CHAPTER 3SURVEYING THE BOOKS
OF THE BIBLE
JESUS CHRIST:GOD’S REVELATION TO THE
WORLD
Best Seller
The Bible was first printed in 1454
The Bible is always at the top of any best-seller’s list
Familiar Sayings from the Bible
“A HOUSE DIVIDED”“APPLE OF HIS EYE”
“CAN A LEOPARD CHANGE HIS SPOTS”
“OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES”“HANDWRITING ON
THE WALL”“LABOR OF LOVE”
“BY THE SKIN OF MY TEETH”
“EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY”
Formation of the Old Testament
Before the actual writing took place, there was a period of oral traditions
that came from the experiences the people had with God and with
each other.
Many historians believe the Chosen People began to preserve their stories during the reign of King
Solomon (950 BC).
Many editors were involved, resulting in many
OT books being compilations.
The Old Testament Canon
The Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) was common
during Jesus’ day.
Jewish scholars omitted the seven books written in
Greek from the Septuagint.The Council of Trent
accepted all the books in the Septuagint as part of the Old Testament canon.
Protestant Reformers accepted the official list of
Hebrew Scriptures accepted by rabbis in AD 90.
Survey of the Old Testament Books
Pentateuch
Most scholars believe that four different oral
traditions went into writing the foundational
Pentateuch.
Genesis Exodus
Leviticus Numbers
Deuteronomy
The Historical BooksHow God remained faithful to
the covenant; how the Israelites struggled to live
by its terms
Joshua Judges Ruth
1 and 2 Samuel 1 and 2 Kings
1 and 2 Chronicles Ezra and Nehemiah
Tobit, Judith, and Esther 1 and 2 Maccabees
Survey of the Old Testament Books
The Wisdom Books
How God works in our everyday lives
Job Psalms
Proverbs Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs Wisdom Sirach
Prophetic Books
The biblical prophets were a messengers from God.
Worship the one, true God Accept God’s love and
mercy Be just, especially to the
poor Know that God will
ultimately triumph
Classifying the Prophets
MAJOR PROPHETS:Isaiah
JeremiahEzekielDaniel
MINOR PROPHETS:Hosea
JoelAmos
ObadiahJonahMicahNahum
HabakkukZephaniah
HaggaiZechariahMalachi
The Writing of the New Testament
Stage 1: 6 BC—
AD 30/33
Stage 2: AD 30—
50
Stage 3: AD 50—c. 120
Stage 1: The Historical Jesus
Jesus lived a typical life of a Jewish boy
Began his public ministry c. 28 AD
Taught, healed, and proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God
Crucified by Pontius Pilate c. 30 AD
Rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion
Stage 2: Oral Tradition
“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all
creation”
KERYGMA—preaching to unbelieversDIDACHE—teaching, further catechesis
LITURGY—worship of the Christians
Why Commit the Oral Tradition to writing?
The end of the world was not coming as quickly as the early Christians at first thought it would
Distortions to the Gospel were occurring
More instruction was needed
Stage 3: The New Testament Writings
First written books of the New Testament were the letters of St. Paul
The four Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation were probably
written in the latter half of the 1st century
Survey of the New Testament
The Sacred Tradition of the Church, administered by the Apostles and their successors, determined
which books were to be included in the canon and which were not under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit.
Types of Writing in the New Testament
Gospels
The heart of the Scriptures!
Mark (~60—75)Matthew (~80—90)
Luke (~85)John (~80—110)
Acts of the Apostles
Second part of the Gospel of Luke
Acts tells the early history of the Church
Types of Writing in the New Testament
Pauline LettersCirculated in his name; either
written by Paul himself or a disciple of Paul
1 and 2 Thessalonians Galatians
Philippians 1 and 2 Corinthians
Romans Philemon
Colossians Ephesians
Titus 1 and 2 Timothy
The Letter to the Hebrews
Emphasizes Christ’s superiority over all
creation
Perfect sacrifice of Death on the cross took away
sin, fulfilling the promises of the Old
Testament
Types of Writing in the New Testament
Catholic Epistles
Letters intended “for all” (Catholic means
“universal)
James1 and 2 Peter
Jude1, 2 and 3 John
Revelation
This highly symbolic work’s purpose was to encourage Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.