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Bible Reading for Orthodox Christians

This series provides an overview of the Bible, including its importance, basic avenues of interpretation, and issues that arise in Bible study. It addresses the problem of limited knowledge of the Bible among Orthodox Christians and other Christians, highlighting the need for increased understanding to defend and share the Orthodox Faith.

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Bible Reading for Orthodox Christians

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  1. Bible Reading for Orthodox Christians It’s Good for You! Part I

  2. Overview of the Series • Try to do this in four parts • Today: What is the Bible? • Next: Basic Avenues of Biblical Interpretation • Then: “Issues” That We Bring to Bible Study • Finally: How Then Should We Proceed • A Modest Proposal for Bible Study

  3. Hyfalutin’ Term • Hermeneutics: “the science and methodology of interpretation, esp. the Bible” • American Heritage Dictionary

  4. Presuppositions to this Study • I’m a Layman • No formal theological study • Advantages and disadvantages • There is a problem today with Bible Study • Two-fold Problem • We Orthodox don’t know much/enough about the Bible • And neither do most other Christians

  5. Why a problem? • For Protestants • Sola Scriptura: central unifying principle • Luther’s three sola • Sola gratia • Sola fide • Sola Scriptura • Everything based on Bible • “Bible-believing Christians”

  6. Why is this a Problem? • Luther insisted Bible is essentially transparent • Any sincere Christian can understand/explain • And would come up with same interpretation • Result • Emphasis on Bible Study • 33,000 different Christians sects (at last count) • Teaching opposing doctrines • Nature of salvation; Church; sacraments; ministries; • Mary; saints; Eschatology;

  7. Why is this a Problem? • For Orthodox • Ill-equipped • To understand Orthodox dogma • To explain Orthodox dogma • To appreciate our Faith • To serve as missionaries • That outreach thing

  8. Why don’t we read the Bible • Historic (part of our tradition---”little ‘t’”) • Levels of literacy • Availability of Bibles • Concerns of the hierarchy • Sense of Church = Scriptures • Liturgy • Icons

  9. How Serious is the Problem? • Here’s one solution: • “No task is more important than for the church to take the Bible out of the hands of individual Christians in North America.” • Stanley Hauerwas, Methodist theologian & professor, Duke University.

  10. Centrality of Scripture • For Catholics • Scripture & Oral Tradition • For the Orthodox • Centerpiece of Holy Tradition • For Protestants • Only Authority (sola Scriptura) • For the World • Book by which Christianity is evaluated/critiqued

  11. So • To understand our own Faith • To outreach to other Christians • To evangelize among the non-believers • To defend the Faith from “the heathen” • WE NEED TO READ THE BIBLE!

  12. What is the Bible? • Book of Science? • Book of history? • Book of Mythology? • Book of ethics/morality? • Book of God’s inerrant word (cf. Quran)? • As a “vicar of God?” • Context for Hauerwas’s comment

  13. What is the Bible? • Greek Term: βιβλιος = record; document; book • Greek speaking Jews: applied to Hebrew Scriptures • Holy Scriptures: used by (all?) Christians • From Latin scribo---to write

  14. What is the Bible? • Old Testament • Testamentum: will; (Vulgate mistranslates Greek) • Covenant best translation? • O.T. • Law (Torah); Prophets; Writings • Also includes history books (Joshua/Judges/Kings, etc.) • N.T. • Synoptic Gospels; Gospel of John; Acts; Epistles; Revelation

  15. Where did bible Come From? • O.T. • Septuagint: Greek trans. of earlier texts • The Bible for the early Church • Masoretic Text (M.T.) Hebrew trans of 1st-2nd c. A.D. • Fewer books • Different trans. • Spurred in part by Church use of Septuagint

  16. W. d. Bible c. f.? • N.T. • No writings by Our Lord • An oral society • Lord’s imminent return • Apostles provided living, oral witness • No need for a new religion • Does Paul know he’s starting the Bible?

  17. The N.T. • Paul begins his written work in the ‘50s • Letters of encouragement/reproof/instruction to various communities • Gospels begin to appear in ‘60s • Apostles were dying • Church under persecution • In it for the long haul • Growing separateness from Jewish origins

  18. The N.T. • By around A.D. 100: all books of N.T. written • But so were a bunch of other allegedly Christian texts • Histories/Doctrines/Prophecies/Apocalypses • Many purported to be written by “authorities” • Gospels of Mary; Philip; Thomas • Acts of Peter and Mary; of Pilate • Apocalypse of Peter • Some were mainstream; others taught weird stuff • Abhorrent Gospel of Basilides

  19. An Authorized New Testament • Quasi-Gnostic heretic: Marcion of Rome (2nd c.) • Dualist • God of love vs. Jehovah • So • Rejects entire O.T. • Severely edits Luke; adds 10 Pauline epistles • In essence: starts the process • Was this authoritative Scripture?

  20. An Authoritative N. T. • St. Irenaeus of Lyons (177-200) • 4 canonical Gospels • Muratorian Canon (c. 180) • Named for its discoverer (18th c. Fr. Muratori) • Churches around Rome? • Lists 4 Gospels; 13 Pauline epistles (no Hebrews); Jude; 1-2 John; and the Revelation. • Hebrews; 1-2 Peter; 3 John missing • Includes Wisdom of Solomon; Apocalypse of Peter

  21. An Authoritative N.T. • By early 300s: Eusebius’s History of the Church • Provides status update • Recognized: Today’s N.T. minus • Disputed: James; Jude; 2 Peter; 2-3 John • Spurious (doubtful): Acts of Paul; Shepherd of Hermas; Revelation of Peter; Epistle of Barnabas; Didache; and Revelation of John • Clearly heretical: Gospels of Peter; Thomas; Matthias; Acts of Andrew; John; other apostles.

  22. An Authoritative N.T. • St. Athanasius the Great (367) • Custom to write all his churches to announce Pascha (same date) • Includes list of books to be read in the churches • “in these [27 writings] alone the teaching of godliness is proclaimed. No one may add to them, and nothing may be taken away from them.”

  23. An Authoritative N.T. • Within 50 years near universal acceptance • 382: Council in Rome • 397: Council in Carthage • A New Testament Canon • Where did it come from? • Simplest answer: From the Church; from the scholarship and debate and mistakes and prayer of the Church

  24. The Christian Bible • Of course---Church did not attribute this prodigious, four centuries long work of scholarship to its own efforts alone. • But this leads us to the interpretation of these writings, which we will consider next time.

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