How We Got the Bible - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1
Slide2

How We Got the Bible

Apocryphal WritingsSlide3

General Outline

Introduction, Canon, & Inspiration

Oral Transmission & Early Forms

“

Discovering” the Law (Josiah & Ezra)

Apocryphal WritingsSlide4

Conclusions From Last Week

Scribes are custodians of the Scriptures.

Editors of the Scriptures acted according to God’s will.

Editors of the Scriptures did not have liberty to alter the Scriptures upon human whim.

Stories can be told in different ways to emphasize different points. Alterations of a story do not necessarily mean that either way is “untrue.”Slide5

The Old Testament Canon

So why just these 39 books?

Josephus:

“It

is true, our history hath been written since

Artaxerxes

very particularly, but hath not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because there hath not been an exact succession of prophets since that time

;”

What happened next?Slide6

After Persia

After the Persian

period,

Alexander

the Great

conquered Palestine

(and much more).

The

Jews offered no military

resistance, and the

Greeks allowed the Jews religious freedom.

The increased

use of the Greek language led to the need for a translation of scripture into that language

. The

Septuagint (LXX) was produced about 250

BC.

Antiochus III

wrestled control of Palestine from the

Ptolemies

in 198 BC

.Slide7

Antiochus Epiphanies

Thirty years later, his son Antiochus IV Epiphanies was on the throne.

Antiochus Epiphanies tried to conquer the

Ptolemies

in Egypt but was forced out by upstart Rome.

He retreated through Palestine and vented his anger upon the Jews. For two years, he murdered, plundered, and enslaved.

On December 16, 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanies even offered a pig on the altar of the temple.Slide8

The Maccabean Revolt

Matthias, a Jewish priest, and his sons led a revolt against the Antiochus in 166 BC.

Matthias died the following year and leadership passed to his son Judas, nicknamed Maccabeus (“the hammer”).

Judas Maccabeus took control of Jerusalem and refurbished the temple.

He rededicated the temple to the Lord on December 14, 164 BC. Hanukkah (Feast of Lights) is the annual celebration of this event.Slide9

The Rise of Rome

During the Maccabean reign, three groups came to prominence that would have great influence on Palestine in Jesus' day.

The Maccabees (priests) became the

Hasmonean

Priests.

The Hasidim became the Pharisees.

The Hellenists became the Sadducees.Slide10

The Rise of Rome

Under the Maccabees, Palestine made a treaty

with

Rome (139 BC).

Rome fully took control of Palestine under Pompey (63 BC).

Palestine was governed by Antipater, first of the

Herodian

dynasty.

After Antipater, Herod the Great reigned over the Jews (37 BC - 4 AD).

After Herod the Great’s death, Palestine was divided to his three sons - Philip, Antipas, and

Archileus

. Slide11

Apocryphal Books

Books from this period were labeled by Jerome (347-420 AD) as “Apocrypha” to indicate that they were doubtful or spurious.

apocrypha

– hidden, secret

Today, Catholics call these books “deuterocanonical” to avoid the term.

Not

one of them is in the Hebrew language,

unlike other texts of the

Old Testament

.Slide12

Apocryphal Books

These books were not accepted as canon by

t

he Jews at any time.

These books were not quoted by Jesus, the apostles, or other New Testament writers (possible exception of an allusion to

Sirach

).

These books were not officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church until the Council of Trent

on

April 8, 1546.Slide13

What Do They Say

I & II ESDRAS:

History of Judah from Josiah through Ezra. Concludes with prophetic 400 year rule of the Messiah.

TOBIT:

The

blind

Tobit

, a captive in Nineveh, sends his son Tobias to collect a debt in Media. Tobias marries the seven times widowed

virgin

and

dispatches

the demon who had killed her husbands.

He collects

the debt, returns, and the father's sight is restored

.Slide14

TOBITSlide15

What Do They Say

JUDITH

:

Holophernes

,

a general

, acting for Nebuchadnezzar, besieged

Bethulia

. Judith, a pious

widow

, enters his camp, and while he is

drunk,

beheads

him.Slide16

What Do They Say

ADDITIONS

TO

ESTHER:

Additional accounts of Esther including dreams of Mordecai.

THE

WISDOM OF

SOLOMON:

Contrasts

the righteous and the ungodly.

Heroes

of wisdom from Adam to

Moses

-- contrasted

with the

wicked.

ECCLESIASTICUS

(Wisdom of Jesus the Son of SIRACH

):

One

of the best of the Old Testament

Apocrypha -- compares

with Proverbs and

Ecclesiastics.Slide17

What Do They Say

BARUCH, secretary

to

Jeremiah:

Repentance

of

Jews. Promise

of return from Babylonian

exile.

THE

EPISTLE OF

JEREMY:

A

sarcastic denunciation of the folly of idolatry.

SONG

OF THE THREE HOLY CHILDREN (The Prayer of

Azariah

):

Inserted into Daniel

3.

SUSANNA

:

Susanna

, wife of wealthy

exile

, repulses advances of two Jewish elders. They accuse her of adultery and she is condemned to death. Daniel convicted the elders of false

testimony.Slide18

What Do They Say

BEL

AND THE

DRAGON:

Daniel

traps the priests of

Bel

by ashes on temple

floor -- showing

they ate the food, not

Bel

. Daniel poisons the Dragon and is cast into the lion's den. Habakkuk was flown from Judea by angels to bring him his

dinner.

THE

PRAYER OF

MANASSEH:

A

penitential psalm composed to go along with 2

Chr.

33:11-13

.Slide19

What Do They Say

I

& II

MACCABEES

:

First

and Second Maccabees present reliable history. The Maccabees

won

independence for the Jews from

166-63

BC

. The history tells the story of Antiochus

Epiphanes

.Slide20

Odd Bits of Sirach

Sirach

22:3 (NRSV)

It is a disgrace to be the father of an

undisciplined son,

and the birth of a daughter is a loss

.

Sirach

11:14-19 (NRSV)

… The Lord’s

gift remains with the devout, and his

favour

brings lasting success.

One becomes rich through

diliegence

and self-denial, and the reward allotted to him is this: when he says, “I have found rest, and now I shall feast on my goods!” he does not know how long it will be until he leaves them to others and dies.

Compare

Luke

12:16-19Slide21

Concerning Judith

The Catholic Church claims the Judith is both inspired AND fictional.

New Jerome Biblical

Commentary:

“

Judith is a dramatic fictional

narrative …”

“

Because Judith is fiction replete with historical and geographical inaccuracies, it is difficult to date its composition

.”Slide22

Apocryphal Books & Canon

First Maccabees makes it sound as though the time of prophets had come and gone.

1 Maccabees

4:46 (NRSV)

and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them.

1

Maccabees

9:27

(NRSV)

So there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.Slide23

Apocryphal Books & Canon

Second Maccabees openly admits that at least a part of the contents are an abridged version of a five volume set of historical records.

2 Maccabees

2:23

(NRSV)

all this, which has been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we shall attempt to condense into a single book.

Also, read the prologue to

Sirach

and compare it to the calls of the prophets.Slide24

Review & Conclusions

The Apocryphal books date to the period between the testaments.

They were not accepted as Scripture by the Jews or the Early Church.

They were not formally added to any kind of Bible until 1546 AD.

If

the Roman Catholic Church claims that these books are canonical when in fact they are not, then the Roman Catholic Church is fallible

.Slide25