Its Good for You Part I Overview of the Series Try to do this in four parts Today What is the Bible Next Basic Avenues of Biblical Interpretation Then Issues That We Bring to Bible Study ID: 551846
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Slide1
Bible Reading for Orthodox Christians
It’s Good for
You!
Part ISlide2
Overview of the Series
Try to do this in four parts
Today: What is the Bible?
Next: Basic Avenues of Biblical Interpretation
Then: “Issues” That We Bring to Bible Study
Finally: How Then Should We Proceed
A Modest Proposal for Bible StudySlide3
Hyfalutin’ Term
Hermeneutics: “the science and methodology of interpretation, esp. the Bible”
American Heritage DictionarySlide4
Presuppositions to this Study
I’m a Layman
No formal theological study
Advantages and disadvantages
There is a problem today with Bible Study
Two-fold Problem
We Orthodox don’t know
much/enough about
the Bible
And neither do most other ChristiansSlide5
Why a problem?
For Protestants
Sola Scriptura
: central unifying principle
Luther’s three
sola
Sola
gratia
Sola fide
Sola Scriptura
Everything based on Bible
“Bible-believing Christians”Slide6
Why is this a Problem?
Luther insisted
Bible is essentially transparent
Any sincere Christian can
understand/explain
And would come up with same interpretation
Result
Emphasis on Bible Study
33,000 different Christians sects (at last count)
Teaching opposing doctrines
Nature of salvation; Church; sacraments; ministries;
Mary; saints; Eschatology; Slide7
Why is this a Problem?
For Orthodox
Ill-equipped
To understand Orthodox dogma
To explain Orthodox dogma
To appreciate our Faith
To serve as missionaries
That outreach thingSlide8
Why don’t we read the Bible
Historic (part of our tradition---”little ‘t’”)
Levels of literacy
Availability of Bibles
Concerns of the hierarchy
Sense of Church = Scriptures
Liturgy
IconsSlide9
How Serious is the Problem?
Here’s one solution:
“No task is more important than for the church to take the Bible out of the hands of individual Christians in North America.”
Stanley
Hauerwas
, Methodist theologian & professor, Duke University. Slide10
Centrality of Scripture
For Catholics
Scripture & Oral Tradition
For the Orthodox
Centerpiece of Holy Tradition
For Protestants
Only Authority (
sola Scriptura)
For the World
Book by which Christianity is evaluated/critiquedSlide11
So
To understand our own Faith
To outreach to other Christians
To evangelize among the
non-believers
To defend the Faith from “the heathen”
WE NEED TO READ THE BIBLE!Slide12
What is the Bible?
Book of Science?
Book of history?
Book of Mythology?
Book of ethics/morality?
Book of God’s inerrant word (cf.
Quran
)?
As a “vicar of God?”
Context for
Hauerwas’s
commentSlide13
What is the Bible?
Greek Term:
βιβλιος
= record; document; book
Greek speaking Jews: applied to Hebrew Scriptures
Holy Scriptures: used by (all?) Christians
From Latin
scribo
---to writeSlide14
What is the Bible?
Old Testament
Testamentum
: will; (Vulgate mistranslates Greek)
Covenant best translation?
O.T.
Law (Torah); Prophets; Writings
Also includes history books (
Joshua/Judges/Kings
, etc.)
N.T.
Synoptic Gospels; Gospel of John;
Acts; Epistles; RevelationSlide15
Where did bible Come From?
O.T.
Septuagint:
Greek trans. of earlier texts
The Bible
for the early Church
Masoretic Text (M.T.) Hebrew trans of 1
st
-2
nd
c. A.D.
Fewer books
Different trans.
Spurred in part by Church use of SeptuagintSlide16
W. d. Bible c. f.?
N.T.
No writings by Our Lord
An oral society
Lord’s imminent return
Apostles provided living, oral witness
No need for a new religion
Does Paul know he’s starting the Bible?Slide17
The N.T.
Paul begins his written work in the ‘50s
Letters of encouragement/reproof/instruction to various communities
Gospels begin to appear in ‘60s
Apostles were dying
Church under persecution
In it for the long haul
Growing separateness from Jewish originsSlide18
The N.T.
By around A.D. 100: all books of N.T. written
But so were a bunch of other allegedly Christian texts
Histories/Doctrines/Prophecies/Apocalypses
Many purported to be written by “authorities”
Gospels of Mary; Philip; Thomas
Acts of Peter and Mary; of Pilate
Apocalypse of Peter
Some were mainstream; others taught weird stuff
Abhorrent
Gospel of
BasilidesSlide19
An Authorized New Testament
Quasi-Gnostic heretic:
Marcion
of Rome (2
nd
c.)
Dualist
God of love vs. Jehovah
So
Rejects entire O.T.
Severely edits Luke; adds 10 Pauline epistles
In essence: starts the process
Was this authoritative Scripture?Slide20
An Authoritative N. T.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (177-200)
4 canonical Gospels
Muratorian
Canon (c. 180)
Named for its discoverer (18
th
c. Fr.
Muratori
)
Churches around Rome?
Lists 4 Gospels; 13 Pauline epistles (no Hebrews); Jude; 1-2 John; and the Revelation.
Hebrews; 1-2 Peter; 3 John missing
Includes
Wisdom of Solomon; Apocalypse of PeterSlide21
An Authoritative N.T.
By early 300s: Eusebius’s
History of the Church
Provides status update
Recognized: Today’s N.T. minus
Disputed: James; Jude; 2 Peter; 2-3 John
Spurious (doubtful): Acts of Paul; Shepherd of
Hermas
; Revelation of Peter; Epistle of Barnabas;
Didache
; and Revelation of John
Clearly heretical: Gospels of Peter; Thomas; Matthias; Acts of Andrew; John; other apostles.Slide22
An Authoritative N.T.
St. Athanasius the Great (367)
Custom to write all his churches to announce
Pascha
(same date)
Includes list of books to be read in the churches
“in these [27 writings] alone the teaching of godliness is proclaimed. No one may add to them, and nothing may be taken away from them.”
Slide23
An Authoritative N.T.
Within 50 years near universal acceptance
382: Council in Rome
397: Council in Carthage
A New Testament
Canon
Where did it come from?
Simplest answer: From the Church; from the scholarship and debate and mistakes and prayer of the ChurchSlide24
The Christian Bible
Of course---Church did not attribute this prodigious, four centuries long work of scholarship to its own efforts alone.
But this leads us to the interpretation of these writings, which we will consider next time.