bible study 1 - walk intro

Bible Study 1 - walk intro 8

Study of the Bible

We should study the Bible like we study any other book but we should

never study the Bible for the same purpose for which any other book is

studied. An ordinary book is studied for information, for instruction, for

interest, for pleasure, as a text-book, as a task; but the Bible is written that

in it the reader may find L___________and en________________ God.

When we pray we s____________ to God; and when we read the Bible God

s_________________ to us.

The Bible is not a book for argument, but one in which we are to find the

will of __________. Having found it to obey it (See Luke 10:25).

Every chapter of this series will follow this outline:

• Author

• Date (or the time the book written)

• The book in a nut shell

• A Synopsis (using the K-I-S-S principle)

• Quotes that might be helpful

• Unique Factors

• An inspirational thought

• Quiz

You will discover, hopefully, that other books may sparkle, but this book

burns.

Deutrocanonical: As Anglicans it is to our advantage to secure Bibles

containing Deutrocanonical Scriptures. This is

sometimes referred to as the Apocrypha (means

hidden). We read from it in the regular course of

some of our services. It is not used to establish

doctrine but from it we can be guided and

strengthened in faith.

*

Walk Through the Bible Series

An Introduction by

The Rev’d S. Sebastian Campbell


The Manual

Every religion is governed by a book, which is a deposit of sacred writings

for the given religion. These writings consist of revelations given to heroes

of faith; they reveal the supreme beings plans for His people; His working

among His people.

Activity

Name at least 3 major world religions and the books used:

A. ____________________________________________________

B. ____________________________________________________

C. ____________________________________________________

Oral Tradition

Simply means, word of mouth. The stories in the Bible today were told for

many years around camp fires, and from parent to child, before being

written down. What is the serious draw back you see in this tradition? (The

first licensed Bible was written in 1537 which claimed to be licensed by the

King, after the Bishops requested the King to have a Bible written in English

for all without fear or favour).

Quiz

1. How many books are there in the Old Testament? _____

2. How many books in the New Testament? _____

Questions 3-8, please tick [/] the correct answer.

3. Apocalypse is another name for which book of the Bible?

[ ] a. Revelation

[ ] b. Genesis

[ ] c. Romans


A. The Old Testament (Read Gen. 17)

_____________________ ____________________

B. The New Testament (Read Matthew Ch. 1 introduction in Good

News Bible) _____________________ _____________________

C. Who is the word of God

_____________________ _______________________

The Bible can only be considered the word of God in a secondary

sense, it is only considered the word of God in as far as it shows

forth _____________________ _____________________

The Bible is useless until we allow it to show forth Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the good news of the Bible, therefore one must

study the Bible with the view of receiving and sharing this good

news. (Read St. Luke ch. 24:32)

The Church

The Anglican Church stands on three pillars:

1. _________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

3. Reason has to be brought to bear on the Bible. We understand,

“some people leave their minds behind when studying

scripture” (Barclay). The mind must toil to understand. God

does not spoon feed man. The more a man brings, the more

he gets from it. A man must bring heart and mind to scripture.

Reason is a gift of God.

The Bible is a difficult book, written in a difficult language, coming from a

difficult culture, talking about difficult things. We must bring an open mind

and all the aids possible to help us understand it.

As we study the Bible it is good to have a diverse group with varying points

of view, and to express them, than to have a holy huddle of like-minded

people. Disagreement can be the way to new discovery.


together. Many books did not make it in such as the gospel of Thomas and

the Gospel of Truth, the epistles of Barnabas and Clement etc.

It was during the second half of the second century when references are

first made to the inspired nature of the scriptures. These were literally

hundreds of books from which the fathers had to choose a canon of

scripture. (Discuss why it was necessary to establish a canon of scripture

and then to close it out.) The canon is a process to preserve the community

from some threat to its religious life, whether from heresy or false

teaching. It can be seen as a protective fence against false doctrine.

Exegesis: The Greek verb behind this noun means to

interpret (Eisegesis, a word sometimes used by

way of contrast, would mean reading a meaning

into a text instead of reading the meaning from

it.)

What does this mean, give example?

Proper exegetical approach to scripture is to examine scripture within its

context; we must avoid literal interpretation of scripture. The insight of the

individual exegete in relating the word once written in a past historical

epoch to the needs and situations of his own day remains indispensable.

Simple truths of the Bible can be obscured by the vast amount of

information the Bible contains. (66 books; 1,189 chapters and hundreds of

thousands of words.) That’s why this walk through the Bible Series is

written. It is meant to be simple and most engaging through a commitment

to read each book at a time as we make the approach and through quiz and

dialogue.

Activity

The word Testament signifies an agreement/contract. Between whom

were they made?


4. Different, parts of the Bible were originally written in several

different languages. Which one of these languages is not one of the

original languages?

[ ] a. Latin

[ ] b. Greek

[ ] c. Hebrew

[ ] d. Aramaic

5. Which term is used to refer to the first five books of the Old

Testament?

[ ] a. Pentateuch

[ ] b. Torah

[ ] c. All of the above

6. Which translation of the Bible is sometimes called the Authorized

Version?

[ ] a. King James Version

[ ] b. Revised Standard Version

[ ] c. The Good News Bible

7. To whom did God say, “Be fruitful and multiply”?

[ ] a. Abraham

[ ] b. Solomon

[ ] c. Noah

8. Which of these is incorrectly quoted from the Bible?

[ ] a. “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.”

[ ] b. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

[ ] c. “Many are called but few are chosen.”

[ ] d. “Money is the root of all evil.”

9. Explain the following terms.

B. C. _____________________________________________

B. C. E. _____________________________________________

A. D. _____________________________________________


C. E. _____________________________________________

(Note: The Old Testament covers some two thousand years before Christ.

The New Testament is concerned only with the first century A.D.)

10. How would you best describe the Bible?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

11. What would you say is the central theme that runs throughout the

Bible?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Important Tools in the Study of the Bible

Bible Commentary: A book that provides information and

interpretation to help the reader understand the

biblical text.

(Recommended: William Barclay Series)

Bible Concordance: A listing of Keywords in the Bible, along with the

references where they are found.

Bible Dictionary: A dictionary, that defines all the terms and names

found in the Bible.

Biblical Criticism: The process of applying scientific methods in

studying the text of the Bible. This can address

issues such as date of writing, authorship, exact


translation from one language to the next, cultural

issues that caused various actions.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Manuscripts dating back from the third century

B.C. to the first century A.D. found in 1947-1952 in

caves along the north shore of the Dead Sea. They

include Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts

of parts of the Old Testament. The scrolls are

made of leather, some of papyrus and are

believed to be part of the library of religious

community of essences. They were hidden in jars

for more than 2000 years.

Manuscripts: The word literally means “written by hand”.

Originally each of the books of the Bible was

written by hand, and for many centuries all copies

were also written by hand. None of the original

manuscripts of the Bible is still in existence, but

thousands of handwritten Hebrews and Greek

manuscript fragments have been found i.e. the

Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Oral Tradition: (Discuss in relationship to the Bible).

Canon: The Greek word and kanon means a rule or

measuring rod. It was used in a variety of ways

but especially to imply a standard.

We apply it to the Bible to say “the Canon of Scripture”. This literally

means that the sixty six books of the Bible were singled out from the many

religious/spiritual books in circulation and given the stamp of approval by

the church. The Bible is the Church’s book, written under inspiration with

its books meeting a standard set by the early church fathers. It is said that

the Old Testament had always relatively been fixed and the vast majority of

Christians have even accepted the Apocrypha as part of the Bible. But only

in a piece meal fashion that the canon of the New Testament came

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