the poetic and devotional. Its compo-sition covered a long period of time, not a single age,and its production took place under a wide variety ofcircumstances. The Law, the Prophets, and theWritings constitute the three divisions of HebrewScripture.

The first stage of its transmission was oral—from father to son and from generation to generation.The ordinances which Moses gave to his nation wereat first circulated by word of mouth. They includednot only the Ten Commandments but also civic andsocial legislation relating to the community life ofIsrael. These legislations were developed and elabo-rated by the priests as they taught the Law to thepeople; this method of oral law (torah) survived longin Israel, adapting itself to Israel’s changing eco-nomic and social conditions, later to crystallize intowritten law codes during various periods of thenational history.

Along with the Law was transmitted orallythrough the centuries the folklore of the Hebrewrace, songs of the exploits of its military leaders andheroes, and the stories of the religious experiencesunique to the Israelites as the covenant people. Intime these were collected and written into separatehistories, possibly by scholars of the schools of theprophets originally founded by Samuel.

All these writings existed in fragmentary formup to the Exile (586 B.C.). During the Captivity con-certed efforts were made to preserve and assembleexisting records. Priestly scribes then edited andwove these segments into a unified whole.

The LawThe five books of the Law (Torah, Pentateuch)—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deut-eronomy—reached their final form shortly after theExile and became canon in the time of Ezra andNehemiah (ca. 445 B.C.). Although these are attrib-uted to Moses, modern Biblical criticism finds evi-dence that the Pentateuch is a compilation from fiveprincipal sources: the Jehovistic and ElohisticDocuments, the Deuteronomic, Holiness, andPriestly Codes ( J,E,D,H,P). These sources includethe oral and written Mosaic history and law as well asadditional history and advancing law codes based onchanging social conditions in Israel. In its compositeform the Pentateuch is a masterpiece of interwovenrecords illumined by the revelation of God’s purpose-ful design.

The Jehovistic Document ( J), ca. 850 B.C., sonamed because the Deity is called Jehovah (Yahweh),was written from the viewpoint of the southern king-dom of Judah. It traced the beginnings of the patri-archal and national history of Israel from Adam to theconquest of Canaan.

The Elohistic Document (E), ca. 750 B.C., inwhich the Deity is called Elohim, was written from theviewpoint of the northern kingdom of Israel andreflects the powerful religious influence of Elijah. Thisdocument parallels the history of J from Abram toJoshua. (A composite record [JE] appeared ca. 650B.C.)

The Deuteronomic Code (D), “the book of thelaw,” dating ca. 621 B.C., was discovered in theTemple in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah(II Ki. 22:8). It was probably written in the centurypreceding its discovery and gave a restatement andamplified codification of earlier Mosaic legislation.Chapters 12–26 and 28 of our book of Deuteronomycontain this code.

The Holiness Code (H), ca. 560 B.C., was abody of laws now incorporated in Leviticus, chapters17–26. Its author was one in spirit with Ezekiel, andits great emphasis is on holiness—the holiness ofGod, of worship, and of God’s people.

The Priestly Code (P), ca. 500–450 B.C., was pre-pared by a priestly writer or writers during the earlypost-exilic period when the religious institutions of thehighly organized priestly system of the Second Templewere set up. This code, expressing a lofty conception ofthe majesty of God and the highest development of rit-ual religion, forms the framework of the first five booksof the Bible. Its ritual portions are to be found in Exodus,Leviticus, and Numbers.

The ProphetsThe prophetic literature of the Old Testament wasthe result of the vigorous reformative efforts of

I and II EsdrasTobitJudithAdditions to book of EstherWisdom of SolomonEcclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of SirachBaruch (including Epistle of Jeremy, Baruch chap. 6)Song of the Three Holy Children Added to History of Susanna book of History of Bel and the Dragon DanielThe Prayer of ManassesI and II Maccabees

The question whether these books should beincluded in the canon was re-examined during theRenaissance and Reformation in the fifteenth and six-teenth centuries; because these books had never beenpart of Hebrew Scripture, they were not accepted byProtestant Christians as canonical. Wycliffe’s Bible(1382) did include them, between the Old and NewTestaments, as did the Coverdale Bible (1535) andthe King James Bible (1611), although they wereomitted from the latter version as early as 1629. Atthe Council of Trent (Italy) in 1546 these books (withthe exception of I and II Esdras and the Prayer ofManasses) were officially accepted by the RomanCatholic Church as part of its Old Testament canon.

Development of New Testament Canon

Although marked lines cannot be drawn in theprocess of the development of New Testament canon,three stages may be seen clearly: (1) the appearance ofthe apostolic epistles and gospel records, circulatedamong the churches in fragmentary form, the sub-stance of which were known and quoted by theApostolic Fathers; (2) a growing acceptance of theirauthenticity in the second and third centuries; (3)their formal canonization in 397 A.D.

The New Testament text has come down to us inGreek in the vernacular koine used in the first-centuryGraeco-Roman world. The original manuscripts nolonger exist, but many Greek manuscripts datingfrom the second century to the fifteenth (when print-ing was invented by Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany,in 1450) have since come to light to authenticate theNew Testament text. Like the Old Testament, it waspreserved in manuscript form and copied by hand bylayman and scribe on perishable papyrus.

The canon of the New Testament developedslowly. The gospel of Jesus was at first testified to byword of mouth by apostles and Christian converts andonly gradually preserved in writing to meet the needof a growing Church. Not till the close of the firstcentury A.D. did the Church have a Scripture of itsown, and even then this was not a cohesive whole.Rather, it consisted of scattered gospel records and

THE BIBLE AND ITS PRESERVATION 5

Israel’s major and minor prophets. The early seers hadleft no record of their utterances; with the advance ofthe nation’s culture, however, reading and writingbecame more general, and from the middle of theeighth to the fifth century B.C. these great moralteachers, contemporaries of kings and statesmen, notonly fought the social evils of their era and taught thewill and revelations of God to their people but wrotedown their messages for future generations.

By 150 B.C., in addition to the record of Israel’searly history and law codes, the Hebrew Scriptureincluded a second group of canonical books, historical andprophetic, called the Prophets. These included Joshua,Judges, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah,Ezekiel, and twelve Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos,Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habak-kuk, Zephaniah,Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Modern study prefers togroup the book of Joshua with the first five books of theLaw under the title Hexateuch (“six books”) because itsliterary style and theological viewpoint bear the imprintof the Priestly Code.

The Writings (Hagiographa)In the next several centuries following the return ofJudah to Palestine the books of exile and restorationhistory appeared. The sayings and practical preceptsof Israel’s wise men, who sought to solve the greatproblems of life (the Wisdom Literature: Job,Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), had been collected, as had thelyrics of poet and psalmist long used in Hebrew wor-ship. This third great group of poetic, prophetic, andhistoric books, consisting of Job, Psalms, Proverbs(three devotional books used in synagogue worship),Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes,Esther (the “Five Rolls” read yearly at special Jewishfestivals), Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, I and IIChronicles, ranked as Scripture before the close of thefirst century B.C. Their canonicity was acceptedwhen the Old Testament canon of thirty-nine bookswas officially set by a synod of rabbis at the Councilof Jamnia, near Joppa, in 90 A.D.

ApocryphaBeside these Old Testament canonical books there wasin existence a body of religious literature never used inthe Palestinian synagogues. These books—of uncertainorigin or written by anonymous authors using thenames of great historic figures and claiming a “hid-den” wisdom—gradually came to be rejected as spuri-ous or lacking divine inspiration. As generally under-stood by Protestant Christians, Apocrypha denotes thefourteen books which appeared in the GreekSeptuagint (LXX) in addition to the Old Testamentbooks. These were translated into Old Latin and car-ried over mainly in this form into the Latin Vulgate byJerome.

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6 THE BIBLE: ITS DESIGN AND SCOPE

epistles possessed by widely separated churches andhonored because these told of the life and words ofJesus or of the teachings of the apostles, but by theclose of the century or early in the second theSynoptic Gospels were already grouped together, aswere some of Paul’s Epistles.

