Real LifeAdult Bible Fellowship

August 23, 2015

ABF

Begins September 13, 2015

An Overview of

Eschatology

Fall 2015

RReeaall LLiiffee AABBFF

Aug. 9th What is the Bible?

Aug. 16th John & Erin Brennan

Aug. 23rd Is the Bible Complete?

Aug. 30th Which Translation is Best?

Sep. 6th Can We Trust the Bible?

Series Schedule � Can We Trust the Bible?

Vocabulary Lesson

CanonApocryphaPseudepigraphaGnostic

2 Timothy 3:16All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting andtraining in righteousness.

Shepherd of HermasDidachéActs of Barnabas1 Clement1 & 2 Apologies of Justin MartyrAgainst all HeresiesDialogue with Trypo

Contenders for Canonicity

Arabic Gospel of the InfancyArmenian Gospel of the InfancyBartholomew's Book of the

Resurrection of ChristGospel of BartholomewGospel of BasilidesGospel of Birth of MaryGospel of EbionitesGospel According to the

Hebrews Protevangelium of JamesHistory of Joseph the Carpenter

Gospel of MarcionGospel of MatthiasGospel of NazarenesGospel of PeterGospel of PhilipGospel of Pseudo-MatthewGospel of ThomasGospel of Judas

*There are also some apocryphal Acts

The Hidden Gospels

Apostolic History of AbdiasActs of Andrew Story of Andrew Acts of Andrew and Matthias Acts of Andrew and PaulActs of BarnabasActs of BartholomewAscents of JamesActs of JohnActs of John by ProchorusActs of MartyrsActs and Martyrdom MatthewActs of PaulActs of Paul and TheclaActs of Peter

Passion of Peter Preaching of PeterSlavonic Acts of PeterActs of Peter and AndrewActs of Peter and PaulPassion of Peter and PaulActs of Peter and the Twelve DisciplesActs of PhilipActs of PilateActs of Simon and Judas Acts of ThaddaeusActs of Thomas

The Hidden Acts

Abgarus and the Letters of ChristEpistle of the ApostlesEpistle of Barnabas3 CorinthiansEpistle to the LaodiceansEpistle of LentulusEpistles of Paul and Seneca Epistle of Titus Narrative of Joseph of

Arimathaea

Epistles of ClementEpistles of PolycarpEpistles of IgnatiusThe Gospel of Mary (Magdalene)

*Many liberal scholars have considered 2 Peter and Jude to be apocryphal also.

The Hidden Epistles & Others

Tobit (Tobias)JudithEsther (Greek)The Wisdom of Solomon

(Wisdom)Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)BaruchThe Letter of Jeremiah*Azariah and The Three

Jews*Susanna*Bel and the Dragon*

1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees1 EsdrasThe Prayer of Manasseh*Psalm 151*3 Maccabees*2 Esdras4 Maccabees*

*In RSV and NRSV but not in Douay-Rheims

Let�s Meet the Apocrypha

2 Maccabees 12:44-45 (RSV)For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

From the Apocrypha

2 Maccabees 12:46 (Douay-Rheims)It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

(This passage is not in the Revised Standard Version)

From the ApocryphaPraying for the Dead

The Bible is a unique book:Containing 66 booksWritten by 40 writersWritten over period of 1,600 yearsWith one consistent story lineWritten by one author � God

By the 3rd Century, Origen & Clement Referred to Collection of Scriptures as:

Fixed in number

Divine in origin

Universal in authority

The Old Testament CanonThe Jews had a clearly defined body of Scripture; what we know as the Old Testament:The Law (Torah) � aka Pentateuch � 1st 5 books of BibleThe Prophets (Neviim) � the prophets plus Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, and 1&2 KingsThe Writings (Kethubim) � aka Hagiographa � remainder of OT books

The Old Testament CanonBooks of the OT Canon were written at or near time of historical setting.

Josephus recognized 22 books (the 39 OT books) as the Jewish record of history (AD 90 �Council of Jamnia).

Jewish reckoning closes the OT at about 450 BC with the book of Malachi (no prophet in the land for 400 years)

The Apocrypha14 or 15 (18 in RSV) books known as the Apocrypha were written between the OT and NT � 400 year period

The Apocrypha were never used as authorities by the Jews, Josephus, or Jesus and the apostles.

