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The Theme, Canon, and Arrangement of the Bible   by Massimo Lorenzini     I.          The Unity and Diversity of the Bible   A.        One Bible, Sixty-Six Books   1.         The Bible is a book of broad diversity a.         Diverse times and places (over 1400 yrs.) b.         Diverse authors (about 40) c.         Diverse kinds of literature (law, history, poetry, prophecy) d.         Diverse topics (origins, history, wisdom, law, salvation, destiny)   2.         Though made up of many kinds of literature written over a long period of time under diverse circumstances and by many authors, the Bible has a unifying theme.   3.         Theme: The glory of God in the creation, fall, and redemption of mankind.               B.         One Bible, Two “Testaments”   The Christian Bible has two main divisions, the Old and New Testaments.                           1.         The meaning of “Testament” a.         Covenant, treaty, or binding agreement b.         Old (or Mosaic or Sinaitic) Covenant = Israel c.         New Covenant = Church   2.         The Relationship of the Old and New Testaments                                                 In relation to content:   The Old Testament is made up of 39 books, which include history, poetry, psalms, wisdom, and prophecy.     The New Testament is made up of 27 books, which include history, epistles (letters), and prophecy. In relation to their stories:   The Old Testament tells the story of man’s Creation and Fall, and God’s perfect plan to bring mankind back into a right relationship with Himself.     The New Testament tells the story of the accomplishment of God’s plan through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In relation to their Covenants:   The Old Testament tells of God’s Covenant relationship with His people Israel, through whom God would raise up the Messiah to bring salvation to mankind.     The New Testament tells of God’s New Covenant relationship with His church, the body of Christ, made up of all believers who have trusted Jesus the Messiah as their Savior.   C.        In short, the Old Testament points forward to the coming of Jesus Christ and the salvation He would accomplish, while the New Testament looks back at the salvation achieved through His life, death, and resurrection, and looks forward to the final salvation which will be accomplished when He comes again to physically establish His kingdom on earth.   Old Testament º Jesus Christ  » New Testament  º Second Coming The promise . . . . . . . . . The Initial Fulfillment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Final Fulfillment    II.       The “Canon” of the Bible   The word “canon” means “standard” or “rule.” When we speak of the “canon” of the Scripture we mean those books which are recognized as the true Word of God.   How do we know which books are part of the Word of God?   A.        The Test of Canonicity: Inspiration[1]   The true test for canonicity is the inspiration by the Holy Spirit. The books that are part of God’s Word were written by individuals led and directed by the Spirit of God.   and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God [lit. “God-breathed”] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17, NASB).   But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved [or “carried along”] by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NASB).   Contrary to many false claims, no church council made any book a part of the canon. In other words, man never determines canonicity, it is simply recognized by man as having been inspired by God. Over the centuries, God’s people have recognized God’s authentic voice and power in these 66 books. The church councils only recognized and approved what the Spirit had already confirmed to His people.   B.         Criteria for the Canonicity of the Old Testament (canon closed ca. 425 B.C.; recognition settled ca. A.D. 70-90)   The following questions were raised when God’s people tested the inspiration of individual books: [2]                           1.         Is it authoritative? Does it claim to be from the Lord?                           2.         Is it prophetic? Is it written by a man of God?   3.         Is it authentic? Is it consistent with other revelation? Does it record facts as they actually occurred?                           4.         Is it dynamic? Does the book come with the power of God?   5.         Was it received? Has it been accepted generally by the people of God?   C.        Criteria for the Canonicity of the New Testament (canon closed ca. A.D. 90; recognition settled by A.D. 367)   1.         Apostolicity: Is it written by an apostle or someone closely associated with an apostle?   2.         Antiquity: Is it traced to the time of the apostles?   3.         Orthodoxy: Does its teaching agree with the apostolic teaching?   4.         Reception by the churches: Did the Christian churches accept it?   5.         Spiritual value: Did it have the power to change lives?               D.        Evidence for Inspiration (Hand as mnemonic device)[3]   1.         (Pinkie) Prophecy - supernatural predictions of the future that are precise, detailed, and accurate. Sum: supernatural predictions.   2.         (Ring finger) Unity - Diversity of authors, settings, and topics yet converging on a unity of testimony. Sum: supernatural unity.   3.         (Big finger) Answers the big questions in a way that is consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and in a way that is internally cohesive. Sum: supernatural insight.   