Study Guide #1 Flashcards
What is the primary purpose of the O.T.?
To reveal God
What is the central theme of the O.T.?
How to know God and dwell in fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ
What historical fact is the fundamental basis for believing the O.T.?
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
In what passage does Jesus tell us to believe the O.T. Scriptures
Luke 24:25. Jesus said that a person who did not believe it was a “fool” and had a hard heart.
When we ask, “Which books comprise the O.T.?” we raise what issue?
The issue of canonicity
What term is used to designate the collection of OT books of Scripture which has been regarded as inspired by God and authoritative?
The “canon”
What does the Hebrew word “qaneh,” from which we get our English word, “canon,” mean?
A “reed” or “measuring stick.” Just as a redd could serve as a measuring standard, the term “canon” denotes a standard to which a writing must conform to be considered “biblical.”
List three important tests a writing must pass to be considered “canonical.”
- Must be written by a prophet or a prophetically gifted person; 2. Must have a timeless message – be relevant to all people of all times; 3. Must not contradict the messages of earlier writings God had revealed
Do men determine which books are canonical, or do they discover which books are canonical?
They discover it; God determines the process of canonicity through the process of inspiration.
List the three steps in the historical process of canonization.
- Inspiration by God; 2. Recognition by men; 3. Collection and preservation by the people of God.
What happened at the Council Jamnia, Israel, about 90 AD?
Jewish leaders officially endorsed certain book as “canonical,” thus confirming what had been believed as true all along.
What is the most common term for non-canonical books?
The Apocrypha
How many books are in the English version of the OT?
39
The Jews recognized a three-fold division of the OT. List the three divisions.
Law, Prophets, Writings
The English Bible has a five-fold division. List the names of the five divisions.
Pentateuch, Historical books, Poetical books, Major prophets, Minor prophets
How many books are in the Minor Prophets?
12 (Hosea-Malachi)
What does the word “minor” mean which it is placed before “prophet”?
It refers to the length of the book, not the importance of the book.
What does the word “major” mean when it is placed before “prophet”?
It refers to the length of the book – Isaiah scroll is 25 feet long unrolled – not the importance of the book.
How many books in the Major Prophets?
5 – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
When we ask, “How exactly did God’s Spirit work with the human authors to inspire the sacred writings,” we raise what issue?
The issue of inspiration
What NT verse explains that ALL of OT is “God breathed” and “profitable for doctrine” even in the NT period?
2 Timothy 3:16
What NT passage explains how Scripture got from God’s mouth into written form (“holy men… spake… moved by the Holy Ghost”)?
2 Peter 1:19-21
What does Peter mean when he says, “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”?
Scripture is not the personal opinion of the human writers – it is God’s opinion
What is the meaning of the term “revelation”?
God’s self-disclosure to mankind. In other words, God “reveals” to mankind who He is and what He is like.
What is the meaning of the term “inspiration”?
The process by which God gave His truth to man
What is the meaning of the term “illumination”?
The enlightening of the mind by the Holy Spirit so a person might be able to understand the Scripture.
Does inspiration demand inerrancy?
Yes! If God is the author, then He makes no mistakes nor contradicts Himself; Titus 1:2.
When we ask the question, “How were the Scriptures preserved?” we raise what issue?
The textual transmission of the scripture.
What two languages what the OT written in?
Hebrew - 99%; Aramaic - 1%
When you translate the original language of Scripture into another language, what is the translation called?
A version
What is the name of the translation of the Hebrew OT into the Greek language?
The Septuagint; abr. LLX
What is the date of the Septuagint?
About 200-300 BC, and comes from the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
What is the name of the scribal scholars who from 500-950 AD added vowel marks and accents to the consonantal text of the Hebrew Scriptures, and developed a system of detailed notes on the text in order to check the accuracy of a copied text?
The Maseoretes – a name for a group of Jewish scribes.
What is the most reliable Hebrew test the Leningrad we have called?
The Masoretic text as contained in Manuscript.
When were the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered?
1947 by a shepherd boy.
What date has been established for the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls?
100-200 BC
How much older than existing OT manuscripts were the Dead Sea Scrolls?
1,000 years!
What did the Dead Sea Scrolls prove?
The scrolls were faithfully transcribed.
How many books are in the Apocrypha?
15
How many books are in the Apocrypha?
15
What does the word, “Apocrypha” literally mean?
“Hidden, or concealed”
Who was the first in the Roman Catholic Church to include the Apocrypha books in the same binding with the inspired Scriptures?
Jerome
Who was the first in the Roman Catholic Church who thought the Apocrypha books were part of the Scriptures?
Augustine
When we ask, “How do we interpret the OT?” we are raising what issue?
The issue of hermeneutics = interpretation
What is the method we will use to interpret the OT?
The grammatical-historical-contextual method
The OT contains different types of literature: historical narrative, prophecy, and poetry. What is the technical term used when speaking of different types of literature?
Genre
The major civilization found to the south-west of Israel is?
Egypt
The major civilization found to the north-east of Israel is?
Mesopotamia [“between the rivers” Tigris and the Euphrates rivers extending to the Persian gulf] – location of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, [modern Iran, Iraq, including Syria and Lebanon].
The major civilization found between Egypt and Mesopotamia is?
Syria-Palestine
Israel was part of the ancient Near East that is now called what?
The Middle East
Egypt and Mesopotamia were joined by an arch of rich soil called what?
The Fertile Crescent
Where in Israel is the “coastal plain”? What enemies of Israel lived there?
Along the Mediterranean Sea, Philistines
Where is Israel is the Eastern Plateau (also called the transjordanian highlands)? What enemies of Israel lived there?
East of the Jordan River, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites
Where in Israel is the central mountain range?
Inland from the coastal plain, and before the Jordan valley. The central mountain range is divided into three sections, running north to south: the Galilean Hills, Mount Ephraim, and the Hills of Judea
Where in Israel is the Great Rift (Jordan rift)? What does this include?
Includes the Sea of Galilee [-650 feet below sea level], the Jordan river, and the Dead Sea [-1275 feet below sea level] Average width is 10 miles
Where in Israel is the Jezreel valley? What great future event will take place there?
It is the valley between the Galilean Hills and Mount Ephraim. The staging ground for the Battle of Armageddon
Where in Israel is the lowest point on planet earth?
Dead Sea
Where in Israel is the “Shephelah”?
From the coastal plain, in its southern reaches, east to the central mountain range, and down into the South [the Negev] until it blends with the undulating hills of the Sinai Desert
Name two ancient international highways running though Israel that connected Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Via Maris – “way of the sea”; and “the king’s highway”