The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches add these to their canon, in some cases to support extrabiblicaldoctrines (were translated into the Authorized KJV in 1611).

Apostles used and quoted extensively from the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the OT, but never from the Apocrypha.

The New Testament CanonEarliest complete list of NT books is the MuratorianCanon, dated around AD 150.

Muratorian Canon included 4 Gospels, Acts, 13 Pauline letters, 2-3 letters of John, Jude, and Revelation. All were �accepted by the universal church.�

Only 4 Gospels were ever used by the church.

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon around AD 177, quoted from it over 1,000 times (with exception of Philemon, 3 John, 2 Peter, Hebrews, Jude and possibly James) in his work, Against Heresies, which refuted the Gnostic writings. Called the NT books �the Scriptures� given by the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament CanonEven original Gnostics only ever referred to our 4 Gospels in their writings.

In addition to the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and thirteen letters of Paul were all accepted without question from the earliest records known today. Apart from James, Jude, 2 and 3 John, 2 Peter, Hebrews, and Revelation all other New Testament books had been universally accepted by AD 180. Only a few churches hesitated over these .

They are all so different from the apostolic letters.

Not one of them appears among the books used as Scripture by the early churches.

All were written far too late to have come from the hand of an apostle.

Many of the details in them are hopelessly inaccurate.

Note: There are no doctrines of the church that are in jeopardy because of �variants.�

The Pseudepigrapha (�false writing�)

Significance of Irenaeus

IrenaeusIrenaeus of Lyons, one of the most able defenders of the faith, around AD 180 quoted over 1,000 passages from all but four or five New Testament books, and called them �the Scriptures� given by the Holy Spirit.

Irenaeus � Bishop of Lyons (AD 177)

�It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are, since there are four zones of the world . . . and four principle winds.�

Irenaeus � Bishop of Lyons (AD 177)

�The Church, having received this preaching and this faith although scattered throughout the whole world, yet as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it . . .

Irenaeus � Bishop of Lyons (AD 177)�For the churches that have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different, nor do those of Spain, nor those in Gaul [France], nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world . . .

Irenaeus � Bishop of Lyons (AD 177)

�Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches, however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these.�

Patristic QuotationsChurch Fathers Year of Death (AD)Ambrose of Milan 397Ambrosiaster of Rome Late 4th CenturyAthanasius, Bishop of Alexandria 373Augustine, Bishop of Hippo 430Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople 407Clement of Alexandria 212Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage 258Cyril of Alexandria 444Didymus of Alexandria 398Ephraem the Syrian 373Ephiphanius, Bishop of Salamis 403Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea 339 or 340Gregory of Nazianzus in Cappadocia 389 or 390Gregory of Nyssa in Cappadocia 394Hilary of Poitiers 367Hippolytus of Rome 235

Patristic QuotationsChurch Fathers Year of Death (AD)Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons 202Isidore of Pelusium 435Jerome 419 or 420Justin Martyr 165Lucifer of Calaris 370 or 371Marcion, flourished at Rome 150-160Origen of Alexandria and Caesarea 253-254Pelagius 4th or 5th CenturyPrimasius, Bishop of Hadrumentum 552Pseudo-Hieronymus 5th or 6th CenturyRufinus of Aquieia 410Tatian 170Tertullian of Carthage 220Theodore of Mopsuestia in Cilicia 428

Athanasisus Referred to New Testament Books as:

�These are the fountains of salvation, that whoever thirsts, may be satisfied by the eloquence which is in them. In them alone is set forth the doctrine of piety. Let no one add to them, nor take anything from them.�

New Testament Canon Timelines AD 150� Muratorian Canon � 24 of 27

AD 180� Irenaeus of Lyons � 23 of 27

AD 240� Origen of Alexandria � 27 (referred to them

as �New Testament�)

AD 313� Edict of Milan (Emperor Constantine proclaims

permanent religious tolerance of Christianity)

AD 325� Eusebius of Caesarea � 22 + 5 (22

universally accepted, and 5 accepted by most)

AD 363 � Council of Laodicea (council held that OT,

Apocrypha, and NT were Scripture)

AD 367� Athanasius of Alexandria � 27 (�let no one

add to these nor take away�)

AD 393� Council of Hippo (affirmed 27 books of NT)

AD 397� Council of Carthage (affirmed 27 books of

NT)

New Testament Canon Timelines

�There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.�

F.F. Bruce (From The Case for Christ)

What Made a Book �Scripture�?Initially, there was no need to question what came from authoritative sources.

