OVERVIEW OF THE For the Christians, the bible is valuable since it is a rich testimony of the Religious experiences, which

lie at the very heart of our Judeo-Christian Tradition What is the Bible? The term Bible comes from the greek word Biblia meaning (the books) started to mean in Greek, as a collection of manuscripts on papyrus. For Chrsitians, the Bible does refer to a small library that contains history, drama, poetry, fiction, stories, prophecies, proverbs, letters, and other literary types of genre. The authors of the Old and New Testament were members of a believing community. Their writings were expression of the community in action. These were the result of the communitys experience of Gods presencein history, of their reflection on that experience, and of their response to it. The Jewish people told the stories of Gods action for them in historical events. They retold their stories, reflected on their meaning, prayed with them, celebrated them, and passed them on and are considered to be the property of the entire community. The bible comes from within the community of faith in order to serve the community of faith. We can look at the Bible of the two images A BIG STORY BOOK and a FAMILY ALBUM A.) THE BIBLE AS A BIG STORYBOOK NOT A HISTORY TEXTBOOK - from creation to the SECOND COMING OF JESUS -many of the pages of the Bible contain symbolic stories about the meaning of human life and its relationship to God.

B.) THE BIBLE AS FAMILY ALBUM -our family albums contains hair locks, foot prints, letters, greeting cards, certificates, lists, our family tree, and photos. -SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ARE: a. what is the meaning of my life?... Of suffering? b. If God is somehow present in the midst of all, what criteria can we use to discover Gods presence? B. How the Hebrew Bible Developed -In the time of Abraham, the Israelites were nomads of the ancient Near East like all people who depend on oral traditions, they preserved their history and developed amazing retentive memories. B. How the Hebrew Bible Developed Their songs of worship were easy to remember For the first five hundred years of their existence as a people, the Israelites shared their history and passed along their traditions, almost exclusively, by word of mouth. Nomadic existence, which somehow ended around 1550 when they entered Egypt, eventually they were enslaved God called Moses, who became a new people, called Israel. B. How the Hebrew Bible Developed What followed was a long history of conquest, settlement, the appointment of judges as leaders, and finally the installation of royal authority (1250-1050) a. Earliest Writings (2100-1050 BCE) The earliest parts of the OT are portions of some ancient Hebrew religious ballads and songs used in Israels public worship Battle of hymns or victory hymns were used to praise God e.g. oldest writings are the Song of Deborah in Judges 5:1-3, and the Song of Miriam in Ex. 15:20-21

b. Monarchy (1050-931BCE) The Israelites entered into the world of writing when David established his capital in Jerusalem Psalms were composed During the reign of Solomon, there was gifted author who wrote the first account of Israels development. This writer is known as the Yahwist He referred to God with Hebrew name Yahweh, not only after the revelation of that divine name Moses in Ex. 3:14-15, but from the account of creation b. Monarchy (1050-931BCE) Solomon gave the Yahwist and his contemporaries time to ponder on the great religious questions such as: a- what kind of God is responsible for saving us and bringing us to the land? B- Is he more powerful than the gods of other nations? C- if this God is good, where did evil come from? The Yahwist looked back to the origins of humanity with the eyes of Hebrew faith He saw the God who saved his people through the Exodus event. c. Divided Kingdom (931-723 BCE) Another writer known as the Elohist Elohist expressed his faith in the constant love of God for his people, in spite of their infidelities. He applied the idea of the covenant to the relationship between God and his people In Pentateuch, the Elohist tradition begins with the covenant God made with Abraham. c. Divided Kingdom (931-723 BCE) It often parallels the work of the Yahwist in the stories about the Patriarchs and Moses.

