Over the Summer we shall be doing a rapid overview of the Bible which can then provide the foundaton for more detailed studies subsequently.
Overview of the Bible
Welcome to this overview of the Bible. We shall use the Bible for Blockheads (by Douglas Connelly) as our reference book. Feel free to consult other books as well. Our look at the Bible should be as interactive and participatory as possible. It will necessarily not be in-depth but should give a basic understanding of what the different parts of the Bible are about.
The Bible is really a library of books written by over 40 human authors over a period of 16 centuries. Christians study it because we believe it to be God’s Word in human words: God has ensured that what he wanted to say to us has been preserved for us in the inspired writings of human authors, each having their own perspectives and backgrounds which influenced the way their specific books were written.
The Bible includes a number of different types of literature (genres): history, poetry, proverbs, allegory, prediction, didactic teaching, love stories etc. The different genres within the Bible are interpreted or used in different ways. For example, one approaches a poem in a different manner to a piece of historical narrative.
One theme: the one over-arching theme in the Bible is God’s desire to reconcile humanity to himself. The love of God for mankind could be described as a romance of divine initiative and human response.
God’s initiative. 1. In creation: the whole universe reflecting his glory and man in his image. 2. In election: God chose one man (Abram), one family, one nation (Israel) to be the conduit of salvation. 3. In incarnation: God became human in Jesus of Nazareth. 4. In redemption: Christ died as a ransom to free us from the power of sin and death. 5. In restoration: the whole of creation will be renewed.
Human response: 1. rebellion: eg. Adam and Eve, Israel’s disobedience. 2. obedience: various people of faith (such as Noah, Abraham, etc), Mary who said “yes” to the angel and became mother of our Lord, and, supremely, Jesus’ obedience even to the extent of being crucified for us.
The first part of the Bible is the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old Testament”). The New Testament consists of the four Gospels (about the life of Jesus), the story of the early church (Acts) and the letters (epistles) written to various individuals and local churches by leaders within the early church.
Languages: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, apart from portions of Daniel and Ezra which are were written in Aramaic, a closely related Semitic language. The New Testament was written in Greek which was the language of commerce in the Middle East at the time of Christ.
Number of books (“the Canon” or list): The Hebrew Scriptures consist of 39 books, the New Testament consists of 27, for a total of 66. During the 400 years between the last of the OT books to be written (Malachi) and the New Testament, a number of other books and additions were written, known as the Apocrypha or Deutero-Canonical (=second list) books. These were included in a Greek translation (the Septuagint) of the OT, collated in Alexandria during the same period, but excluded by the Rabbis from the Hebrew bible. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox bibles include the Apocrypha. Most Protestant ones do not. Anglicans regard the Apocrypha as useful to read but not as God’s word. For the purposes of this course we shall consider the Bible to consist of 66 books. We can have a look at the Apocrypha at a later date.
So far we have had a whirlwind tour of Genesis through to the Gospels.
August 28 Ordination 2:30 pm in North Vancouver
September 4 Part 8 History: Acts
September 11 Part 9 Letters: Romans to Revelation.
We may choose to spread these out more. OR we can return to a book or a story in more
depth later, for example, there is a good study of the themes of Romans called “How to
be a Christian Without Being Religious”, by Ridenour. Or we could do study on
Philippians by Nicky Gumble.
I suggest that we pick one or two characters or themes from each section to concentrate
on rather than attempt to cover books in depth.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Overview of the Old Testament
Overview of the Old Testament
The OT can be divided into books of history (17), poetry (5), and prophecy (17). These can be further sub-divided. The terms “major” and “minor” refer to the length of the books, not the importance of the prophets. The prophets are therefore not listed entirely in chronological order.
History17 Poetry 5 Prophecy17
5 books of Moses 5 books of poetry 5 major prophets
Genesis Job Isaiah
Exodus Psalms Jeremiah
Leviticus Proverbs Lamentations
Numbers Ecclesiastes Ezekiel
Deuteronomy Song of Solomon Daniel
(or song of Songs)
12 other history books 12 minor prophets
Joshua Hosea
Judges Joel
Ruth Amos
1 Samuel Obadiah
2 Samuel Jonah
1 Kings Micah
2 Kings Nahum
1 Chronicles Habakkuk
2 Chronicles Zephaniah
Ezra Haggai
Nehemiah Zechariah
Esther Malachi
There is an overlap between some of these books: The story of Job is set in the era of the Patriarchs (=early Genesis), 1Chronicles covers the same time-period as 2 Samuel. 2Chronicles overlaps with 1 and 2 Kings. The story of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. Jonah’s story comes before the Exile of Israel into Assyria. Esther’s story is set in Persia at the same time as Ezra was writing in Jerusalem after the Exile.
