Brush up your Bible

Getting into it, or getting back to it — it helps to remember the basics

The Bible is an amazing book. Since the invention of the printing press made it available to the ordinary man and woman, it has sold literally millions of copies, been translated into hundreds of languages, and caused the course of history to be changed.

Walk into any Christian bookstore and you'll be gobsmacked by the variety of Bibles on offer — different translations and transcriptions, study Bibles, pocket Bibles, women's Bibles, teen's Bibles, parallel, illustrated — the list goes on. But no Bible is any use to you if you don't pick it up and read it.

Here are some tips on the Bible — how to buy one, how to read one, how to change your life with one.

Why read it?

Luther described the Scriptures as "the swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies ... plain and ordinary are the swaddling clothes, but dear is the Treasure, Christ, which lies in them".

Another way of thinking about the Bible is as a series of love letters from God. It is in Scripture that we hear God's voice and his designs for us. As St John of Patmos wrote, "Happy is the one who reads this book…and takes to heart what is written in it." (Revelation 1:3)

Which Bible?

Christians are spoiled for choice when it comes to Bibles, and it's easy to be daunted by it. A good place to start is to ask your friends which versions they use — an experienced Bible reader should be able to give valuable insight and guidance.

It's probably wise to buy one that is built to last — you'll be spending the rest of your life flicking through the pages, underlining passages, and making notes. A hardcover is handy, and you can also buy zippered covers with pockets for pens and papers, which can be useful.

Some Bibles include extensive study notes which help to explain the meanings behind certain words and expressions, or to link one line of scripture with one from another book. The more you read, the more you'll appreciate how much the books of the Bible reference each other. Study notes are a boon, but they do make the Bible big and heavy to handle.

Using the same version as we use in worship has merit — that way what you hear at church will sound the same as what you read at home. We currently use the TNIV (Today's New International Version) at St Paul's.

A Bible by iteslf is great, but there are also many tools to help (see box right).

Bible basics

The word Bible comes from the Greek word 'biblios' which means 'the book'. The Christian Bible however is not one single book but a library of 66 books — 39 in the Old and 27 in the New Testament.

There is no single author of the Bible. It was written by at least 40 people, with some books having more than one author, over a period of 1600 years. Some books are attributed to certain writers but are likely to have been written under their auspices by someone else.

The word testament means covenant or agreement and here refers to God's contract with his chosen people — the Israelites to begin with, and later the early Christians.

The books of the Bible were written in Hebrew, Aramaic or Koine (common) Greek. All English Bibles are translations from these original languages.

The Bible uses different types of literature including poetry, prose, allegory, wisdom, and prophecy to mention a few. Part of the joy and challenge of reading Scripture is to understand the type of literary technique being used, why the writer chose it and what it means for us today.

Origins of the Bible

The Old Testament

Most Biblical scholars propose that the Old Testament writings were composed between 1500BC and 200BC. They are traditionally divided into three sections:

• The Law or Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy). This was probably in use in its current form by the time of David (circa 1000BC).
• Prophets. The Prophets are divided into Former and Latter, with the Former covering Israel's history until the end of the Babylonian captivity. These books were finalised around 450BC.
• Writings. Some of the Writings were completed before the Exile, and some afterwards.

The Jewish canon (or approved setof books) was finalised by Jewish religious leaders about 90AD. It seems certain that the Old Testament that Jesus knew and used contained the same 39 books that we know today.

It's important to note that the books are not arranged chronologically — the OT is not meant to be just a history text book.

The New Testament

The earliest known manuscripts or fragments containing New Testament writings date from 130AD. There are also two excellent parchment copies of the entire New Testament which date from the fourth century.

The Scroll of Isaiah, copies of which have been recovered in several of the Qumran caves amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls, is the oldest manuscript we have of a complete book of the Bible, although several older fragments of other books have been found. It was originally copied out by the Community of the Essenes, Qumran (around 150 BC-68 AD). Scroll through it and even read the original handwriting at http://www.imj.org.il/shrine_center/isaiah_scrolling/index.html

Many Bible scholars are now of the opinion that the NT was written before 100AD, with the first texts being written as early as 40AD.

The early Christian church considered the NT writings authoritative because they were connected with eye-witnesses to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and were used in the worship life of the church.

The New Testament we have today was collected by the Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius, in 367AD. By 400AD this canon was generally accepted in the Western Church, with the Eastern Church following some time after.

Theology of the Bible

The Bible does not merely contain God's word; it is the Word of God. Having said that, the Bible doesn't tell us all that there is to know about God and His will. What it does tell us is what is sufficient for us to know. The Bible is testimony to Jesus Christ, God's living and incarnate word.

Both the Old and New Testaments are authoritative for Christians as God's Word. Jesus himself spoke of the OT being God's words for us and quoted them regularly.

Without the Old Testament, the New Testament makes little sense, and the Old Testament is robbed of its fulfilment in Christ without the New Testament.

Divinely inspired, fully human

Unlike the Koran or the Book of Mormon, which are believed by their followers to be purely divine, the Bible is the Word of God written in the words of human beings. It is therefore both fully human and fully divine.

The fact that God speaks directly and uniquely through the Bible does not reduce the Biblical writers to typewriters. Each book gives clear evidence of its human history and authorship. The authors retain the distinctive features of their personalities, backgrounds, and historical contexts, reflected in their language and knowledge of nature and history.

In working through human writers, God 'accommodated' himself to their limitations. The human and divine sides to the Bible cannot be unravelled.

How does God's Word work?

God's Word works in two crucial ways. On the one hand it works as Law, revealing to us our sin, and driving us to repent. On the other hand it works as Gospel, giving us God's grace through faith in Christ. Almost any passage of Scripture can function as both Law and Gospel in the life of the reader.

The Word of God is the vehicle of the Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures and us

To truly affirm the authority of Scripture is to give it authority in our lives. While the Bible is always the Word of God even if we don't read it, it becomes the Word of God for us when we take it up and use it in our lives.

Next time: Why should we have QT with God, and how do we do it?

Study aids

Reading the Bible on its own is a great way of getting closer to God and His plan for you. But to learn more, having the right tools is very helpful. Here are some suggestions:

These days many Bible study resources are available online at no cost, such as Crosswalk Bible Study Tools (www.crosswalk.com). You can also purchase excellent Bible study software for your computer.

Kathy Mildred
Adapted from materials prepared by
Pastor Greg Priebbenow