Certain early-church ecclesiastics were influen-tial in the selection of the New Testament books.Marcion, a Christian Gnostic of Rome, acceptedLuke’s Gospel and ten of Paul’s Epistles in 140 A.D.Justin Martyr, a Palestinian church father, referred in150 A.D. to the three Synoptic Gospels of Matthew,Mark, and Luke. Tertullian, 150–222 A.D., an earlyLatin church father, a native of Carthage, acceptedthe four Gospels and most of the New Testamentbooks, while Clement of Alexandria (Egypt), 165–220A.D., also a Christian church father, mentioned allthe New Testament books except James, II Peter, andIII John. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in Gaul in 180A.D., was a pupil of Polycarp, who had been a disci-ple of John. Irenaeus accepted as canonical most ofthe New Testament books, and henceforth Paul’sEpistles became doctrine for the Church. The emi-nent Alexandrian theologian Origen, 185–254 A.D.,catalogued most of the New Testament books as gen-uine. One of the lists made by Eusebius, 260–340A.D., bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, agrees withpresent canon. Jerome, 340–420 A.D., the Latinchurch father and scholar who produced the LatinVulgate, accepted all the present New Testamentbooks as authoritative, distinguishing canonical fromapocryphal writings. Augustine, Numidian bishop ofHippo (Africa), 354–430 A.D., whose influence wasgreat in the Church, also accepted all the NewTestament books as genuine.

The present canon of the New Testament closedwhen its twenty-seven books were accepted as author-itative Scripture at the Council of Carthage in 397A.D.

Principal VersionsThe preservation of the texts of both Old and

New Testaments was a miracle in itself as none of theoriginal manuscripts exist. Writings were painstak-ingly copied by hand from generation to generationon long scrolls of animal skins carefully sewntogether or on papyrus rolls. As the years passed thebooks of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings

wore out and were recopied. The worn scrolls wereusually buried, so that until recently available copieswere not much more than a thousand years old. (Withthe discovery in 1947 of the Dead Sea Scrolls in thecliffs above the Dead Sea a number of much oldermanuscripts, written almost two thousand years ago,have come to light.) Often errors crept into the textwith the copying. Texts suffered alterations by edito-rial revisions and additions of the copyists. Changesalso occurred as the Old and New Testaments weretranslated from one language to another and new ver-sions appeared. The ancient versions which were pre-served have been of great value to scholars in deter-mining the original text.

The Old Testament, written in Hebrew with afew portions in Aramaic, was preserved in the secondcentury A.D. in the Massora, an authoritativeHebrew text prepared by Jewish scholars. It followedsoon after the canonization of the Old Testamentbooks. All Hebrew manuscripts after the second cen-tury were based on the Massora, which stabilized thetext by introduction of a system of vowel sounds andby accent marks for punctuation.

The Targums, Aramaic oral translations or para-phrases of the Old Testament Hebrew text, were putinto writing by the fifth century A.D.

The Septuagint, known also as the LXX, was acelebrated Greek version of Hebrew Scripture, trans-lated between 250 and 50 B.C. for the Jews ofAlexandria and used by Jews of the Diaspora in theMediterranean world. It was the version widely usedin the early Christian Church. This oldest completeversion included the Apocrypha.

The Peshitta was the Syriac version of the Oldand New Testaments. The Old Testament was inclose agreement with the Massoretic Hebrew text; itsNew Testament conformed to the Greek. Portions ofthe Peshitta were in circulation by the end of the sec-ond century A.D. among Syriac Christians. It under-went revision, and since the fifth century has beenthe national version of the Syrian Church.

The Sahadic and Bohairic versions circulated byChristians of Egypt were in Coptic. By 200 A.D. theOld Testament was translated from the LXX into thetwo dialects of Upper and Lower Egypt respectively;by 250 the New Testament also existed in bothdialects.

An Armenian version preserved the OldTestament text from the Greek LXX and the NewTestament from a Syriac text. This translation circu-lated in the Christian communities of eastern Asiaaround 400 A.D.

The first of the Old Latin versions appearedamong Latin-speaking Jews of Carthage early in thethird century A.D. In 385 A.D. Jerome translated the

New Testament from Old Latin into Latin with theaid of Greek manuscripts, and from 390 through 404translated the Old Testament from the Hebrew text.This translation of Old and New Testaments wascalled the Vulgate, and became the Bible of theWestern world for the next thousand years. In 1593A.D. it became the official Latin version of theRoman Catholic Church.

History of the English Bible

Wycliffe’s BibleBefore the time of Wycliffe the only Bible Englandpossessed was the Latin Bible, although earlierattempts had been made to translate portions intoAnglo-Saxon. John Wycliffe, the English religiousreformer, made the first complete English translationin 1382 (Old Testament partly the work of Nicholasde Hereford). It was an exact translation in manu-script form of the Latin Vulgate into early English, to

make Scripture available to the common people whocould not read Latin. It had a wide circulation, but itaroused great resistance on the part of the Church andsuch translations were forbidden by threat of excom-munication. A second improved Wycliffe version,attributed to his friend John Purvey, appeared soonafter Wycliffe’s death and attained wide popularity;about 140 copies have survived. An Oxford scholar ofrepute, Wycliffe escaped persecution, but after hisdeath his bones were exhumed, burned, and throwninto the river Swift “to the damnation and destruc-tion of his memory.” Both his friends de Hereford andPurvey were forced to recant under torture.Parliament passed a bill making circulation of theEnglish-language Bible a crime, and by 1401 EnglishBibles were ordered burned.

Tyndale’s Bible William Tyndale, an Oxford student, went to Cam-bridge to study Greek under the Dutch scholarErasmus. Inspired by the revival of Greek learningand spurred by the new invention of printing,

In these caves of the Judaean hills the first Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. American BibleSociety.

THE BIBLE AND ITS PRESERVATION 7

Above: Wycliffe’s Bible, 1382 A.D. This first complete English translation was handwritten andilluminated. Below: Tyndale’s Version, 1535 A.D., was the first printed English Bible. Bothphotographs, American Bible Society.

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Tyndale determined he would give a reliable Englishversion of the Scriptures to the people in the lan-guage they could understand. Forced to flee fromEngland he made his translation of the NewTestament at Hamburg, then at Cologne. It wasprinted at Worms in 1525–1526 and copies wereshipped to England, where it was eagerly received bythe people. By 1530 15,000 copies had floodedEngland, but opposition by clergy and king causedthem to be sought out and burned. From 1530 to1534 Tyndale translated the Pentateuch and the bookof Jonah and revised his New Testament. Betrayed byenemies, he was imprisoned near Brussels for morethan a year and martyred in 1536—strangled andburned at the stake-for the work he had done.Tyndale’s translation was not from the Latin Vulgate,as Wycliffe’s had been, but from early Greek andHebrew texts. The excellence of this translation andthe simplicity and directness of its style made it thebasis of many later translations. As Luther’s transla-tion had molded the vernacular of the German peo-ple, Tyndale’s beautiful and vigorous diction shapedthe English language of the Elizabethan period(1570–1610).

Coverdale’s BibleIn 1534 the mood of England began to change. Apetition was made to King Henry VIII to permit thetranslation of the Bible into English by scholarswhom he would appoint, and in 1535 MilesCoverdale’s translation from the Latin Vulgate andGerman versions (including Luther’s), together withTyndale’s Pentateuch and Tyndale’s 1534 NewTestament revision, gave England its first completeprinted English Bible. Two new editions were pub-lished in 1537 by license of the king, and from thistime the English Bible circulated freely.

Matthew’s BibleThis was a composite edition produced in 1537 byThomas Matthew (whose real name is believed tohave been John Rogers), a close associate of Tyndale.It included Tyndale’s Pentateuch, the Joshua to IIChronicles left in manuscript form by Tyndale, andhis revision of the New Testament, as well asCoverdale’s translation from Ezra to Malachi.

