Bible Basics
Introduction
The Bible is the most important text of our civilization. It has been published and read in more languages that any other book. It has been quoted by authors of other publications more than any other book. It is therefore the most influential book ever written! It has inspired countless individuals from serfs to kings. It has convinced the rich to become poor. It has inspired the poor to rise up. It has spurred explorers to discover and scientist to explore space. It has inspired terrible atrocities and extraordinary love and devotion.
In times past many children learned Bible basics in Sunday School. Yet today many everyday folk know next to nothing about the Bible. If you want to understand world history; gain wisdom from the ages; improve you ethical behavior; develop your spirituality; and understand your Christian faith then Bible basics are a must.
In the following posts we will cover the structure of the Bible: how it is arranged and what’s in it. We will discuss it s key themes and messages. We will introduce the major characters and events. We will explain the different approaches to translation and give suggestions for reading and study.
Structure of the Bible
First it is important understand the Bible as a library of “books” rather than one continuous document. It was written by many authors and sometimes edited by others. It contains different kinds of writing known as genres, History, legends, laws, wisdom, poetry, gospels, letters, prophecy and apocalyptic (end time).
It is largely divided in two: the Old and New Testements. Some Bibles include a third section known as the Apocrypha. This covers some history between the other two.
The Old Testament
The Genesis,the first book, is among the most well known and often discussed. It’s stories relate creation, including the first man and woman. This is followed by the story of two brothers Cain and Able; and the first murder! Next comes the story of Noah, the arc and the big flood. This is followed by the story of the Tower of Babel. It is a tale about mankind attempting to reach heaven followed by the development of many peoples with many different languages.
The book then turns to the story of Abraham, his Covenant with God and many adventures. It is the central story of the establishment of the Jewish people. We read of his family: his wife Sarah, and his concubine Hagar. Their sons Isacc and Ishmael become the ancestors of the Hebrew and Muslim descendants. Genesis ends with another son Joseph becoming the leader of Egypt next only to the Pharaoh.
Exodus is the very important story of how the dependents of Abraham became slaves who later left (Exodus ie exited) Egypt by the power of God and the leadership of Moses. This book is followed by Joshua. It tells of the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land.
Next are a collection of stories called Judges. The various Judges were spontaneous leaders of the people called by God. It turns out the Promised was not fully conquered. Various enemies still needed to be subdued. There are great stories of these heroes: Samson,Gideon, and Deborah are the most well know of the 13.
The Books of Chronicles and Kings are basically historical accounts of Jewish history. Proverbs is are part of what is called Wisdom literature with good advice for living. The Song of Solomon is a love poem. There are several books of the Prophets, people generally think of prophets as people who predict the future. However, it is better to think of two kinds of telling:for telling and forth telling. That is to say telling forth the message of God as well as warning of the future consequences of behavior.
Two of the most significant Old Testament books are Job and Jonah. These stories deal with the difficulties of life and our proper response to trials and tribulations.
The New Testament
The are four genres in the New Testament: Gospels, History, Letters, and Apocalyptic prophesy.
The four Gospels ( Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell the Good News (ie Gospel) of Jesus. They share the life,teachings, and ministry of Jesus. They each have extended recollections of his Passion, and death by Crucifixion as well as his resurrection from the dead.
The Acts of the Apostles is a history of the first few years of the church. It begins with t(e ascension of Jesus into heaven and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. This is followed by the conversion of Saul who becomes a major figure of the rest of the. Ew Testament. He is believed by many to to be the author of the Epistles (letters). These letters are addressed to new churches from Jerusalem to Rome.
The last book of the Bible is the fantastic book of Revalation. It contains the vision of the end of time.
Key Themes and Messages
Creation and the Fall
Genesis tells us not only of the creation of the world. It sets a scene of an idyllic garden. This is how good life can be. Then comes what is called The Fall. That is to say the fall from the grace of God through disobedience.
Covenant and Promise
The story of Abraham begins the themes of Redemption and Promise through a Covenant with God.
Love and Justice
The prophetic books emphasize a recurring theme of God’s love and His call for people to do Justice.
Redemption and Forgiveness
Jesus and his followers proclaim by word and deed the true nature of God’s grace, forgiveness, and agape love. Moreover, God’s desire for the to be k own, experienced and shared throughout the world. Note the well known verse John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Understanding Different Bible Translations
History of Bible translations
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. For Jews it is known as the Torah and is still written and read this way. The New Testament was originally written in an informal version of Greek than was widely used in the Mediterranean following conquests of Alexander the Great.
The Bible was later translated into Latin in the Vulgate translation. This was o ly read by scholars. Luther famously translated the Bible into German and this became the first Bible that many could read when it was produced using the Gutenberg printing press.
Soon after there were several English translations culminating in the King James Version. The KJV as it is commonly known is still popular with many today.
In the last century several new translations were produced. The translators had access to some ancient texts and also made changes due to the development of,e t of the. English language since the time of King James.
These include The New International, The New American Standard, The Revised Standard, The Jerusalem Bible as some others.
There are two basic approaches to Translation: word for word and meaning for meaning. The translations above are of the word for word variety.
In an attempt to reach more people some ea I g for meaning translation s became popular. These include The Good News for Modern Man and The Message.
Tips for choosing a translation
The most important thing in choosing a Bible is to find a translation you like and find easy enough to understand that you will actually read on a regular basis. Today it is easy to sample different translations. The Biblegateway website has a multitude of translations. You can go there, pick a passage and read it in many different versions.
Alternatively you might go to a bookstore and do the same thing with real books. It is also helpful to ask your friends which translation they like
Tips for Reading and Studying the Bible
Regular reading practices
First of all don’t. I don’t advise you to begin by trying to read from cover to cover. You might do find with Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. However, you will certainly bog down in Leviticus and Numbers.
Websites like Biblegateway have reading plans you might follow. Also following the Daily Office (also available online) can give you a regular reading plan combined with prayer.
It is helpful to set aside time for reading and meditating upon scripture.
There are many commentaries and books about various books. I am also a fan of the Thompson Chain Reference system available in a variety of translations. The Bible is the most cross referenced text and this aid facilitates the exploration of these connections by topics.
Common Misconceptions and Clarifications
Literal vs. metaphorical interpretation
As explained above the Bible has a variety of Genres. It is wrong to read a poem as though it is history. The story of Jonah is to me a farce. It is so extreme and fantastical. This doesn’t detract from its message.
Historical and cultural context
Some things in the Bible confuse us because we don’t understand the cultural historical context. Take for example when Jesus says we are the salt of the earth He says we should not lose our saltiness lest we be thrown out. Our experience of salt today is with pure salt. It would never lose its saltiness. However, in Jesus day salt was to pure. Also it was stored in clay Jars. Overtime the impurities of the salt worked their way to the bottom of the jar. Then when the salt was low the little left in the bottom with mostly the impurities it was thrown out into the street before putting in more fresh salt.
Conclusion
The Bible is indeed the most important text available. I encourahttps://godspeacefulsmithy.com/understanding-people-part-1/ge you to read and study. However, keep it in perspective. Slow and steady is more important than quickly getting to all of it. Another thing to understand is how parts of the Bible may strike you in new and different ways. I keep a category in my brain I call “I didn’t know that was in there!” So by all means read and read the Bible for the rest of your life.
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