1. The document discusses the Table of Showbread located in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The Table represents intimacy with God through prayer.
2. It was made of gold-overlaid wood to represent the union of God and man. Fresh bread was placed on it weekly and eaten by priests, symbolizing communion with God.
3. Stillness and focus are key to the prayer represented by the Table, involving listening to God and sharing one's needs, like an intimate dinner conversation.
The document discusses how the Bible has been used both to support and oppose slavery, the Copernican theory of astronomy, and views on poverty. It notes that passages from both the Old and New Testaments were cited by proponents of slavery to argue it was sanctioned by God. It also discusses how Christian leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin rejected Copernicus' findings because they contradicted literal interpretations of certain Bible passages. The document questions whether the Bible should be seen as a rule book or library open to different interpretations, and suggests seeing it through the lens of Jesus' life and teachings rather than taking every passage literally.
The document discusses living worthily as a disciple of Christ, living fruitfully as a family, and living powerfully as a church. It emphasizes that with the Holy Spirit's power within us, we can overcome feelings of inadequacy and have breakthroughs. It encourages applying this by sharing life instead of just doing discipleship groups, loving people instead of just evangelizing, and participating instead of just attending church activities. The power for breakthroughs comes from allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to strengthen us.
This document is a dogmatic constitution on divine revelation issued by Pope Paul VI in 1965. It discusses revelation itself, how divine revelation is handed on, sacred scripture and its inspiration and interpretation, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the role of sacred scripture in the life of the Church. The key points are that God reveals himself to bring people into fellowship with him, revelation is realized through deeds and words, sacred scripture is inspired by God and its correct interpretation requires understanding the intended meaning, and sacred scripture plays an important role in the life of the Church.
Notes to accompany HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE
Many have claimed that the Old Testament contains a number of myths and legends which were created by Jewish writers in the two or three centuries before the time of Christ or soon thereafter. Others would claim that most of the New Testament was written well into the late second century AD by Christian apologists who were creating a Jesus very different from the historical person. They would claim that the gospels are not an eye-witness account at all. Another common claim is that the original writings of the apostles were radically edited by the Catholic Church in the period after the conversion of the Roman Empire, to reflect Catholic doctrine. These people would claim that the doctrines found in the New Testament are very different from the original teachings of Jesus Christ. Still others will claim
that there were additional gospels written by the apostles which were excluded by leaders in the early church because of their bias against certain teachings...
Types of Messiah
What is prophecy?
Test of a true prophet
The importance of prophecy
Messianic prophecies
The significance of messianic prophecies
Messianic prophecy issues
Probability of fulfillment of prophecies
Other Old Testament (OT) prophecies
End Time prophecies
1. The document discusses the Table of Showbread located in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The Table represents intimacy with God through prayer.
2. It was made of gold-overlaid wood to represent the union of God and man. Fresh bread was placed on it weekly and eaten by priests, symbolizing communion with God.
3. Stillness and focus are key to the prayer represented by the Table, involving listening to God and sharing one's needs, like an intimate dinner conversation.
The document discusses how the Bible has been used both to support and oppose slavery, the Copernican theory of astronomy, and views on poverty. It notes that passages from both the Old and New Testaments were cited by proponents of slavery to argue it was sanctioned by God. It also discusses how Christian leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin rejected Copernicus' findings because they contradicted literal interpretations of certain Bible passages. The document questions whether the Bible should be seen as a rule book or library open to different interpretations, and suggests seeing it through the lens of Jesus' life and teachings rather than taking every passage literally.
The document discusses living worthily as a disciple of Christ, living fruitfully as a family, and living powerfully as a church. It emphasizes that with the Holy Spirit's power within us, we can overcome feelings of inadequacy and have breakthroughs. It encourages applying this by sharing life instead of just doing discipleship groups, loving people instead of just evangelizing, and participating instead of just attending church activities. The power for breakthroughs comes from allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to strengthen us.
This document is a dogmatic constitution on divine revelation issued by Pope Paul VI in 1965. It discusses revelation itself, how divine revelation is handed on, sacred scripture and its inspiration and interpretation, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the role of sacred scripture in the life of the Church. The key points are that God reveals himself to bring people into fellowship with him, revelation is realized through deeds and words, sacred scripture is inspired by God and its correct interpretation requires understanding the intended meaning, and sacred scripture plays an important role in the life of the Church.
Notes to accompany HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE
Many have claimed that the Old Testament contains a number of myths and legends which were created by Jewish writers in the two or three centuries before the time of Christ or soon thereafter. Others would claim that most of the New Testament was written well into the late second century AD by Christian apologists who were creating a Jesus very different from the historical person. They would claim that the gospels are not an eye-witness account at all. Another common claim is that the original writings of the apostles were radically edited by the Catholic Church in the period after the conversion of the Roman Empire, to reflect Catholic doctrine. These people would claim that the doctrines found in the New Testament are very different from the original teachings of Jesus Christ. Still others will claim
that there were additional gospels written by the apostles which were excluded by leaders in the early church because of their bias against certain teachings...
Types of Messiah
What is prophecy?