Genesis tells about the creation, man’s rebellion, the promise of a saviour and the early heroes of faith. God selected one man, Abram (later called Abraham), to be the pro-genitor of his chosen people through whom the rest of humanity would be blessed. It includes the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his twelve brothers, and their move to Egypt.
Exodus: tells the story of Moses and the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Leviticus describes the laws, feasts and rituals of the Israelite people.
Deuteronomy is a long speech by Moses before his death and the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan.
Joshua is Moses’ successor. The book is about the conquest of Canaan by the tribes of Israel.
Judges ruled Israel before the establishment of the monarchy.
Ruth is a love story. She was a young Moabite widow who embraced the faith and nation of her mother-in-law, Naomi, rather than her own pagan people. She became an ancestor of King David and, hence, of Jesus.
Samuel was a prophet and judge. During his life the monarchy was established. (1Samuel and 1Kings). Saul was first king, followed by David and his son Solomon (2 Samuel and 1Chronicles). After Solomon’s death the Kingdom split into two. (2 Kings). The ten northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel with Samaria as the capital. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as the capital. In general, the Northern Kingdom rebelled against God. Not one of her Kings was faithful to God. Israel was invades by the cruel Assyrians and its people were killed or relocated to other parts of the Assyrian empire, never to be heard of again. Over a century later Judah is invaded by the Babylonians and some of her people were exile to Babylon. (2 Chronicles)
Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the return of various groups of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and the re-building of the Temple and the walls of the city.
Esther was the Jewish queen of Persia whose courage and wisdom result in the thwarting of a plot to exterminate the Jews. It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God.
Job is a classic on suffering and the sovereignty of God.
Psalms is a collection of 150 poems or hymns. Some are set as early as the time of David; others date to as late as the Exile. They cover every type of experience or emotion and are a wonderful resource for comfort and prayer. They demonstrate that there is no human emotion which we cannot express to God.
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, largely attributed to King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes, is an existential exploration of the emptiness of life without God.
Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) is a love story full of romance and poetry.
The books of prophecy date to the divided kingdom (pre-exilic), the exile, and post-exilic periods.
Pre-exile Exile Post-exile
All the rest Ezekiel and Daniel Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The most important of the pre-exilic prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.
The OT can be divided into books of history (17), poetry (5), and prophecy (17). These can be further sub-divided. The terms “major” and “minor” refer to the length of the books, not the importance of the prophets. The prophets are therefore not listed entirely in chronological order.
History17 Poetry 5 Prophecy17
5 books of Moses 5 books of poetry 5 major prophets
Genesis Job Isaiah
Exodus Psalms Jeremiah
Leviticus Proverbs Lamentations
Numbers Ecclesiastes Ezekiel
Deuteronomy Song of Solomon Daniel
(or song of Songs)
12 other history books 12 minor prophets
Joshua Hosea
Judges Joel
Ruth Amos
1 Samuel Obadiah
2 Samuel Jonah
1 Kings Micah
2 Kings Nahum
1 Chronicles Habakkuk
2 Chronicles Zephaniah
Ezra Haggai
Nehemiah Zechariah
Esther Malachi
There is an overlap between some of these books: The story of Job is set in the era of the Patriarchs (=early Genesis), 1Chronicles covers the same time-period as 2 Samuel. 2Chronicles overlaps with 1 and 2 Kings. The story of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. Jonah’s story comes before the Exile of Israel into Assyria. Esther’s story is set in Persia at the same time as Ezra was writing in Jerusalem after the Exile.
Genesis tells about the creation, man’s rebellion, the promise of a saviour and the early heroes of faith. God selected one man, Abram (later called Abraham), to be the pro-genitor of his chosen people through whom the rest of humanity would be blessed. It includes the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his twelve brothers, and their move to Egypt.
Exodus: tells the story of Moses and the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Leviticus describes the laws, feasts and rituals of the Israelite people.
Deuteronomy is a long speech by Moses before his death and the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan.
Joshua is Moses’ successor. The book is about the conquest of Canaan by the tribes of Israel.
Judges ruled Israel before the establishment of the monarchy.
Ruth is a love story. She was a young Moabite widow who embraced the faith and nation of her mother-in-law, Naomi, rather than her own pagan people. She became an ancestor of King David and, hence, of Jesus.
