Why Is the Bible So Important?
Record of people’s experiences with God
Influenced so many throughout historyTremendous examples of struggles of life – good & bad
Best selling book of all time
Great stories and literature
The Bible
A Collection of documents written over many centuries
The Bible - Collection of documents written over many centuries
Two partsOld Testament or First Testament
New Testament or Second Testament
“Testament” = “Covenant” First -Covenant with Israel and her ancestors
Second – Covenant with Jesus’ followers
Testament
“Testament” or “Covenant” refers to the story of how God chose to work through various people in history.
Old or First = God working through the descendants of Abraham (The Jewish people)
Testament
The First/Old Testament was Jesus’ Bible and the Bible of the first Christians
The two testaments are complimentary
New or Second = God working through Jesus and his followers (Christians)
Old Testament
39 different documents (books)
Law/ Torah
Prophets
Writings
New Testament
27 different documents (books, letters)
Gospels = Life of Jesus
Acts = Beginnings of Christianity
Letters of apostles to churches & individuals
Book of Revelation – written to Christians being persecuted by Roman government
Canon
Authoritative collection of writings
Old Testament accepted by Jews even before Jesus’ time
New Testament came together throughout the first century AD
Old Testament Canon
Some parts initially transmitted orallyPreserved and written by Priests, Prophets
Spiritual leaders of Israel
Accepted by people of Israel as authoritative in religious and moral mattersProcess over several centuriesCompleted and agreed on by the time of Jesus
Inspiration
The idea that God worked with the authors of the Old and New Testaments to provide reliable and useful teachings for helping people:
through the struggles of lifeknow the most positive and important values in lifefind truth in this lifeknow more about God himself
Ways People Study the Bible
Devotional approach
Religious – moral - Spiritual
Literary approach
Historical approach
Political approach
Tools for Studying the Bible
History
Archaeology
Sociology
Philosophy
Literary theory
Linguistics
Economics
Musicology