Basic Bible Information (Canon)

NT Exam 1

NT canon order

Gospels, Acts, Paul’s Epistles, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Revelation

Languages for each part of the Bible

Old - Hebrew/Aramaic

New - Koine Greek

Major NT genres

biographies (gospels and ancient GR), historiographies (ancient GR), epistles, apocalyptic

Minor NT genres

parables (symbolic, fictional stories), miracle stories (specific styles, not accurate), apopthegms (saying stories w/o context)

septuagint

crafted by about 70 scribes, translated the OT into Greek (from Hebrew)

• more accessible

• diaspora Jews needed Greek version

• version quoted in the NT

• contains the apocrypha

Vulgate

Made by Jermome

Translated into “Vulgate” common Latin

• finalized the NT canon in the West

Marcion’s Bible

• only Luke

• 10 of Paul’s letters

• no OT

Diatessaron

Tatian edits all gospels into one account

Luther’s Bible

translation from Greek to German bible

Apocrypha

• written between the OT and NT time period

  • good for understandin the time period

• Orthodox accepted as divine (canon)

• Protestant don’t because OG Jews did not accept as canon

Canon

authoritative list/standard; 27 NT books; believed to be divinely inspired

canon development

composition (writing)

reception (sent out)

collection (Paul’s letters led to NT formation: spreading to others - LONG time)

dispute leads to

consensus (canon formed because not all scripture)

universally accepted canon

gospels, acts, and Paul’s 13 letters

disputed but accepted letters (5 w/reasons)

• mostly because not as widespread

James (sounds contradictory)

2 peter (not well-known)

2-3 John (short)

Hebrews (verse abt sin: made people think that once saved, wouldn’t sin; rejected instead of finding solution)

Revelation (hard to understand)

Rejected canon

acts of paul, shepherd of hermas, 3 cor, Epistle of Barnabus, apocalypse of Peter

Marcion

heretic!

only accepted his own edited version of Luke and 10 of Paul’s letters

• NO OT

• wealthy and educated

• anti-semitic

• believed in the demiurge

Tatian

made all the gospels into one; accepted for a while before recognizing the importance and divine aspect of each one

• bad rep from Martian

Jerome

translated the whole bible and the apocrypha into the Vulgate

• finalized the canon in the West

Martin Luther

translates the whole bible into German, yay!

Heretic because rejected James, Jude, and Revelation (and apocrypha)

rebuked by catholics and later protestants

council of Trent

Catholics counter the Protestant reformation

• Rebuke Luther’s denial of some scriptures

Understanding genre =

better interpretation!

the demiurge

2 gods: bad on earth pulled us down and good sent Jesus to tell us how to get back to heaven