Deuteronomic tradition (with its stress on the need for reform in social and religious law and practice) and the Priestly tradition (which concentrates on rules about religious ritual, on religious covenants, and genealogies) were beginning to form. d. Fall of Samaria (723 BCE) The first major disruption was the overthrow of Samaria by Assyria in the 723 BCE. Many Israelites saw the event as the fulfillment of the warning that the prophets had made against the breakdown of moral standards & the mixture of pagan worship with the worship of God. d. Fall of Samaria (723 BCE) Many priests, who traced their roots to Levi, and had been active in the northern sanctuaries escaped to Judah in the South. There, they preserved the distinctive religious traditions of Israel. They became the core of the Deuteronomic tradition found in the book of Deuteronomy and in the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Deuteronomic tradition insisted on a central sanctuary and on moral and religious reform d. Fall of Samaria (723 BCE) It spoke warmly of Gods love for His people and of their choice to enter into a covenant relationship with Him It also emphasizes the reality of Gods covenant with His people e. The Exile (587 BCE) The Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and led the people into exile This dark period of Israels history turned out to be a particularly fruitful period for sacred writing Jews kept alive their prayers and songs

Priests, in exile, devoted themselves to collecting old traditions from the days of the desert wanderings to the settling down e. The Exile (587 BCE) Ezekiel and Second Isaiah gave new hope with oracles Some of the few who had not been exiled wept over the ruins and the emptiness of the city Their sorrow eventually produced the plaintive Lamenatations f. Restoration (538 BCE) The return to Jerusalem, in 538 was not as glorious as the exiles had dreamt it would be- tensions of rebuilding the temple (Haggai and Zechariah) Story is told in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which along with 1 and 2 Chronicles Chronicler understood history as the working out of Gods will Priestly Tradition put the Pentateuch in its final form The Book of Deuteronomy became the concluding book of Pentateuch Other books of the OT were written during this period (Malachi, Ruth, and Jonah) g. Wisdom Literature Considered as the largest single block of biblical writing that are associated with Wisdom Literature: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth), Song of Songs, Sirach, and Wisdom. It is full of instructive word for wise living Collection of marriage songs, a poetic masterpiece on the mystery of suffering (Job), and a meditation on the mystery of life itself (Ecclesiastes). Wisdom literature of Israel is linked with King Solomon Wisdom books for Solomon, Pentateuch for Moses and Psalms for Davidattributed to their leaders that time

g. Wisdom Literature Alexander the Great conquered Palestine in 333 BCE Greek ways became the threat to the worship of God Hellenizing remained subtle and indirect, until the reign of the Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes who was determined to crush the worship of Yahweh. g. Wisdom Literature Religious persecution happened then the Maccabean Revolt of 167-164 BCE Book of Daniel was published during the years of persecution to encourage hope and faithfulness The language was apocalyptic: telling stories of beasts, of battles in the heavens, and of dreams and visions Other book, Easther, Tobit and Judith were produced some might called the historical novel THE HEBREW CANON How did an authorized collection or canon of inspired writing develop in Israel? The first step- when the Deuteronomic Code was found in the temple in 621 BCE (they thought it was written by Moses, it became the unquestioned word of God to guide King Josiahs reform. was officially recognized as the word of God or it was accepted as the written word of God THE HEBREW CANON Deuteronomic history of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings continued to enjoy popularity Some of the prophetic collections appeared: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets. By 200BCE, these books came to be generally accepted as part of the Bible called the Prophets THE HEBREW CANON Wisdom Literature called the Writings

Law or the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible which was called the Tanak Tanak has three sections: Torah (Law), Nebiim (Prophets), Kethubim (Writings) HOW THE NEW TESTAMENT DEVELOPED Christian Testament is best understood as a collection of 27 varied books It was written by different authors at different times They are united in their focus on and in their articulation of faith in one central figure, Jesus of Nazareth. JC is believed to be the Christ, the Messiah and the Lord, the Son of God. a. The books of the New (Christian) Testament His words were remembered and discussed by his disciples The message of Jesus was re-stated or re-formulated Having been highly influenced by the Greek culture, the message of Jesus was traslated and inculturated or adapted to the culture of the people Those who proclaimed the message of Jesus were evangelists. Evangelists were originally preachers. a. The books of the New (Christian) Testament One source of NT liturgy, a mixture of songs, creeds, psalms and other prayers (Col. 3:16) or hymns of Philippians and Colossians. Saying of Jesus were also collected Another source was Q, from the German Quelle (source), are found in Matthew and Luke. Another sources were collection of parables, texts from the Hebrew scriptures and notes on the various deeds of Jesus. a. The books of the New (Christian) Testament The gospel of Mark probably originated in the mid-sixties, as a result of the persecution and death of an original eyewitness. Christianity spread to the Gentile world, a crisis developed