Samuel was a prophet and judge. During his life the monarchy was established. (1Samuel and 1Kings). Saul was first king, followed by David and his son Solomon (2 Samuel and 1Chronicles). After Solomon’s death the Kingdom split into two. (2 Kings). The ten northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel with Samaria as the capital. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as the capital. In general, the Northern Kingdom rebelled against God. Not one of her Kings was faithful to God. Israel was invades by the cruel Assyrians and its people were killed or relocated to other parts of the Assyrian empire, never to be heard of again. Over a century later Judah is invaded by the Babylonians and some of her people were exile to Babylon. (2 Chronicles)
Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the return of various groups of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and the re-building of the Temple and the walls of the city.
Esther was the Jewish queen of Persia whose courage and wisdom result in the thwarting of a plot to exterminate the Jews. It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God.
Job is a classic on suffering and the sovereignty of God.
Psalms is a collection of 150 poems or hymns. Some are set as early as the time of David; others date to as late as the Exile. They cover every type of experience or emotion and are a wonderful resource for comfort and prayer. They demonstrate that there is no human emotion which we cannot express to God.
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, largely attributed to King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes, is an existential exploration of the emptiness of life without God.
Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) is a love story full of romance and poetry.
The books of prophecy date to the divided kingdom (pre-exilic), the exile, and post-exilic periods.
Pre-exile Exile Post-exile
All the rest Ezekiel and Daniel Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The most important of the pre-exilic prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.
Overview of the New Testament
Overview of the New Testament
The 27 books, of the NT, written by at least 9 authors over about 50 years, consist of:
4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
1 church history book: Acts tells of the birth and growth of the New Testament church.
4 letters by Paul to individuals: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
9 letters by Paul to churches: Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
9 general letters: Hebrews, James, 1st and 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, John, Jude and Revelation.
A separate overview of the Gospels has been written.
Acts begins with the risen Jesus, before his ascension, instructing his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to spread the Good News to an increasing circle of influence: Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12) and to the rest of the world (chapters 13-28). Acts is the story of how the church expands in that order, how Christianity, which began as a branch of Judaism became a church which included Gentiles. Peter preaches the Gospel to Jews in Jerusalem, Phillip teaches an Ethiopian ruler and preaches to Samaritans, Paul (long with various companions) became a missionary to the Gentiles, ending up in prison in Rome.
The letters (“epistles”) are not listed in the order in which they were written. Paul’s letters were written from various locations during the course of events described in the book of Acts.
(A)Paul’s letters
Romans (about AD 58), the most “theological” letter, was written to the church in Rome outlining the doctrine that salvation is by faith, not by fulfilling the external rituals of the Jewish law.
1 and 2 Thessalonians (about AD 51 or 52) were written to the church in Thessalonica to encourage Christians there to remain faithful until Christ’s return and to continue with their secular work while doing so.
1 and 2 Corinthians (written about AD 56 and 57 from Ephesus during his third missionary journey) are the remnants of, possibly, 4 letters written to a very unruly congregation in Corinth to try to correct breaches in order and morals there and to defend Paul’s authority.
Galatians was written around AD 49 from Antioch to the churches Galatia within Asia Minor to counter a teaching by Jewish Christians which had tried to force Gentile converts to first become Jewish before they could become Christians.
Ephesians AD 61 was written from prison in Rome to the church in Ephesus.
Philippians: AD 61 from Roman prison to the people at Philippi. Describes the joy Christ gives which is not dependant on external circumstances. Describes Christ giving up his heavenly glory to become a servant and to die. Eventually every knee shall bow to Christ.
Colossians A.D 61 also from prison in Rome about the supremacy of Christ and transformed lives and relationships in him.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus were written to two young pastors to instruct them in Christian leadership and conduct. The best descriptions of criteria for bishops and deacons are found here.
Philemon was a believer in Colosse whose slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome and been converted to the Christian faith there. Paul writes to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus and to accept him back as a brother. The penalty for running away was crucifixion. Paul holds up the revolutionary principle of Christian brotherhood.
(B) Hebrews
Written around 70 AD by an unknown author shortly before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Compares the unique priesthood and sacrifice of Christ with the ineffective and repeated sacrifices of the Temple worship. Through Christ we have direct access to God without the need for any other mediator.
(C) James
Written by the half-brother of Jesus about AD 45 to dispersed Jewish Christians to instruct them in the need for their faith to be evidenced by their actions, to give practical instruction about prejudice, controlling one’s temper and tongue, not being judgmental and warning the rich against exploiting the poor. Also instructs sick members ot call for the elders to pray for healing.
(D) 1st (AD63) and 2nd Peter (Ad 67)
Written by Peter the impulsive fisherman, shortly before his execution, to scattered Christians to encourage them in the face of pending persecution and suffering for Christ’s sake.
