Lessons on the Bible

Edna and I made our third trip to Qatar of the Middle East in late May and early June.  We love this country and its people.  But our hearts weigh heavy with the laws that prohibit proselytism of the Qatari people who are Arabs and 100% Muslim.  A large Christian witness exists due to the ex-patriots who work largely in the oil industry and in education.  Proselytism of Muslims is prohibited by law, and while we are free to answer any and all questions of faith, Muslims are prohibited from worshipping in a Christian setting.  But those Muslims and Arabs are gracious and hospitable people.

I have been reading books that explain the major differences of Islam and Christianity and have been struck by the idea of how many believers in Jesus actually know their own faith with any depth.  Can we actually say that we have a handle on the scriptures?  Could we teach them to another?  What if a Muslim asked us to explain faith in Christ, could we do it?  With that in mind, I thought that I would use the writings of Chawkat Moucarry, an Arab Christian from Syria, who has studied Islam all his life and holds a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from Paris, to explain an overview of Christian faith.

 What are the scriptures that we trust?  The word “Bible” means book.  The Bible is a library of 66 books divided into two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Old Testament was written before Christ.  The New Testament was written in the first century after Christ. 

The Old Testament is the scriptures of the Jewish people.  It was also the Bible that Jesus used.  It consists of thirty-nine books.  These books are divided into four sections, sometimes referred to as “genres.” 

First is the Pentateuch, a word that means “five books.”  These are often called the books of Moses or the Torah, which means, “the Law.”  They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Genesis contains the accounts of the creation of the universe, the stories of Adam, Noah and the flood, Abraham, Isaac (and his half-brother, Ishmael), Jacob, and Jacobs 12 sons, particularly, his next to youngest, Joseph.  Exodus contains the story of God’s rescue of the people from slavery in Egypt and of the giving of the Law to Moses.  Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy continues the stories of the Law and the people of Israel as they persisted for 40 years in the wilderness.

Second are the historical books.  These are Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles.  These books contain the history of the people of Israel from their earliest days when they were ruled by judges, through the years of King David and his son Solomon, the division of the kingdoms of Israel to the north and Judah to the south, until God finally brought judgment through the Assyrian and Babylonian armies.  Other historical books include Ezra and Nehemiah, who describe the return of some of the Jews from exile.

Third are the Psalms and wisdom literature.  These include Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job and the Song of Solomon (also known as the Song of Songs).  The Psalms are a collection of individual and community songs and prayers of thanksgiving, praise and lament.  Many are attributed to David, which can mean that they were written by him, for him, during his time or about him.

Fourth are the prophetic books.  These books contain the messages of God’s prophets preached to the people in order to call them back to God and to challenge them regarding the future.  The Major Prophets are the longer books and include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.  The shorter ones are the Minor prophets, a description which is simply a referral to their length.  They include Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

The Old Testament was composed by about thirty authors in total.  It was written over a span of eight centuries from Moses, through David, to Malachi.  Malachi lived four centuries before Jesus.

Knowing and reading .the Old Testament is important for spiritual growth and development. They testify to the glory of God, the vitality of faith and obedience, and the promises of God’s redeemer-deliverer, his promised king in the line of David, whom we know as Jesus.  The Old Testament is important for understanding Christ and the New Testament and is frequently cited in the New Testament.  We cheat ourselves by not knowing it better.                 

Bob Jackson, Teacher of the Word           

OVERVIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

            Chawkat Moucarry is a Syrian Arab Christian who studied Islam his entire life including obtaining a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from Paris in order to dialogue with Muslims and understand their faith so that he could tell Muslims of Jesus.  There are few Christians better equipped to explain Islam to Christians or Christianity to Muslims.  He has discovered that those who propose friendly dialogue without the effort to persuade the other to their vantage point undermine both faiths.  The best way to present the two faiths is to honestly evaluate in a civil but real way in order to clarify and persuade the other of the truths of the religion.  He has written a book to help Muslims understand Christian faith.  However, many followers of Christ likewise need to understand the tenets of our faith. 

             The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven different books and letters which fall into five categories or genres.  There are four gospels or narratives of Jesus, one book of history, twenty-one letters or epistles and one book of apocalypse.  The entire New Testament is known as “the gospel,” a term that means “good news.”  The singular term “gospel” refers to the message of Jesus Christ.  The plural “gospels” refers to the four books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which tell the story of Jesus.  Early Christians believed that Matthew was the same man as Levi, the tax collector who became a follower of Jesus.  His emphasis was on the Kingdom of God as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.  Mark was John Mark, a nephew of Barnabas who journeyed with Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey until he turned back.  In later years he was thought to be a companion of Peter’s and a good friend to Paul.  His gospel is considered by many to be the preaching of Peter after Peter’s death delivered to suffering Christians in Rome.  Luke is thought to be the physician who skillfully researched the gospel, perhaps for a defense of Paul in his trial before Caesar.  He was a companion of Paul’s on several missionary journeys and also wrote the book of Acts.  He frequently alludes to parallels of Jesus and stories of the Old Testament, but they are written implicitly so they are only caught by those who have studied the Old Testament in depth.  John is considered the Apostle of Jesus who saw double meanings in many of the events and teachings of Jesus. 