Test of a true prophet
The importance of prophecy
Messianic prophecies
The significance of messianic prophecies
Messianic prophecy issues
Probability of fulfillment of prophecies
Other Old Testament (OT) prophecies
End Time prophecies
The document discusses various ways that people, events, and objects in the Old Testament foreshadow or prefigure people and events in the New Testament. It provides examples of historical foreshadows, types and antitypes related to Abraham, the Exodus, the tabernacle and temple, and Old Testament festivals. It also summarizes many prophecies from the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament related to the Messiah and the Kingdom of God.
Dr. John Oakes taught a class titled Strong in Chrst and a sermon titled One in Christ for the Coastal Region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ for their family retreat 8/15/15. Notes power point and audio are attached. Strong in Christ is about how to deepen our understanding of the scripture, using examples from Ephesians and Matthew. One in Christ is about the amazing blessings we have In Christ.
@ H o l y S p i r i t 004 baptism of the Holy Spiritrudimike
This document provides information about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, including:
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit makes believers members of Christ's body and allows them to be empowered to live the Christian life.
- Every genuine believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ at the moment they believe.
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is unique to the current church age and makes all believers one in Christ regardless of background.
- The consequences of being baptized by the Holy Spirit include dying to the old sinful self and being made a new creation by the Spirit.
This is the first of a three part series on the Book of Mark taught by Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo in San Diego for the Church staff of the San Diego Church of Christ February and March, 2015.
What is prophecy?
Test of a true prophet
The importance of prophecy
Messianic prophecies
The significance of messianic prophecies
Messianic prophecy issues
Probability of fulfillment of prophecies
Other Old Testament (OT) prophecies
Prophecy – the future told in advance by God through a prophet
John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
The reliability of the Bible is confirmed by the accuracy of its prophecies
Cannot be said of any other “sacred writings”
Other writings make great claims but contain no prophecy unique to them that establishes “truth"
Dr. John Oakes taught a class, Jesus in the Old Testament: From Shadow to Reality in San Diego on six consecutive Saturdays beginning Feb 22, 2014. Outline and suggested reading for the class are below. The recordings of this class are available at the web site in the store. Click on EFC Store button on the upper right of the front page of the site. For now we will keep the second half of the class available.
The document discusses the reliability of the Bible by examining prophecy, integrity, and textual criticism. It outlines how prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, distinguishing it from other religious texts. Specific prophecies about Jesus' first coming are analyzed, showing how he fulfilled over 100 prophecies about characteristics like his birthplace, lineage, and manner of death. The accurate fulfillment of prophecies affirms the Bible's divine origin and reliability.
The document contains summaries of sermons based on passages from the book of Colossians in the New Testament. It discusses the importance of prayer, proclaiming God's word, having godly conversations, and living in a way that honors God. The sermons encourage devote prayer, proclaiming the message of Christ clearly, having gracious and thoughtful conversations, and acting wisely towards outsiders through good works. The overall message is about allowing the Holy Spirit to work through Christians and empowering them to live lives worthy of God through their prayer, words, and actions.
This document provides historical context and archaeological evidence relevant to assessing the accuracy of the Bible. It outlines important periods in the history of Israel according to biblical chronology and the dominant powers that influenced the region. It then presents archaeological findings that corroborate various biblical persons, places, and events, such as the destruction of Jericho matching biblical accounts, inscriptions mentioning biblical kings, and artifacts from the time of Jesus and Paul. The conclusion is that archaeological evidence increasingly shows the Bible to be a reliable historical document.
The document discusses why someone should be part of a church community rather than just going to church services. It provides definitions of what constitutes a church and gives both biblical and practical reasons for being part of one. The key reasons are that God commands it in the Bible, churches provide community and opportunities for encouragement and spiritual growth, and Jesus loves and sacrificed for the church.
Dr. John Oakes and Mark Wilkinson taught a class on how to understand and interpret the Bible. This was a 7 hour class. The suggester book for this class is "How to Study the Bible For All It’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart.
The document provides a summary and analysis of the Bible readings for Easter Sunday. It discusses how the first reading from Acts describes Peter's preaching on Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The second reading from Colossians talks about how Christians have died with Christ in baptism and will appear with him in glory. The Gospel reading recounts Mary Magdalene's discovery of Jesus' empty tomb and how Peter and another disciple went to see it for themselves. The document uses the readings to reflect on the meaning of Easter and Jesus' resurrection for Christians today.
This document discusses the holiness of God according to Scripture. It begins by establishing the Bible as the source of truth about God's nature and character. It then explores what holiness means - to be set apart or different in a special way. Several Bible examples are given that show people reacting to encounters with God's holiness with fear, trembling, and repentance as they are confronted with their own sinfulness in comparison. The document emphasizes that God's holiness is consistently portrayed this way throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
The significance of the Apocalypse
The circumstances surrounding its writing
Who wrote it? To Whom? Where? Why?
Its structure and Content
Aids to interpretation
How can we benefit from it?
The document examines evidence for Jesus being God, including prophecies about him from the Old Testament that were fulfilled, miracles he performed, and testimony from the New Testament and early Christians. It notes there were over 300 prophecies about the Messiah's first coming that were all fulfilled in Jesus. The odds of anyone fulfilling just 8 prophecies are 1 in 100 quadrillion, demonstrating the supernatural nature of the Bible. The document concludes the evidence confirms Jesus is God as he claimed.
