A Glimpse
of Church History

A theological seminar presented on behalf of the Training and Recording Committee of Wilmington Yearly Meeting

By David Goff

April 17, 2004

Part Two: Growth of the Scriptures or How We Got
the Bible!

OVERVIEW

The Bible consists of 66 books, written over a period of about 1400 years (1300 b.c. to 100 a.d.) by about 40 authors, not to mention unnamed editors and compilers, in at least three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).

The Bible is composed of various types of literature including law, historical narratives, poetry, drama, songs, proverbs, philosophical discourses, prophecies, and letters.

An Important Principle…

STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, accurately dividing the Word of Truth.

2 Tim. 2:15

Though the Bible may be read devotionally to let the Spirit speak to a person’s individual experience, serious study is required for accurate interpretation, teaching, and preaching. This study requires interpreting the Scriptures in terms of their literary format and historical context, and must also carefully consider relevant linguistic issues (for example, the four Greek words for our one English word, love).

The Old Testament
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

The Jews categorized the Scriptures as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.

The Law was recognized as Scripture very early, perhaps as early as the time of David.

The Prophets are the major portion of our Old Testament, composed of everything from Joshua to Malachi, with the exception of the Writings. These were accepted as Scripture by the Pharisees, but rejected by the Saducees.

The Writings are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They also were accepted by the Pharisees , but rejected by the Saducees.

The Old Testament: LAW
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

The earliest writings are in the first five books, commonly known as the Law, the Torah, or the Pentateuch. These writings are traditionally ascribed to Moses, though they themselves do not identify their author(s). Moses was raised in Pharoah’s court and was therefore probably well-educated for his day. He is described as writing the Book of the Covenant, but it is not clear whether this describes some portion of the Torah, or whether it is a book that has been lost.

The Old Testament:
THE PROPHETS
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

The collection referred to as “The Prophets” are of widely disputed authorship. They generally do not give any hint as to who the author might have been or when they might have been written. Most scholars tend to think that they were written down by priestly scribes during the period following the Babylonian captivity.

The Old Testament:
The WRITINGS
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

Psalms is a collection of ancient songs or hymns and probably covers the entire Old Testament time period. There are numerous authors identified, the most famous of whom are Moses and David, but it is clearly a compilation that collects the worship literature of Israel into a single volume. Scholars suggest that it existed in the oral tradition until the post-exilic period and was recorded by priestly scribes at that time.

The Old Testament:
The WRITINGS
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs are generally attributed to the reign of Solomon, who is purported to be the author of the first two and a contributor to the third. Some or all of these may have originally existed in the oral tradition and been written down at some later date, possibly as late as the post-exilic period.

The Old Testament:
The WRITINGS
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

Job is of unknown authorship and origin, taking the form of a drama or a narrative poem, with portions of sermonic monologues and songs interspersed. In literary form it probably is somewhat similar to our modern dramatic musicals. It is set during the patriarchal period, but was probably written down during the post-exilic period.

The Old Testament:
Canonization
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

“Canon” means a measuring stick or rod when used by Biblical scholars and historians.

There are two “canons” for the Old Testament: The Alexandrian Canon and the Hebrew Canon. The Alexandrian Canon is accepted by today’s roman Catholic Church, while most Protestant churches use the Hebrew Canon.

The Old Testament:
Canonization
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

The “Alexandrian Canon” dates from the translation of the Old Testament into Greek (the Septuagint) in 250 B.C. It included approximately 15 “Apocryphal” books that were later rejected by Palestinian Jews. It has been suggested from the wording of some of the quotes in the New Testament that this may have been the version used by Jesus and his disciples.

The Old Testament:
Canonization
1400 B.C. (Moses) to 420 B.C. (Malachi)

The “Hebrew Canon” dates from the Council of Jamnia in Palestine in approximately 90 A.D., following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus in 70 A.D.

Two tests:

Time and Usage—The books had stood the tests of time, met the needs of the people, and were judged to be of Divine origin.

Inspiration ceased with Ezra—nothing written more recently judged to be canonical.

"Reasons for Old Testament Canonization"

Reasons for Old Testament Canonization:

Rise of Hellenistic Influences

Rise of heretical teachings and extremist practices of apocalptic groups

Persecution by Hellenistic Syrian and later by Roman oppressors

Rise of Christianity

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

The New Testament consists of two primary types of literary materials.

