Understanding the Bible

Objectives: Through this subject the students are aimed to

-Know the origin of the biblical tradition
-Help to understand the biblical time
-Able to understand the context of the biblical origin
-Know to read the bible meaningfully and understand its message better.

Scope of studying the Bible

The Divine Nature of the Word: Understanding and Recognizing the Bible as God's Word to
man.
The Human Form of the Word: Listening, Understanding and Recognizing the Divine Word
which comes to us in the form of human words.
The Call to Respond to the Word: How to respond to God's Word in prayer.

God's Revelation in OT
In the beginning God created everything by his own word, and provided everything
for the man's needs. He manifested Himself to our first parents from the very beginning. He
invited all the humans to have an intimate communion with himself and clothed them with
resplendent grace and justice. God did not break his covenant with humans even though the
human beings disobeyed him. But always promised the people the hope of salvation, by
promising redemption and he has never ceased to show his solitude for the human race God
always wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in doing God's
will.
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is the word of God. God is one. The plan of God in OT & NT is also one. The
divine inspiration of New Testament and Old Testament is also one. Therefore the Old
Testament is a preparation for the New Testament and the New Testament is the fulfillment
of the Old Testament, from this point of view we can understand these two testaments.
Both testaments share the same divine salvation mystery on each other. The aim is
to show the fulfillment, unity of the God's plan of salvation in Old Testament as well as in the
New Testament through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Difference between Inspiration and Dictation

The dictation is when a person says something, and another records it exactly as is stated.
The one doing the writing is only a recorder and none of his style, vocabulary, and influence
occur in the finished product. Whereas, Inspiration, as it refers to the Bible, is the work of
God through a person, where what God wants to be said is accomplished via the style and
vocabulary of the individual writer. This does not happen with dictation. In inspiration, God
inspires an individual to writer something but what is written reflects the style of the one
doing the [Link] excludes the style of the one doing the writing and is instead an
exact copy of what is said by the dictator.

The sacred scripture is written down with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through
human authors of the sacred books. To compose the sacred books God chose some certain
men to employ in this task, made them to use their full faculties and powers so that He
acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they were consigned to write
whatever that God wanted to be written.
 Purposes of studying the Bible
First of all, for being able to listen to God in Bible, man must recognize that God
speaks to man. Second part of this course deals with the human form of the divine Word.
When God revealed himself through Jesus He revealed Him in human form.
Final part of the course will deals with practical implications on how to enter into a
prayerful contact with the mystery of the divine Word and on how to turn knowledge into
fruitful reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.
God's Revelation in NT
God had spoken to our forefathers and prophets he has spoken in these last days to
us through his Son. God has spoken everything through him to the world. The new covenant
in the New 45Testament therefore will never pass away because Jesus' words are still alive
in every human. It is a life- giving word God revealed His complete being through Jesus Christ
our Lord. He did not even neglect to sacrifice His own son for the salvation of each one of us.
It is the most highest form of love expressed in the biblical history.

The Sacred Scripture

God is the author of the sacred scripture and He wants to speak with human,
because He wants to reveal Himself to men. God speaks to them in human language, so the
words expressed in the bible are like a human language form. In sacred scripture, the church
constantly finds the nourishment and the strength, for it doesn't welcome the God's word as
human word but the divine word as well as the word of God.
THE BIBLE
The Bible takes its name from the Greek word Ta Biblia ('The book') which comes
from the Latin, Biblia Sacra ('Sacred books').
Chrysostom appears to be the first writer who used the Greek phrase ta biblia first
time to describe both the Old and New Testaments together.

Inspiration is not automatic writing but it is the Spirit of God moves the hand of the
writer. And therefore, in the Bible the style of Paul the apostle is different than that of John
which is also different than Luke which is different than Peter.
Each person used their own style and vocabulary. Yet, every word in the Bible is
inspired by God because it has been directed by the work of the Holy Spirit through the
individuals who wrote the word.
Though there might be different styles and uses the vocabulary, the themes are
consistent. Furthermore, this means that in inspiration the original documents are without
error because they are from God even though they are expressed through the personalities
of the people who wrote the books of the Bible.

Books of the Old Testament

Inspiration and Truth of the Bible
The Bible is at the same time a human and divine book because it has as its author
both God and man, and both are truly authors. God through the Spirit inspired and guided
and assisted the human author. At the same time it is also true that the human author made
his genuine contribution. The Bible gives us the Word of God. But this word comes to us in
words of men. The Bible comes to us in the language, historical environment, world view,
culture, and mentality of the people of Israel through whom God gave us His Word.

ii) The Wisdom Books: Psalms, Lamentations, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Job,
Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
iii) Prophetic Books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and then the minor prophets, Hosea,
Amos, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Micah and
Malachi.