4.         (Index finger) Historical accuracy - Consistent with archaeology and history; gives unimpeachable testimony; tremendous amount of manuscript evidence. Sum: supernatural events.   5.         (Thumbs up) Changes lives - The Bible transcends time and culture to radically transform sinners into saints. Sum: supernatural impact.   6.         (Fist) Survival through time and persecution. Sum: supernatural survival.   7.         (Open, raised hand; as when taking an oath) In innumerable passages, the Bible declares or assumes itself to be the Word of God. Sum: Supernatural testimony.               D.        Books Which Failed the Test of Canonicity (not inspired)                           1.         Rejected books mentioned in the Old Testament   Examples: Book of the Wars of the Lord (Num 21:14); The Book of Jashar (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam 1:18); The Words of Gad the Seer (1 Chr 29:29); The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (2 Chr 9:29); The Visions of Iddo the Seer (2 Chr 9:29); etc.   2.         The Apocrypha   “Apocrypha” means “secret writings.” Some of these books are included in the Roman Catholic Bibles. They include historical, wisdom, prophetic, and religious romance literature. These do not have the same character as Scripture. They include historical errors, teaching contrary to Scripture, and lack prophetic power. They were written between 400 B.C. and A.D. 1.   3.         The Pseudepigrapha   “Pseudepigrapha” means “falsely written.” These were written between A.D. 1 and A.D. 100. Among these books are false writings such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Paul.[4]   III.       The Languages of the Bible   A.        The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with a few passages written in Aramaic (a post-exilic trade language very similar to Hebrew).   B.         The New Testament was written in Koine Greek (the common Greek as opposed to the more formal classical Greek) with a few words and phrases in Aramaic (mainly by Jesus and a few in the epistles).   IV.       The Arrangement of the Bible               A.        The Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament)   The Hebrew Bible is arranged by Law, Prophets, and Writings (see Luke 22:44). It includes exactly the same books as our Protestant Christian Bibles.   1.         Law (Torah) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy                           2.         Prophets (Nevi’im)                                     a.         The Former Prophets Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings                                     b.         The Latter Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, “The Twelve” (our Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)                           3.         The Writings (Ketuv’im)                                     a.         Poetry and Wisdom                                                 Psalms, Proverbs, Job                                     b.         The Rolls (Megilloth) Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes                                     c.         Historical Ezra, Nehemiah (both one book in Hebrew), Esther, Daniel, Chronicles               B.         The Christian Bible                           The Old Testament (39 Books)                           1.         Pentateuch (literally, “Five Books”)                                     Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy                           2.         History Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther                           3.         Poetry Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon                           4.         Major Prophets (major only in the sense that they are longer) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel                           5.         Minor Prophets (shorter) Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi                           The New Testament (27 Books)                           1.         The Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John                           2.         History Acts                           3.         Paul’s Letters to the Churches Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians                           4.         Paul’s Letters to Individuals 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon   5.         Letters from Others (also known as the General Letters because they were not addressed to one specific audience) Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude                           6.         Prophecy Revelation   Recommended Reading For further reading on this topic, see F.F. Bruce’s The Canon of Scripture and Bruce M. Metzger’s The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. [1] For more on what the New Testament teaches concerning the inspiration of the Bible see Massimo Lorenzini, “The Doctrine of the Bible in the New Testament,” www.frontlinemin.org/bibledoc.asp. [2] From Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1986). [3] Except for number 7 “supernatural testimony,” these points are summarized from Greg Koukl, “Has God Spoken?” available from Stand to Reason (www.str.org). [4] For a review of the psuedepigraphal works of Paul, see Massimo Lorenzini, “The Psuedepigrapha of Paul,” www.frontlinemin.org/psuedo.asp.

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