Over time, many pseudepigraphalwritings began to appear to �fill in the gaps� left by Scripture.

What Made a Book �Scripture�?The early church rejected forgeries on solid grounds (5-part test):Apostolic � Was the letter or book written by, or under the authority of an apostle?Authentic � Does it have the ring of truth?Ancient � Has it been used from the earliest times?Accepted � Were most of the churches using it?Accurate � Does it conform to the orthodox teaching of the church?

�It is altogether God's Word only if it is God-breathed.� (Origin of the Bible)

Why Did It Take So Long?1) The originals were scattered across the

Roman Empire.

Why Did It Take So Long?2) No scroll could contain more than 1

or 2 books. Single copies and small groups of books were much more practical than large compilations.

3) The early Church expected the return of Christ soon, not planning for the long-term future of the writings.

Why Did It Take So Long?4) No church or leader was dominant.

5) The early leaders assumed the authority of the apostles and other writers connected to the apostles.

6) Only after attacks on the canon was the need for a list appreciated.

�The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation throughout the centuries.�

Sir Frederic Kenyon

Bruce M. Metzger�Despite the very human factors . . . in the production, preservation, and collection of the books of the New Testament, the whole process can also be rightly characterized as the result of divine overruling.�

Proverbs 30:5-6Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

“Is the Bible Complete?” Can We Trust the Bible?#2 Real Life

The Bible is a unique book: Containing 66 books Written by 40 writers Written over period of 1,600 years With one consistent story line Written by one author – God

By the 3rd Century, Origen & Clement Referred to Collection of Scriptures as: Fixed in number Divine in origin Universal in authority

The Old Testament (OT) Canon The Jews had a clearly defined body of Scripture; what we know as the OT: The Law (Torah) – aka Pentateuch – 1st 5 books of Bible The Prophets (Neviim) – the prophets plus Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, and

1&2 Kings The Writings (Kethubim) – aka Hagiographa – remainder of OT books

† Books of the OT Canon were written at or near time of historical setting.

† Josephus recognized 22 books (our 39 OT books) as Jewish record of history Jewish reckoning closes the OT at about 450 BC with the book of Malachi (no voice of the Lord in the land for 400 years)

The Apocrypha † 14 or 15 (18 in RSV) books known as the Apocrypha were written

between the OT and NT – 400 year period. † The Apocrypha were never used as authorities by the Jews, Josephus,

or Jesus and the apostles. † The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches add these to their

canon, in some cases to support extrabiblical doctrines † Apostles used and quoted extensively from the Septuagint (Greek)

translation of the OT, but never from the Apocrypha.

The New Testament (NT) Canon † Earliest complete list of NT books is the Muratorian Canon, around

AD 150. † Muratorian Canon included 4 Gospels, Acts, 13 Pauline letters, 2-3

letters of John, Jude, and Revelation. All were “accepted by the universal church.”

† Only 4 Gospels were ever used by the church. † Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon around AD 177, substantiated NT canon as

we know it, quoting from it over 1,000 times (with exception of Philemon, 3 John, 2 Peter, Hebrews, Jude and possibly James) in his

work, Against Heresies, which refuted the Gnostic writings. Called the NT books “the Scriptures” given by the Holy Spirit.

† Even original Gnostics only ever referred to our 4 Gospels in their writings.

† In addition to the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and thirteen letters of Paul were all accepted without question from the earliest records known today. Apart from James, Jude, 2 and 3 John, 2 Peter, Hebrews, and Revelation all other NT books had been universally accepted by AD 180. Only a few churches hesitated over these seven.

