How We Got the Bible

How We Got the Bible

DaVinci Code Series 2

2006025

Topic # 18 (origin of Bible)

Introduction:

A. Continue our studies on the origins of the Bible.

B. Two main points in this lesson.

1. We want to focus primarily on the Bible in its earliest form – the manuscripts the bible was written on.

a) It is important to understand that we do NOT possess the original letters/books written by the original authors.

b) But we have manuscripts which are copies of the apostle’s writings in their original language.

2. We will also focus on how we got the books of the bible. Why were some books accepted & others rejected?

3. One of the major claims of the Da Vinci Code is that the Bible is just a collection of books arranged on by the Catholic Church in order to perpetuate a lie.

C. The Bible is not just one book, but many that have been collected and arranged as one.

1. A compilation of sixty-six (66) books; divided into two covenants (testaments).

a) OT – 39 books

b) NT – 27 books

2. The Bible was written in three different languages.

a) Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek

b) OT – Mostly Hebrew, partially Aramaic

c) NT – Greek

d) 40 different authors wrote the Bible over a period of about 1500 years.

I. Old Testament Manuscripts

A. There are 10,000 fragments in existence today; most were discovered in Egypt in 1890.

1. Less than 1000 other manuscripts are known to exist, but most are incomplete.

2. The oldest known complete OT is the Leningrad Codex (1008) – basis of modern OT texts.

3. Other important manuscripts which support modern OT Scriptures.

a. Dead Sea Scrolls – Discovered in 1947; manuscripts from every book but Esther have been found.

b. Septuagint (LXX) – Greek translation of Hebrew OT; version quoted by Christ and His disciples.

B. Due to the great care given by the Massoritic Jews, we can be confident the Old Testament we have is the one written so many years ago.

1. Took great pains to make sure what was written on the page is what was copied on the page.

a. Numbered the verses, words and letters of each book

b. Counted the number of times each letter was used in the book.

c. Calculated the middle verse, middle word and middle letter of each book.

2. If one mistake was made, the entire copy was thrown out.

II. New Testament Manuscripts

A. There are over 5000 complete and fragmentary manuscripts.

1. Many date back as far as the late 1^st century.

a. In comparison to other well known works

1) Homer’s Iliad – 647 manuscripts, 190 complete

2) Caesar’s Gallic Wars – 9 or 10 good manuscripts

3) Tacitus Histories – 2 manuscripts

2. Written in uncial form

b. mostly capital letters; close together with no spaces

B. Three most important New Testament manuscripts

1. Vatican Manuscript – so name because it now resides at the Vatican.

c. Contains most of the New and Old Testaments

2. Sinaitic Manuscript – so named because it was “found” at a monastery on Mt Sinai.

d. Dated to about the mid-400’s AD; second most important document.

3. Alexandrian Manuscript – given to Charles I of England by Cyril Lucar; now resides in the British Library

III. How did we get the books of the Bible we have today?

A. There has been a lot of “noise” in the media lately regarding some newly found books that supposedly shakes the foundations of Christianity.

B. It is thought these new books contradict much of what is written in the New Testament.

1. There is a reason those books are not a part of the Bible: there were not accepted as part of the canon of Scripture.

2. The term canon simply means a rule or standard.

C. Thus, when speaking of the Bible, the term canon refers to the books that are accepted as the rule of faith.

D. The question is, how did the books of our Bible come to be part of the canon? How do we know we have the word of God as He intended?

IV. Tests of Canonicity

A. In order to be accepted as canonical, each book/letter had to meet certain tests to prove it belonged.

1. Authorship – was it a recognized prophet of God or a companion

2. Content

a) Style – Judgment of message

b) Consistency – did it contradict what was already known and accepted

3. Quoted in another authoritative writing

a) Was the writing under consideration quoted in another authoritative book/letter.

4. Early acceptance

a) How well was the writing accepted by its audience

b) Not on a subjective level – i.e. not rejected because one didn’t like what it said.

D. It is important to understand the canon of Scripture was not set by any church or council.

1. Claim by Catholic Church - They gave us our Bible

2. Constantine and the Council of Nicea (325 AD).

a) Emperor called together bishops from around the empire

b) Purpose was to settle disputes, e.g. divinity of Jesus, canon of Scripture, etc.

