Bible study

1. “You have got to build a firm foundation on the
living word of God. You have got to study it, to store
it in your heart, to gain the wisdom that it gives and
apply it to your life.”
― Calvin W. Allison
Dear Readers,
In the following pages, you will find 53 short and simple
articles on Bible (courtesy: various sources from the internet).
Though, these articles are not arranged in a systematic way or
may not be meant for scholarly studies, nevertheless, it would
help the readers to acquire some knowledge on the Bible.
These articles may be used for personal study or may be
published in your parish bulletins or other publications.
To encourage your group/parishioners to read these articles,
you can even conduct a BIBLE STUDY QUIZ. For further details
on how to conduct the BIBLE STUDY QUIZ, please refer to –
BIBLE QUEST section of this website. You will also find a
sample objective type question set prepared for PART 1 and 2
of the BIBLE STUDY articles below. You can use this format or
adapt as per your need.
ALSO AVAILABLE 43 SETS OF BIBLE QUIZZES (BIBLE
QUEST) IN THIS WEBSITE. For further details go to the
title BIBLE QUEST and read the INTRODUCTION.
Fr Felix Rebello
Email: frfelixrbello@gmail.com
FOR BIBLE QUIZ – part 1 – articles 1 to 18
See question set after the article 18
ARTICLE 1

2. What is the Bible?
Put simply, the Bible is God's word to humankind. It is a
combination of His directions for how we should live, a history of
the world, a story with a purpose and a revelation of God. The Bible
is the ultimate authority on God and all matters of the Christian life
and salvation.
What does 'Bible' mean?
The word Bible basically means "collection of books", and in its
physical sense it is exactly that - the Holy Bible is the collection of
Holy Books placed together to form one book.
How did we get the Bible?
Over a period of about one and a half Millennia, God inspired many
different people to write down His words into 73 individual books.
During the centuries following Jesus' ascension into Heaven, these
were collected together to form the Bible.
The Bible since then...
Since the original texts were decided upon (a somewhat final
decision being made in 397 AD), the Bible has been translated from
its original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into more languages than
any other book. It is also available in English in many different
translations, from the King James Version of 1611 (which is known
for its archaic speech) to the modern, everyday language translations
such as the New International Version and the New Revised
Standard Version.
ARTICLE 2
WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE?
Courtesy: Internet
When people hear there are over 50 different versions of the Bible in English alone, they often
think to themselves, "No wonder there are many denominations each teaching different things,
there are many different versions of the Bible." This view, however, is wrong. Yes there are many
denominations, but don't blame that on the fact there are many versions of the Bible. There is
one Bible.
First we need to understand what we mean by a "version". A better word than "version" is
"translation". The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in
Greek. If every man could read Hebrew and Greek, then we would have no need for an "English
version". Most people can't read Greek, "It's all Greek to me"! We must rely, therefore, upon men
who are fully fluent in English and Greek. These "scholars" read the original Greek Bible and
come up with an English equivalent. This process is called translation. We have all seen a foreign
diplomat give a news conference through the help of a translator. One translator may choose
different words or sentences, but the message is identical. Translation is a reliable science of
communicating between different languages. Remember, it was God Himself who created all the
language barriers in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel. God is satisfied that His inspired word can
be maintained although translated into over 200 languages.

3. Translation of the Greek New Testament is a very precise science. The New American Standard
Bible, for example, was translated over 10 years, by over 45 scholars and was first published in
1962 AD. Similar painstaking work was applied to the production of the New International (1978
AD), and King James (1611AD) and the New King James (1982AD). These translations and
others like them were the products of many years of work from scholars from many
denominations.
Each translation has its own strengths and weaknesses. The King James Version (KJV) is
excellent, but you must use a dictionary as you read because it uses language typical of the time
it was translated (1611). I recommend you purchase a more recent translation. The New
American Standard Version (NASV) is believed by many to be one of the most accurate
translations and is an excellent study Bible. The American Standard Version (ASV) is also
excellent and highly accurate. The New King James Version (NKJV) is high on the recommended
list. The New International Version (NIV) tries to make the text as easy to understand as possible
and is an excellent reading Bible, but not a good study Bible. The New World Translation (1950,
the Jehovah's Witnesses Bible) should be avoided because its is actually corrupt, being a
sectarian paraphrase rather than a true translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Although the exact choice of words or sentence structure is different in each translation, the
meaning is identical. Take the words of Jesus in Mark 16:16 from three "versions" as an example;
NIV: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved". KJV: "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved". NAS: "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved" Different
words and sentences but the meaning is identical. To blame religious division on the fact there
are different Bible versions, therefore, is incorrect. The view that each translation of the Bible
conveys a different message is also incorrect. There is only one Bible message that has been
translated into hundreds of different languages.