Through the remainder of the sixteenth centurya number of Bibles appeared. The Great Bible (1539),so named because of its size, was a revision ofMatthew’s Bible and was appointed for use in everyparish church. The Geneva Bible (1560) was a revisionof the Great Bible and the first English text to num-ber chapters and verses; it attained a great popularity.The Bishop’s Bible (1568) was an inferior edition pub-lished by a group of noted bishops and other clergy-men to replace the Geneva Bible. Seeing the desir-ability of having a translation for English Roman

Above: Facsimile page from Gutenberg Bible(Latin), 1450–1455 A.D. Below: King JamesBible, 1611. Both photographs, AmericanBible Society.

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10 THE BIBLE: ITS DESIGN AND SCOPE

Catholics, Catholic scholars of the English college ofDouai, Flanders, produced a New Testament whichwas published in 1582 at Rheims, France, and an OldTestament in 1609 at Douai, hereafter known as theRheims and Douai Bible.

The Authorized Version (AV) or King James Bible, 1611 Because of imperfections and disagree-ments of existing translations, a new version wasundertaken by England’s best scholars, an idea enthu-siastically supported by King James I. Forty-sevenBiblical scholars were commissioned to produce aversion acceptable to Puritan and AnglicanProtestants. Other scholars throughout the land wereinvited to give assistance in cases of special difficulty.It was not a new translation but one that deliberatelydrew on the best of every preceding English versionas well as foreign translations. The result was thatfrom its inception it held first place among all ver-sions by reason of its beauty of language and intrin-sic merit. It was destined to leave an indelibleimprint on English religion and to become a standardfor English literature.

Revised Version (RV or ERV)For two hundred fifty years the King James Versionstood alone. Then began a whole new era of textualcriticism. Progress had been made in Hebrew andGreek learning and scholars now had ready access toa newly discovered and more reliable Greek text thanthat on which the Authorized Version was based.

In 1870, at the instigation of the Convocation ofCanterbury of the Church of England, Hebrew andGreek scholars, in two companies of twenty-seveneach, undertook a revision. One company, workingforty days a year for ten years, translated the NewTestament, which was published in 1881; the othercompany worked on the Old Testament a total of 792days during fourteen years, and in 1885 the entireBible was published. The English language hadundergone many changes since the Elizabethanperiod and numerous words had taken on differentmeanings. Thus into the Revised were incorporatedthe advancing results of scholarship.

In close relation to the English Revised Versionwas the American Revised Version (ARV), published in1901. Since the turn of the twentieth century variousBibles have appeared, many of them in modernEnglish: The Twentieth Century New Testament, 1902;Weymouth’s The New Testament in Modern Speech,1903; Ferrar Fenton’s The Holy Bible in ModernEnglish, 1903; Moffatt’s A New Translation of theBible, 1922; Smith-Goodspeed’s The Bible, AnAmerican Translation, 1931; Ogden’s The Bible in BasicEnglish, 1949; Charles K. Williams’ The New

Testament, A New Translation in Plain English, 1952;Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible (RSV), 1952;J. B. Phillips’ New Testament in Modern Speech, 1958;The Jerusalem Bible, 1966; The New English Bible,1961–1970; The New American Bible, 1970, a newtranslation for Roman Catholics; The Anchor Bible(thirty-eight-volume translation and commentary),publication begun in 1964.

Design and Scope of the Bible

The sixty-six books of Christian Scripture areknit together by the central theme of God’s purposeof redemption for the family of mankind through HisSon Jesus Christ. Prophet, priest, historian, states-man, king, reformer, poet, psalmist, seer, apostlealike contributed to the wealth of this material. TheBible is the record of God’s love for man seen in athreefold aspect—God’s self-revelation, the Messi-anic idea, and the history of redemption.

1. Its pages begin with the doctrine of God asCreator of the universe and man, and reveal progres-sively the fullness of God’s nature, will, and kingdom.It is the voice of God saying, “I am the first, and I amthe last; and beside me there is no God” (Is. 44:6).

2. God’s redemptive plan for a mankind in needof salvation is developed in the Messianic idea. Thisidea is first seen in the promise of a Redeemer in the“seed” of the woman: “I [God] will put enmitybetween thee [the serpent] and the woman, andbetween thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thyhead, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). TheMessianic line began with Seth, Adam’s third son,and became definitive in the covenant with Abrahamand his descendants, with Israel, and with the royalline of David, to be made fully manifest in Jesus, sonof Mary. All of the Old Testament leads forward tothe advent of the Messiah, “the anointed”; after hiscoming everything is a working out from his life, histeachings, and his Church.

3. The history of redemption is one of the prin-cipal themes of the Biblical system. The Biblerecords the redemption of the Children of Israelthrough God’s covenant, as developed in the Law andthe Prophets; and the redemption of all men throughJesus Christ, his gospel, and his Church; and closeswith the visions of the Apocalypse which prophesy

THE BIBLE AND ITS PRESERVATION 11

the final triumph of the kingdom of God and HisChrist.

Three major elements within Scripture itselfbear witness to its divine inspiration. The first ismonotheism. In the almost completely polytheisticworld of the Israelite the concept of only one God,invisible Spirit, was a startling idea that was to per-meate human consciousness as enlightened thoughtadvanced in the knowledge of this One God. The sec-ond element is unity. Although the books of theBible were written during a period of approximatelyfifteen centuries and by many authors, they maintain

the unity of its grand theme of redemption. The thirdelement that gives proof of divine influence isprophecy. The Old Testament contains Messianicpromises and prophecies fulfilled centuries later in away no prophet of himself could have foreseen.David, a thousand years before the Messiah, madeprophecies which were fulfilled in Jesus; Isaiahprophesied of the Messiah more than seven hundredyears before Jesus’ Advent; so did Jeremiah, Daniel,and many of the Minor Prophets.

The threefold aspect and progression of thedivine plan:

Adam to Jesu

sJesus t

he Christ

The Christia

n and the Ch

urch

REVEALING THE FATHER REVEALING THE SON REVEALING THE HOLY GHOST

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SCOPE OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT LITERATUREAlthough the Bible as we think of it today has come to us in one volume, it is reallya library of sixty-six books. There are five divisions in the Old Testament and fivein the New. The Old Testament records the history and spiritual development of theChildren of Israel in their preparation for the reception of the Messiah; the NewTestament records the outgrowth of Jesus’ life and gospel, and the establishment ofhis kingdom. The whole is an expanding revelation.

RevelationJames

Romans I PeterThe Acts I Corinthians II Peter

Matthew of the II Corinthians I JohnHosea Mark Apostles Galatians II John

Isaiah Joel Luke Ephesians III JohnJob Jeremiah Amos John Philippians Jude

Joshua Psalms Lamentations Obadiah ColossiansGenesis Judges Proverbs Ezekiel Jonah I ThessaloniansExodus Ruth Ecclesiastes Daniel Micah II ThessaloniansLeviticus I Samuel Song of Nahum I TimothyNumbers II Samuel Solomon Habakkuk II TimothyDeuteronomy I Kings Zephaniah Titus

II Kings Haggai PhilemonI Chron. ZechariahII Chron. Malachi HebrewsEzraNehemiahEsther

OLD TESTAMENT

NEW TESTAMEN

T

Christ’s

Consummation

Preparation for C

oming of the Me

ssiah

AdventPromulg

ation of the Gosp

elof Kingd

om

EPISTLES(21) PROPHECY

(1)General

PROPHECY HISTORY Pauline(17) GOSPELS (1)

Minor (4)Major Prophets

POETRY ProphetsHISTORY (5)

LAW (12)(5)

GENESIS

Genesis sets forth thebasic structure of thewhole Bible andsounds its keynote ofsalvation:

–God and His creation

–A second account ofcreation; the begin-ning of the moralhistory of mankind

–The divine plan ofredemption (3:15)

History from Adamthrough patriarchsAbraham, Isaac, Jacob,Joseph—God’scovenant withAbraham and his seed

EXODUS

Israel’s bondage inEgypt

Call and commissionof Moses

Exodus of Israel fromEgypt

At Mount Sinai God’scovenant is made withIsrael—Moses is giventhe Decalogue, alsocivil and ceremoniallaws to govern Israel asa nation