They were confronted with the problem of communicating the faith to the non-Jews without losing the original character of their religion that was derived from Jesus, Judaism and Palestine a. The books of the New (Christian) Testament New converts from the Gentile world flocked into the community of believers, they created another need: little of Jewish tradition, OT, or messianic promise Gospels of Matthew and Luke were possibly responses to such a need for instructional material. b. The Gospel and the Gospels Gospel from old English word for good news Original meaning is oral proclamation Or for the announcement that in Jesus, God had acted decisively to liberate us from sin and death The memory of Jesus words and deeds was kept alive by Christian preachers and storytellers in the various Christian communities The gospel according to Mark Appeared around mid-sixties to the early seventies CE It was the time wherein Peter and Paul were martyred. Compose something for new Christians and for prospective converts that would tell the basic story about Jesus He meant it not to be too lengthly or difficult for the interested reader. The gospel according to Mark Mark presented the life and teachings of Jesus in a concise way, without entering into details. He keeps the eyes of the reader on the person of Jesus, whom he views as the messenger of God, the Healer, and the suffering Messiah. The Gospel according to Matthew

After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE, the Jewish community supported the leadership of the rabbis. The rise of Christianity as challenge to their own religious traditions and identity. Christians were banned from attending the synagogues Matthew was written for such Jewish Christians in Palestine and Syria in about 80-90 CE. His work is almost twice as long as Mark The Gospel according to Matthew Jewish converts understand Jesus mission and their Christian faith as the fulfillment of the prophesies in the Hebrew Scriptures, which quotes more than sixty times He represents Jesus as the new Moses

The Gospel according to Luke Greek Christian convert of Asia Minor composed his gospel edition that would extend the story of Jesus into the story of the early church (Acts of the Apostles) The gospel of Luke was directed to the Greek-speaking communities of the Roman Empire. They needed to know more about their Christian faith, which had come to them through missionary preachers. The Gospel according to Luke He based his writings on Mark, on a collection of the sayings of the Lord (Q), and on some other available traditions, both oral and written He represents Jesus as Savior of the world, especially of the poor and the marginalized The gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels

The Gospel according to John It appeared in about 90-100 CE John and his disciples had to respond to false teaching that Jesus did not really become man In John, there is practically no repetition (except in Passion account) Jesus is presented as the Word who became flesh (Jn. 1:14) c. The Acts of the Apostles This is the story of the early Church after Jesus death and resurrection It was sometime called the first written history of the Church Acts is not strictly history but rather series of stories based on historical events It shows how the Holy Spirit guided the early Church in its growth Acts also refers to the Lucan gospel as the first book It also focuses its attention mainly on Lukes hero, Paul and secondary on Peter d. The Pauline Writings First unified Christian writings to appear were the letters of Paul Paul the apostle of the Gentiles, traveled from Asia Minor and Greece 1 and 2 Thessalonians (50-51 BCE) Pattern of correction, encouragement, and instruction Thirteen letters attributed to Paul 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, 1-2 Corinthians, Romans, and Philemon e. Epistles and Revelation Address to the whole Church, not to a particular community James applies the gospel message to particular issues of Christian morality