Outline for From Shadow to Reality
OT Theme: The Messiah is coming
NT Theme: The Messiah is here
Jesus is priest, prophet and king. Jesus brings together the entire OT.
Jesus says: Everything must be fulfilled that was written about me Luke 24:44
These are the scriptures that testify about me. Jn 6:39,40 I am the fulfillment of the OT...
Lent is the 40-day period before Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a time of penitential preparation and fasting to commemorate Jesus' fasting in the desert for 40 days. On Ash Wednesday, ashes made from palm branches from the previous year are used to place crosses on people's foreheads, reminding them of their mortality and need for repentance. During Lent, Christians are called to engage in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. They also participate in acts like Stations of the Cross, Bible reading, and abstaining from meat on Fridays to remember Christ's suffering. The season ultimately prepares believers for Easter through reflection and sacrifice.
Bibliology and Hermeneutics (Session 4)Bong Baylon
The document discusses the canonization of scripture, specifically addressing questions about how we know which books belong in the Bible. It outlines several facts and fables regarding how canonicity is determined. The key facts are that prophetic nature, apostolic authority, and God alone determine canonicity. It also discusses the process of canonization for both the Old and New Testaments, highlighting the recognition of the canon by the early church rather than any formal decree.
The document provides background information on the Septuagint (LXX), which was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament produced in Alexandria, Egypt around the 3rd century BC. It was translated by Jewish scholars for the Greek-speaking Jewish community. The LXX became the Bible predominantly used by Greek-speaking Christians in the earliest periods of the faith.
The document discusses various ways that people, events, and objects in the Old Testament foreshadow or prefigure people and events in the New Testament. It provides examples of historical foreshadows, types and antitypes related to Abraham, the Exodus, the tabernacle and temple, and Old Testament festivals. It also summarizes many prophecies from the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament related to the Messiah and the Kingdom of God.
Dr. John Oakes taught a class titled Strong in Chrst and a sermon titled One in Christ for the Coastal Region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ for their family retreat 8/15/15. Notes power point and audio are attached. Strong in Christ is about how to deepen our understanding of the scripture, using examples from Ephesians and Matthew. One in Christ is about the amazing blessings we have In Christ.
@ H o l y S p i r i t 004 baptism of the Holy Spiritrudimike
This document provides information about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, including:
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit makes believers members of Christ's body and allows them to be empowered to live the Christian life.
- Every genuine believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ at the moment they believe.
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is unique to the current church age and makes all believers one in Christ regardless of background.
- The consequences of being baptized by the Holy Spirit include dying to the old sinful self and being made a new creation by the Spirit.
This is the first of a three part series on the Book of Mark taught by Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo in San Diego for the Church staff of the San Diego Church of Christ February and March, 2015.
What is prophecy?
Test of a true prophet
The importance of prophecy
Messianic prophecies
The significance of messianic prophecies
Messianic prophecy issues
Probability of fulfillment of prophecies
Other Old Testament (OT) prophecies
Prophecy – the future told in advance by God through a prophet
John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
The reliability of the Bible is confirmed by the accuracy of its prophecies
Cannot be said of any other “sacred writings”
Other writings make great claims but contain no prophecy unique to them that establishes “truth"
Dr. John Oakes taught a class, Jesus in the Old Testament: From Shadow to Reality in San Diego on six consecutive Saturdays beginning Feb 22, 2014. Outline and suggested reading for the class are below. The recordings of this class are available at the web site in the store. Click on EFC Store button on the upper right of the front page of the site. For now we will keep the second half of the class available.
The document discusses the reliability of the Bible by examining prophecy, integrity, and textual criticism. It outlines how prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled, distinguishing it from other religious texts. Specific prophecies about Jesus' first coming are analyzed, showing how he fulfilled over 100 prophecies about characteristics like his birthplace, lineage, and manner of death. The accurate fulfillment of prophecies affirms the Bible's divine origin and reliability.
The document contains summaries of sermons based on passages from the book of Colossians in the New Testament. It discusses the importance of prayer, proclaiming God's word, having godly conversations, and living in a way that honors God. The sermons encourage devote prayer, proclaiming the message of Christ clearly, having gracious and thoughtful conversations, and acting wisely towards outsiders through good works. The overall message is about allowing the Holy Spirit to work through Christians and empowering them to live lives worthy of God through their prayer, words, and actions.
This document provides historical context and archaeological evidence relevant to assessing the accuracy of the Bible. It outlines important periods in the history of Israel according to biblical chronology and the dominant powers that influenced the region. It then presents archaeological findings that corroborate various biblical persons, places, and events, such as the destruction of Jericho matching biblical accounts, inscriptions mentioning biblical kings, and artifacts from the time of Jesus and Paul. The conclusion is that archaeological evidence increasingly shows the Bible to be a reliable historical document.
The document discusses why someone should be part of a church community rather than just going to church services. It provides definitions of what constitutes a church and gives both biblical and practical reasons for being part of one. The key reasons are that God commands it in the Bible, churches provide community and opportunities for encouragement and spiritual growth, and Jesus loves and sacrificed for the church.
