Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Nature and authority of scripture
Ancient near east history
The Nature and Authority of Scripture
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Nature and authority of scripture
The word Canon comes form Hebrew word meaning “measuring reed”. Canon refers to the official writing accepted as authoritative by a particular religious group and recognized as divine revelation. Practising the faith of this beliefs can be enhanced by the writing.
The fact that Prophets wrote most of the canon to different generations conforming to known authoritative books, lends to the authenticity of the bible.
The canon is part of the everyday common language consisting of acceptable number of books that make up the Holy Bible. The term canonization implies books which Christians have regarded as genuine or authentic of divine authority confirming inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Christian accepts to Old Testament scripture as the revelation
From Sinai to Moab.
Preparation for entering at Sinai Exodus19-Numbers10 (instruction for building the Tabernacle and laws for the sacrifice, festivals and social relations Varughese, Alex (ed.).
Redactional/Transitional/Farming material though out genealogies
The tabernacle was critical in the life Israel as it represented God’s presence with his people. A physical symbol that, he was their God.
3) Ancient near east archaeologist discoveries add to the understanding of scripture because the myth connected to history seeks to understand why things are the way they are for example. Hamilton, V.P. (1982)
The Old Testament is strengthened by source criticism which is the investigation of possible sources that are used to produce the Pentateuch. The major item is the source theory. The source theory main object states that the Pentateuch has its origin from four different sources. The four sources are grouped in the following classifications Varughese, Alex (ed.).
Yahwist denoted by J refers to God as YAHWEH
Elohist denoted as E referring to God as ELOHIM
Priestly denoted by P interest regarding Law, ritual, and generational information. Varughese, Alex
The Bible is read and interpreted by many people all over the world. Regardless, no one knows the absolute truth behind scripture. Walter Brueggemann, professor of Old Testament, wrote “Biblical Authority” to help people understand what he describes as six different parts that make up the foundation to ones understanding of scripture. He defines these six features as being: inherency, interpretation, imagination, ideology, inspiration, and importance. As Brueggemann explains each individual part, it is easy to see that they are all interconnected because no one can practice one facet without involuntarily practicing at least one other part.
Writings of historical scholars, Josephus, Aristotle, and Plato, to name a few, are taken as truth and fact, yet the writings of the Scripture are constantly disputed. Why? Perhaps because of the ethical imperatives imposed to which people do not want to adhere. Perhaps because of man’s ego and pride that disallows them to submit to a Higher Authority. Nonetheless, The Bible has been, and still remains, the most widely read and revered book of all
There are several Egyptian documents that not only mention the Israelites in their texts, but also tie the Bible to historical facts. Egyptian documents such as the Tell el-Amarna letters, a large “stele” of the Menephtah, and the Elephantine papyri not only tell the history of Egypt, they also coincide with biblical scripture. The documents confirm not only dates, certain numbers, and rituals, such as circumcision, but places and event, e.g. The Exodus, of biblical stories.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
Sacred texts and writings are integral to a living and dynamic religious tradition. Such texts are materials that can range from verbally spoken stories to writings. Sacred texts and writings provide followers with information on core ethical behaviour, rituals and ceremonies, as well as beliefs. The idea of the texts and writings being sacred refers to the texts encompassing divine inspiration. Christianity’s sacred texts and writings, such as the bible (conveyed as the word of God), are continually studied/interpreted throughout generations. The teachings of the bible and the ‘Ten Commandments’ provide Christians with morally accepted standards of behaviour to live their lives by and thus directly influence the day-today actions of its adherents. Furthermore, sacred texts and writings provide information on beliefs, which assist adherents in understanding and even answering significant enduring questions of life. For instance, the creation story ...
Metzger, B. (1997). The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. New York.
Kethuvim (the Writings) "…contains the most diverse material…" (Harris, 6), is a miscellaneous repository for all the books accepted later. It contains books of history, prophecy, wisdom, and poetry randomly tossed together in a mixed bag. Jewish books written in Greek such as the Apocrypha were not included as part of the canon of the Hebrew Bible. Apocalypses "…means an "uncovering" and "revelations"…(Harris, 6) symbolic visions to encourage the righteous to remain faithful despite persecution.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been hailed by people of many religious and cultural backgrounds as the greatest discovery of manuscripts to be made available to modern scholars in our time and has dramatically altered our understanding of the origins of Christianity. Perhaps the most fundamental reexamination brought about by the Scrolls is that of the Gospel of John. The Fourth Gospel originally accepted as a product of second century Hellenistic composition is now widely accepted as a later first century Jewish writing that may even contain some of the oldest traditions of the Gospels . The discovery of the scrolls has led to the discussion of undeniable and distinct parallels between the ideas of the society at Qumran and those present in the Gospel of John.
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
The historical reliability of the Bible is the first matter that needs to be discussed. There are three criteria that the military historian C. Sanders lists as principles for documentary historical proof: the bibliographical test, internal evidence test, and the external evidence test (McDowell 43). The bibliographical test is the examination of text from the documents that have reached us. The reliability of the copies of the New Testament is tested by the number of manuscripts (MSS) and the time intervals between the time in which the piece of literature was written and our earliest copy. There are more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and 10,000 Latin vulgate manuscripts, not to mention the other various translations.
... God’s word, and it provides humanity with his truth and revelation. His word is a guide to live by, and through his word, all is made clear. No doctrine or faith in Christianity should stray from the word of God. His word is pure and holy, and it reveals his plans and love for all.
The Hebrew Bible is studied, analyzed, and worshiped by millions each day, it gives insight into the teachings and laws of God. The article “Pentateuch”, obtained from The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible by Merrill C. Tenney, deeply examines the authorship of the Pentateuch and displays two compelling arguments of weather the Pentateuch is of Mosaic authorship, or written by authors other than Moses. The Pentateuch is the bases of the entire Bible, it contains the first five books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, thus the literal meaning of “five volumes”. Theses five books make up the Old Testament and are roadmap to God’s teachings.
In this paper, there will be a discussion about the canonization of the New Testament. Along with an investigation into who was involved in this process. The people and institutions looked at will include the following: Marcion, Irenaeus, Origen, Synod of Hippo, and God. First, let us look at the canonization of the New Testament. The first available list of the New Testament books is called the Muratorian Canon and it dates somewhere around A.D. 150.
It is true and held by most reputable scholars and historians the New Testament is the best proven book in ancient history, both in terms of the number of manuscripts and the nearness o...
The current canon code in effect is the Canon Code of 1983 that was signed into office by Pope John Paul II. It differs from previous codes due to how it includes an attempt to “balance Vatican II’s principle of freedom of inquiry and the Church’s legitimate concern to protect its faithful from dangerous writings” (New Catholic Encyclopedia). It is important to note that while there is the 1983 Code of Canon Law, all Eastern Catholic Churches follow a different code, that was enacted in 1991. The 1983 Code of Canon Law is a very lengthy document that specifically features a large section regarding books and publication, though it is not nearly as strict as the canon codes of the past. However, “for some theological works today there are still the imprimatur (‘let it be printed’) and the nihil obstat (‘nothing stands in the way’) to assure readers that the work is free from doctrinal and moral error” (Allard, 18).