V. Old Testament Canon

A. By the time of Jesus the OT canon had been set and accepted.

1. The 39 books we have today were not set in order by any one man or group.

a) Rather they were accepted as inspired of God.

2. Lk. 24:44 - Jesus referred to the OT writings.

a) Remember tests of canonicity

b) Jesus refers to these books; what other source of authority do we need?

3. Lk. 11:51; Mt. 23:35 - He also referred to the first and last martyrs of the OT.

4. All but Judges, Chronicles, Esther and Song of Solomon are quoted in the NT.

B. What about the “other” books?

1. Two different types of writings

2. Apocrypha – hidden

a) Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Bel and the Dragon

c) Rejected because of a lack of authority and true prophecy

d) Never accepted as canon by Jews

3. Pseudepigrapha – false writings

a) Jubilee, Adam and Eve, Enoch (Jude 13-14)

b) Generally considered to be false, though not every word is false.

4. Just because a book has some truth, or mostly truth, does not mean it should be accepted as Scripture.

5. We quote from commentaries, books, etc all of the time.

6. Does that mean we should hold those up as Scripture?

VI. New Testament Canon

A. The NT canon is different from the OT canon in that there is no later covenant to help confirm which books are Scripture.

1. By 150 AD the apostle’s writings were being read in the assemblies.

2. Important Timeline

3. 150-200 AD – list of books appears

a) Muratorian Fragment

b) only ones not mentioned – Hebrews to 1 John

4. 3^rd century – Origen names all 27 NT books (before the council of Nicea in 325 – refutes major claim of TDVC)

5. 4^th century – Eusebius names all 27 NT books

6. 367 AD – Athanasius of Alexandria publishes all 27 books accepted during his time/same as today.