ARTICLE 3
The Bible, the Sole Rule of Faith?
Protestants derive their religion from a mere reading of the Bible which they interpret according to
their own private judgment. Catholics derive their doctrines from the Church which propounds to
them infallibly the teachings of the Bible and of Tradition. Which of these two formulas is
supported by the Bible itself and by the facts of history, and which consequently is correct?
The Bible makes it clear that Christ established the Church as a teaching organization to speak to
the world in His name and with His authority. Our Lord Himself wrote nothing. He commanded
the Apostles not to write but to teach and preach: "Going, therefore, teach all nations" and
"preach the Gospel to every creature." Christ's disciples and the Christians were commanded to
hear the Church, not to read the still nonexistent or at best incomplete New Testament Scriptures:
"He who hears you, hears Me." The teaching Church was in existence long before a single line of
the New Testament was written. The Apostles evangelized different peoples, not by presenting to
them a copy of the New Testament which did not as yet exist, but by preaching the Gospel, the
oral message of Christ to them. Thousands of men became Christians and adhered to the whole
truth of God before they saw or read a single book of the New Testament.
It was the leaders of the existing teaching Church who wrote the books of the New Testament. It
was the Church which collected and preserved these books, and distinguished them from
spurious books which might have otherwise found their way into the Bible. It was from the
Catholic Church that the Protestants of the sixteenth century took their Bible and also their belief
in its divine inspiration. How illogical, then, it is for a group to step in fifteen hundred years later,
wrest the Bible from its historical and lawful possessor and fosterer, put the Bible in the place of
the Church, and pretend to possess a true understanding of the purpose and meaning of the
Bible?
The different books of the New Testament were for many centuries scattered in the various
Christian communities of the Orient. Being written on papyrus which was fragile and breakable,

4. these books could not be widely circulated and hence were read by a comparatively few groups.
It was only in 397 A.D. that the Council of Carthage finally decided which books belong to the
Bible, and it was about this time, too, that the books of the Bible were combined into one volume.
Before the invention of printing in the sixteenth century, copies of the Bible written by hand were
so rare and costly that only the rich could procure them.
Bible Christianity, then, is an invention of the sixteenth century. In the previous centuries it was
not only unknown but it was impossible. Bible Christianity is a formal denial of the Catholic
Church, of her divine authority and mission to teach all. It strives to abrogate the Church which
Christ instituted, endeavours to substitute in its place a book, and makes the Bible, as interpreted
by one's own private judgment, the sole and supreme rule of faith and morality.
ARTICLE 4
I. INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE
When Paul said: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16), he used the Greek
word "theopneustos" for the idea of inspiration. This Greek word is composed of "theos," meaning
God, and "pneo," meaning to breathe. The compound word is an adjective meaning literally
"breathed of God." Since it is the breath that produces speech, this word provided a very apt and
impressive way of saying that the Scripture is the word of God.
II. THE HUMAN ELEMENT IN INSPIRATION
However it was only in special cases that the words to be written down were orally dictated to the
Scripture writers. In most cases the minds of the writers became the laboratory in which God
converted His breath, as it were, into human language. This was not done by a mechanical
process. The personality and temperament of the writers were not suspended. These are
manifest in the writings. Hence we read from Gaussen: "In maintaining that all Scripture is from
God, we are far from thinking that man goes for nothing in it . . . In Scripture all the words are
man’s, as there, too, all the words are God’s. In a certain sense, the Epistle to the Romans is
altogether a letter of Paul’s and, in a still higher sense, the Epistle to the Romans is altogether a
letter of God’s" (Theopneustia, a book indorsed highly by C. H. Spurgeon). And so we read also
from Manly: "The divine origin and authority of the Word of God is not to be affirmed so as to
exclude or impair the reality of the human authorship, and the peculiarities resulting there from.
