The Bible

Ta Biblia “The Books”

So, the Bible
is derivatively
“God’s word”

The Bible
The “revealed Word of God”
God’s Word in:
Words & deeds of Jesus
The words & deeds of Jesus
according to the apostles ( the
kerygma)
the Bible is a written record of the
apostolic proclamation

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 The Bible “The Bible is
God’s Word”
which means
that by
reading the
Bible, we can
come to
know God
Who Reveals

The Bible is God’s Word in

human words
This is the official teaching
of the Roman Catholic
Church
God “inspired” human
authors to write the Biblical
materials
God did not wrote it himself

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 The Bible is God’s Word in
human words
“inspiration” = guidance
The authors aimed that
their messages would be
understood by their own
audience (i.e., the one at
the time when the text
was written)

The Bible
 Authored by many
 A distinct composition written for its
own unique purpose

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 The Bible
• The words of God
• written by men
• as inspired by the
Holy Spirit

The words of God, written by men as inspired by

the Holy Spirit

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 The Bible is made-up of two
Testaments or Covenants
Covenants involve, not an exchange
of property, but an exchange of
persons.
You don’t give somebody your
services or goods when you swear a
covenant oath - you swear to give
them yourself.

The Bible shows how God wanted

to have friendship with man

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 Covenant
When parties make a covenant, they swear
oaths.
Oaths are more than promises because you
swear by the name of God.
In the ancient world, covenants made
families
The whole Bible can be outlined as a series
of family-making covenants.

The whole Bible can be outlined as a

series of family-making covenants.

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Old Testament
Speaks about the beginning before the
coming of Jesus
It tells us how the people of God were formed
It speaks about great personages, the leaders
of God’s people, and the prophets who speaks
in behalf of God
It contains stories, prayers, narratives, events
and songs, laws, philosophy, riddles and
proverbs

New Testament:
It speaks about the common
faith that Jesus of Nazareth
represents a decisive turning
point in Gods relationship to
humanity
This faith is expressed in
different ways in these collections

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 The Canon of the Bible
❑ The Canon is the definite number of books
contain the bible
❑ First made in 367 AD by St. Athanasius, the
Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt
❑ It refers to the 73 books (Catholic version)
approved by Pope Damasus I and Council of
Rome in 382 AD, and was affirmed by Councils
at Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD).
❑ The 66 books Bible was made by Martin Luther
in 1532 (protestant version)

Derivation of the Canon

❑ 73 books
❑ 39 Old Testament (based on
Hebrew Holy books), 27 N ew
Testament books, 7
Deuterocanonical books
❑ Different versions and languages
of the same text had been written

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 Derivation of the Canon
➢The OT was mainly written in
Hebrew and some words
from other ancient languages
such as Persian
➢The NT was written mainly in
Greek with the odd word in
Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin.

Example of hebrew and greek letters

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 Derivation of the Canon
The Masoretic The Septuagint The Vulgate Various Codex's
Text ‘A Greek ‘A Latin version ‘A collection of
‘The traditional translation of the of the Bible manuscript texts,
text of the Hebrew Bible made produced by especially of the
Hebrew Bible, in the 3rd or 2nd Saint Jerome in Scriptures, in book
revised and centuries BC to the 4th Century form’
annotated by meet the needs of Anno Domini’ Examples include:
Jewish Scholars Greek-Speaking (from the Latin •Codex Sinaiticus
between the 6th Jewish people word vulgatus •Codex
and 10th outside Palestine. meaning Leningradensis
centuries Anno The Septuagint ‘public’ or ‘for •Codex Bezae
Domini’ contains some the public’) •Codex Vaticanus
books not found in •Codex Ephraemi
the Hebrew Canon’ Rescriptus

Canonization of the Bible

1. 367AD, Bishop Athanasius, the ‘Patriarch
of Alexandria’ and ‘Primate of Egypt’ wrote
an Encyclical Letter outlining what should be
the accepted 27 books of the NT.
2.He proposed a complex set of criteria with
one very important note that the book was
written by an apostle - or someone that
lived during the days of Christ.

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 • 298 Born in Alexandria, Egypt
318 Deacon: writes a book entitled
"On the Incarnation"
325 Attends the Council of Nicaea
328 Elected Bishop of Alexandria
335 Summoned to Council of Tyre
by Arians and exiled to Gaul
336 Returns to Alexandria
339 2nd Exile to Rome when
Emperor Constantius sides with
Arians.
346 Returns to Alexandria
356 begins 3rd exile.
361 Returns to assume bishopric.
• 362 Banished by Emperor Julian. 4th exile in Upper Egypt
363 Returns to Alexandria after death of Julian.
365 Emperor's orders 50 years exile
373 Dies in Alexandria

Canonization
3.Church aim of Canon, was to confirm
the existing practice of the
churches that reads them.
4.in 397AD the Council of
Carthage decided upon and issued a
definitive list that outlined and detailed
the 27 books that constitute our New
Testament.

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