Apostolic Testimonies (The Gospels and Acts).

Apostolic Writings (Letters) .

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Apostolic Testimonies

The “Synoptic” Gospels—Present eyewitness accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus, and are mostly in harmony with one another.

(Matthew, Mark, Luke)

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Apostolic Testimonies

The Gospel of John– Presents new material, both events and teachings, not covered in the Synoptics. It is attributed to one of Jesus’ closest disciples, John bar Zebedee.

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Apostolic Testimonies

The Acts of the Apostles — a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, this is the story of the birth of the Church and of some of Paul’s missionary journeys by one of Paul’s companions.

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Apostolic Writings (Letters or Epistles)

Christian Church Epistles

Pastoral Epistles

A Personal Epistle

Hebrew-Christian Epistles

The Revelation

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Christian Church Epistles: letters from Paul to various local churches addressing issues related to theological, moral, and other issues of importance to Christians living in a secular society.

(Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,

1 & 2 Thessalonians).

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Pastoral Epistles : letters from Paul to various young Christian leaders whom Paul had discipled. These tend to address issues of doctrine, morality and church order. (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus).

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

A Personal Epistle : A letter from Paul to address a personal matter of long-term social concern. Paul addresses the relationship between his friend Philemon and Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, whom Paul had led to faith in Christ.

(Philemon)

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Hebrew-Christian Epistles : Written to all believers, these are sometimes called the “catholic” or “universal” epistles. They all have a distinctly Hebrew “flavor” and all except Hebrews (whose author is unknown) have notably Hebrew-Christian author.

(Hebrews, James, 1,2, & 3 John, and Jude.)

The New Testament:
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

The Revelation : Written to all believers, the Revelation is unique in the New Testament as a message of hope to persecuted believers. It is not primarily a road map of future events, but a revelation of God’s love for his people, couched in the language of the apocalypse.

The New Testament:
Canonization
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

The First listing of the New Testament Canon, as we have it now, was in the Easter Letter of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in 367 A.D. The Synod of Carthage in 392 A.D. declared the same books to be canonical.

The New Testament:
Canonization
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Criteria for Canonization:

Apostolic authority,

Acceptance and usage in the churches

Harmony with other New Testament teachings

The New Testament:
Canonization
50 A.D. (1 Thess.?) to 95 A.D. (Revelation)

Reasons for New Testament Canonization:

Death of Apostles & other eyewitnesses

Rise of heretical teachings

Persecution

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, while the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic and Greek.

There are NO extant texts of the “original” written manuscripts.

Despite the lack of original texts, discrepancies among existing texts are few and insignificant.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The earliest extant Bible text is the Peshitta, a Syrian (Aramaic) version. The Eastern Church claims it to be the original form of the New Testament , while the Catholic Church claims that it is a translation from the Greek. It is supposed to have been compiled or translated ca. 200 A.D. and a copy exists that has been dated to 442 A.D.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in 382 A.D. and it was called the Vulgate. Working from Greek and Hebrew texts, Jerome was the first to separate the extra books and call them the Apocrypha. The Vulgate was used almost exclusively by the Church for over 1000 years, and is still highly respected in the Roman Catholic Church.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

John Wyclif(fe) attempted the first complete English translation, ca. 1382. Common English in his day was Middle English, such as that used by Chaucer. His translation was burned by the Church after his death. Later his body was exhumed and burned as that of a heretic. His translation was based on Jerome’s Latin Vulgate.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

William Tyndale attempted an English translation (in an English we would know) based on the Greek and Hebrew in 1530. He was befriended by Martin Luther after fleeing London. He was able to complete the New Testament and the Pentateuch before the Church authorities had him strangled and burned as a heretic.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

Miles Coverdale was the first to print a complete English Bible, in 1535. Based on Latin, German versions, and Tyndale's work for the Old Testament; and also Greek for the New Testament.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The Great Bible: Named because of its size, this new translation by Coverdale, was very influential from 1539-1568. It was to be prominently displayed in the churches, but could not beowned by the common people.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The Geneva Bible: Translated in Geneva by Coverdale and others who had escaped England and the persecutions of the Roman Catholic Queen, Mary Tudor (nicknamed “Bloody Mary”). It was completed in 1560, and was very popular among the people; It was the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The Douai (Douay) Bible: This English translation of the Vulgate is still used by Catholics today.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

The Authorized or King James Bible: This version was translated by a committee of scholars as requested by King James I of England in 1611. It was originally strongly opposed, but has since become the most loved version of the Bible. Based on: Tyndale, Coverdale, Latin, Douai, and a Greek source (Textus Receptus).

