History of the Bible

define: bible“A book

considered authoritative in

its field: the bible of Kerala cooking”

define: Bibleta biblia

τα βιβλια

Bible Etymology

• Christians started using the term in 223 AD

• John Chrysostom, in 386 AD, was the first writer to use the term for the Old and New Testaments together

Number of Books

How many books in the Old Testament?

Hebrew/Protestant 39

Catholic 46

Eastern Orthodox 51

Number of Books

How many books in the New Testament?

27

The Books

Name all the Old Testament books

Old Testament Books1. Genesis2. Exodus3. Leviticus4. Numbers5. Deuteronomy6. Joshua7. Judges8. Ruth9. 1 Samuel10.2 Samuel11.1 Kings12.2 Kings13.1 Chronicles14.2 Chronicles15.Ezra16.Nehemiah17.Esther18. Job19.Psalms20.Proverbs

21.Ecclesiastes22.Song of Solomon23. Isaiah24. Jeremiah25.Lamentations26.Ezekiel27.Daniel28.Hosea29. Joel30.Amos31.Obadiah32. Jonah33.Micah34.Nahum35.Habakkuk36.Zephaniah37.Haggai38.Zechariah39.Malachi

Pentateuch5 Books of Moses

Historical Books

Wisdom Books

Major Prophets

Twelve Minor Prophets

The Books

Name all the New Testament books in order

New Testament Books1. Matthew2. Mark3. Luke4. John5. Acts6. Romans7. 1 Corinthians8. 2 Corinthians9. Galatians10. Ephesians11. Philippians12. Colossians13. 1 Thessalonians14. 2 Thessalonians

15. 1 Timothy16. 2 Timothy17. Titus18. Philemon19. Hebrews20. James21. 1 Peter22. 2 Peter23. 1 John24. 2 John25. 3 John26. Jude27. Revelation

Gospels

Pauline EpistlesGeneral Epistles

Timing

Over what period was the Old Testament written?

1500 BC to 400 BCSparta vs Persia

Catapult invented

London founded

Rigveda being written

Mexico emerges

Bronze helmet invented

Bible written

Old Testament Chronology4000 BC to 1 AD

Timing

Over what period was the New Testament written?

60 AD to 90 AD

Lions extinctin Western Europe

Pompeii destroyed

Book bindinginvented Buddhism reaches

China

Timing

What happened to scriptural writing between 400 BC to Jesus?

1 Esdras2 Esdras

TobitJudith

Additions to EstherWisdom

Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)Baruch

Letter of JeremiahPsalm 151

Song of the Three Children (Daniel)Story of Susanna (Daniel)

Bel and the Dragon (Daniel)Prayer of Manasses

1 Maccabees2 Maccabees3 Maccabees4 Maccabees

Epistle to the LaodiceansOdes

Deuterocanonical books (Apocrypha)

New Testament Apocrypha

Gospels ActsGospel of the EbionitesGospel of the HebrewsGospel of the NazarenesGospel of MarcionGospel of ManiGospel of ApellesGospel of BardesanesGospel of BasilidesGospel of ThomasGospel of PeterGospel of NicodemusGospel of BartholomewQuestions of BartholomewResurrection of Jesus Christ

Acts of AndrewActs of BarnabasActs of JohnActs of the MartyrsActs of PaulActs of Paul and TheclaActs of PeterActs of Peter and AndrewActs of Peter and PaulActs of Peter and the TwelveActs of PhilipActs of PilateActs of ThomasActs of TimothyActs of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca

New Testament ApocryphaEpistles Apocalypses

Epistle of BarnabasEpistles of ClementEpistle of the Corinthians to PaulEpistle of Ignatius to the SmyrnaeansEpistle of Ignatius to the TralliansEpistle of Polycarp to the PhilippiansEpistle to DiognetusEpistle to the LaodiceansEpistle to Seneca the YoungerThird Epistle to the Corinthians

Apocalypse of PaulApocalypse of PeterApocalypse of Pseudo-MethodiusApocalypse of ThomasApocalypse of StephenFirst Apocalypse of JamesSecond Apocalypse of JamesThe Shepherd of Hermas

New Testament ApocryphaMary Miscellaneous

The Home Going of MaryThe Falling asleep of the Mother of GodThe Descent of Mary

Apostolic ConstitutionsBook of NeposCanons of the ApostlesCave of TreasuresClementine literatureDidacheLiturgy of St JamesPenitence of OrigenPrayer of PaulSentences of SextusPhysiologus

Length

What is the longest book in the Bible?

1. Genesis2. Jeremiah3. Psalms4. Ezekiel

38,267 words42,659 words43,743 words39,407 words

Length

What is the shortest book in the Bible?