The Bible is God’s Word to man, throughout; yet at the same time it is really and thoroughly a
man’s composition. No attempt should be made-and we shall certainly make none-to set aside or
ignore the "human element" of the Scriptures, which is unmistakably apparent on their very face;
no one should wish to so magnify the divine as to crowd this out, or almost out. This is one of the
mistakes which good men have committed. Let both be admitted, recognized, accepted thankfully
and rejoicingly, each contributing to make the Bible more completely adapted to human needs as
the instrument of divine grace, and the guide for weak and wandering human souls. The word is
not of man, as to its source; nor depending on man, as to its authority. It is by and through man
as its medium; yet not only simply as the channel along which it runs, like water through a lifeless
pipe, but through and by man as the agent voluntarily active "and intelligent in its communication.
Both sides of the truth are expressed in the Scriptural language: ‘Holy men of God spake as they
were moved (borne along) by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Pet. 1:21). The men spoke; the impulse and
direction were from God" (The Bible Doctrine of Inspiration). "The Scriptures contain a human as
well as a divine element, so that while they constitute a body of infallible truth, this truth is shaped
in human moulds and adapted to ordinary human intelligence" (Strong).
ARTICLE 5
Reading the Bible
Because the Bible is both authoritative and historical, it is important to read it as such. It
is God's word that seeks application in your life, but to understand how to apply it, you
must understand its original meaning, its original context. A simple and obvious

5. example of the need for context in any work is found in the fact that the words, "there is
no God", are found 15 times throughout the Bible (NIV). It is not until you look at them
in context that you realise they are all part of a sentence to the effect of "there is no God
but one" (e.g., Dt. 32:39) or "the fool says in his heart: 'There is no God'" (e.g., Ps.
14:1), or similar such statements.
But the need for context extends further in the Bible to an appreciation of the culture
and circumstances of the time. For example, in Exodus 21 we read that justice should be
in the form of exact retribution: "take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise" (vv.23-25), while
in Matthew chapter 5 we read Jesus as saying: "If someone strikes you on the right
cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic,
let him have your cloak as well" (vv.39-40). The differences between these two
apparently contradictory statements, both of which are authoritative, are reconciled
through an understanding of the culture and circumstances of each statement, and the
application to today's life is similarly found. In some circumstances it may be a good
idea to have a commentary handy when reading the Bible, to enable a clearer
understanding of the passage you're reading. (Commentaries comment on the culture
and circumstance, then focus on the meaning of the passages in the Bible.) But a great
deal of the time application for passages can be easily found simply by thinking and
praying about them. For example, in the 14th chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans he
instructs them to obey the authorities and the law of the land. Although we live under
different authorities today, it can be clearly seen that this passage is easily applied in our
lives today by obeying the government and living by the laws of the country we live in.
Sometimes understanding and applying what you read is easy, sometimes hard. The key
is to read the Bible regularly, asking God to help you understand, and reading
commentaries and other such works by gifted Christian scholars when the meaning and
application of the text is not immediately apparent. Finally, the Bible is God's word to
us, we are supposed to live by it, and grow in godliness by obeying it. We must do all
that we can to understand it and apply it as God wishes.
ARTICLE 6
HOW BIBLE CAME TO BE?
The Bible is one of the great books of the world. However, there have been those who continually
misunderstand just what it is, and how it came to be, and some of the problems inherent in the
Bible. Fundamentalist Christians have the utterly mistaken idea that the Bible is perfect, that
every word in it came from God directly to man and that all that God has ever spoken, done,
seen, or felt is written and contained in the Bible. This is utterly and simply naive and worthless in
getting to the truth of the Bible, or God, how he acts, thinks, feels, etc.
"There are at least 36 different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in three
languages, and from every possible human standpoint. Among these authors were kings,
farmers, mechanics, scientific men, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers, and priests, a tax-
collector, a doctor, some rich, some poor, some city bred, some country born - thus touching all
the experiences of men - extending over 1500 years." On one thing most serious Bible scholars
agree on, is that the Bible is not a perfectly written, grammatically correct, historically 100%
accurate, perfectly preserved book. Does it need to be in order for it to be God's word though?
Granted God, by definition is perfect, but men and women are not. And God chooses to go
through human mediums when giving his instructions. In the process of editing, translating,
transmitting the records, things get lost, shuffled around, changed, added to and deleted from.
