The Bible: Key Terms and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering key Bible terms, concepts, and formation from the lecture notes.

Bible

A collection of sacred texts regarded as the word of God by many Christians; divided into Old Testament and New Testament.

Old Testament

Writings created before the birth of Jesus Christ.

New Testament

Writings created after Jesus' death and resurrection.

Testament

Covenant; used to distinguish the Old Covenant (Old Testament) from the New Covenant (New Testament).

Canon

The set of sacred writings recognized as authoritative by the Church; traditionally 73 books in the Catholic tradition.

Canonical tradition

The process by which certain sacred writings were recognized and accepted as part of the Bible.

Scripture

From Greek graphei meaning 'writings'; sacred writings regarded as uniquely inspired.

Word of God

Common substitute for Bible/Scripture; emphasizes the revelation of God in written form; Greek term logos means 'word'.

Logos

Greek word meaning 'word', used in the phrase 'the Word of God' to denote divine revelation.

Revelation

God’s self-disclosure and invitation to friendship; the disclosure of God’s will in history and Scripture.

Inspiration

Divine influence on human authors to write what God intends; 'God-breathed'.

Inerrancy

Belief that the Bible is trustworthy for salvation; essentials of faith are preserved, though not every historical detail is guaranteed.

Septuagint

Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally containing 46 books in the Old Testament.

Hebrew Bible

The original collection of Jewish scriptures consisting of 39 books.

Deuterocanonical

Seven additional books included in the Septuagint (e.g., Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 & 2 Maccabees); called 'deuterocanonical' by Catholics.

Apocrypha

Protestant term for the deuterocanonical books; viewed as writings of human authors rather than fully inspired.

Vulgate

Latin translation of the Bible by St. Jerome for the common people; 'vulgus' means common people.

St. Jerome

Translator of the Latin Vulgate in the 4th century.

Apostolicity

One criterion for the New Testament canon: writings associated with an apostle or an early church figure.

Orthodoxy

Criterion for canon: writings reflect the authentic beliefs of early Christianity.

Continuity

Criterion for canon: writings have a clear link with the beginnings of Christianity.

Five-step formation

Five stages in forming the Bible: saving events, oral tradition, written tradition, edited tradition, canonical tradition.

Oral tradition

Transmission of saving events through storytelling, poems, songs, and rituals.

Written tradition

Parts of oral tradition were written down; writing and oral storytelling continued alongside each other.

Edited tradition

Gathering and shaping of material to speak to people of a historical period.

Canonical tradition (formation of canon)

Process by which certain writings were recognized as part of the Bible (the canon).

Chapter and verse divisions

Chapter divisions were added in the 13th century by Stephen Langton; verse divisions by Robert Estienne in 1551.

Synchronic method

Biblical interpretation focusing on the text as it exists now and the reader's response in the present.

Diachronic method

Biblical interpretation studying how texts developed over time, including source, form, tradition, and redaction criticism.