Sacred Texts and Writings (HSC SSCE Studies of Religion): Revision Notes
Sacred Texts and Writings
The Bible is the central sacred text of Christianity, serving as the foundation for Christian beliefs, practices, and ethics. Understanding its structure, origins, and significance is essential for studying Christianity.
What is the Bible?
The word "Bible" comes from the Greek term biblia, which means "books". This is appropriate because the Bible is not a single book but a collection of many different texts. It was written by numerous authors, in different languages, using various literary styles, and spanning hundreds of years of history. This complexity makes the Bible both rich in content and challenging to read and fully understand.
The Bible's diversity reflects its composition by different authors across various historical periods, each bringing their own perspective and literary style to their writings. This rich variety contributes to the depth and complexity of biblical interpretation.
The Bible is considered a closed canon, meaning it is complete and no new books can be added to it. This closure occurred in the mid-300s CE, during a period when Christianity was increasingly becoming the only religion permitted by authorities in the Roman Empire. The decision to close the canon established which texts would be considered authoritative scripture for Christians.
The structure of the Bible
The Christian Bible is divided into several major sections. Different Christian traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant) have slight variations in which books they include, but all share a common core structure.
The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
More than two-thirds of the Christian Bible consists of the Hebrew Bible, which Christians refer to as the Old Testament. This collection of texts was originally written in Hebrew and forms the sacred scriptures of Judaism, which Christianity inherited and incorporated into its own tradition.
The Old Testament contains 39 books organized into several categories:
- Law (Torah): The first five books, believed by both Jewish and Christian people to have been written by Moses. These books contain the Ten Commandments and accounts of miracles performed by God to protect the Jewish people.
- History: Books that record the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God
- Poetry: Including psalms and wisdom literature
- Prophecy: Messages from prophets who spoke on behalf of God
The Torah holds particular significance as it establishes the foundational laws and stories of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The writings that follow in the Old Testament were composed at various stages of Jewish history, reflecting different periods, circumstances, and theological developments.
The Apocrypha
Catholic and Orthodox versions of the Bible include an additional 12 books called the Apocrypha. These texts are not accepted by Protestant Christians as inspired by God, but Catholics and Orthodox Christians consider them part of the Old Testament.
Even Protestants recognize these books as valuable for understanding historical events and the development of religious ideas during the period between the Old and New Testaments. The acceptance or rejection of the Apocrypha represents one of the key differences between Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant Bibles.
The New Testament
The New Testament constitutes the final third of the Bible and contains 27 books written in Greek. These texts are distinctly Christian, focusing on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the early Christian community.
The four Gospels: The New Testament begins with four accounts of Jesus' life written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are called the Synoptic Gospels because they share similar perspectives and concentrate primarily on the last three years of Jesus' life. John's Gospel is believed to have been written much later than the other three and takes a different approach. It reflects themes from Genesis, the first book of Jewish scripture that tells of creation, and emphasizes that all who have lived will be judged at the end of the world by Jesus.
The Acts of the Apostles: Following the Gospel of John, though unrelated in style and content, is the Acts of the Apostles. This book serves as a Christian record of the spread of the early Church and is considered a companion volume to the Gospel of Luke. It records events that occurred to Jesus' followers after his death and provides valuable insights about the early Christian community.
Sometimes Acts appears to contradict other passages of the New Testament, such as its account of the death of Judas. These apparent contradictions reflect the complex nature of biblical texts and the different perspectives of their authors.
The Epistles: After Acts come the Epistles, or letters. The word "epistles" comes from the Greek word for letter or message. Many of these letters were written by Paul or other early followers of Jesus. These letters address specific issues, questions, and challenges faced by early Christian communities and contain important theological teachings that helped shape Christian doctrine.
The Revelation of St John: The final book is the Revelation of St John, also called the Apocalypse. This is a difficult book to understand, rich in imagery and symbolism. It belongs to a style of writing known as apocalyptic literature. Because of its symbolic nature, Revelation has led to many different interpretations about the end of the world and continues to be debated by scholars and believers.
Translations and languages
The Bible's journey through different languages reflects the spread and development of Christianity across cultures and time periods.
Original languages
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, the language of ancient Israel. Jesus himself is thought to have spoken Aramaic, a language similar to Hebrew. However, by the time the New Testament was written, Greek had become the common language of the eastern Mediterranean world. The New Testament was written in a popular form of Greek called Koine Greek, which was widely understood across the Roman Empire.