Not only do we have to do with this type of issue, as to what is added into the scriptures from later
perspectives and what is left out, but we also have got to begin to realize that there is nothing we
have concerning the original autographs of ***ANY*** of the New Testament writers. There is

6. even question as to whether the evangelists themselves were eyewitnesses to Jesus' life!
Realistically, the Bible is a human made document. Sure it deals with God's dealings with men
and women, but it is written by men. It is transmitted by men, and lest we forget, we are told
"copying is a source of both survival and corruption for a text." We must remember that in early
Christian times the manuscripts looked like this:
INTHOSEDAYSALMOSTEVERYTHINGWASWRITTENINCAPITALLETTERSWITHOUTPUNCTU
ATIONANDNOSPACESBETWEENWORDS.
The Bible will not mean what it is meant to mean until we begin to have something of an
understanding of just what it is and what it is not. Fundamentalist Christians miss this crucial
concept completely and strain at gnats but swallow camels when they declare the Bible to be
something other than what it itself says and displays. Without some sort of reality check, the
Fundamentalist Christians are building their foundation of scriptural exegesis on sand and will
never, worlds without end, convince the rest of the world about just what the Bible means,
whether discussing salvation, grace, the law, or God.
ARTICLE 7
Bible History based on important figures
The much of the history of the Bible may be divided up into simple segments around the lifetimes
of five important Biblical figures: Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and Jesus. Once you commit to
memory the general time frame of the lives of each of these men, you can begin to view other
time information you read in the Bible in relation to the lives of these men. It is not necessary to
find out or remember the "exact" birth date or death date of each of these men. In fact, that
specific information for most of them is shrouded in the mists of ancient history. But it is possible
to pinpoint a more general focal date in each of their lives that will be very helpful for our
purposes. For each of them lived along a timeline which can be conveniently divided up into five
hundred year segments. We do not intend to suggest that the dates below are an exact mid-point
in each of the men's lives. We merely suggest that by focusing on these dates which did occur in
their lifetime, you can more easily memorize the sequence of events in the scripture.
Here are the general, simplified Biblical dates connected with these five:
Abraham 2000 BC, Moses 1500 BC , David 1000 BC, Daniel 500 BC
Note: In our common calendar system, there is no such year as "0" either B.C. or A.D. The year 1
B.C. is immediately followed by 1 A.D.
If you will make it a project to memorize just these five dates and the men connected with them,
you will find that the effort was well worth it! Here is one possible method: Rather than memorize
the facts given here in "pairs"... that is, "Abraham + 2000 B.C."... You may find it helpful to
memorize the names as a unit first - "Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Jesus". This kind of list
is usually easy to memorize, as it almost sounds like a little poem when stated out loud
rhythmically! You can "divide" it up into two sections, perhaps... "Abraham, Moses.... David,
Daniel, Jesus. Then clarify in your mind that the first date in the series is 2000, followed by
intervals of 500 years. As soon as you have these five names and their associated dates
memorized, it is also very helpful to visually lay them out on a "time line" such as the one above.
Then as you find other names, events and dates in the scriptures, you can place them on that line
in their relative positions. By actually picking up a pen and paper and creating your own time
line, you will impress upon your subconscious the facts you are writing down. And by writing down
the list of the five names-perhaps several days in a row until you have them solidly in mind-you
will reinforce your memory.

7. ARTICLE 8
Bible Study - Paying Attention to the Context
One important aspect of personal Bible study is trying to understand the situation that
God’s people were in when the writer of a particular Bible book or letter wrote to them.
Understanding the context is important because it helps us to understand the message of
God clearly and accurately. Let’s take a look at an example. Imagine in your Bible
study you are working through the book of Revelation and read in Revelation 3:15,16:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or
hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my
mouth.” (ESV). We are accustomed today to talk about a lukewarm Christian as
someone who might go to Church occasionally, but isn’t all that enthusiastic about the
gospel or Bible study. If we use today’s understanding of lukewarm to understand the
passage in Revelation 3, it seems to be saying that God would prefer that we were either
spiritually dead (cold) or full of zeal (hot) rather than being lukewarm.
But if we find out a little about the people this letter is addressed to, some Christians
living in a place called Laodicea, we’ll see that this isn’t what God is saying at all. A
good commentary can be a great tool to help you in this aspect of your Bible study.