Dr. John Oakes and Mark Wilkinson taught a class on how to understand and interpret the Bible. This was a 7 hour class. The suggester book for this class is "How to Study the Bible For All It’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart.
The document provides a summary and analysis of the Bible readings for Easter Sunday. It discusses how the first reading from Acts describes Peter's preaching on Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The second reading from Colossians talks about how Christians have died with Christ in baptism and will appear with him in glory. The Gospel reading recounts Mary Magdalene's discovery of Jesus' empty tomb and how Peter and another disciple went to see it for themselves. The document uses the readings to reflect on the meaning of Easter and Jesus' resurrection for Christians today.
This document discusses the holiness of God according to Scripture. It begins by establishing the Bible as the source of truth about God's nature and character. It then explores what holiness means - to be set apart or different in a special way. Several Bible examples are given that show people reacting to encounters with God's holiness with fear, trembling, and repentance as they are confronted with their own sinfulness in comparison. The document emphasizes that God's holiness is consistently portrayed this way throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
The significance of the Apocalypse
The circumstances surrounding its writing
Who wrote it? To Whom? Where? Why?
Its structure and Content
Aids to interpretation
How can we benefit from it?
The document examines evidence for Jesus being God, including prophecies about him from the Old Testament that were fulfilled, miracles he performed, and testimony from the New Testament and early Christians. It notes there were over 300 prophecies about the Messiah's first coming that were all fulfilled in Jesus. The odds of anyone fulfilling just 8 prophecies are 1 in 100 quadrillion, demonstrating the supernatural nature of the Bible. The document concludes the evidence confirms Jesus is God as he claimed.
Outline for From Shadow to Reality
OT Theme: The Messiah is coming
NT Theme: The Messiah is here
Jesus is priest, prophet and king. Jesus brings together the entire OT.
Jesus says: Everything must be fulfilled that was written about me Luke 24:44
These are the scriptures that testify about me. Jn 6:39,40 I am the fulfillment of the OT...
Lent is the 40-day period before Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a time of penitential preparation and fasting to commemorate Jesus' fasting in the desert for 40 days. On Ash Wednesday, ashes made from palm branches from the previous year are used to place crosses on people's foreheads, reminding them of their mortality and need for repentance. During Lent, Christians are called to engage in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. They also participate in acts like Stations of the Cross, Bible reading, and abstaining from meat on Fridays to remember Christ's suffering. The season ultimately prepares believers for Easter through reflection and sacrifice.
Bibliology and Hermeneutics (Session 4)Bong Baylon
The document discusses the canonization of scripture, specifically addressing questions about how we know which books belong in the Bible. It outlines several facts and fables regarding how canonicity is determined. The key facts are that prophetic nature, apostolic authority, and God alone determine canonicity. It also discusses the process of canonization for both the Old and New Testaments, highlighting the recognition of the canon by the early church rather than any formal decree.
The document provides background information on the Septuagint (LXX), which was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament produced in Alexandria, Egypt around the 3rd century BC. It was translated by Jewish scholars for the Greek-speaking Jewish community. The LXX became the Bible predominantly used by Greek-speaking Christians in the earliest periods of the faith.
The document discusses several topics regarding the historical reliability of the gospels:
1) Scholars date the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John to have been written between AD 60-100, within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses. Archaeological evidence corroborates details in the gospels.
2) Early church fathers from the 2nd century consistently quoted from and appealed to the apostolic writings as scripture, showing early circulation and acceptance of the gospels.
3) The Jewish culture had highly developed oral tradition practices, allowing Jesus' teachings and events to be reliably preserved orally for the few years before being written down.
The document discusses evidence for the historical reliability of the gospels, addressing claims from liberal scholars and popular books like The Da Vinci Code. It presents evidence that the gospels were written early, within the lifetimes of eyewitnesses, and examines early manuscript evidence, testimony from church fathers, and corroboration from Jewish and Roman sources. Archaeology has also upheld the accuracy of details in the gospels.
This document provides an overview of the Bible, discussing its origins, composition, canonization, and authority. It notes that the Old Testament was compiled around 400 BC and the New Testament was widely accepted as scripture by the early church, though officially canonized in 397 AD. Various passages from the Bible are presented to argue for its divine inspiration, infallibility, and use for teaching. The Dead Sea Scrolls are mentioned as an important archaeological discovery that supported the reliability of the biblical text.
All about the bible, how it was put together, why certain books were left out, how do we know that it\'s divine, what about the Da Vinci Code, dealing with "contradictions", etc.
The document discusses the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan in 1945. It notes that after Japan rejected the Potsdam ultimatum calling for unconditional surrender, the US had no choice but to demonstrate the seriousness of the threat by using "the full application of our military power." The atomic bomb was deemed "an eminently suitable weapon" for this purpose given the successful test in New Mexico and the bomb living up to expectations of its powerful destructive capabilities.