The erection of theTabernacle

Israel (“my firstborn”)is chosen to the wor-ship of the One God

LEVITICUS

Development in detailof Mosaic legislation—specific precepts ofworship to be followedby the priests, Levites,and the people

Sacrificial and priestlytypes of religious wor-ship by which Israel isto establish her com-munion with God

These Levitical lawsare to govern thenation throughout itshistory and to conse-crate Israel to God

The keynote of thebook is the word holy

NUMBERS

The first numbering ofthe Children of Israelat Sinai

Their journey toKadesh-barnea—twelve spies search outthe land of Canaan forforty days—Israel fearsto go forward

Forty years of wander-ing in the wilderness

Valuable training ofthe nation in obser-vance of its civil andreligious institutions

Second numbering ofthe people in plains ofMoab

DEUTERONOMY

The addresses of Mosesand the restating ofthe Law to a new gen-eration of Israel aboutto enter the land ofCanaan

Moses reviews the vitallessons of the pastforty years and magni-fies God’s unceasinggoodness to Israel

Moses urges uponIsrael proper measuresof protection for thefuture: gratitude forGod’s mercy, obedienceto the Law, separate-ness, and abstinencefrom idolatry

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENTFive Divisions: LAW, HISTORY,

POETRY, MAJOR PROPHETS, MINOR PROPHETS

Pre-Mosaic Period Israel in Egypt Exodus Wilderness WanderingAdam to Joseph 1880–1450 B.C.* 1450 B.C. 1450–1410 B.C.

THE FIVE BOOKS OF THE LAW (PENTATEUCH)

Israel’s preparation for its Messianic mission:

Here appears the firstpromise of theRedeemer, and withthe turning of men toGod (4:26) beginstheir preparation forthe reception of God’srevelation of Himself.

Worship of the OneGod (monotheism) is adeveloping step in thegreat work of redemp-tion—a redemptionnot for the Israelitesalone, but for all men.

Israel (chosen of Godto bring forth theMessiah) is to be aholy people set apartto the service ofGod—“Holiness isseparateness. . . . ”

Israel is found wantingin faith and courage.The forty years of wan-dering constitute aperiod of needed disci-pline to learn relianceupon God.

Renewed emphasis isplaced upon obedienceto the Law—a matterof life and death—forIsrael must be pre-pared to maintain itspart of the covenantwith God.

*Exodus 12:40 reads: “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” TheLXX adds “and in the land of Canaan” after “Egypt,” thus beginning the 430-year period from Abraham’s entrance into Canaanand reducing Israel’s sojourn in Egypt to 215 years.

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Continued)

Conquest of Canaan Period of Judges Reign of Saul Reign of David

1410–1370 B.C. ca. 1370–1028 B.C. 1028–1013 B.C. 1013–973 B.C.

Under Joshua Fifteen judges Israel’s first king 71⁄2 years over Judahand elders 33 years over the

United Kingdom

THE TWELVE BOOKS OF HISTORY

JOSHUA

The entrance of theChildren of Israel intoCanaan, the promisedland, under Joshua,successor to Moses

The conquest ofCanaan takes placeunder Joshua’s leader-ship and in accordwith God’s directing—Israel must earn itsheritage

Division of the landamong the twelvetribes with exceptionof tribe of Levi

Joshua’s final coun-sels—calls to remem-brance God’s mer-cies—exhorts Israel to“cleave unto the Lord”

JUDGES

History of theIsraelites under four-teen judges, fromOthniel to Eli

Israel’s repeated deser-tion of its religiousprinciples brings aboutoppression afteroppression by its ene-mies—Israel “went awhoring after othergods . . . they turnedquickly out of the waywhich their fatherswalked in. . . .”

When Israel “criedunto the Lord,” judgeswere raised up one byone to deliver a repen-tant people

RUTH

This book is believedto be connected histor-ically with the periodof the judges, althoughwritten at a later date

Ruth, a youngMoabitish widow, for-sakes her homeland tofollow her mother-in-law Naomi to Judah—she chooses to worshipthe God of Israel

Ruth becomes the wifeof Boaz of Bethlehem,and through her sonObed becomes anancestress of David—her name appears inthe genealogy of Jesus

I SAMUEL

Closing period ofJudges and transitionto Hebrew monarchy

Samuel, fifteenthjudge, is dedicatedwhen still a child tothe service of God—heis established as aprophet—founds firstgroups for religiousinstruction

Israel demands aking—Saul becomesits first king—Saul’spresumption and dis-obedience cause hisrejection

Samuel anoints theshepherd David to beking—David’s rise andSaul’s fall

II SAMUEL

David becomes king ofJudah, reigns sevenand a half years withhis capital at Hebron

David becomes king ofall Israel (UnitedKingdom), reignsthirty-three years withhis capital at Jerusalem

David centralizes reli-gious worship inJerusalem (Zion)

David’s sin withBathsheba—his deeprepentance

God’s covenant withDavid and his house:“thy throne shall beestablished for ever”

Preparation for mission:

Israel warned utterlyto eschew all idolatryand all contact withthe idolatrousCanaanites, else theyshall be “scourges inyour sides, and thornsin your eyes, until yeperish from off thisgood land.”

Israel, failing to cleaveto the One God and toobey His command-ments, corrupts itselfamong the pagan peo-ple of Canaan, is disci-plined repeatedly forapostasy, and yet isshown God’s mercyagain and again.

Amid the conflicts anddistresses of the longperiod of the judges,the enduring values offamily life, love,fidelity, and true wor-ship of God are clearlyseen, with their recom-pense and full reward.

Israel’s determinationto have “a king tojudge us like all thenations” disavows andrejects God’s divinesovereignty. Thischoice is to bring cen-turies of corruptworldly government,unrest, and suffering.

David, loving God andacknowledging God’ssovereignty over Israel,shows true kingship, akingship that isblessed of God by Hiscovenant. Israel thusgains national unityand a higher concep-tion of righteousness.

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Reign of Solomon Divided Kingdom Captivities Restoration of Judah

973–933/32 B.C. 933/32 B.C. 722 B.C.—Israel 536 B.C.—return

Kingdom of Judah into Assyria under Zerubbabel

Kingdom of Israel 586 B.C.—Judah 458 B.C.—returninto Babylon under Ezra

I and II KINGS

History from death ofDavid to Judah’s cap-tivity

Reign of Solomon—the building and dedi-cation of the Temple

Division of the king-dom—contemporaryhistory of the twokingdoms Israel andJudah

Apostate Israel rapidlysinks into corrup-tion—idolatrous Judahexperiences periods ofreformation

Israel carried captive toAssyria—Jerusalemfalls, Judah carriedcaptive to Babylon

I and II CHRONICLES

History from death ofSaul to the captivity ofJudah

The chronicler, writingfrom the viewpoint ofthe restoration ofJudah, chooses eventswhich teach religiouslessons—supplementshistory of I and IIKings—deals whollywith Kingdom ofJudah and the Davidicline

Genealogies place spe-cial emphasis uponJudah, Levi, and thehouse of David

Religious importanceof Jerusalem and ofLevitical order areaccented

EZRA

Close of the Exile ofJudah and beginningof the Restoration

First return: a remnantof the people of Judah(Jews) returns to itsown land led byZerubbabel (of theMessianic line)

The Temple is rebuilt(Second Temple) withthe encouragement ofthe prophets

Second return: another Jewish remnantreturns to Judah led byEzra, scribe and priest

Ezra inaugurates a reli-gious reformation inJudah and enforces thelaw of Moses

NEHEMIAH

A continuation of bookof Ezra

Nehemiah’s first jour-ney to Jerusalem fromPersia (445 B.C.)—rebuilds the wall—actsas governor for twelveyears—corrects socialand religious abuses

Ezra instructs peoplein the Law—renewalof the covenant—purification of Templeworship

Nehemiah’s secondjourney to Jerusalem—he institutes radicalreforms—Nehemiahand Ezra zealously con-solidate the Jewishreligious system

ESTHER

Events recorded arebelieved to have tran-spired between firstand second expeditionsof Jews to Jerusalem

Concerns crisis in his-tory of those Jews whochoose to remain inthe Persian Empire

Esther, a Jewess,becomes queen—Haman, the king’sfavorite, conspiresagainst the Jewsthroughout theEmpire—Esther coura-geously intervenes tosave her people fromextermination

Feast of Purim insti-tuted to commemoratethis deliverance

With building ofTemple Israel rededi-cates itself to God, butmaterialism soon leadsaway from pure wor-ship. Unity is dis-rupted by discontentand the kingdom isdivided. Accumulationof sins brings enslave-ment.

