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