7. The 27 books that make up the NT canon meet all of the canonical tests.

8. We can believe and trust that we have the correct books.

Conclusion

A. The Bible we have today has been read and studied by God’s people for thousands of years.

B. No council or church can (or has the right) to set the canon of Scripture.

C. Won’t you trust the Bible and come to the Lord tonight?



How We Got the Bible *DaVinci Code Series 2* 2006025 Topic # 18 (origin of Bible) Introduction: A. Continue our studies on the origins of the Bible. B. Two main points in this lesson. 1. We want to focus primarily on the Bible in its earliest form – the manuscripts the bible was written on. a) It is important to understand that we do NOT possess the original letters/books written by the original authors. b) But we have manuscripts which are copies of the apostle’s writings in their original language. 2. We will also focus on how we got the books of the bible. Why were some books accepted & others rejected? 3. One of the major claims of the Da Vinci Code is that the Bible is just a collection of books arranged on by the Catholic Church in order to perpetuate a lie. C. The Bible is not just one book, but many that have been collected and arranged as one. 1. A compilation of sixty-six (66) books; divided into two covenants (testaments). a) OT – 39 books b) NT – 27 books 2. The Bible was written in three different languages. a) Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek b) OT – Mostly Hebrew, partially Aramaic c) NT – Greek d) 40 different authors wrote the Bible over a period of about 1500 years. I. Old Testament Manuscripts A. There are 10,000 fragments in existence today; most were discovered in Egypt in 1890. 1. Less than 1000 other manuscripts are known to exist, but most are incomplete. 2. The oldest known complete OT is the Leningrad Codex (1008) – basis of modern OT texts. 3. Other important manuscripts which support modern OT Scriptures. a. Dead Sea Scrolls – Discovered in 1947; manuscripts from every book but Esther have been found. b. Septuagint (LXX) – Greek translation of Hebrew OT; version quoted by Christ and His disciples. B. Due to the great care given by the Massoritic Jews, we can be confident the Old Testament we have is the one written so many years ago. 1. Took great pains to make sure what was written on the page is what was copied on the page. a. Numbered the verses, words and letters of each book b. Counted the number of times each letter was used in the book. c. Calculated the middle verse, middle word and middle letter of each book. 2. If one mistake was made, the entire copy was thrown out. II. New Testament Manuscripts A. There are over 5000 complete and fragmentary manuscripts. 1. Many date back as far as the late 1^st century. a. In comparison to other well known works 1) Homer’s Iliad – 647 manuscripts, 190 complete 2) Caesar’s Gallic Wars – 9 or 10 good manuscripts 3) Tacitus Histories – 2 manuscripts 2. Written in uncial form b. mostly capital letters; close together with no spaces B. Three most important New Testament manuscripts 1. Vatican Manuscript – so name because it now resides at the Vatican. c. Contains most of the New and Old Testaments 2. Sinaitic Manuscript – so named because it was “found” at a monastery on Mt Sinai. d. Dated to about the mid-400’s AD; second most important document. 3. Alexandrian Manuscript – given to Charles I of England by Cyril Lucar; now resides in the British Library III. How did we get the books of the Bible we have today? A. There has been a lot of “noise” in the media lately regarding some newly found books that supposedly shakes the foundations of Christianity. B. It is thought these new books contradict much of what is written in the New Testament. 1. There is a reason those books are not a part of the Bible: there were not accepted as part of the canon of Scripture. 2. The term canon simply means a rule or standard. C. Thus, when speaking of the Bible, the term canon refers to the books that are accepted as the rule of faith. D. The question is, how did the books of our Bible come to be part of the canon? How do we know we have the word of God as He intended? IV. Tests of Canonicity A. In order to be accepted as canonical, each book/letter had to meet certain tests to prove it belonged. 1. Authorship – was it a recognized prophet of God or a companion 2. Content a) Style – Judgment of message b) Consistency – did it contradict what was already known and accepted 3. Quoted in another authoritative writing a) Was the writing under consideration quoted in another authoritative book/letter. 4. Early acceptance a) How well was the writing accepted by its audience b) Not on a subjective level – i.e. not rejected because one didn’t like what it said. D. It is important to understand the canon of Scripture was not set by any church or council. 1. Claim by Catholic Church - They gave us our Bible 2. Constantine and the Council of Nicea (325 AD). a) Emperor called together bishops from around the empire b) Purpose was to settle disputes, e.g. divinity of Jesus, canon of Scripture, etc. V. Old Testament Canon A. By the time of Jesus the OT canon had been set and accepted. 1. The 39 books we have today were not set in order by any one man or group. a) Rather they were accepted as inspired of God. 2. Lk. 24:44 - Jesus referred to the OT writings. a) Remember tests of canonicity b) Jesus refers to these books; what other source of authority do we need? 3. Lk. 11:51; Mt. 23:35 - He also referred to the first and last martyrs of the OT. 4. All but Judges, Chronicles, Esther and Song of Solomon are quoted in the NT. B. What about the “other” books? 1. Two different types of writings 2. Apocrypha – hidden a) Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Bel and the Dragon c) Rejected because of a lack of authority and true prophecy d) Never accepted as canon by Jews 3. Pseudepigrapha – false writings a) Jubilee, Adam and Eve, Enoch (Jude 13-14) b) Generally considered to be false, though not every word is false. 4. Just because a book has some truth, or mostly truth, does not mean it should be accepted as Scripture. 5. We quote from commentaries, books, etc all of the time. 6. Does that mean we should hold those up as Scripture? VI. New Testament Canon A. The NT canon is different from the OT canon in that there is no later covenant to help confirm which books are Scripture. 1. By 150 AD the apostle’s writings were being read in the assemblies. 2. Important Timeline 3. 150-200 AD – list of books appears a) Muratorian Fragment b) only ones not mentioned – Hebrews to 1 John 4. 3^rd century – Origen names all 27 NT books (before the council of Nicea in 325 – refutes major claim of TDVC) 5. 4^th century – Eusebius names all 27 NT books 6. 367 AD – Athanasius of Alexandria publishes all 27 books accepted during his time/same as today. 7. The 27 books that make up the NT canon meet all of the canonical tests. 8. We can believe and trust that we have the correct books. Conclusion A. The Bible we have today has been read and studied by God’s people for thousands of years. B. No council or church can (or has the right) to set the canon of Scripture. C. Won’t you trust the Bible and come to the Lord tonight?