Saturday, December 20, 2014

BIBLIOLOGY: THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE


Bibliology is the branch of Christian systematic theology that focuses on the Bible. Bibliology seeks to answer the following questions:

What is the Bible?
Who wrote the Bible?
When was the Bible written?
What information is contained in the Bible?
Is the Bible really inspired by God, or is it merely another product of man?
Is the Bible really inerrant and infallible?
Is the Bible sufficient for mankind's getting to know God and attaining salvation?
How was the Bible cannon put together? Who were involved in cannonizing the Bible, and passing it down through the centuries?
Is the Bible missing certain books, and if so, which books are missing, are they important, and can they be found?
Can the Bible be trusted, and if so, how much can it be trusted?
Is the Bible really important, and if so, why is it important?

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The word BIBLE is not found anywhere in the scriptures, yet it is very accurate in describing the Holy Canon. The word BIBLE originated from the Koine Greek word biblia (βιβλία), meaning "books," so the Bible can rightly be called "The Book of Books;" therefore, the Holy Bible is God's "Holy Book of Books." Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God (Greek λόγος = logos), while the Bible is the inspired written Word of God that gives a written account of Jesus Christ and all else pertaining to God and His works. The Bible does not merely contain the Word of God as many liberals teach, instead, the Bible is the Word of God; 100% of the Bible, verse by verse, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, is God-breathed and divinely inspired for the benefit of everyone who reads and applies it (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). The Bible is the property of God, not humanity, just as American currency is property of the U.S. government, not the citizens. God entrusted humanity with stewardship over His Word the Bible. Sadly, the vast majority of humanity has displayed bad stewardship over God's Bible since they they to adequately read it, study it, apply its teachings to their own lives, and properly preach its message to others. God will judge most of humanity, and hold them accountable, for bad stewardship with His Bible. The Bible was written over a period of roughly 1,600 years (1513 B.C. to 98 A.D.) by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen, some were shepherds, some were carpenters, stone masons and metalsmiths, some were tax collectors, some were priest and scribes, some were prophets, some were physicians, and some were kings and politicians. These writers were informed and directed by God's Holy Spirit into writing all the words that we read in the Holy Bible (2 Peter 1:20, 21). The oldest book in the Bible is believed to be the book of Job, while the last books to be written are believed to be Revelation and John's epistles. The Almighty God works to preserve His word for all generations to read and know; His word will not pass away (Psalm 12:6, 7; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23-25). The books of the Bible originally did not exist as the bound leaved pages we see today, instead, they existed as lengthy scrolls made of papyrus, parchment or some other durable paper-like material. The ink used for writing was made of iron compounds or mercury compounds derived from plants or minerals. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament (Hebrew TANAKH) was originally written in Hebrew, with a few isolated passages written in Aramaic (known as the Targums). A Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint (LXX) was made around 250 B.C. to accommodate the Jewish Diaspora during that era. The entire New Testament was originally written in Greek, partly because Koine Greek was the commercial language of the eastern Mediterranean during the days of the Christian apostles. The books of the Bible were later translated into Latin and canonized as the Latin Vulgate. All the books of the Bible were eventually translated into the modern languages spoken today, including English via the King James Version and other translations. The individual books of the Bible cannon were originally not subdivided into chapters and verses. The ancient manuscripts did not have them. The typical modern chapter divisions were apparently devised in 1227 AD by Stephen Langton, who was an Archbishop of Canterbury in England. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 AD used Langton’s chapter format, and that same chapter format has been used by every modern Bible translation ever since. As for the verses, one Jewish teacher, named Mordecai Nathan, divided the Hebrew Old Testament into verses in 1448 AD. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses in 1555 AD. Since the time of the Geneva Bible version (an English version published in Paris, 1560 AD), which preceded the famous King James Version, nearly all Bible versions, including those used today, have been organized into this same numbering system for chapters and verses. This numbering system works very well for helping people to look up and memorize Bible citations in specific parts of the Bible. The Bible is currently the most widely published, and most widely distributed book on earth. The Bible is also the most commonly read book in the world, even in Third World countries, and it is possessed by more households and individual people than any other book in our modern civilization. Roughly 93% of the world’s population has access to the all or part of the Bible.

