1C: The Bible As A Souce of Wisdom and Authority in Daily Life Flashcards
Apocrypha
‘hidden books’. a collection of books which are NOT seen as canonical but are accepted as useful by Protestants
Canon
a collection of sacred books accepted as genuine. refers to the 66 books which you’d find in a Bible today - 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT
Exile
when the descendants of Abraham were taken away from their home in the ‘promised land’ to live in Babylon. happened in 587BCE. period of exile was 50 years (the exile was many many years after the exodus)
Exodus
when Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt towards the promised land. (happens before exile)
Key ideas of Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“Fear God and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone”
- everyone must keep gods commandments, teach us to live a better life
- we must fear god because if we do wrong he will punish us for it
- prompts us to do good
- “fear” symbolises the feeling we have when faced with something powerful
Key ideas of Luke 6:36-37
- “be merciful, just as your father is merciful. […] forgive, and you will be forgiven”
- describes god as treating people as how you would want to be treated
- a very moral way to act
- links to NT “love your neighbour as yourself”
- mercy involves compassion and being able to forgive
Key ideas of Psalm 119:9-16
- “Do not let me stray from your commandments”
- “I will not forget your word”
- morality comes out of a relationship,
a relationship with god in which the person follows his commandments promptly to “keep their way pure”
Key ideas of Psalm 119:105-112
- “Accept my offerings of praise”
- “I do not forget your law”
- wants to live life following gods law
- wants to devote their life to god
Key ideas of Genesis 1:26-28
- “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea”
- “god created humankind in his image”
- “have dominion over the fish of the sea”
- “be fruitful and multiply”
- “fill the earth and subdue it”
- the meaning of life is to, like god, have dominion over everything on earth and to reproduce
- links to stewardship: care and responsibility for the material world
Key ideas of Ecclesiastes 9:5-9
- “the dead know nothing; they have no more reward”
- “their love and their hate and their envy have already perished”
- you only have knowledge and awareness when you’re alive, so enjoy your life while you can and do what makes you happy
- “enjoy life with the wife whom you love”
- do not waste time in hatred, enjoy what you can
Key ideas of Psalm 46:1-3
- “God is our refuge and strength”
- “we will not fear”
- fear is lessened because god is always present and will help us when we’re in danger
- just as when we seek shelter in a natural disaster, so can the believer seek shelter in god
Key ideas of Matthew 6:25
- “do not worry about your life”
- “is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing”
- God is present and cares about our basic needs
2 Timothy 3:16
“all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”
Why do Christians believe the Bible has divine authority?
because of God’s creative endeavours. God’s spirit inspires the writers of the bible
How were certain texts canonised?
the Church declared certain texts to be ‘authoritative’ as it recognises by the Spirit certain texts as coming from God - and canonised them as ‘scripture’
How were the texts effective in the lives of believers?
God’s spirit inspires the readers as they read and interact with the bible text
What does ‘Bible’ mean?
the books, Greek = ta biblia
Why is the ‘Bible’ called it’s name?
because of how many books it has (historical accounts, poetry, letters etc) that Christians believe they find the message of God
- a sacred book made of two volumes: OT and NT
When were the canon of the NT writings agreed on?
4th Century
What language was the Old Testament written in?
Hebrew
How many OT books do Protestant bibles have?
39 (same as Hebrew Bible)
How many OT books do Catholic and Orthodox bibles have?
46 because they include the Apocrypha
What is the Apocrypha?
‘hidden books’ - not canonical but seen as useful (deuterocanonical)
Which version of the Bible did Jesus use in his preaching and ministry?
OT - documents of God’s engagement with his people all the way from creation to the return to Israel in 538BCE
(it is also what the members of the early Church mean when they talk of the scriptures)
Quote from Augustine about the OT and NT?
“the New Testament lies hidden in the old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the new”
What language were the 27 books of the NT originally written in?
Greek
How is the NT organised?
- gospels
- book of acts
- epistles
- revelation
Gospels
4: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. tell the story of Jesus’ life
Book of Acts
records the founding of the early church
Epistles
21 letters written to various churches. Paul supposedly wrote 14 of them, but this is disputed