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

English Revised Version: This version was translated between 1881-1885, by a group of English and American scholars because of advances in the understanding of Biblical languages, newly discovered manuscripts, and changes in the English language.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

American Standard Version: In 1901 the American scholars who had helped with the English Revised Version did an American version, using more American terminology and interpreted according to the American perspective.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

Revised Standard Version: Completed in 1952, this translation was based more closely on the Hebrew and Greek texts than either the English Revised Version or the American Standard Version were. It is probably the most popular version among scholars today.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

Recent Modern Translations:

New American Standard: Update of the American Standard,1960.

The Amplified Bible: Attempts to express the richness and shades of meaning in the original languages, 1971. Interesting, but ponderous to read.

The Living Bible: The Living BibleA paraphrase, not word-for-word translation. 1971.

New International Version: Accurate and very readable translation, 1979.

New King James: Maintains the style of the King James but updates the archaic language, 1982.

The BIBLE:
Translations
An Ongoing Process!!!

As you can see, the Bible has a long history, and it is important that we study it carefully so that we can accurately interpret it and apply it to our lives…and teach others to do likewise!


	A theological seminar presented on behalf of the Training and Recording Committee of Wilmington Yearly Meeting
	By David Goff
	April 17, 2004


	The Bible consists of 66 books, written over a period of about 1400 years (1300 b.c. to 100 a.d.) by about 40 authors, not to mention unnamed editors and compilers, in at least three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).
	The Bible is composed of various types of literature including law, historical narratives, poetry, drama, songs, proverbs, philosophical discourses, prophecies, and letters.


	STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, accurately dividing the Word of Truth.
	2 Tim. 2:15

	Though the Bible may be read devotionally to let the Spirit speak to a person’s individual experience, serious study is required for accurate interpretation, teaching, and preaching. This study requires interpreting the Scriptures in terms of their literary format and historical context, and must also carefully consider relevant linguistic issues (for example, the four Greek words for our one English word, love).


	The Jews categorized the Scriptures as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
	The Law was recognized as Scripture very early, perhaps as early as the time of David.
	The Prophets are the major portion of our Old Testament, composed of everything from Joshua to Malachi, with the exception of the Writings. These were accepted as Scripture by the Pharisees, but rejected by the Saducees.
	The Writings are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They also were accepted by the Pharisees , but rejected by the Saducees.


	The collection referred to as “The Prophets” are of widely disputed authorship. They generally do not give any hint as to who the author might have been or when they might have been written. Most scholars tend to think that they were written down by priestly scribes during the period following the Babylonian captivity.


	Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs are generally attributed to the reign of Solomon, who is purported to be the author of the first two and a contributor to the third. Some or all of these may have originally existed in the oral tradition and been written down at some later date, possibly as late as the post-exilic period.


	Job is of unknown authorship and origin, taking the form of a drama or a narrative poem, with portions of sermonic monologues and songs interspersed. In literary form it probably is somewhat similar to our modern dramatic musicals. It is set during the patriarchal period, but was probably written down during the post-exilic period.


	“Canon” means a measuring stick or rod when used by Biblical scholars and historians.

	There are two “canons” for the Old Testament: The Alexandrian Canon and the Hebrew Canon. The Alexandrian Canon is accepted by today’s roman Catholic Church, while most Protestant churches use the Hebrew Canon.


	The “Alexandrian Canon” dates from the translation of the Old Testament into Greek (the Septuagint) in 250 B.C. It included approximately 15 “Apocryphal” books that were later rejected by Palestinian Jews. It has been suggested from the wording of some of the quotes in the New Testament that this may have been the version used by Jesus and his disciples.


	The “Hebrew Canon” dates from the Council of Jamnia in Palestine in approximately 90 A.D., following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus in 70 A.D.

