Theme 1D- Sacred Texts

What does Richard Dawkins say about the Bible?

What does Richard Dawkins say about the Bible?

The Bible is… a chaotically cobbled- together anthology

What is the canon?

A standardised list

Hebrew 4:12

The word of God is living and active… it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16

All scripture is inspired by God

What is textual criticism?

• Time gap between the original text and the first copy

• Considers the number of copies created.

• The shorter the time gap the greater the credibility.

Compare one historical text with the new testament text in terms of textual criticism

• Tacitus had a 1000 year gap with only 20 copies

• Bible had a 170-450 years gap

  • More than 5300 copies in greek

  • 10000 Latin translations

  • 9300 others

What does FJA Hort say about textual criticism

The New Testament stands absolutely and unapproachably alone amongst ancient prose writings.

What does Alister McGrath say about the New Testament?

We can be confident in the:

• accuracy

• authenticity

• integrity

  Of the Bible

What is the book which contains the Jewish canon?

TaNaKh:

Torah, Nevi’im and Kethuvim

Is the Old Testament in chronological order?

• No!

• Ruth is after the Song of Solomon even though it was written first.

• Hebrews is after the Gospels even though it was written first.

What is the Torah considered as?

The first and most important the ‘canon within the canon‘

What is after the Torah?

• The Prophets which describe the ‘highs and lows of covenants‘

• The writings which give various insights on living faithfully.

What comes first in the New Testament?

The Gospels- ‘canon within the canon‘

• most important and fundamental part

• Contains life, death and resurrection of Jesus

What comes after the Gospels?

Acts of the apostles, Paul’s Epistles (letters), other letters then the book of revelation

What do they do in the New Testament in order to organise it?

Similar types of literature are placed together such as the gospels.

What is the Bible (quality)?

Inspired by God 2 Timothy 3:16

In the New Testament they use the word ‘theopneustos‘ which means God breathed

What is the criteria for Jewish scriptures to be chosen in the canon?

1. Books had to survive (Dead sea scrolls)

   • Made of parchment (animal skin)

2. Must support the Torah- within the canon there are central ideas or themes that strongly influence the basis of writings which were chosen.

3. Were recognised by Jews as supporting their faith and practice.

Where and when were the dead sea scrolls discovered?

In 11 caves, 13 miles east from jerusalem and 1300ft below sea between 1947 and 1956

How many copies were there for the dead scrolls?

• 19 copies of the book of Isaiah.

• 25 copies of Deuteronomy.

• 30 copies of the Psalms.

What was the relevance of the scrolls?

They were the oldest group of the Old Testament manuscripts to be found.

What are the different languages of the Bible?

• The TaNaKh was originally written in Hebrew → later translated to Greek.

• The second temple writings were written in Greek.

• The New Testament was originally written in Greek.

What were the second temple writings?

• Part of the version of the Tanakh and were called Septuagint (in Greek) or Deuterocanonical Books.

• Written after the Hebrew canon ‘closed'

• St Jerome did not accept these writings as canon yet St Augustine did.

Where are the second temple writings found?

In the Catholic Bible but not in the Protestant Bible.

Why are the second temple writings accepted sometimes in their Bible?

• In 2 Maccabees 12:46, Martin Luther disagrees with the scripture as it gives the idea of purgatory.

• Hence they are Apocrypha (hidden)

What is the history behind the New Testament canon?

• They were at first passed orally.

• St Paul’s letters are the earliest writings- 60 AD onwards

• Gospels were written between 70 AD- 100 AD.

• Diatessaron: a harmony of the 4 Gospels written in the 2nd Cent and is popular in Syrian churches.

What is the Muratorian canon?

The oldest known list of books in the New Testament- approximately 170 AD.

What does the Muratorian canon contain?

22/27 New Testament books as it also mentions books that should not be included as they were forgeries.

Give a quote that the Muratorian Canon says about the forgeries?

Which cannot be recieved in to the Catholic Church- for it is not fitting that gall be mixed with honey.

What is the criteria for books to be accepted into the New Testament?

1. They have to have a connection with the Apostles.

2. Have to connect with churches supporting faith and practice by Christians in diverse places.

3. The books had to conform to the faith of Christianity- Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Where did the Gospels get their accounts from?

• Mark- St Peter

• Luke- Mary

• Matthew- the Apostles

• John- the Apostles

What happened in the 2nd Century with the New Testament?

• Marcion was a church leader who created a Bible with only the Gospel of Luke and Paul’s letters excluding the Birth Narratives.

  • Believed the God of Jesus Christ was different to the God in the Hebrew Bible.

• The Apostolic fathers and the other church leaders rejected his version of the Bible.

What were the further considerations in the New testament?

• Some queries about the books of Hebrews and Revelation because they were uncertain on the authors.

  • Heretical christian groups favoured these books- casted away.

• Didache (teaching) was included and was written in the 1st Century.

• Shepherds of Hermas- written in the 1st- 2nd century AD and it was not inclued in the canon because it was written too late after the Apostolic writngs.

When and who agreed with the New Testament canon?

Agreed at the end of the 4th Century- beginning of the 5 th Centruy by Pope Damscus at the Council of Rome in 382 AD.