Basic information of Bible. Summary of Old Testament and New Testament. Overview of Books and their authors. Overview of Authors of the Bible. Bible basic overview
The document discusses the formation of the New Testament canon. It notes that the earliest New Testament manuscripts date to around AD 110. The writings of the Apostles, including Paul, were seen as authoritative from an early period. By around AD 120, the four gospels and Paul's letters were joined by Acts to form the core of the New Testament. While some books faced more debate, by AD 220 there was almost a total consensus on most books. The canon was finalized in the late 4th century without any formal ecumenical councils, but rather through a process of consensus among Christian communities.
The document provides an overview of the books of the Bible. It discusses the formation and canonization of both the Old and New Testaments. For the Old Testament, it describes the oral traditions, editors involved, and councils that determined the canon. It then surveys the different types of books - Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Books, and Prophets. For the New Testament, it outlines the stages from the life of Jesus to the oral tradition to the written Gospels and letters. It classifies the different writings as Gospels, Acts, Pauline Letters, General Letters, and Revelation.
The document outlines the development of the biblical canon from 1000 BCE to 1546 CE. It discusses how the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament were established between 1000 BCE to 400 CE. It also details the development of the Christian New Testament canon from 50 CE to 1546 CE, including early lists, debates over inclusion of certain books, and final recognition of the 27-book canon. The process of canonization for both the Old and New Testaments spanned hundreds of years and involved consideration by Jewish rabbis, early Christian leaders, and ecumenical councils.
The document outlines the nature, narrative, and authenticity of the Bible. It discusses how the Bible was written over 1500 years by many authors in different languages, but still tells a unified story of God's redemption of humanity. The Bible is both the inspired word of God and the work of human authors. It describes the central narrative as creation, fall, promise of a Messiah, fulfillment in Jesus, and a final new creation. Finally, it argues that the Bible we have today remains authentic due to the many early manuscripts that exist, with variants not affecting core doctrines.
The document provides an overview of the Holy Bible, including what it is, who authored it, how it was handed down through history, its translations over time, and its divisions and books. It notes that the Bible is the book of God and contains 66 books divided into the Old and New Testaments. It discusses how the Bible was originally written on scrolls and then copied by hand before the invention of the printing press accelerated its distribution.
The document provides background information on the apostasy and restoration of Christ's church. It discusses how the early apostles were martyred, leading to the loss of priesthood authority and spiritual darkness in the world. Specific truths were lost from the Bible and plain and precious parts were removed. Ancient texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi library shed light on scriptures and traditions from early Christianity. The restoration was foretold to reestablish Christ's church and authority in the latter days.
The document discusses various topics related to biblical translations including:
- Differences between the Textus Receptus and other ancient manuscripts like Codex B and the Sinaitic text.
- The development of translations like the King James Version, Latin Vulgate, and others.
- Concerns about more modern translations like the NIV, TNIV, and Good News Bible changing or removing words and verses.
- Biographical details of textual critics Westcott and Hort who produced an influential Greek text that departed from the Textus Receptus.
- Warnings against adding to or removing from the words of Scripture.
This document discusses beliefs about the inspiration, infallibility, and authority of the Bible. It provides definitions of key terms and discusses the concept that belief in the Bible's inspiration leads to belief in its infallibility and authority. It offers various lines of support for these beliefs, including biblical passages, historical manuscripts, the process of determining the biblical canon, approaches to understanding "problems" in the text, and various Christian views on inspiration throughout history.
In this message, loaded with historical information, we discover the authenticity of the Old and New Testament Scriptures. The Bible is truly God's voice to us, preserved and given to us in a manner we can understand, receive and live by.
Download sermon video / audio / notesfrom our website - apcwo.org/sermons
2. “One of the many divine qualities of the
Bible is that it does not yield its secrets
to the irreverent and the censorious.”
--James I. Packer
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
3. How did we get the Bible?
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
4. “The Bible did not arrive by fax
from heaven…The Bible is the
product of man, my dear. Not of
God. The Bible did not fall
magically from the clouds. Man
created it as a historical record
of tumultuous times, and it has
evolved through countless
translations, additions, and
revisions. History has never had
a definitive version of the book..”
--Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
5. Canon
„Measuring Rod‟; „Standard‟; „Rule‟
Canon refers to the collection of books that passed
a test of authenticity and authority; it also means
that those books are our rule of life – both in this
world and the next.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
6. • Written over about 1,500 years
• 66 books – 39 in the Old; 27 in the New
• 40 authors
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
7. The Old Testament
Order of original Hebrew Bible
The Pentateuch The Prophets The Writings
Also referred to as Includes former Psalms, Job, Proverbs,
“The Law”. Includes prophets such as Ruth, Song of Songs,
Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ecclesiastes,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Samuel, and Kings. Lamentations, Esther,
Deuteronomy Major prophets such as Daniel, Ezra,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Nehemiah, Chronicles
Ezekiel. Also 12 minor
prophets
Old Testament primarily written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Contained consonants
only (no vowels; added later by Masoretes – Jewish scholars - around A.D. 500).