NT Canon Timeline AD 150 Muratorian Canon – 24 of 27 AD 180 Irenaeus of Lyons – 23 of 27 AD 240 Origen of Alexandria – 27 (referred to them as “New Testament”) AD 313 Edict of Milan (Emperor Constantine proclaims permanent religious tolerance of Christianity) AD 363 Council of Laodicea held that OT, Apocrypha, and NT were Scripture) AD 367 Athanasius of Alexandria – 27 (“let no one add to these nor take away”) AD 393 Council of Hippo (affirmed 27 books of NT) AD 397 Council of Carthage (affirmed 27 books of NT)

What made a book “Scripture”? Initially, there was no need to question what came from authoritative sources. Over time, many pseudepigraphal writings began to appear to “fill in the gaps” left by Scripture. The early church rejected them on solid grounds (5 part test):

Apostolic – Was the letter or book written by, or under the authority of an apostle?

Authentic – Does it have the ring of truth? Ancient – Has it been used from the earliest times? Accepted – Were most of the churches using it? Accurate – Does it conform to the orthodox teaching of the church?

“It is altogether God's Word only if it is God-breathed.” (Origin of the Bible)

Why Did It Take So Long? † The originals were scattered across the Roman Empire. † No scroll could contain more than 1 or 2 books. Single copies and

small groups of books were much more practical than large compilations.

† The early Church expected the return of Christ soon, not planning for the long-term future of the writings.

† No church or leader was dominant. † The early leaders assumed the authority of the apostles and other

writers connected to the apostles. † Only after attacks on the canon was the need for a list appreciated.

Notes can be downloaded at: http://trinitywallawalla.org/online-community/abf-class-notesContact Glenn at: glenn.matlock.jr@gmail.com

“How Did We Get the Bible?” CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE?

#2 Real Life

Writer Books Written Approx. Date of Writing

Moses The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy); Psalm 90; possibly Job

1450-1410 BC

Joshua Joshua (latter part of the book written by others)

1410-1,065 BC

Samuel Judges, 1&2 Samuel (portions), Ruth(possibly)

1375-930 BC

Ezra Ezra (portions), 1&2 Chronicles, Nehemiah (portions)

450-430 BC

Nehemiah Nehemiah (possibly also Ezra), possibly also Esther

445-432 BC

Mordecai Esther 483-471 B.C

Job Possibly Job 2000-1800 BCDavid 73 of the Psalms 1045-985 BCAsaph 12 of the Psalms (50, 73-83) 1045-950 BCSolomon 2 of the Psalms (72, 127), possibly

more 1045-950 BC

Hemen Psalm 88 1045-950 BCEthan Psalm 89 1045-950 BCSons of Korah (Levites)

12 Psalms (incl. 42-49, 84, 85, 87, 88);

1045-950 BC

Unknown Writers

Of the 150 Psalms, 48 are not attributed to an individual writer (scholars believe that at least 12 writers wrote the Psalms – we have the names of 7)

1440-586 BC

Solomon First 29 chapters of Proverbs 950 BCAgur Proverbs 30 950 BCLemuel Proverbs 31 950 BCIsaiah Isaiah 700-680 BCJeremiah(Baruch)

Jeremiah and Lamentations; possibly 1&2 Kings

627-586 BC

Ezekiel Ezekiel 721 - 570 B. C.

Daniel Daniel 586 - 516 BCHosea Hosea 715 BCJoel Joel 835-796 BCAmos Amos 760-750 BCObadiah Obadiah (shortest book in OT) 840 BCJonah Jonah 760 BCMicah Micah 750-686 BCNahum Nahum 660 BCHabakkuk Habakkuk 612-588 BCZephaniah Zephaniah 640-621 BCHaggai Haggai 520 BCZechariah Zechariah 520-480 BCMalachi Malachi 430 BCMatthew Matthew AD 60-65John Mark Mark AD 55-65Luke Luke and Acts AD 60-70John John; 1,2,&3 John; Revelation AD 85-95Paul Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians,

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon; possibly Hebrews* (there is debate on the author of Hebrews)

AD 51-67

James (brother of Jesus)

James AD 49 (prior to the Jerusalem council of AD 50)

Peter 1&2 Peter AD 62-67Jude (brother of James)

Jude AD 65

*Scholars suggest that Hebrews could have been written by Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Apollos, Luke, Philip, or even Priscilla (wife of Acquila), but by AD 70 (prior to Jerusalem’s Destruction)

Notes can be downloaded at: http://trinitywallawalla.org/online-community/abf-class-notes

Contact Glenn at: glenn.matlock.jr@gmail.com