            The Book of Acts is the lone book of history and is a companion volume  to the  Gospel of Luke, telling  the  story of  the church’s  progression from Jerusalem following the ascension of Jesus to the surrounding regions until it was proclaimed by Paul from a prison in Rome.  The message is accepted by men and women in various parts of the world as the gospel spreads to the “utmost” parts of the world.

            The Letters or Epistles were written largely to churches to deal with problems that the early believers were having after the original missionaries or Apostles had left to preach in other places.  They were usually addressed to church leaders and read in worship settings within houses to give believers a deeper understanding of the practical consequences of the gospel.  Paul wrote the letters of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon.  The books are arranged by length, going from the largest to the shortest.  It is not known for certain who wrote the letter called Hebrews, but modern scholars largely disavow that it was written by Paul.  James, the brother of the Lord Jesus wrote the letter bearing his name.  Peter wrote 1 and 2 Peter.  John wrote 1, 2, and 3 John.  Jude, the brother of James and of Jesus wrote the letter that bears his name. 

             The book of Revelation is the fifth book thought to be written by the Apostle John.  It shares a vision given by Jesus to John who was a prisoner on the island of Patmos because of his Christian testimony.  The gospel was receiving strong opposition and John wrote a letter that was to cycle to seven churches on a route that warned God’s people of the sufferings that awaited them but encouraged them to persevere because of the bigger picture of what Jesus was doing even as they suffered for his name.  The book encouraged believers to keep their hope alive and persevere despite suffering.  We draw strength from the promise that Jesus will come again as conquering hero.  Even the rulers of the world will bow before Jesus, a return that will be glorious and visible to all as Jesus establishes his kingdom of peace and righteousness. 

            The New Testament was written by approximately ten authors.  They all lived in the first century and aside from John, were all thought to have died a martyrs’ deaths for their testimony of and faithfulness to Jesus.  With the possible exception of Luke, they were all of Jewish heritage.

            This overview helps us understand the scriptures as we read them.  It also tells us how valuable this gospel is.  It challenges us to know it as best we can.

            Yours for the gospel of Christ, 

                                       Bob Jackson, Servant of the Word

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A Look at the Bible

In my recent hospital travels to visit our parishioners, I have noticed a sign at a church in the community that champions the King James Version of the Bible as the only true version of the Bible.  It has a pithy statement “If it’s new it’s not true!”

            In determining to study the Bible, one must chose a Bible translation.  A translation of the Bible is different than a reference Bible. A translation includes the King James, New American Standard, Revised Standard, New International Version and a host of others.  The reference Bibles include the Student Bible, the Apologetics Bible, Quest Study Bible, and the like.  The latter use a translation but add reference  notes within the Bible.

            The Bible was not originally written in English.  The Old Testament was written largely in Hebrew and later translated into Greek because these were the languages spoken by the original audiences.  The New Testament was originally spoken in Greek.  This is why ministers study Greek and Hebrew in preparation for ministry.  In time Latin, the language of Rome, became the predominant language of the world and the church translated the scriptures into Latin, called the Vulgate.

            But in time the only place that used Latin was the church, so the average Christian could not read the Bible.  The first English translation was made by William Tyndale, an Oxford scholar, who translated it on the run, because Pope Leo X outlawed the people being able to read it on their own.  His slogan might have been “if it’s new it’s untrue.”  Along with the invention of the printing press, people finally began to enjoy the Bible in their own language.  New and better translations were produced but errors abounded.

            In time, King James I commissioned a translation.  The K.J.V stood the test of time, but major flaws, were included.  First, the language, in order to be “beautiful,” was translated in the high English of that period, similar to Milton, Shakespeare and the like.  This was neither the standard of the original Hebrew or Greek nor William Tyndale’s.  Second, in time better Greek and Hebrew manuscripts were discovered and it was realized that some of the errors of the King James Bible were done because of inferior textual manuscripts.  You will notice that the King James Bible has a longer ending for the Gospel Mark than many contemporary versions and the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 12 is usually put in parentheses, just a couple errors.   But third, in time no one spoke the language of King James except preachers in church.  An example of this is that few pronounce “saith” correctly (It’s like “seth”) and some words changed meanings over the course of time, such as conversing (Eph. 5:15) which in KJV’s time meant “living.”

            Now the scholars who translated the King James Bible forgot more than I have ever known.  Nevertheless some flaws are serious.  Only relics among us still insist that it is the only true Bible, as there are a few who want to return to Latin.

            A plethora of translations have arisen, but they are not all equal.  Some attempt to be literal to the Greek and Hebrew, such as  the New American Standard, but no one speaks this way regularly.  Some attempt to be what the King James version was in its day such as the Revised Standard and New International to name a couple.  Some attempt to translate thoughts rather than mere words, such as the New Living Bible.  Some attempt to recreate the ambiance of hearing the Bible for the first time, such as the Message Bible.  Realizing this, there is no perfect translation of the Bible, not even the King James.

            However, a key to your Bible study is choosing a translation that will help you understand more.  Second, compare translations when you study.  This will add clarity to your understanding of scripture.  Third, do not be tied to one translation.  Finally, do not simply leave your Bible on the shelf or carry it with you without reading.  There is nothing magical or mysterious about it that will make it your good luck charm.  You must read it and apply it in order to understand it, grow as a believer and demonstrate that it is true.

                     Yours for studying God’s word,

                                            Bob Jackson