FACTS ABOUT THE KING JAMES VERSION

Contrary to popular belief, the King James Version was NOT the first ever English translation of the Bible, neither in whole nor in part. William Tyndale was a British scholar and theologian who was the first to translate the New Testament into the English language around 1526. Tyndale was executed as a heretic in 1536, partly because of his translating parts of the Bible into English. Three complete English translations that preceded the King James Version of 1611 were the Great Bible of Henry VIII, the Bishop's Bible, and the Calvinistic Geneva Bible. The King James Version of 1611 was actually the third (some say the fourth) complete English translation of the Holy Bible. Rheims New Testament was a primitive English translation of the New Testament. The King James Version and its English antecedents used Archaic English instead of Modern English. The main differences between the King James Version and its English antecedents include the better organizing of the chapters and verses, the use of italics (italicized words) to distinguish added supplementary words from the words of the original manuscripts, better organized sentence structure within each verse. After 1611, the King James Version was later revised in 1769 to modify the Bible text; and it was revised again in 1885 to remove 14 apocryphal books. Parts of the King James Version were plagiarized by Joseph Smith when he wrote the Book of Mormon for his congregation known as the Latter Day Saints. An interdenominational group of Christians called the King James Only Movement believe that the King James Version is the only English translation of the Bible that is truly approved by God, because it is presumed to be a fresh translation of the Bible's original Hebrew and Greek. However, other Christians disagree with this assertion and claim that other Bible translations are just as sufficient and reliable as the King James Version. As of today, the King James Version remains the one of the most popular and most widely used English translations of the Holy Bible. The Christian Booksellers Association in 2012 ranked the five most popular Bible translations in English as the New International Version (1978), the King James Version (1611), the New Living Translation (1996), the New King James Version (1982), and the English Standard Version (2001). In addition, the King James Version is the ONLY English translation that is NOT protected or regulated by copyright laws; it is currently of public domain for a wide variety of uses by both Christians and the secular society.

HOW THE BIBLE WAS CANONIZED

Determining the canon was a process conducted first by Jewish rabbis and scholars and later by early Christians. Ultimately, it was God who decided what books belonged in the biblical canon. A book of Scripture belonged in the canon from the moment God inspired its writing. It was simply a matter of God’s convincing His human followers which books should be included in the Bible. Compared to the New Testament, there was much less controversy over the canon of the Old Testament. Hebrew believers recognized God’s messengers and accepted their writings as inspired of God. The New Testament was the more difficult to compile together for the cannon because they were scattered around Judea and the Roman Empire during the era of the Church, plus the authenticity of certain books was questioned. The New Testament books receiving the most controversy were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, and 3 John, but they were eventually included in the cannon. Even after the Bible was fully canonized, the 16th Century Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther thought that the books of Hebrews, James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation should be omitted from the New Testament, but he did not have enough from his contemporaries.

Those who confirmed the authenticity of New Testament books included the apostles Paul and Peter, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp (a disciple of the apostle John), Irenaeus, Hippolytus, and the Italian historian Ludovico Muratori. During the 4th Century and 16th Century A.D., four major councils of the Church put the finishing touches on the canonization of the Bible we use today, and those councils include the Council of Laodicea in 363 A.D., the Council of Hippo in 393 A.D., the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D. and the Council of Trent in 1546 A.D. These four councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) The author of the book must be either an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle, 2) The book and its subject matter must be accepted by the body of Christ at large 3) All of the book's information must be consistent with orthodox doctrine and apostolic teaching 4) The book must place strong emphasis on the high moral standards and spiritual values that accompany the work of the Holy Spirit in the individual believer and the congregation of the Church. The books approved by the Councils include the 39 books of the Old Testament, at least 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament. Numerous other sacred books were written during the first 1,000 years of the Church, including the book of the Essenes and the gospel of Thomas, but none of them met 100% of the aforementioned criteria of the three councils, so they were not included in the biblical cannon. There were a total of twelve gospels about Jesus Christ up for consideration, but only four of them were included in the New Testament of the biblical canon, while the other eight gospels were rejected because they were based on the doctrines of Gnosticism. Other epistles and books were also rejected because of Gnostic doctrine. The original King James Version (KJV) of 1611 contained 80 books (66 + 14 apocryphal), but the Apocrypha was officially removed from the King James Version in 1885 leaving only 66 books for the Protestant King James Version, but the Catholics still use the Apocrypha in their Bible to this present day. The Almighty God, who inspired the Bible and promised to preserve His Word, was the ultimate architect behind the Bible's canonization. The human process of collecting and organizing the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite human ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.

BIBLE ORGANIZATION AND STATISTICS

The Hebrew translation of the Old Testament is called the Tanakh. The Greek translation of the Old Testament is called the Septuagint LXX

The Bible that Protestants use contains a total of 66 books, and those 66 books are grouped into 10 sections:

OLD TESTAMENT
5 BOOKS OF LAW (PENTATEUCH OR TORAH)
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

12 BOOKS OF HEBREW HISTORY
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester

5 BOOKS OF POETRY (POETRY, SONGS AND WISDOM BOOKS)
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

5 BOOKS OF THE MAJOR PROPHETS
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

12 BOOKS OF THE MINOR PROPHETS
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT
4 GOSPELS ON THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar wording. They stand in contrast to John, whose content is comparatively distinct.