(E) John’s letters around (AD 90)
First letter reiterates belief in both the divinity and humanity of Christ, encourages Christians to have faith, to love each other, advises transparency, confession of sin, and honesty. Reassures them about God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Warns about false teachers. Second letter reiterates teaching on love and truth and warns church to resist false teachers. Third letter is a personal note of encouragement to a man named Gaius who was known for hospitality.
(F) Jude
Written about AD 65 by another half-brother of Jesus to Christians encouraging them to remain faithful to the teaching they had received and to resist false teachers.
(G) Revelation
Written by John about AD 95 from exile on the island of Patmos to various churches to correct and encourage them at a time of persecution. Describes in symbolic language events which precede Christ’s return.
The 27 books, of the NT, written by at least 9 authors over about 50 years, consist of:
4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
1 church history book: Acts tells of the birth and growth of the New Testament church.
4 letters by Paul to individuals: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
9 letters by Paul to churches: Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
9 general letters: Hebrews, James, 1st and 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, John, Jude and Revelation.
A separate overview of the Gospels has been written.
Acts begins with the risen Jesus, before his ascension, instructing his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to spread the Good News to an increasing circle of influence: Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12) and to the rest of the world (chapters 13-28). Acts is the story of how the church expands in that order, how Christianity, which began as a branch of Judaism became a church which included Gentiles. Peter preaches the Gospel to Jews in Jerusalem, Phillip teaches an Ethiopian ruler and preaches to Samaritans, Paul (long with various companions) became a missionary to the Gentiles, ending up in prison in Rome.
The letters (“epistles”) are not listed in the order in which they were written. Paul’s letters were written from various locations during the course of events described in the book of Acts.
(A)Paul’s letters
Romans (about AD 58), the most “theological” letter, was written to the church in Rome outlining the doctrine that salvation is by faith, not by fulfilling the external rituals of the Jewish law.
1 and 2 Thessalonians (about AD 51 or 52) were written to the church in Thessalonica to encourage Christians there to remain faithful until Christ’s return and to continue with their secular work while doing so.
1 and 2 Corinthians (written about AD 56 and 57 from Ephesus during his third missionary journey) are the remnants of, possibly, 4 letters written to a very unruly congregation in Corinth to try to correct breaches in order and morals there and to defend Paul’s authority.
Galatians was written around AD 49 from Antioch to the churches Galatia within Asia Minor to counter a teaching by Jewish Christians which had tried to force Gentile converts to first become Jewish before they could become Christians.
Ephesians AD 61 was written from prison in Rome to the church in Ephesus.
Philippians: AD 61 from Roman prison to the people at Philippi. Describes the joy Christ gives which is not dependant on external circumstances. Describes Christ giving up his heavenly glory to become a servant and to die. Eventually every knee shall bow to Christ.
Colossians A.D 61 also from prison in Rome about the supremacy of Christ and transformed lives and relationships in him.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus were written to two young pastors to instruct them in Christian leadership and conduct. The best descriptions of criteria for bishops and deacons are found here.
Philemon was a believer in Colosse whose slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome and been converted to the Christian faith there. Paul writes to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus and to accept him back as a brother. The penalty for running away was crucifixion. Paul holds up the revolutionary principle of Christian brotherhood.
(B) Hebrews
Written around 70 AD by an unknown author shortly before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Compares the unique priesthood and sacrifice of Christ with the ineffective and repeated sacrifices of the Temple worship. Through Christ we have direct access to God without the need for any other mediator.
(C) James
Written by the half-brother of Jesus about AD 45 to dispersed Jewish Christians to instruct them in the need for their faith to be evidenced by their actions, to give practical instruction about prejudice, controlling one’s temper and tongue, not being judgmental and warning the rich against exploiting the poor. Also instructs sick members ot call for the elders to pray for healing.
(D) 1st (AD63) and 2nd Peter (Ad 67)
Written by Peter the impulsive fisherman, shortly before his execution, to scattered Christians to encourage them in the face of pending persecution and suffering for Christ’s sake.
(E) John’s letters around (AD 90)
First letter reiterates belief in both the divinity and humanity of Christ, encourages Christians to have faith, to love each other, advises transparency, confession of sin, and honesty. Reassures them about God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Warns about false teachers. Second letter reiterates teaching on love and truth and warns church to resist false teachers. Third letter is a personal note of encouragement to a man named Gaius who was known for hospitality.
(F) Jude
Written about AD 65 by another half-brother of Jesus to Christians encouraging them to remain faithful to the teaching they had received and to resist false teachers.
(G) Revelation
Written by John about AD 95 from exile on the island of Patmos to various churches to correct and encourage them at a time of persecution. Describes in symbolic language events which precede Christ’s return.
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