First Peter is also concerned with the practice of the faith and doctrinal basis of Christian behavior. Jude and 2 Peter : to correct errors that emerged during the last part of the first century e. Epistles and Revelation Revelation is also called Apocalypse It was popular literature from 200BC to CE 200 To strengthen the faith and hope of community in the midst of persecution and suffering Daniel was written during the time of Antiochus IV while Revelation during Roman persecution of the Christian community by Emperor Domitian around 90 CE. Literary Genres or Forms and Figures of Speech Literary forms: 1. Miracle stories: nature miracles (Mk. 6:445-52), healing miracles (Mk 2:2-12) and exorcisms (Mk 5:1-20) These miracles used as signs to point to Gods power and providence His justice and mercy, His will to save and liberate women and men

Literary Genres or Forms and Figures of Speech 2. Moral teachings- present guidelines on how humans are to conduct themselves in the right way. (Mt. 5: 39) 3. Speeches: written by the inspired author who wants to state something by putting these words into the mouth of the person with authority. (Acts 17: 22-31) 4. Short stories and historical novels: have cores that are historical b. The Text and Scientific Exegesis The biblical text was written from the context and culture of a past age

We can still connect with it because of underlying human experience that is shared by all humans We have to rely on exegetes or Bible scholars c. Context: The Faith of the Church Our faith community can help us to realize the meaning of a text for our lives and for our salvation With the community, the Spirit of God empowers us to discern the meaning of a text, not only for our private personal lives, but even more, for our community, the people of God If we want the Bible to be a guide for our lives, we have to remember: 1. The Bible is not God: book of our faith community. That makes the Word of God 2. Bible was revealed truth: wanted to express the meaning of faith 3. Bible is believed to be inspired: Christian communities believe that a special truth from God can be found in those writings 4. Bible is made use different literary forms 5. Bible includes different opinions 6. The bible is not a history book. Neither a science book 7. The bible message is to be considered its totality 8. We have to read the Bible regularly to stimulate and nourish our personal faith 9. We do not have to make the Bible decide for our lives ( the ability of making responsible decisions, in the light of our faith rests on us) 10. As a faith community we need the Bible. It is our conscience. The Exodus Account Exodus

Chapter 1-15: How God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through the leadership of Moses 16-18: How the Israelites left Egypt and started to travel into the desert 19-40: How the Israelites reached Mount Sinai and stayed there to receive the Law from God through Moses. The Exodus Account Confession of Faith: (epic stories putting together) a. Guidance out of Egypt b. Guidance into an arable land c. Promises to the ancestors d. Guidance into the wilderness e. Revelation at Sinai Patterns in the Ten Plagues The first nine plagues are three series of three calamities each. All are natural phenomena The first two plagues in each series are forewarned. The third is not. The last plague, the death of the firstborn Egyptians is unnatural, i.e., wrought by God himself and requires no mediation either by Moses or Aaron. Sinai Covenant This mountain episode is the real source of Israels identity as a people It is their relationship with Yahweh that will give them their true worth and value as a nation People of Yahweh (their land, their temple, their king, Jerusalem) Ten commandments and Book of Covenant Sinai became the locus of divine revelation par excellence Sinai Covenant

The highest point of the story Israel became a nation The desert: represents Israels trial, testing, disciplining and formation as a people They are reminded that their source of identity as a people is not the land, king, or temple, but the covenant Ten commandments (Ex.20: 2-17 and Deut. 5: 6-21) Ten commandments (Ex.20: 2-17 and Deut. 5: 6-21) Ten commandments (Ex.20: 2-17 and Deut. 5: 6-21) Major differences between the two version 1. In v. a. people must rest on the sabbath day bec. God himself rested from work on the seventh day. Rest is part of divine activity. In version B, they must do so because it is a question of social justice. The slaves, as well as animals need some rest too. After all, they were once slaves in Egypt themselves. Major differences between the two version 2. V. a has only 9 commandments. V. b has ten commandments, the wife is already distinguished from the properties of man and becomes the 9th commandment 3. First 3, love of God first tablet of the Law; the rest 7 the so called second tablet of the Law love of neighbor