Oldest book is Job (not Genesis) with last book written likely being Nehemiah
around 424-400 B.C.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
8. The New Testament
The Gospels Church History Apostolic
Matthew, Mark, Acts Writings
Luke, John Paul, writer of Hebrews,
Peter, James, Jude,
John
New Testament written in Greek. Earliest book is either Mark or Matthew with
the last book being Revelation around A.D. 94-96.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
9. The History of the Canon
The Old Testament
Moses Pentateuch Other David puts Books cared
writes Put in Ark inspired texts books in for by priests
Pentateuch (Deut 31:24) added to Ark treasury (2 Kings 22:8)
(1 Kings 8:6)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
10. The History of the Canon
The Old Testament
More Exile in sixth Ezra Canon Canon
books added century; restores stored in ark meticulously
during Canon Canon; last constructed copied
Hezekiah scattered books added for 2nd temple
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
11. The History of the Canon
The Old Testament
Overview of Old Testament Formation and History
Pre-patriarchal period Creation – 2100 Gen. 1:1-11:26
B.C.
Patriarchal period 2100 – 1800 B.C. Gen. 11:27-50:26
Egyptian 1800 – 1400 B.C. Ex. 1:1-Deut 34:12
captivity/exodus
Conquests/judges 1400 – 1050 B .C. Josh. 1:1-1 – 1 Sam. 10:1
United Kingdom 1050 – 931 B.C. 1 Sam. 10:1 – 1 Kings 12:15
Divided Kingdom 931 – 1 Kings 12:15 –
to fall of Israel 722 B.C. 2 Kings 16:6
to fall of Judah 586 B.C. 2 Kings 25:26
Babylonian captivity and 586-420 B.C. 2 Kings 25:26-30
post-exilic period Ezra; Nehemiah
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
12. The History of the Canon
The Old Testament
"from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar
and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this
generation.‟"(Luke 11:51)
Jesus confirmed the 39 books of the Old Testament in this verse – Abel‟s death is found in
Genesis and Zechariah‟s in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21 (the last book in the Hebrew Bible)
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
13. The History of the Canon
The Old Testament
"It is true our history has been written since Artaxerxes very particularly but has not
been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because
there has not been an exact succession of the prophets since that time.“
-Josephus, A. D. 95
Statement indicates Old Testament Canon was already intact
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
14. “Eventually, four
Gospels and twenty-
three other texts were
canonized into a Bible.
This did not occur,
however, until the sixth
century.”
– Dan Burstein,
Secrets of the Code, 116.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
15. The History of the Canon
The New Testament
The truth is the composition of the New Testament was officially
settled at the Council of Carthage in A. D. 397. However, the
majority of the New Testament was accepted as authoritative much
earlier.
The Word – The Compilation of the Bible
16. The History of the Canon
The New Testament
First collection of New Testament
books proposed by Marcion in AD
140.
• Marcion was a Docetist. They
believe all spirit is good, all material is
evil (typically Platonic dualism) and
also claim that Jesus only appeared
human)
• Excluded Matthew, Mark, John
• Included 10 of Paul‟s letters, but
edited them
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17. The History of the Canon
The New Testament
Next collection of New
Testament books is the
Muratorian Canon, dated AD
170. Included:
• All four gospels
• Acts
• 13 of Paul‟s letters
• 1, 2, 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation
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18. The History of the Canon
The New Testament
The final New Testament Canon was first identified by the Church
father Athanasius in A. D. 367 and ratified by the Council of
Carthage in A. D. 397.
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19. Proof the New Testament was
Recognized Early
"and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also
our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him,
wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these
things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the
untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)
"For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is
threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”" (1 Timothy
5:18; cf. Luke 10:7)
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20. Proof the New Testament was
Recognized Early
Writer Lived Gospel Quotes Quotes from Acts
Justin Martyr A.D. 133 268 10
Irenaeus A.D. 125 1,038 194
Clement (alex.) A.D. 150-212 1,107 44
Origen A.D. 185-253 9,231 349
Tertullian A.D. 160-220 3,822 502
Hippolytus A.D. 165-235 734 42
Eusebius A.D 265-340 3,258 211
Totals - 19,368 1,352
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21. Proof the New Testament was
Recognized Early
Clement (c. A.D. 95) Ignatius (c. A.D. 107) Polycarp (c. A.D. 110)
• Matthew • Matthew • Titus • Matthew
• Mark • Mark • Philemon • Mark
• Luke • Luke • Hebrews • Luke
• Romans • John • James • John
• 1 Corinthians • Acts • 1 & 2 Peter • Acts
• Ephesians • Romans • 1 & 3 John • Romans
• 1 Timothy • 1 & 2 Corinthians • Revelation • 1 & 2 Corinthians
• Titus • Galatians • Galatians
• Hebrews • Ephesians • Ephesians
• James • Philippians • Philippians
• 1 Peter • Colossians • Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians
• 1 & 2 Timothy • 1 & 2 Timothy
• 1 Peter & 1 John
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22. A Christocentric View of Scripture
Name Aspect Viewpoint
Law Foundation for Christ Downward
History Preparation for Christ Outward
Poetry Aspiration for Christ Upward
Prophecy Expectation of Christ Forward
Gospels Manifestation of Christ Downward
Acts Propagation of Christ Outward
Epistles Interpretation and application of Upward
Christ
Revelation Consummation of Christ Forward
* Geisler and Nix
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23. What was the test for
canonicity?
