INTRODUCTION
Did you ever throw a stone or pebble and try to skip it across a pond? Well, as we go through this little bible study, that's about how it's going to go. Skipping along, over so much material, landing briefly on one topic or another, only to move along again to another one about the Scriptures. There are a million resources out there on the bible - its history; its meaning; how to read and study it; and more. Book by book. Topic by topic. You name it.
This weekly "study" is certainly not meant to be an all inclusive study of the bible. As seminarians, we took lots of courses on the bible, both the Old and New Testaments, and still, despite having world class teachers, we only got a brief glimpse of what the bible is all about. One of the things that I was interested in when I started in my seminary training was how the bible came to be...the bible. Who made the decisions as to which books were included, and which were not? Why are there other "gospels" out there, not in the bible? What is the Apocrypha, and why is that included in Roman Catholic bibles and Orthodox bibles, but not others? What are inter-testamental readings?
Let's review quickly. 66 is the number. 39 (Old Testament); 27 (New Testament) books of the bible. Got that? Great. Now, we move on. The numbers of books in the bible are different for our Roman Catholic friends, and our Orthodox friends. For example, the Apocrypha is part of the Roman Catholic bible. Also called the "intertestamental" literature. Books that were written between the Old and New Testament. Maybe one of more of your own bibles contains the Apocrypha.
TRANSLATIONS
So many translations, so little time! I'll bet you have more than one bible in your house. Am I right on that? And I'll bet at least one of them is the King James Version. Maybe you were given it by your parents, or through your church. The KJV was commissioned by, wait for it...King James VI, of England, in 1611 or thereabouts. It came about after a decade or more of planning and preparation. Most theologians feel that the KJV of the bible, in both the OT and NT, are the closest to the original languages of Hebrew and Greek/ I don't know about you, but while I appreciate the authenticity, the language is hard for me to read. It's way different from the language we use today. But that's just my opinion.
The Lutheran Church, and many Protestant denominations, typically use something called the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version.). This version is more accessible language-wise, and more gender neutral in many ways. It's what we use here most Sundays at Living Lord. While there are many, many different translations of the bible, (e.g. NIV; NASV - New American Standard Version, and others) there is one I'd highly recommend you look at, if you're ever in the market for a new bible. And that is The Message, by Eugene Peterson. It's at variance somewhat from the KJV certainly, but I like it's accessible language, and its easy reading style. I often use it when I prepare my sermon notes because it's easy to understand. So check it out.
READING THE BIBLE AS "CANON"
No, not the big gun, cannon. But canon. Think "collection". The bible evolved over centuries, based on how well they served their respective communities of faith. They weren't chosen by a "bible committee" or other governing body. But instead, were adopted by communities of faith - the people of God from generation to generation. Some books "made the cut" based on their usefulness and relevance to their respective communities, and others didn't make the cut, so to speak. Those that dropped off are still around, but have not been included in the "canon" of the bible.
In the NT, for example, the four gospels, of course, gathered support because of the witness of the writers to the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus himself. Paul's letters also commanded much attention in the day - more so than other lesser books. 2 Peter, for example. I'm often asked if there will ever be any additions to the current canon, or collection of 66 books. For the life of me, I just can't see it, although nothing is impossible. It's just that this particular collection we call the bible today for most of us, is sufficient for teaching and witnessing about God in the world. It would take a major sea change for this to come about. So, settle in, pick up your bible, open it to a random passage. Put your finger on it, and read a few verses. Have some fun trying to come up with a sermon on it for any Sunday based on what you read.
As we move along, we'll dig deeper into the bible, looking at specific passages, books, and more. In the meantime, I hope this will spark your interest in picking up your bible, whatever version you may have), blowing the dust off of it, and hearing and feeling the Word of God come alive. Amen.
Pastor Greg