Judah, having learnedin captivity a purermonotheism, nowreturns to formerinheritance inPalestine in order toproceed to fulfill thehigh purpose for whichGod has chosen it: tobring forth theMessiah.

A record of action! Intwo instances a faithfulwilling remnant ofJudah rises up andprayerfully journeys toJerusalem, in each casethankful for God’smercy in the renewedopportunity to proveitself worthy.

Judah’s one high pur-pose must be therebuilding of holyJerusalem and theestablishment of a puremonotheism.Persistent watchfulnessand stern discipline arerequired to maintainIsrael’s ancientcovenant with God.

God’s people, whereverthey may be and underwhatever circum-stances, are alwaysunder His providence.The enemies of God’speople, hateful inintent, are turned backfrom their wicked pur-poses and punished.

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Continued)

These poetical writings were collected and edited in theirfinal form during the post-exilic age, prior to the secondcentury B.C.

THE FIVE BOOKS OF POETRY

JOB

A dramatic poem—itssubject, Why do thosewho are righteous suf-fer affliction?

Job, a devout patri-arch, is visited withafflictions, againstwhich he rebels asundeserved—his threefriends debate withhim, ascribing his suf-fering to sin, but Jobmaintains his right-eousness—throughmagnifying God’sgreatness and wisdomJob ceases to contendwith the Almighty—human reason is subor-dinated—he is hum-bled and restored

PSALMS

A collection of lyricpoetry which mirrorsthe spiritual riches ofIsrael’s religious expe-rience—these songs ofpraise, prayer, peni-tence, and thanksgiv-ing echo the deeplongings and aspira-tions of the heart in itssearch for God—insublime language Godis exalted as sovereignCreator and His worksare magnified

Some of these devo-tional hymns prophesythe nature and redeem-ing work of God’sMessiah

PROVERBS

Proverbs treats of theexcellent and eternalwisdom of God, withHim “from the begin-ning, or ever the earthwas,” and sets forthpractical moral andspiritual maxims forguidance in daily con-duct

“The fear of the Lord isthe beginning of wis-dom: and the knowl-edge of the holy isunderstanding”keynotes the book—wisdom is exalted asan essential of life,attainment of whichleads to godliness,preservation, stability,and well-being

ECCLESIASTES

Its subject: the searchfor the value and pur-pose of human life

Weighing thoroughlythe transitory values ofworldly wisdom, pleas-ure, labor, riches,power, and life itself,the Preacher deducesthat “all is vanity”

He infers that humanlife has value only asman remembers hisCreator, and he con-cludes: “Fear God, andkeep his command-ments: for this is thewhole duty of man.For God shall bringevery work into judg-ment. . . .”

SONG OF SOLOMON

Also known asCanticles (fromVulgate)—a love poemor collection of lovepoems of singularbeauty

Biblical scholars holdvarying opinions con-cerning the kind oflove of which itspeaks—it has beeninterpreted in threeways: literally, typi-cally, and allegorically

The Jews held that italluded to the lovebetween God and Hischosen people, whileearly Christiansapplied its allegoricalmeaning to Christ andhis Church

The Period of the Prophets

The period of the writing prophets, major and minor, is without parallel in religious annals. The prophetsmade a lasting impress upon their nation, politically, socially, and religiously. Their message was twofold: fortheir day and situation, for all time and world salvation. They developed for the Hebrew mind a vastly higherand more spiritual conception of the nature of God—of His justice, righteousness, mercy, and unfailing loveto His covenant people—than had ever been known before. Coming in a period of declension and apostasy, theprophets held aloft a spiritual standard for Israel, severely condemning the gross iniquity and flagrant disobe-dience of their people. Foreseeing the burden of captivity, they comforted them with promises of a restoredremnant and future glory. Woven throughout their prophecies are the hopes and expectations of Israel for aMessianic King, salvation for the Gentiles (the nations), the Day of the Lord, and the establishing of God’skingdom on earth.

The books of the prophets do not extend history in point of time, but are contemporary with the latter OldTestament books of history, i.e. from Second Kings through Esther.

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ISAIAH

Isaiah prophesies dur-ing critical periodwhen Assyria is invad-ing Palestine

His stern denuncia-tions of Judah’s moraland religious declen-sion—his propheciesagainst heathennations—sublimeprophecies of the com-ing Messiah and hiswork

Prophecies of restora-tion, redemption, andfuture glory of Israel—the Messianic salvationis to include theGentiles

(Chs. 40–55 attributedto Second Isaiah, 540B.C.; chs. 56–66 toThird Isaiah, 450B.C.)

JEREMIAH

Jeremiah prophesiesprior to the fall ofAssyria and during riseof Babylonian Empire

Warnings and admoni-tions to a backslidingand rebellious Judah

Prophecies: concerningthe fall of Jerusalem;seventy years’ captivityin Babylon, and therestoration; concerningthe Messiah, theBranch; and his king-ship over all the earth

King and people perse-cute Jeremiah—hisunceasing labors toreform and save Judah

LAMENTATIONS

Written anonymouslybut attributed by tra-dition to Jeremiah—alamentation over falland desolation ofJerusalem and the rav-aging of the city bythe Babylonians

The sins of the nationare the totality of thesins of its people, andits judgment has come

He weeps for the suf-fering, humiliation,and reproach ofJudah—grieves forbeloved Jerusalem nowviolently stripped ofits sanctuary, itsbeauty, and its joy

EZEKIEL

Ezekiel, captive inBabylon, labors amonghis people in exile

His messages areinspired visions, apoca-lyptic in form

He foretells the certainand direful fall ofJerusalem, the result ofJudah’s sins

After the fall ofJerusalem he comfortsand sustains Judahwith predictions ofrestoration and offuture glory—faithfulto his high office aswatchman, he zeal-ously holds before hispeople the high des-tiny of a united Israel

DANIEL

This book is in twoparts:

Personal history ofDaniel in captivity—he and his compan-ions, uncompromis-ingly loyal to theworship of the OneGod and subjected tosevere trials of theirfaith, are miraculouslyprotected

Daniel’s apocalypticvisions of world pow-ers (“the times of theGentiles”) extendingto the establishment ofthe MessianicKingdom—hisprophecies of the greattribulation and “thetime of the end”

Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel

Pre-exilic Pre-exilic Exilic Exilic740–701 B.C. 626–585 B.C. 592–570 B.C. 606–536 B.C.

To Judah To Judah To Judah To Judah

THE FIVE BOOKS OF THE MAJOR PROPHETS

The Developing Conception of God and of Man’s Obligation to Him:

To Isaiah God is “theHoly One of Israel,”its “Maker,” and Zionis the place of Hishabitation. He definesIsrael’s true mission.Through Israel is tocome Messiah, andthrough Messiah is tocome redemption forall nations.

Israel must throughlyamend its sinful waysand to this end it suf-fers chastisement.Jeremiah foresees thenew covenant whenGod’s law shall bewritten in the heartand shall bring indi-vidual responsibility.

Jeremiah takes the firststep in the repentanceof his people when in“godly sorrow” heweeps over their sinsand mourns overJerusalem. Out ofaffliction must comegenuine contrition andtrue reformation.

Ezekiel defines theindividual’s responsi-bility to God. Manmust stand whollyupon the merit ofrighteousness. “Thesoul that sinneth, itshall die.” “In hisrighteousness that hehath done he shalllive.”