1. Jude2. 3 John3. Philemon4. Obadiah

613 words299 words445 words670 words

English Translations

Name as many English translations as possible (either acronym or full name)

English TranslationsAcronym NameAMP Amplified BibleASV American Standard VersionCEB Common English BibleCEV Contemporary English VersionDARBY Darby TranslationDRA Douay-RheimsERV Easy-to-Read VersionESV English Standard VersionGNT Good News Translation/BibleGNV Geneva BibleGW God's WordHCSB Holman Christian Standard BibleKJV King James VersionKNOX Knox BibleLEB Lexham English BibleMSG The Message

English TranslationsAcronym NameNAB New American BibleNASB New American Standard BibleNCV New Century VersionNET New English Translation

NIrVNew International Reader’s Version

NIV New International VersionNJB New Jerusalem BibleNKJV New King James VersionNLT New Living TranslationNLV New Life VersionNRSV New Revised Standard VersionRSV Revised Standard VersionTLB The Living Bible

TNIVToday’s New International Version

WYC Wycliffe’s BibleYLT Young’s Literal Translation

English Translations

Name an English translation before the King James Version

NamePublishe

dWycliffe's Bible 1395Tyndale Bible 1530Cloverdale Bible 1535Matthew Bible 1537Great Bible 1539Taverner's Bible 1539Geneva Bible 1560Bishops' Bible 1568Douay-Rheims 1610King James Version 1611

Reformation (1517)

Non-English Translations

PeshittaSeptuagi

ntTanakhVulgate

GreekHebrewLatinSyriac

Match the language to the translation

Hebrew Bible

TaNaKhTorah

TeachingNevi’imProphets

KetuvimWritings

21.Nahum22.Habakkuk23.Zephaniah24.Haggai25.Zechariah26.Malachi27.Psalms28.Proverbs29. Job30.Song of Solomon31.Ruth32.Lamentations33.Ecclesiastes34.Esther35.Daniel36.Ezra37.Nehemiah38.1 Chronicles39.2 Chronicles

1. Genesis2. Exodus3. Leviticus4. Numbers5. Deuteronomy6. Joshua7. Judges8. 1 Samuel9. 2 Samuel10.1 Kings11.2 Kings12. Isaiah13. Jeremiah14.Ezekiel15.Hosea16. Joel17.Amos18.Obadiah19. Jonah20.Micah

Hebrew Bible

Torah

Nevi’im Ketuvim

Hebrew BibleMasoretic Text

• Created by Masorete Jews between 700 AD to 1000 AD

• Used by Jews today as their scripture

Hebrew BibleMasoretic Text

• Controversy– Used corrupted texts (compared with

DSS and LXX)– Used a different script

– Added vowel points through oral tradition

– Changes to prophecy and doctrine

Paleo-Hebrew(1000 to 500

BC)

Modern Hebrewor Assyrian script(500 BC +)

Hebrew BibleDead Sea Scrolls

• Also called Qumran

• 972 texts discovered between 1946 and 1956

• Found by Bedouinshepherds in jars ina cave

Hebrew BibleDead Sea Scrolls

• Dated between 408 BC and 318 AD

• Written in Hebrew,Aramaic & Greek onparchment/vellum,papyrus and bronze

• Many texts similar (suggesting an ancestor with the Masoretic Text), but some substantially different

Septuagint

• Greek Old Testament dated ~200 BC• Meaning: Translation of the seventy

[interpreters]• LXX is the abbreviation• Commissioned by Ptolemy II

Philadelphus, Greek King of Egypt–Many of the Alexandrian Jews weren’t

fluent in Hebrew but in Greek

Septuagint

• Included some apocryphal books• Early Christians used it and the New

Testament apostles quoted it• Jews started to abandon its use in

around 200 AD because– It was associated with early Christianity– Some translation differences compared

to contemporary Hebrew scriptures

Peshitta

• Means “simple version/straight” in Syriac

Peshitta

• The origins are unknown, but probably translated in 200 AD

• Old Testament translated from Hebrew/Septuagint

• New Testament translated from Greek(?)

Peshitta

• Widely circulated in the East–Manuscripts found in Middle East, Egypt,

India and China

• Originally excluded 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude and Revelation but included by 500 AD

Vulgate

• Means “commonly used translation”• Translated from 382 AD by St. Jerome

Vulgate

• Commissioned by Pope Damasus I• Was originally intended to be a

revision of existing Latin texts, but scope creep

• Supposedly first translation into Latin from Hebrew, but also used Septuagint among other translations

• Became the definitive version in Western Europe until 1530 AD

Vulgate

• Many Latin words were brought from the Vulgate into English:

CreatioSalvatioJustificatioTetamentumSanctificatioRegeneratio

RapturaPublicanusApostolusEvangeliumAngelus

Vulgate

• Many copy errors until advent of printing in 1400 AD– Usually took around 10 months to copy by

hand– First major book printed in Europe–Many subsequent editions/revisions

• The latest in 1979

• St. Jerome preferred excluding apocrypha, but deferred to church authority

Chapters/Verses

What century were chapters introduced?

Chapters/Verses

• Hebrew Bible (Masoretic & DSS) originally divided into paragraphs– ף, ס <insert text here> פ

• In 1205, Archbishop Stephen Langton devised a system that is used today for chapters

Chapters/Verses

• In 1551, Robert Estiennecame up with themodern versenumbering system

മലയാ�ളം� Translation

1811 Claudius Buchannan and Phillipose Ramban translated the Gospels

1841 Complete Bible printed by Anglican missionary, Benjamin Bailey

1872 Hemann Gundert updated Bailey’s version and also produced the first Malayalam-English dictionary

മലയാ�ളം� Translation

• Prior to 16th century, St. Thomas Christians used a version of the Peshitta

• Official lectionaries of Mar Thoma church exclude the five New Testament books

So which Bible should you use?