1 / 47

The Bible for Grown Ups

Explore the origin, authorship, and continued significance of the Bible in today's world. Discover the complexities of this historical text and how it remains a worldwide bestseller despite challenges. Delve into the metaphorical nature of the Bible as the Word of God in human words.

ericson
Télécharger la présentation

The Bible for Grown Ups

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Bible for Grown Ups Reading the Bible in Today’sWorld Lent 2017 Rathmines

  2. Looking at the Bible - some questions… • What is it? • Where did it come from? • Who wrote it? • How long did it take them? • What languages did they speak? • Why are we still reading it? • What are the problems?

  3. What is it? • BIBLIA = Books (in Greek) • Not just one book but a small library • The Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) • The New Testament (The writings of the early Church)

  4. Where did the Old Testament come from? The Ancient Near East - a world very different from our own!!

  5. Where did the New Testament come from? The Roman Empire – another very different world!!

  6. Who Wrote it? • A lot of different people, • In a lot of different places • We have no original, signed copies! • The people who were writing it didn’t know they were!

  7. Abraham 1800bc Moses and the Israelites 1250 -587bc The Jews and the Diaspora 540bc - 70AD How long did it take them? • The Old Testament • A long period of oral tradition • Long period of writing of different books • Long period of gathering and editing

  8. How long did it take them ? • The New Testament • Early Christian writing begins with Paul • First Gospel is by Mark • Followed by Matthew and Luke who both used Mark • John probably the last and offers a different view

  9. In What Languages? Hebrew (Old Testament) Greek (New Testament)

  10. So why are we still reading it? Still a world wide best seller Translated into thousands of languages Read and proclaimed in Churches around the world “The Word of the Lord ----Thanks be to God”

  11. What are the Problems? Some material is at odds with scientific discovery Seems to promote violence and a negative image of God Some things are just too hard to believe. Fundamentalism

  12. The Bible is…. • The Word of God…. … but how does God talk? Through human beings and their experience…

  13. To describe the Bible as the Word of God is a metaphor that refers to the wonderful and complex reality that isDivine Revelation:The self communication of the Deity

  14. The Bible is the Word of God in Human Words • We understand through words • Words are limited by circumstances in which they are uttered or written • The mindset of the authors • The method chosen (poetry, folk-tale epic, myth, legend) • The historical-critical method of study is necessary in order to establish context.

  15. Thus the Bible is… • A record of the faith community’s understanding of its God – and from a faith perspective it is.. • An inspired record of the experience of faith that reveals who God is and invites a response.

  16. Bible as Word of God in Human Words rbd dabar word- event- experience

  17. Texts that speak about the Word The Word as nourishment….. • He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

  18. The Word as interior gift Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

  19. The Word as God’s effective activity • For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10

  20. Reading Scripture • The Word of God in human words • Reverence and Reason • Engage the head and the heart

  21. Three Steps to understanding a text… • The World behind the text: The historical context at the time of writing – political, religious, economic, cultural influences. • The World within the text What type of writing does the text reflect – what genre? … poetry, narrative, epic, wisdom. • The World in front of the text What might the text be saying to readers today in their specific life situation.

  22. c Historical Events Found in the Biblical Narrative

  23. The Formation of the Bible

  24. First Recorded Reading of the Bible in the Bible • Nehemiah 8:1-18 • After the Babylonian Exile people gathered for Liturgy. • They listened to the Book of the Law (Torah) • Ezra explained the Torah to all the People, he interpreted it so that all could understand clearly. • “Do not be saddened this day because the joy of the Lord is your strength… the people began to celebrate with great joy because they understood the words that had been explained to them.” (Neh 8:10-12)

  25. The Canon of the Old Testament PENTATEUCH: • Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • These books tell the story of People of Israel. • The Creation • Abraham, • Moses and The Exodus • The Covenant

  26. The Historical Books Contents • Joshua, • Judges, • Ruth • 1&2 Samuel, • 1&2Kings, • 1&2 Chronicles, • Ezra and Nehemiah • Esther Tobit, Judith, 1&2 Maccabees • They tell the history of the chosen people in the promised land from the time of the conquest to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587. • The also include stories of personal piety and faithfulness

  27. The Wisdom Books • Job, • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Songs • The Book of Wisdom • Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sirach). • The themes in these writings are varied, ranging from the prayers used in the Temple to reflections on love, suffering and the search for God. • Finally edited in the fourth century

  28. The Prophets • Isaiah, • Jeremiah • Ezekiel, • Daniel • Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. • The Prophet was one called to speak the word of God. • The earliest was Amos (740 bc) the last was probably Malachi (ca 400bc) • Some looked forward to an ideal ruler – Messiah.

  29. Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 12:1-4 The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house for a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.I will bless those who bless you I will curse those who slight you All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’ So Abram went as the Lord told him.

  30. The Power of the Word “God’s Word is unpredictable in its power… The Church has to accept this unruly freedom of the word which accomplishes what it wills in ways that surpass our calculations and ways of thinking.” (The Joy of the Gospel 22)

  31. The Word became Flesh and Lived among Us “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:16-21)

  32. The Problem of the Missing Middle The Christian Churches have tended to read the Gospels through the lens of the Creeds This has resulted in a change of focus We need to read them again from the perspective of why they were written.

  33. NICENE APOSTLES’ For us men and our salvation he came down from heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. ???????????????????????? For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate he suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: ?????????????????????????? Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

  34. Why did they Write? They understood that in the life and public ministry, the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth the deepest longings of the Jewish people had been met. God had answered their centuries old aspirations and acted to save not only the chosen people but the whole world. Jesus summed up this action of God with the phrase Repent and believe the Good News of the Kingdom of God

  35. New Testament Timeline

  36. Map of Palestine at the Time of Jesus

  37. Judaism at the time of Jesus • Jerusalem Temple • Synagogue • Sadducees • Samaritans • Pharisees • Zealots • Essenes • A broad spectrum of messianic hopes and expectations • Apocalyptic perspective expressed in certain movements and literature

  38. The Sources of the Gospels • Individual Memory – doubtless an influence but does not account for the texts of the gospels as we have them. • Community tradition: the link between Jesus and the Gospels is the Christian community that collected, preserved and interpreted these materials as the expression of a vibrant faith (see Luke 1:1-4)

  39. Types of material from and about Jesus • Individual stories and sayings circulated as separate units and where then combined in various ways in the process of tradition and redaction - like stringing beads! • Narrative traditionsMiracle stories, Historical stories, Sayings, Parables

  40. The Synoptic Gospels Mark Q M L Matthew Luke • Q is a source that Luke and Matthew used that contained sayings of Jesus not found in Mark. M and L are sources unique to each evangelist.

  41. Gospel of Mark Focus on Jesus as the Crucified Messiah Theme of the failure of the disciples to understand Context – The Church in Rome after Nero’s Persecution

  42. Gospel of Matthew Focus on Jesus as Fulfilment of the Jewish Scriptures Written for Jewish Christians Jesus is “God with us”

  43. The Gospel of Luke Focus on Jesus as Universal Saviour Written for Gentile Christians Themes of Mercy and Care for the Poor to the fore

  44. The Gospel of John Focus on Jesus the Revealer of the Father Sets aside the narrative of the Synoptics Relies heavily on symbolism and discourse

  45. The Death of Jesus Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of John “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to the disciple behold your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this awre that everyting was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said: “I thirst”. (Jn 19:25-28) “But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit. And behold the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised….” Matt 27:50-53

  46. The Bible for Grown Ups “When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16) “Did not our hearts burn within us as he explained the Scriptures to us along the way” (Luke 24:32)

More Related