Latin translation
From 382 CE, St Jerome (347–420 CE) undertook the massive task of translating both the Hebrew and Greek sections of the Bible into Latin. This translation, called the Vulgate, became the standard Bible used by the Catholic Church. Up until the 1960s, the Catholic Church continued to use this Latin translation.
English translations
For centuries, most Europeans could not read the Bible in their own languages. Illiteracy was common, and the scriptures remained primarily in Latin, accessible mainly to clergy and educated elites. It was not until the 1500s that Europeans began reading scripture in their own languages.
In 1611, King James, who ruled both England and Scotland, commissioned scholars to create the first official translation of the Vulgate into English. Known as the King James Version (KJV), this translation used stunning, poetic language that has had an incredible influence on the style and development of English literature and speech.
The King James Version's language is now considered archaic (old-fashioned), and scholars have since discovered that it is not a completely accurate translation of the ancient texts. This highlights the ongoing need for new translations based on better scholarship and understanding of ancient languages.
In 1982, a New King James Version (NKJV) was published to modernize the language while maintaining the style of the original. Many other translations have also appeared since then, such as the important New Revised Standard Version, which uses inclusive language that avoids gender-specific terms where the original text is gender-neutral.
The importance of the Bible to Christians
The Bible holds profound significance for Christians in multiple ways, functioning as more than just a historical document or religious rulebook.
Many Christians consider the Bible to be inspired by God (as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16). This means they believe God guided the human authors in writing the texts, even though the books were written by different people at different times. Because of this divine inspiration, the Bible is often referred to as "the Word of God"—a means through which God speaks to his followers through the different authors.
Unique Christian identity
Christianity is the only religion that reads from the New Testament. This distinction is important because it shows how Christians view Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Bible's promises and prophecies. The New Testament demonstrates that Jesus was not only a religious revolutionary (which included political dimensions) but also the incarnation of God on Earth—God taking human form.
Source of beliefs and teachings
Many Christian beliefs are introduced or developed in the Bible, particularly in the letters to early Christians. These teachings form the foundation of Christian theology, including doctrines about the nature of God, salvation, the afterlife, and how believers should live.
Personal spiritual development
Christians use the Bible in various ways for their spiritual growth:
- Personal devotion: Reading and reflecting on scripture as part of their devotional lives
- Understanding God: Learning about God's nature, character, and will through biblical texts
- Moral guidance: The Bible plays a crucial role in guiding Christian behavior and ethical decision-making
- Worship practices: Scripture is central to both personal prayer and liturgical (formal, communal) worship
The Bible thus serves as a living text that continues to shape Christian faith and practice two millennia after its completion. It remains relevant and meaningful to believers across different cultures, languages, and historical periods.
The Bible and Christian beliefs
The Bible contains numerous passages that express and support core Christian beliefs. Understanding these key texts helps clarify what Christians believe about God, Jesus, and salvation. Here are important examples:
Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
Biblical Support: The Nature of Christ
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-6)
This passage demonstrates the Christian belief that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human—a concept central to Christian theology.
Death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Biblical Support: The Resurrection
"Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
This text emphasizes that Jesus' death and resurrection were part of God's plan, foretold in earlier scriptures, and central to Christian faith.
Nature of God and the Trinity
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
This verse presents the Trinitarian formula, showing the three persons of the Christian Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Revelation
"Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." (Hebrews 1:1-2)
This passage explains how Christians believe God reveals himself—through prophets in the past, but ultimately and most fully through Jesus Christ.
Salvation
Biblical Support: Eternal Life
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone that believes in him may not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
This famous verse encapsulates the Christian understanding of salvation—that belief in Jesus Christ leads to eternal life with God.
These extracts demonstrate how the Bible functions as the authoritative source for Christian doctrine, providing scriptural support for the religion's central beliefs. Christians look to these texts to understand and articulate their faith.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- The Bible is derived from the Greek word biblia meaning "books"—it is a collection of many texts, not a single book
- The Bible is a closed canon, meaning no new books can be added (closed in mid-300s CE)
- The Bible has three main sections: Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), Apocrypha (Catholic/Orthodox only), and New Testament
- The Old Testament contains 39 books originally written in Hebrew, including the Torah (first five books attributed to Moses)
- The New Testament contains 27 books written in Koine Greek, including four Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation
- Key translations include the Latin Vulgate (St Jerome, 382 CE), King James Version (1611), and modern versions like the New Revised Standard Version
- Christians consider the Bible to be inspired by God and refer to it as "the Word of God"
- The Bible is essential for Christian spiritual development, worship, moral guidance, and understanding of God