Holding to a puremonotheism, theserepresentative captivesendure fiery trials.Their God is acknowl-edged by the heathenas supreme, as “the liv-ing God,” whose king-dom shall be unto theend.

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Continued)

Hosea Joel Amos Oadiah Jonah Micah

Pre-exilic Post-exilic ? Pre-exilic Exilic Pre-exilic Pre-exilic750–735 B.C. ca. 500 B.C. ? ca. 760 B.C. 586 B.C. (?) 780 B.C. (?) 738–700 B.C

To Israel To Israel To Israel To Israel and Judah

THE TWELVE BOOKS OF THE MINOR PROPHETS (termed Minor because of smaller literary output)

HOSEA

The tragedy ofHosea’s marriageto an unfaithfulwife is made aparable to teachadulterous Israel,seeking otherlovers

As Hosea’s loveremains constantfor his adulterouswife, so God’s loveremains unchangedfor apostate Israel

Reconciliation toGod is promised toIsrael after theexpiation of its sins

JOEL

Judah has fallenaway from its com-munion with God(daily sacrifice hasceased [1:9])—Joelsees a nationalcalamity, a devas-tating plague oflocusts, as aninstance of divinejudgment and as aforeshadowing ofthe terrible Day ofthe Lord—he callsJudah to repen-tance

He comforts Judahwith the promiseof God’s temporaland spiritual bless-ings

AMOS

Amos of Judahprophesies inIsrael—vainly herebukes the richfor oppressing thepoor, and calls forsocial justice

Foretells the cap-tivity of Israel forincorrigiblewickedness

Punishment shallnot be turned awayfrom the nationswhich continuallytransgress

God has set His“plumbline” of jus-tice in the midst ofthem

OBADIAH

The occasion ofObadiah’sprophecy is thecruelty of theEdomites, descen-dants of Esau,against the houseof Jacob at a timeof Judah’s helpless-ness

He propheciestotal destruction ofEdom because ofits participation inand exultation overJudah’s downfall

Edom’s strong con-federacy shall be ofno avail—Edomshall suffer a likecruelty—God willdeliver Judah

JONAH

Jonah is sent toNineveh, capital ofAssyria, to pro-claim God’s judg-ment against it

Fearing God willspare this wickedcity, Jonah disobe-diently flees byship—thrown intothe sea, is swal-lowed by a greatfish—by prayer ismiraculously deliv-ered—he thenpreaches toNineveh and itspeople repent

Through the objectlesson of a gourd,God teaches himthe worth ofhuman life

MICAH

Micah’s twofoldmessage:

1. Pronouncesjudgment uponSamaria andJudah—denouncesrulers who oppressand pervert justice

2. Prophesiesrestoration and ahope in theMessiah: “Thisman shall be thepeace, when theAssyrian shallcome into ourland”—God’sunceasing kindnessrequires more thanburnt offerings—God delights inmercy

The Developing Conception of God and of Man’s Obligation to Him:

God is still merci-fully maintainingHis tender lovingrelationship withfaithless Israel andHis love willredeem: “I willeven betroth theeunto me in faith-fulness: and thoushalt know theLord.”

Sin brings uponitself a devastatingdivine judgment,yet God is graciousand merciful, readyto deliver thosewho call upon Hisname. “Turn yeeven to me with allyour heart, andwith fasting. . . .And rend yourheart, and not yourgarments. . . .”

The One God is aGod of holinessand of righteous-ness whose justiceis impartially exer-cised upon allnations. “Let judg-ment run down aswaters, and right-eousness as amighty stream.”

The covenant peo-ple are assuredcontinuance anddeliverance in themidst of trial andsuffering. “Uponmount Zion shallbe deliverance, andthere shall be holi-ness; and the houseof Jacob shall pos-sess their posses-sions.”

Israel’s narrow con-ception of God—asthe God of theHebrews only—gives place in adegree to a broaderconception of Hisuniversal love. Therepentant of everynation are seen asthe object of divinemercy and benevo-lence.

The moral essenceof prophetic reli-gion: “He hathshewed thee, Oman, what is good;and what doth theLord require ofthee, but to dojustly, and to lovemercy, and to walkhumbly with thyGod?”

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Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Pre-exilic Pre-exilic Pre-exilic Post-exilic Post-exilic Post-exilic 615 B.C. 600 B.C. 627 B.C. 520–518 B.C. 520–518 B.C. ca. 432 B.C.

To Judah To Judah To Judah To restored To restored To restoredJudah Judah Judah

NAHUM

Nahum prophesiesthe fall ofNineveh—he givesa vivid picture ofthe wickedness,drunkenness,whoredom, andidolatry of thisGentile city—forthis burden of sinand apostasy thecity incurs God’ssevere judgment

“The Lord is slowto anger, and greatin power, and willnot at all acquitthe wicked. . . .Behold, I amagainst thee, saiththe Lord of hosts. . . .”

HABAKKUK

Habakkuk isshown of God thatthe Chaldeans willbe used to refineJudah—observingthat the iniquity ofChaldea far exceedsthat of Judah, he issorely perplexed

From his watch-tower he sees,through prayer andfaith, a vision ofthe ultimate tri-umph of God’spurposes—behold-ing God’s omnipo-tence, he dedicateshimself in trustand joy

ZEPHANIAH

As the crisis ofJudah’s captivityapproaches,Zephaniah, a con-temporary ofJeremiah, thundersthe terrible judg-ments of God, firstupon Judah andJerusalem, thenupon heathennations—hevividly portraysthe awful Day ofthe Lord

He prophesies of apure remnantwhose reproach forsin has beenremoved and whowill not see evilany more—Godrejoices over it

HAGGAI

In four short dis-courses Haggairebukes the rem-nant, now returnedto Jerusalem, forneglecting therebuilding of theTemple—rousesthem to build,prophesying thegreater glory ofthis secondTemple—andshows the disas-trous results oftheir delay uponthe nation’s inter-ests

Pronounces God’sblessing uponZerubbabel’s work

ZECHARIAH

Zechariah encour-ages the remnantto rebuild theTemple.

Through a series ofvisions he portraysZerubbabel’sTemple as a type ofChrist’s Church,and restoredJerusalem as a typeof spiritual Zion

Far-seeing in hisvision, he foretellsboth advents of theMessiah King, firstin rejection, secondin power

MALACHI

Malachi upholdsthe civil, social,and religiousreforms ofNehemiah andstresses a strictobservance of theMosaic Law

He, like Zechariah,foresees bothadvents of theMessiah

Old Testament his-tory closes withMalachi’s inspiredprediction of “theSun of righteous-ness [which shall]arise with healingin his wings. . . .”

The unrepentant,who heed notGod’s redemptivemercies but gotheir wayunchecked, havepassed the point ofcorrection. Theirsin is ripe fordestruction. “Thereis no healing of thybruise. . . . ”

“The just shall liveby his faith.” AsGod in His good-ness has deliveredHis people intimes past, so Hewill always deliverthem. Though thevision tarry, Israelmust wait in faithand rejoicing.

God is seen as theGod of the uni-verse. None shallescape His judg-ments. Yet Hislove rests uponmen. He will “turnto the people apure language,that they may allcall upon the nameof the Lord, toserve him with oneconsent.”

The first responsi-bility of therestored remnant isto rebuild God’stemple inwardlyand outwardly.Recipients of Hisblessing must notpermit selfish per-sonal considera-tions to be of firstimportance.

“Be ye not as yourfathers. . . . ” Israelis to build fromthe basis of higherideals and morespiritual types.“Behold the manwhose name is TheBRANCH. . . .

Even he shall buildthe temple of theLord. . . . ”

Last of O.T.prophecy.

Israel’s centuries ofpreparation aremoving towardtheir climax andfulfillment. NowIsrael stands wait-ing for theMessiah—for thepromised “messen-ger of thecovenant.”

