What is the Bible?
The Bible is the word of God. Every letter, every word, every name, and every number is there by supernatural design. The Bible is a collection of different books that were written over a period of 1,500 years by 40 different men (most were Jewish) who were inspired (or informed) by God. In fact, the word "Bible" is derived through Latin from the Greek word biblia which meanings books, specifically the books that are acknowledged as canonical (divinely inspired). The Bible consist of two volumes that are identified by Christians as the Old Testament (or Old Covenant) and the New Testament (or New Covenant).
The Old Testament
| Books of the Tanakh (39 Books of the Old Testament) | |||
| Laws (5 Books) | Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy | ||
| History (12 Books) | Joshua Judges Ruth | 1st Samuel 2nd Samuel 1st Kings 2nd Kings 1st Chronicles 2nd Chronicles | Ezra Nehemiah Esther |
| Poetry (5 Books) | Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon | ||
| Major Prophets (5 Books) | Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel | ||
| Minor Prophets (12 Books) | Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah | Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk | Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi |
(TIP: when evangelizing to a non-believing Jew, referring to the Tanakh as the Old Testament will not get you very far. Click here for more tips on how to share the Gospel of Christ).
Malachi is considered by many to be the last book of the Old Testament and Matthew to be the first book of the New Testament. The period of time between the Old and New Testaments is approximately 440 years. Some historical events that occurred during those 440 years are noted below:
300-200 BC The Ptolomies (Greek kings of Egypt) begin their rule. The Seleucids of Syria gain control of Judea. The Tanakh (Old Testament) is translated from Hebrew into Greek (call the Septuagint). 200-100 BC 100 - 1 BC Historical Events That Occurred Between the
Old Testament and New Testament Periods 400 - 300 BC The Persain rule over the Jews ended when the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians in 330 BC. At the death of Alexander the Great (at age 32) the Greek empire is divided into four Greek kingdoms. The Jewish temple is desecrated by Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) of Syria; a statue of Zeus is erected and a pig is slaughtered on the altar which leads to the Maccabean revolt. The Maccabean revolt is successful and the Jews regain control of Judea. The Festival of Lights (Hanukkah or the Feast of the Dedication) celebrates the rededication of the cleansed temple. The Romans, under Julius Caesar, conquer Jerusalem. Judea is under Roman rule. Julius Caesar appoints Herod Antipater governor of Judea. Later his son, Herod the Great, is appointed “king of the Jews” by the Roman senate. Herod spends 10 years restoring the Jewish temple. Julius Caesar is killed by members of the Roman senate and is succeeded by Augustus (Octavian) Caesar.
The Bible that is used by most protestant (non Catholic) churches consist of 66 books Tobit* Additions to the book of Daniel (also known as The Songs of the Three Children, and Bel and the Dragon) The Book of Wisdom*
(39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament) while the Bible used by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches consist of 73 books. These 7 additional books found in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bible are referred to as Deutero-Canonical books (secondary books) or apocrypha (apokryphos in the Greek) meaning "hidden things" or "kept hidden". Although these and other apocryphal books were written during the time between the Old and New Testament period, they were never part of the original Jewish Tanakh, and are considered by most Jewish and protestant scholars to be non-canonical. The first time these books appeared in the Holy Scriptures was when the Tanakh was first translated into Greek. The Greek translation of the Tanakh is called the Septuagint (meaning seventy) and is frequently identified by the Roman numerals LXX (70). Its name commemorates the 70 Jewish scholars who were commissioned in Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus between 285-247 BC to translate the Jewish Scriptures into Greek. During that time Greek had replaced Hebrew as the common language of the Jews in Judea, which thus created the need for translating the Jewish Holy Scriptures into Greek.
Apocryphal Books 1st Esdras The Epistle of Jeremiah Judith* 1st Maccabees* Additions to the book of Esther 2nd Maccabees* 3rd Maccabees Ecclesiasticus (also known as The Wisdom of the Son of Sirach)* 4th Maccabees Baruch* The Prayer of Manasseh *These books are included in the Roman Catholic Bible.
The New Testament
The New Testament books are believed by most scholars to have been originally written in Greek, however, a few scholars believe that some may have been originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek. Most of the books that comprise the New Testament are actually letters (or epistles) that were written either to a specific person (e.g., 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, etc.), to a specific church (e.g., 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, etc.), to a specific group of churches (e.g., Galatians, Colossians), or to all the churches (e.g., the letters found in Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, and 3:22). The early churches were specifically encouraged by the writer to share their letters with one another (Colossians 4:16).
Like the Old Testament, the books of the New Testament are not arranged in chronological order. For example, although the first book of the New Testament is Matthew, the first book written of the New Testament was the espitle of James. Like the Old Testament, the chapter numbers and subject headers found in the New Testament were not part of the original writings but were added much later.
The books of the New Testament can be categorized by four divisions - the 4 books telling the gospel of Jesus Christ (each with a different focus), 1 book of history, 21 letters, and 1 book of prophecy.
Matthew (concentration on the Jewishness of the Messiah) Mark (concentration on the servitude of the Messiah) Luke (concentration on the humanity of the Messiah) John (concentration on the divinity of the Messiah) History
(1 book) Acts Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude. New Testament Books* Gospel of Jesus Christ
(4 books) Letters**
(21 books) Prophecy
(1 book) Revelation *Note: Each book of the New Testament contains information found within each of the main divisions of theology. For example, the Gospel of Christ can also be found in the book of Romans, eschatological (end-time) information can also be found in 1 Thessalonians, etc.