1 BOOK OF CHURCH HISTORY - Acts of the Apostles

13 PAULINE EPISTLES (LETTERS FROM PAUL)
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatins, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

8 GENERAL EPISTLES (LETTERS FROM OTHER CHRISTIANS)
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude

1 BOOK OF LATTER DAY PROPHECIES - Revelation (Apocalypse)

Total number of Books in the Bible: 66
Number of Books in the Old Testament: 39
Number of Books in the New Testament: 27
Shortest book in the Bible: 2 John
Longest book in the Bible: Psalms
Chapters in the Bible: 1189
Chapters in the Old Testament: 929
Chapters in the New Testament: 260
Middle chapter of the Bible: Psalm 117
Shortest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 117
Longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119
Verses in the Bible: 31,173
Verses in the Old Testament: 23,214
Verses in the New Testament: 7,959
Shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35
Longest verse in the Bible: Esther 8:9
Words in the Bible: 773,692
Words in the Old Testament: 592,439
Words in the New Testament: 181,253

Luke is the longest book in the New Testament with 1151 verses and 19482 words. Matthew is the second longest with 1071 verses and 18345 words.

BIBLE INTERPRETATION: EISEGESIS, EXEGESIS AND HERMENEUTICS

EISEGESIS is the practice of imposing one's own theories, opinions, ideas, bias, etc, upon a specific Bible text rather than interpreting the actual meaning of the text itself. Eisegesis is a practice done by many false prophets and false teachers among professions of Christianity. It should be noted that the vast majority of symbolic, figurative or allegorical interpretations are eisegetical. EXEGESIS is the practice of extracting or drawing out the actual meaning in the Bible text itself; it is reading and studying the text to find out what it is trying to say, without imposing one's own ideas or bias on the text. In the majority of Bible passages, a literal interpretation goes hand in hand with proper exegesis. Eisegesis is a subjective view of scripture; exegesis is an objective view of scripture. A true person of God would read and study the Bible in accordance with the exegetical approach, with the help of God's Holy Spirit.

Despite using only the exegetical approach to interpreting the Bible, a Christian will inevitably interpret the Bible texts in light of some version of HERMENEUTICS, which is the field of study concerned with how a literary work is interpreted. "Biblical hermeneutics" is specifically concerned with the philosophy and study of interpreting the Biblical text. Keep in mind that thereis a difference between exegesis and hermeneutics. Exegesis deals with what a scriptural text meant to its author and intended reader in their sociocultural context. Whereas hermeneutics involves the interpretation of a scriptural text to provide meaning for the today's present world. All kinds of social, cultural, political, economic, historical, and educational factors can greatly influence the hermeneutical interpretation of a person or faith community; therefore, interpretations may differ somewhat.

Despite all of this, all Christians are advised to interpret the Bible as objectively as possible in accordance with the following five principles: (1) - 100% of the Bible text is the inspired Word of God, regardless of whom God used to write it, (2) - Every scripture must be understood according to its immediate context, (3) - Any interpretation of scripture must be understood in light of the overall message of the entire Bible (OT and NT) that God is conveying to humanity, (4) - God purposefully designed His own inspired Word, the Bible, to function as its own interpreter, its own dictionary, and its own defense against the lies of Satan and false teachers, and (5) - the Holy Spirit of God opens the spiritual understanding of anyone sincerely devoted to the God of the Bible and seeking to learn from Him.

GOD THOROUGHLY PRESERVES HIS WORD FOR ALL TIME

Jesus said "till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." --- Matthew 5:18

Jesus has already fulfilled the Law to a very great extent at His first coming, but He will totally complete His fulfillment of the Law and Prophets at His second coming: the end of the world, the final judgment, and the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth. The phrases "one jot" and "one tittle" actually refer to the smallest letters of the alphabet of the Hebrew language in which the OT was written. The Law contained in God's Word will be preserved in detail, even down to the smallest letters. Jesus' statement at Matthew 5:18 provides us with one of the strongest affirmations that God's Word the Bible will remain with us for all time. It also affirms the inerrancy of scripture, along with its trustworthiness and authoritativeness, since God preserves His Word so perfectly across the centuries (Psalm 12:6, 7; 119:89; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:24, 25).

"Here's this idea that says that the Bible was in the original manuscripts but it has not been preserved up until now. And yet we're going to try to teach you that, if you get saved, God will preserve you for all eternity. But if God cannot protect and preserve His own Word across the centuries, how can He preserve you and keep you in your life. It doesn't make sense, does it?....But we can all rest assured that God does preserve and keep His Word, and that He will certainly do the same for our lives." --- Michael Hoggard, Pastor of Bethel Church in Festus, MO





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