	Two tests:
	Time and Usage—The books had stood the tests of time, met the needs of the people, and were judged to be of Divine origin.
	Inspiration ceased with Ezra—nothing written more recently judged to be canonical.


		Reasons for Old Testament Canonization:

		Rise of Hellenistic Influences
		Rise of heretical teachings and extremist practices of apocalptic groups
		Persecution by Hellenistic Syrian and later by Roman oppressors
		Rise of Christianity


	The New Testament consists of two primary types of literary materials.

			Apostolic Testimonies (The Gospels and Acts).
			Apostolic Writings (Letters) .


	Apostolic Testimonies

	The “Synoptic” Gospels—Present eyewitness accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus, and are mostly in harmony with one another.
	(Matthew, Mark, Luke)


	Apostolic Testimonies

	The Gospel of John– Presents new material, both events and teachings, not covered in the Synoptics. It is attributed to one of Jesus’ closest disciples, John bar Zebedee.


	Apostolic Testimonies

	The Acts of the Apostles — a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, this is the story of the birth of the Church and of some of Paul’s missionary journeys by one of Paul’s companions.


	Apostolic Writings (Letters or Epistles)
		Christian Church Epistles
		Pastoral Epistles
		A Personal Epistle
		Hebrew-Christian Epistles
		The Revelation


		Christian Church Epistles: letters from Paul to various local churches addressing issues related to theological, moral, and other issues of importance to Christians living in a secular society.
		(Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
		1 & 2 Thessalonians).


		Pastoral Epistles : letters from Paul to various young Christian leaders whom Paul had discipled. These tend to address issues of doctrine, morality and church order. (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus).


		A Personal Epistle : A letter from Paul to address a personal matter of long-term social concern. Paul addresses the relationship between his friend Philemon and Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, whom Paul had led to faith in Christ.
		(Philemon)


		Hebrew-Christian Epistles : Written to all believers, these are sometimes called the “catholic” or “universal” epistles. They all have a distinctly Hebrew “flavor” and all except Hebrews (whose author is unknown) have notably Hebrew-Christian author.
		(Hebrews, James, 1,2, & 3 John, and Jude.)


		The Revelation : Written to all believers, the Revelation is unique in the New Testament as a message of hope to persecuted believers. It is not primarily a road map of future events, but a revelation of God’s love for his people, couched in the language of the apocalypse.


		The First listing of the New Testament Canon, as we have it now, was in the Easter Letter of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in 367 A.D. The Synod of Carthage in 392 A.D. declared the same books to be canonical.


		Criteria for Canonization:

		Apostolic authority,
		Acceptance and usage in the churches
		Harmony with other New Testament teachings


		Reasons for New Testament Canonization:

		Death of Apostles & other eyewitnesses
		Rise of heretical teachings
		Persecution


		The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, while the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic and Greek.
		There are NO extant texts of the “original” written manuscripts.
		Despite the lack of original texts, discrepancies among existing texts are few and insignificant.


		The earliest extant Bible text is the Peshitta, a Syrian (Aramaic) version. The Eastern Church claims it to be the original form of the New Testament , while the Catholic Church claims that it is a translation from the Greek. It is supposed to have been compiled or translated ca. 200 A.D. and a copy exists that has been dated to 442 A.D.


		Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in 382 A.D. and it was called the Vulgate. Working from Greek and Hebrew texts, Jerome was the first to separate the extra books and call them the Apocrypha. The Vulgate was used almost exclusively by the Church for over 1000 years, and is still highly respected in the Roman Catholic Church.


		John Wyclif(fe) attempted the first complete English translation, ca. 1382. Common English in his day was Middle English, such as that used by Chaucer. His translation was burned by the Church after his death. Later his body was exhumed and burned as that of a heretic. His translation was based on Jerome’s Latin Vulgate.


		William Tyndale attempted an English translation (in an English we would know) based on the Greek and Hebrew in 1530. He was befriended by Martin Luther after fleeing London. He was able to complete the New Testament and the Pentateuch before the Church authorities had him strangled and burned as a heretic.


		Miles Coverdale was the first to print a complete English Bible, in 1535. Based on Latin, German versions, and Tyndale's work for the Old Testament; and also Greek for the New Testament.