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24. 1. Written by apostle (defined as person seeing Jesus
Christ after His resurrection) or companion of
apostle
2. No contradiction in core teachings of the faith
(analogy of faith)
3. Accepted early and by majority of churches
(catholicity)
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25. The Canon and the Church
Incorrect View Correct View
Determines Canon Discovers Canon
Mother of Canon Child of Canon
Magistrate of Canon Minister of Canon
Regulates Canon Recognizes Canon
Judge of Canon Witness of Canon
Master of Canon Servant of Canon
When the decision was made as to what books were canonical, the Church used the Latin
term „recipemus‟, which means “we receive.” What the Church said is that we receive these
particular books as being canonical, as being apostolic in authority and in origin, and
therefore we submit to their authority. It‟s one thing to make something authoritative, and it‟s
another thing to recognize something that already is authoritative.
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27. The Apocrypha
“hidden” or “doubtful”
14 books, 11 accepted by Catholics
Was in original King James Bible
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28. Why consider the Apocrypha for the Canon?
• New Testament cites it (e.g. Jude 6)
• Greek Old Testament contained the books
• Some early Church fathers cite them
• Early catacombs had pictures from them
• St. Augustine accepted them
• Eastern Church accepts them
• Early King James Bible had them
• Cave with the Dead Sea Scrolls had them
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29. Protestant Response to the Apocrypha
• New Testament never refers to Apocrypha as Scripture; simply
mentions statements in passing. Also cites pagan poets.
• No one knows if original Greek Old Testament contained it.
• No Hebrew Bible ever had them
• Many early Church fathers rejected them (e.g. Jerome, who was a
greater Biblical scholar than Augustine). Again, they may allude
to them, but never cite them as Scripture (it is written…)
• The catacomb pictures simply proves they contained religious
history
• St. Augustine accepted them because he said they contained
stories of Christian martyrs; not test for canonicity
• Eastern Church has not always accepted them
• King James Bible had them in the middle; not included in either
Testament
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30. Protestant Response to the Apocrypha
• Were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, but no indication they
were considered inspired. I have many books in my library too
along with a number of Bibles.
• No commentaries ever written on Apocrypha
• Special parchment was used for Scripture; not used for
Apocrypha
• No Apocryphal book written by prophet or apostle of God
• Contains non-Biblical doctrines (e.g. references to works
salvation; prayers for the dead)
• Contains errors in geography
• Never mentioned as being inspired in first 400 years of the
Church
• Never quoted by Jesus
• Never quoted by Philo (Jewish teacher who quoted from all Old
Testament books) or by Josephus as being Scripture
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31. The Documentary Hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis is a theory that challenges the authorship of the
Pentateuch by Moses. It asserts many authors wrote the first five books of the
Bible and did so many years after the events took place. The theory was first
asserted by a priest named H. B. Witter who noticed that two distinct names for
God (Elohim and Yahweh) were used throughout the book of Genesis. A
French physician named Jean Astruc published a work on the same theory, but
the one who provided the most force to the theory was Julius Wellhausen who
divided the Torah up into four distinct sections – J.E.D.P.
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32. Biblical Support for Mosaic Authorship
• Exodus 17:14: “Then the Lord said to Moses, „Write this in a book as a
memorial and recite it to Joshua…”
• Exodus 24:4,7: “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord…Then he took
the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people.”
• Exodus 34:27: “Then the Lord said to Moses, „Write down these words…”
• Numbers 33:2: “Moses recorded their starting places according to their
journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to
their starting places.”
• Deuteronomy 31:9: “So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests…”
• 1 Kings 2:3: ““Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to
keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies,
according to what is written in the Law of Moses…”
• Matthew 19:8: “He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses
permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this
way.”
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33. Biblical Support for Mosaic Authorship
• Mark 12:26: ““But regarding the fact that the dead rise again,
have you not read in the book of Moses…”
• John 5:46-47: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me,
for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how
will you believe My words?”
• John 7:19: “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of
you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
• Acts 3:22: ““Moses said, „The Lord God will raise up for you a
prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to
everything He says to you.”
• Romans 10:5: “For Moses writes that the man who practices the
righteousness which is based on law shall live by that
righteousness.”
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34. The Documentary Hypothesis
“Clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God ( - אֱ ֹלהיםElohim)
ִ
with the voice of joy. For the Lord ( - י ְהוִהYahweh) Most High is to
be
feared, A great King over all the earth.”
-Psalm 47:1-2
Notice that the writer uses two different names for God in these
verses.
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35. The Documentary Hypothesis
Fifty-four Israeli scholars subjected the Pentateuch to the most
rigorous linguistic syntactical evaluation that any portion of the
Bible has been submitted to by a computer program. The software
analyzed objectively the work of those books, and in the end, the
conclusion was this: There is no question that, from a statistical
standpoint, the first 5 books of the Bible were written by a single
individual.
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36. The Gnostic „Gospels‟
“More than eighty gospels were
considered for the New Testament,
and yet only a relatively few were
chosen for inclusion – Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John among them. . . . The
early church needed to convince the
world that the mortal prophet Jesus
was a divine being. Therefore, any
gospels that described earthly aspects
of Jesus‟ life had to be omitted from
the Bible.”
--Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code
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37. The Gnostic „Gospels‟
• Accidentally discovered in 1945 near the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi.
• Six Bedouin camel drivers were digging for fertilizer when one of them
uncovered a human skeleton buried next to an earthenware jar.
• Inside the jar, they found thirteen leather-bound volumes containing fifty-two
treatises.
• The books included Gospels (e.g. Thomas, Philip), Acts (e.g. Peter and the
Twelve Apostles), letters (e.g. Peter to Philip) and Apocalypses (e.g. Paul,
Peter).
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38. The Gnostic „Gospels‟
• Clearly Gnostic in their writing
• Departure from core teachings of Scripture (Nature of
God, person of Christ, nature of mankind, salvation,
view of women, etc.)
• Not written by apostle or companion of apostle
• Rejected by early churches (e.g. Irenaeus)
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39. The Mormon Version of Scripture
Joseph Smith, by „divine
inspiration‟, introduced
thousands of changes (additions,
deletions, etc.) to the King
James Version of the Bible.
Smith went so far as to add a
passage in Genesis 50 that
predicted his own coming: “That
seer will I bless . . . And his name
shall be called Joseph.”
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40. The Book of Mormon
• The book of Mormon has been edited
and revised over four thousand times –
strange for something called out letter by
letter by Joseph Smith from letters that
divinely appeared to him, and something
Smith called “the most correct of any
book on earth.”
• Plagiarisms from the Bible are found in
the book of Mormon – whole chapters in
Isaiah from the 1611 version of the KJV
have been lifted, including the italicized
words, which are words inserted by the
KJV translators (i.e. they are not divine).
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41. The Canon We Have is Complete
• Jesus promised His followers would have “everything I have said to you” brought
to them by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26); nothing would be omitted
• God‟s providence ensures that what God revealed through inspiration would be
preserved with nothing lost
• The meticulous preservation by the saints guarantees nothing was lost
• The end of the apostolic period removes any chance of extra-Biblical inspiration
– the Church was built on their foundation (Eph. 2:20)
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42. Why do we have different
translations of the Bible?
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43. John Wycliffe (ca. A. D. 1330-1384) is
credited with creating the first English
translation of the whole Bible from the
Latin Vulgate. Later, William Tyndale
created the first English translation to
draw directly from Hebrew and Greek
texts, and the first to take advantage of
the new medium of print, which allowed
for its wide distribution. Tyndale was
arrested on the orders of King Henry
VIII, jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde
outside Brussels for over a year, tried
for heresy and burned at the stake. He
was strangled before his body was burnt.
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44. Philosophies of Biblical Translation
• Free Translation or Paraphrase: Translates the ideas from the
original text but without being constrained by the original words or
language. Readable, but not always exact because interpretation
depends upon the translators. Example: Peterson‟s "The
Message."
• Dynamic/Functional Equivalence: Does not translate by
structural units or words but by “meaningful mouthfuls” or “thought
by thought” with the goal being to reproduce a response in the
reader that is equivalent to the response of the original readers.
Examples: NIV, New English Bible.
• Literal or Formal: Starts with a word for word translation but will
conform to the target language grammar (e.g. adding words);
however it still remains lexically word-for-word. Examples: NASB,
King James, New King James, ESV.
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45. “Either the translator leaves
the writer alone as much as
possible and moves the reader
toward the writer, or he leaves
the reader alone as much as
possible and moves the writer
toward the reader”
- Friedrich Schleiermacher
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46. Example of Dynamic vs. Literal
" Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:"(Matthew 5:1-2;
Dynamic – NIV)
" When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down,
His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them,
saying,"(Matthew 5:1-2; Literal - NASB)
Why does Matthew say Jesus “opened His mouth”? Is there anything important
lost in the NIV by that omission? The Sermon on the Mount is a parallel in
Scripture to the giving of the law at Sinai. God gave Israel principles for the
Theocratic kingdom and Jesus gives His disciples principles for the Messianic
kingdom. Deut. 8:3 says, “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by
everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord”
Matthew is depicting Jesus as reenacting the history of God‟s Son, Israel; the
Spirit inspires him to make this link between Christ and God‟s giving of the Law.
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47. So What Bible Should I Use?
Dynamic/Functional Literal/Formal Equivalence
Equivalence
Essence of Thought-for-Thought Sentence-for-Sentence
Proper Setting Target Language Source Language
Interpretation Thematic Interpretation Linguistic Interpretation
Meaning/Words Meaning Expressed without No Meaning Expressed without
Words (Know Thought Words (Know Thought Through
Apart from Words) Words)
Locus of Meaning In the Mind In the Text
Goal Reproduce Same Effect Reproduce Same Meaning
Focus Response to the Message Form of the message
For Bible study, many conservative theologians recommend a Bible produced from
a literal / formal equivalence framework (e.g. NASB, ASV, ESV, KJV,
NKJV). It doesn‟t mean you should throw out your Bible if it‟s not one of these,
but it may be good to have one as a reference.
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