Pentateuch and Islam

• The Muslims call Torah as Tawrat. Tawrat is an Arabic word and it means Law
• This Law was given to Musa by Allah. Here Musa is Moses. Some similarities of Torah and
Tawrat are Moses, Abraham and Noah and there are also differences in Abraham's
sacrificing his son Isaac (Abraham sacrifices Ishmael- Islam)
• Tawrat (Torah) is inferior to Koran because the Jews and Christians modified it.

The Nature of God's Word

Adobe Acrobel Biblical understanding of the term 'word' (Logos) is not just
something intellectual but principally related to 'action' or the 'event.' The term for 'word' in
Hebrew is "Dabar'. It has the connotation of a reality and the most often the appropriate
translation of "dabar" is. 'EVENT.'
God reveals himself through His actions. God's word is an event because what God
says takes place.

Former prophets: Joshua, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings. This also includes the non-writings
prophets such as Elijah and Elisha.
Later prophets: these are the preachers of Israel. They are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the
12 minor prophets.
iii) Ketubvim: there are eleven books in this section: Psalms, Job, Proverb, Ruth, Song of
Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentation, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles.

Differences between Catholic and Protestant Bible

1. The protestant bible has 39 books while Catholic Bible has 46 books.
2. The protestant bible does not have the Deuterocanonical books. Because the protestants
accept only the books of the Hebrew Canon.
3. The arrangements of the Books of the OT

Meaning of Pentateuch
This term comes from two Greek words
- Penta means five, Teuch means scroll.
-Teuch can also mean Law or Instruction
-The word Pentateuch means five scrolls or five books.

TaNak
The Holy Book of Judaism is known as TaNak or Hebrew Scripture. The Hebrew
Canon is divided into 3 parts. The word TaNak signifies the 3 parts of the Hebrew Scripture.

T- Torah- Law
N- Nebiim- Prophets
K- Ketubim- Writings

The Pentateuch and Jews

• Jews consider these five books as their foundational religious texts.
• According to Rabbis, Pentateuch contains 613 commandments and among them, 248 are
Positive commandments and 365 are Negative commandments.
• Torah reading is important for them. It is celebrated as solemn ceremony: Torah and Ark
are their important treasures.
Nowadays, they go to the synagogue three days in a week like Saturday, Monday
and Thursday.
Divisions of the Bible: Jewish Tradition
The Hebrew Bible has 24 books
The Jewish canon is divided into three parts as follows,
i) Torah- The first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy.
ii) Nebiim- There are eight books in this section: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the twelve minor prophets.

Nevi'im is further divided into two parts like former prophets and later prophets.

The Uniqueness of the Bible

Bible is different from all other books. It is a living book because it contains the life-giving
Word of God. This book can give life to people. Through the pages of this book God
continues to speak to man and reveals himself to human beings. Through the pages of this
book we can encounter a person, and this is the fundamental reason for the greatness of
this book. This book contains the divine presence.

Division of the Bible: Catholic Tradition

There are 46 books in the OT
According to the catholic tradition, the OT is divided into three parts as follows,

i) Pentateuch and Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2
Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Judith and 1&2 Maccabees.

The Origin and Background of the Bible

Apocryphal Books
These are books remain outside the Catholic Canon. The Protestants consider them
as false writings. They are as follows, 1&2 Esdras, 3&4 Maccabees, Enoch, Jubilees, Psalms of
Solomon, Testaments of twelve Patriarchs, Sibylline Oracles, Testament of Abraham, etc...

Which were the languages the Sacred Scriptures were translated at the beginning?
• Original text- Hebrew and Aramaic (OT) (Jews forgot Hebrew) and NT- Greek
• The First translation to Greek- Septuagint (3 BC-3 AD)
• Second Translation to Latin by Jerome (2 AD-4 AD)- Vulgate.

Divisions of the Bible: Protestant Tradition

The protestants have 39 books in their bible.
i) Law: The first five books
ii) Prophets: Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos,
Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi and Zachariah.
iii) Writings: 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.
Meaning of the term Torah
TORAH: It is the Hebrew term derived from the verb yarah (to teach, to instruct or to
educate).
The literary meaning of Torah is instruction, teaching, education.
The word Pentateuch took its root from different origin,
Hebrew- pěn'tə-took', -tyook'
Greek- penta + teukhos- Pentateukhos
Latin- Pentateuchus
English- Pentateuke which later became Pentateuch