**Note: When studying church letters (or epistles) do not neglect the seven most important church letters written by Jesus Christ in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
We know from historical events that all of the New Testament books, except Revelation, were most likely written before 70 AD - when the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans. Although some scholars have placed the dates these books were written much later, since none of these books reference the destruction of the highly important Jewish temple, or make any reference to the temple's destruction as a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy that is recorded in Matthew 24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2, and Luke 21:5-6, it is more likely that these books were written before the temple was destroyed.
The book of Revelation, written by the apostle John during his exile to the island of Patmos, was the last book written of the New Testament and was written about 95 AD. Although other books, such as the Gospel of Barnabas, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, has surfaced over the years, these books are non-canonical, filled with contradictions, and some have been proven to be deliberate frauds written by gnostics or gnostic supporters.
The Connection Between Judaism and Christianity
Christianity is the response to the arrival of the Judaic Messiah Jesus Christ. However, Christianity did not begin with Jesus' birth, but rather with His death. Early Christians were first called people of "the Way" (Acts 9:2, 24:14, 24:22) (in reference to their lifestyle reflecting the teachings of Jesus Christ) and assembled in groups called churches that met in homes. They taught and studied from the Old Testament because there were no New Testament writings at the time the first Christian churches were established. The first time followers of Jesus Christ were called "Christians" was in Antioch (of Syria) in 46 AD (Acts 11:26). Early Christians not only preached and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ exclusively from the Old Testament, but they also proved that Jesus was the Messiah exclusively from the Old Testament, e.g., by Jesus in Luke 24, by Peter in Acts 2, by Philip in Acts 8:26-40, by Paul in Acts 17:1-4, and by Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18:24-28. Today, Christians assemble in church buildings, learn and teach from both the Old and New Testaments, and worship on the first day of the week - the day our Lord Jesus was resurrected.
Jesus was born a Jew and practiced Judaism, grew up to become a rabbi (or teacher) and started His ministry at the age of 30 and lived a perfect sinless life. Jesus taught that salvation is in Him, through faith in God. He summarized all the commandments of God, all of His teachings, and the meaning of life in just two commandments - "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind", and "love your neighbor as yourself." His ultimate mission was to die on behalf of all mankind because of our sins, so that we can be healed and reconciled back to God. His death is the most famous, most controversial, must debated, and most document death of a human being. Although He committed no sins, no crimes, and wronged no-one, and although the high ruler of the land, Pontius Pilate, had publicly declared His innocense three times (Luke 23 verse 4, 14, and 22), He was brutally beaten, whipped, and tortured to death at the age of 33. He was buried in a tomb for 3 days and was resurrected from the dead on the 3rd day and ascended to Heaven 40 days later with a promise that He will return. His return will not be as the Lamb - the suffering servant, but this time as the Lion from the tribe of Judah - the Reigning King of Kings and Lord of Lords, with all Power and Glory. He will defeat the enemies of God and usher in an everlasting peace as He reign and rule on Earth forever and ever. Amen!
Bible Facts to Remember During Studying
- Most of the entire Bible - more than 3/4th of it - is about God's relationship with the nation Israel (from Genesis 12 through Acts 2, and Revelation 4 through the end).
- Less than 1/4th of the Bible is about God's relationship with the church (Acts 2 through Revelation 3).
- The entire Bible is mainly Jewish in culture, tradition, customs, and observances, (a very important point to remember during your studies).
- The Bible was not originally written in English, nor does it contains western or European customs, traditions, or observances (another important point to remember during your studies).
- The books of the Bible are not necessary arranged in chronological order. For example, the book of Job is the oldest book of the Bible; written between 300 and 400 years BEFORE Moses wrote Genesis. In fact, some chapters within books are not in chronological order (just something to be sensitive about).
- The original writings did NOT contain chapter and verse numbers (they were added much, much later).
- The chapter headings, comments in the margins, and commentary remarks found in today's Bibles are NOT part of God's words. They are comments of the editor(s) and should NOT be openly accepted as factual or divinely inspired without taking The Berean Approach (click here for more information on taking The Berean approach).
- What identifies Jesus as the Messiah is not the miracles that He performed, but rather that He fulfilled every prophecy written of the Messiah.....everything involving His birth, His ministry, His execution, His burial, and His resurrection. In light of the fulfillment of these and many other prophecies, remember, He also prophesied that He will return!
- Jesus taught that a Christian is not a person who simply believes in Him, but rather a Christian is a person who OBEYS Him (John 8:31 and John 14:23).
IMPORTANT: Just because a particular doctrine or worship practice was embraced by early church fathers does not necessarily mean that the doctrine or worship practice was correct and accepted by Jesus Christ. Of all the letters in the Bible that were written to churches, (including the seven letters to the seven churches written by Jesus Christ in Revelation 2 & 3) almost all of them were described as having some degree of false doctrine or false worship practices (some were very serious errors). How do you guard yourself against such false things? You must judge these doctrines and practices against the authority of the Scriptures to determine if they are biblically correct before embracing them. Let the Spirit of God be your guide. Ask God to help you understand and have faith that He will answer you - and He will (Matthew 21:21-22). Remember, He promised that the Holy Spirit will teach you all things (John 14:26). Search the Holy Scriptures daily to determine if what you are taught and what you are practicing is in agreement with the Word of God and be prepared to make the necessary corrections in your life. Always remember, your spiritual growth does not depend on what you know, but rather on what you do with what you know. May God bless you in your spiritual journeys.
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