“All experience comes to be but more and more thepressure of Christ’s life upon ours.”—Phillips Brooks

The Old Testament does not become obsolete inthe light of the New, but one finds in the New thefulfillment of the Old. In the former God’s revelationcame through His servants and prophets; in the latterit came through His Son. Under the Old Covenantthere were many mediators, under the New Covenantonly one.

The New Testament is especially important toChristians, recording as it does the life of our Lord. Itstrikes a responsive chord in the soul because it atteststhe immortality of man and marks the way of hopeand full salvation. It was written by those whose liveshad been transformed by this Life and whose faithrested on a living Lord. The Church itself producedthe New Testament within the first century A.D. forits Christian community. Those who come to it infaith find in its pages that same transforming Spiritand power. Dr. James Moffatt, whose translation ofthe Bible into modern English is one of the mostmeaningful, describes the New Testament as “the lit-erature of a Life which disturbs whatever is lifeless.”

The New Testament was written in HellenisticGreek (koine). Its twenty-seven books fall naturallyunder five general headings: Gospels, History,Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and Revelation.

1. The Four Gospels are the records of Jesus’ lifeas the Son of man and as the Son of God. The firstthree—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—deal chiefly withJesus’ ministry in Galilee, often giving the sameevents, in the same order and in the same words.Therefore they are termed the Synoptic Gospels. TheAbingdon Bible Commentary says that these threebegin on the plane of human history, the fourth onthe heights of divine reality. John’s Gospel differsmarkedly in emphasis from the Synoptics; it does notduplicate but supplements their biographies, giving

Jesus’ ministry in Judaea and his important visits toJerusalem and choosing sayings and incidents whichpresent the divine aspect of the Master’s character andthe profound theology of his teachings. John alonegives the great discourses in which Christ revealedhimself as “the bread of life,” “the light of theworld,” “the good shepherd,” “the way, the truth, andthe life,” “the true vine.”

2. The book of Acts records the history of thespread of Christ’s gospel and the growth of theApostolic Church. Numerous churches were foundedand firmly grounded as the “good news” of salvationthrough faith in Jesus Christ was preached to theJews of Palestine under the faithful supervision of theTwelve, and as it was carried to the Gentiles of AsiaMinor, Greece, and Rome through the great mission-ary labors of Paul.

3 and 4. Hand in hand with the organization ofthe visible Church came the formation of Christiandoctrine as its members were instructed in the rudi-ments of the gospel. This doctrine is preserved in theunique body of literature of the Pauline and GeneralEpistles. The Pauline Epistles (fourteen in number, ifHebrews is included) were written primarily to indi-vidual churches. In them Paul formulated andexpounded the fundamental doctrines of redemption,reconciliation, justification by faith, grace, and salva-tion. They guided and guarded the Christian and theChurch amid persecution and heresy, and laid thefoundation of Christian conduct and fellowship. Theseven General Epistles, so-called because written tochurches in general, gave comfort in trial, warningagainst heretical teachings, and admonitions con-cerning Christian duty and practice.

5. Revelation is a book of prophecy, a Christianapocalypse, written to encourage a persecuted Churchto endure. It portrays the glory and power of Christat his Second Advent and depicts the mighty con-quest of good over evil, culminating in the finalsupremacy of God’s kingdom.

New Testament Literature

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENTFive Divisions: GOSPELS, HISTORY,

PAULINE EPISTLES, GENERAL EPISTLES, PROPHECY

Written before Written before Written before Written Written70 A.D. (61/62?) 70 A.D. (57?) 70 A.D. (61/63?) ca. 80–90 A.D. ca. 63 A.D.

THE FOUR GOSPELS HISTORY

MATTHEW

A life of Jesus Christwritten for Israel, prima-rily for those who had aknowledge of the OldTestament covenant andof the Messianic prophe-cies

This Gospel presentsJesus as the Messiah ofIsrael, the fulfillment ofthe Abrahamic covenantand the fulfillment ofthe Davidic covenant ofkingship

KEYNOTE: “The king-dom of heaven is athand.”

Mt. 4:17; 10:7

“In Matt. God says tous, ‘Behold thy King’

(Zech. ix. 9).”*

MARK

A life of Jesus Christwritten for Gentiles, pri-marily for Romans unfa-miliar with HebrewScripture, customs, andreligious expectations

Presents Jesus as Son andServant in his ministryof power, vividly por-traying his mightydeeds—it early served assource material forMatthew and Luke

KEYNOTE: “The Son ofman came not to beministered unto, but tominister. . . .”

Mk. 10:45

“In Mark He says,‘Behold My Servant’

(Isa. xl. 1).”*

LUKE

A life of Jesus Christwritten for Gentiles ofthe Greek-speakingworld—the most com-plete and orderly historyof the Four Gospels

Presents Jesus as the Sonof man in his humanityand divinity, emphasiz-ing his compassionateministry and his univer-sal mission of salvation

KEYNOTE: “The Son ofman is come to seek andto save that which waslost.”

Lu. 19:10

“In Luke He says,‘Behold the Man’

(Zech. vi. 12).”*

JOHN

A life of Jesus Christwritten for theChurch—it supplementshistory of the SynopticGospels and interpretsthe deep spiritual mean-ings of his mission

John presents Jesus asthe Son of God, “theonly begotten of theFather,” laying stress onthe divinity of his wordsand works

KEYNOTE: “In him waslife; and the life was thelight of men.”

Jn. 1:4

“In John He says,‘Behold your God’

(Isa. xl. 9).”*

*E. W. Bullinger, Numberin Scripture, p. 159.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

A history of earlyChristianity from found-ing of the Church atPentecost through Paul’sfirst imprisonment atRome (30–63 A.D.)—written by Luke—marksthe dispensation of gracein the descent of theHoly Ghost upon men

It alone records the workof the twelve apostlesand the missionarylabors of Paul asChristianity spread fromJerusalem to Rome

As the Son and his “acts”fill the Gospels, glorify-ing the Father, so theHoly Spirit fills the“acts” of the apostles,glorifying both theFather and the Son

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (Continued)

Written at Corinth Written at Ephesus Written at Corinth Written at Rome Written at Rome58 A.D. 57 A.D. 57 A.D. 62/63 A.D. 62/63 A.D.

Written in Macedonia 57 A.D.

THE THIRTEEN EPISTLES OF PAUL AND THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS

ROMANS

Foremost of all Paul’swritings—his subject is“the gospel of God”and the power of thatgospel to save both Jewand Gentile

A clear exposition ofbasic Christian doc-trines: redemption andsalvation throughChrist Jesus to a wholeworld under sin; justifi-cation by faith, not bythe Law; the Christian’sposition under grace

God’s promises to bothIsrael and the Gentilesare shown to be inagreement

I and II CORINTHIANS

The Corinthian church,founded by Paul, wascomposed of Jewishand Gentile converts—in his absence therearose immoralities,divisions, and fac-tions—false teachersattempted to Judaizethe church—Paul’sapostolic authority wasrepudiated

He vehemently justifieshis apostleship—thechurch sorrows torepentance—with ten-der concern he exhortsto Christian conduct,discipline, and love—acts to correct churchproblems

GALATIANS

The churches ofGalatia, founded byPaul, were being drawnaway from the puregospel by Jewishzealots who pressedJudaic practices uponGentile converts

He defends the gospelhe teaches as the truegospel—asserts hisapostleship as of Christ

He sets forth the doc-trines of justificationby faith and of adop-tion or spiritual son-ship, and contrasts theweakness and bondageof the law with thepower and liberty ofthe gospel

EPHESIANS

The theme is theChurch in its glory andfullness

Paul reveals the deep“mystery” of Christ’sChurch whereby thoseunited in godly loveconstitute the “mem-bers of his body” overwhich Christ is head itsmembers are exhortedto walk worthy of theirspiritual calling to theend that the Churchmay be edified, to putoff “the old man” andto put on “the newman,” to prove faithfuland strong in Christianwarfare

PHILIPPIANS

In this tender, affec-tionate letter Paulassures the church inPhilippi that his pres-ent afflictions, insteadof retarding his mis-sion, are furthering thegospel of Christ—withunrestrained love herejoices in the spiritualvictory, dominion, andpeace which he hasattained in Christ

He presses uponChristians the necessityof working out theirown salvation, holdingbefore them anewChrist Jesus’ perfection

The Christian’s walk toward the goal of perfection:

Paul urges all men tobe Christlike, to “walknot after the flesh, butafter the Spirit,” for thepower and grace of “thelaw of the Spirit of lifein Christ Jesus” makesthem free from “thelaw of sin and death.”

The apostle’s love forChrist finds expressionin a patient, solicitousministry of reconcilia-tion, correcting errorsthat lead away from thegospel of Christ. Hecharges all to be “as theministers of God.”

Paul reminds the fol-lowers of Christ that,having received the giftof grace by faith, theyare already justified andshould henceforth showforth not the lustfulworks of the flesh butthe pure fruits of theSpirit.

Paul earnestlybeseeches everyChristian, a member byGod’s grace, to grow“unto the measure ofthe stature of the ful-ness of Christ,” andthus to show forth theglory and unity ofChrist’s Church onearth.

By the example of Paul,this faithful apostle,still striving in humil-ity to attain perfectionand the power ofChrist’s resurrection,Christians are per-suaded to be “thusminded” and to surren-der all for Christ.

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Written at Rome Written at Corinth Written in Macedonia Written in Macedonia Written from Italy62/63 A.D. 52/53 A.D. 66/67 A.D. 66/67 A.D. 65/68 A.D.

Written at Rome Written at Rome67/68 A.D. 62/63 A.D.

COLOSSIANS

Paul writes to guardthe church against falsephilosophies and mysti-cism which are pervert-ing the true gospel

Christ’s pre-eminencein the universe and inthe Church is set forth,“for it pleased theFather that in himshould all fulnessdwell”

Men need no othergospel than that ofChrist Jesus, for inChrist alone is redemp-tion and reconciliation

“Set your affection onthings above, not onthings on the earth.”

I and II THESSALONIANS

Shortly after the found-ing of the Gentilechurch of Thessalonicathese two Epistles werewritten to confirm thefaith of its new con-verts and to instructand comfort themregarding the resurrec-tion of the dead, theSecond Coming ofChrist and the Day ofthe Lord (the Day ofChrist)

Paul exhorts them topatience regardingChrist’s coming,explaining that “thatman of sin . . . the son of perdition[antichrist]” must firstbe revealed

I and II TIMOTHY

Paul lovingly instructsTimothy, a co-workerin the faith, “how thououghtest to behave thy-self in the house ofGod” as a good minis-ter of Jesus Christ, andthus by the example ofgodliness profit thechurches—gives carefuldirectives for the safe-guarding of thechurches against here-sies—deals with thequalifications of minis-ters, with churchorganization and disci-pline

Paul’s solemn charge toTimothy to upholdsound doctrine

TITUS and PHILEMON

Having placed Titus, aco-worker in thegospel, in charge of thechurch in Crete, Paulsets forth for him thequalifications of thoseoccupying office withinthe church, that theymay be found faithfuland blameless

Philemon is a personalletter from Paul con-cerning Onesimus,Philemon’s runawayslave, whom Paul hasconverted—Paul tact-fully requestsPhilemon’s lovingreception and forgive-ness of Onesimus

HEBREWS

This epistle addressedto Hebrew Christianswas written anony-mously—Pauline inspirit, it is attributedby many scholars toPaul

It sets forth the preem-inence of Christ, our“great high priest” and“mediator of the newcovenant,” and hisatoning work as con-trasted with theLevitical priesthoodand ceremonialism ofMosaic Law—Christ’sone perfect sacrificegives man access toGod “by a new and liv-ing way”

Paul’s prayer is thatevery man come to per-fection. Having himselfexperienced the work-ing of the “indwellingChrist,” he comfortsChristians with “thismystery . . . which isChrist in you, the hopeof glory.”

Christians are remindedthat they “are all thechildren of light, andthe children of theday,” and are urged tothe unwearied practiceof Christian virtues,patient waiting, watch-fulness, and well-doing.

Paul charges theChristian throughTimothy to be “a goodsoldier of Jesus Christ,”and to “study to shewthyself approved untoGod, a workman thatneedeth not to beashamed, rightly divid-ing the word of truth.”

Paul charges theChristian through Titusto follow sound doc-trine and to maintaingood works “in thispresent world.”

Paul pleads for thepractice of Christianbrotherhood, forgive-ness and love.

Christians are encour-aged to hold fast thefaith unto the fullnessof Christ’s coming.“Having an high priestover the house of God;Let us draw near with atrue heart in full assur-ance of faith. . . . ”

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DIVISIONS AND BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (Continued)

Written Written ca. 62 A.D. Written Written Written ca. 61 A.D. Written ca. 66 A.D. ca. 90 A.D. ca. 66 A.D. ca. 96 A.D.

THE GENERAL EPISTLES PROPHECY

JAMES

The author has beenidentified as “the Lord’sbrother” and a pillar ofthe church inJerusalem—the Epistleis addressed to JewishChristians throughoutthe Roman Empire

It emphasizes simplefundamental Christianethics and practicalapplication of Jesus’Sermon on the Mount,a fulfilling of “the royallaw” of love withregard to trial, tempta-tion, faith, righteousworks, respect of per-sons, government of thetongue, effectual prayer

I and II PETER

Peter, cherishing hisassociation with theMaster, gives witness tothe sufferings and gloryof Christ—calls theChristians of AsiaMinor to witness andto suffer for Christ

Peter, like Paul, isaware of his comingmartyrdom—he desireshis own firsthandknowledge of JesusChrist to becomeknown to all Christiansin order to safeguardthem from “damnableheresies”—he nourishesfaith in Christ’s SecondComing

I, II, and III JOHN

First John is a pastoralletter solicitous of “mylittle children” in theworld—its keynote is“love,” and its messagethe sacred obligationsof love—a warningagainst the spirit ofantichrist “already . . .in the world”

Second John is a briefexhortation to abide inChristian love and doc-trine

Third John is a briefpersonal letter com-mending Gaius’Christian hospitality toitinerant ministers

JUDE

Jude pours into a briefletter a powerful mes-sage of warning thatChristians safeguardthemselves against falseand ungodly teacherswho are corrupting thepure gospel deliveredthem by the apostles—he calls such wickedteachers “filthy dream-ers,” “clouds . . . with-out water, . . . treeswhose fruit withereth,without fruit, twicedead. . . . ”

He foresees a terriblepunishment of theungodly, but a savingof those who are con-stant in faith

REVELATION

The Revelation of JesusChrist recorded byJohn—message ofencouragement in timeof severe persecution ofChristians withinRoman Empire—givento the seven churches ofAsia but embracing thechurch universal

Written in apocalypticlanguage, it is couchedin a series of visionswhich portray thestruggle between goodand evil, culminatingin the final overthrowof evil and the triumphof God’s kingdom—depicts the coming ofChrist in glory

The Christian’s walk toward the goal of perfection:

James exhorts to activeevidence of Christianprofession, “Be ye doersof the word, and nothearers only”; to longpatience; and to thebridling and taming ofthe tongue, an “unruly”little member.

Peter sounds a deepnote of encouragementand comfort to theChristian facing suffer-ing or persecution. “Ifye be reproached forthe name of Christ,happy are ye; for thespirit of glory and ofGod resteth upon you. . . . ”

With simplicity andclarity John defineslove: the love of theFather for His children,their love for theFather, and brotherlylove one for another.“Beloved, let us loveone another: for love isof God. . . . ”

Jude counsels theChristian to eschewfalse teachings, to con-tend earnestly for thefaith and to be constantin it, “building upyourselves on yourmost holy faith . . .Keep yourselves in thelove of God.”

John beholds and fore-tells the full salvationof the righteous, theperfect union of Godand man, and the fulfillment of thecovenant. God and HisChrist are seen to besupreme “as in heaven,so in earth.”