After doing some study in your commentary, you’ll discover that Laodicea received its
water from an aqueduct that carried hot water from some mineral springs in Hierapolis
about five miles away. But the time it arrived in the city, the water had cooled down
and become lukewarm – a very unpleasant temperature for drinking. The hot mineral
springs of nearby Hierapolis were useful for medical purposes, and the cold water in the
nearby city of Colossae was valued for its purity. But the lukewarm water of Laodicea
was good for nothing.
We can see then that God’s message isn’t that he’d prefer that his people were
spiritually dead than half-hearted in their faith – what we might have thought without
having done our Bible study. But instead, we see that God desires his people to be
useful in his world rather than “good for nothing.”
Careful Bible study requires hard work and effort, but it is also rewarding work. When
we take time to pay attention to the context, we are able to hear God’s message to us
more clearly. And that, after all, is the reason why we study the Bible.
ARTICLE 9
Different Kinds of Literature in the Bible
Most books fall into one particular category of literature or another. An instruction
booklet for making something uses technical language. A novel will use some kind of
fictional narrative language. A book of poetry may use rhymed or non-rhymed verse;
and a book of history uses factual narrative writing. The type of book almost always
determines the kind of literature used. The Bible is bound as one large book, but it is
really made up of many different books written using many different kinds of literature.
This makes the Bible both challenging and exciting to read. When studying the books of
the Bible, it is important to look not only at the information a book contains but also at
the literary form that the author has used.
The kind of literature used can give clues about what the author was trying to say. For
example, look at 1 Sam 1.1-28 and compare it to 1 Sam 2.1-10. These passages from the
same book use two different kinds of writing. The first section is more like prose, or
story, while the second section is a prayer or song in poetic form. Noticing the change
from prose to poetry can give a reader more to think about regarding the text.

8. A brief example from the New Testament is the story of Jesus' birth. Luke 2.1-21 tells
of the events of Jesus' birth and gives many details regarding the birth itself. In contrast,
John does not use a story to tell about Jesus' birth. Instead, it begins with a poem (1.1-
14), which refers to Jesus as "the Word" and "the true light" that became "a human
being." How do these different kinds of literature influence the way we think about who
Jesus is? Why has the writer of each of these Gospels emphasized different aspects of
Jesus' birth and identity? Looking at the way a writer chooses to share information can
open the way for new ways of understandings what the Bible has to say. The Bible
includes a great number of types of literature. Some forms of literature describe an
entire book. In the Bible the most important of these forms are laws and rules, history,
poetry and songs, wisdom sayings and proverbs, Gospels, letters, and apocalyptic
writings. Other forms of literature describe sections within a book. The most important
of these forms are prose narrative, prayers, parables, prophesies (oracles), and long
family lists (genealogies).
ARTICLE 10
ORIGINAL LANGAUGE OF THE BIBLE
The Bible (from Greek biblia "the books") is the collections of the primary religious texts of
Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books
(Biblical canon), their contents and their order vary among denominations. Mainstream Judaism
divides the Tanakh into 24 books, while a minority stream of Judaism, the Samaritans, accepts
only five. The 24 texts of the Hebrew Bible are divided into 39 books in Christian Old Testaments,
and complete Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to the 81 books in
the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible,[1]
to the 84 books of the Eastern Orthodox Bible.
The Jewish Bible, or Tanakh, is divided into three parts: (1) the five books of the Torah
("teaching" or "law"), comprising the origins of the Israelite nation, its laws and its covenant with
the God of Israel; (2) the Nevi'im ("prophets"), containing the historic account of ancient Israel and
Judah plus works of prophecy; and (3) the Ketuvim ("writings"): poetic and philosophical works
such as the Psalms and the Book of Job.[2]
The Christian Bible is divided into two parts. The first is called the Old Testament, containing the
(minimum) 39 books of Hebrew Scripture, and the second portion is called the New Testament,
containing a set of 27 books. The first four books of the New Testament form the Canonical
gospels which recount the life of Christ and are central to the Christian faith. Christian Bibles
include the books of the Hebrew Bible, but arranged in a different order: Jewish Scripture ends
with the people of Israel restored to Jerusalem and the temple, whereas the Christian
arrangement ends with the book of the prophet Malachi. The oldest surviving Christian Bibles are
Greek manuscripts from the 4th century; the oldest complete Jewish Bible is a Greek translation,
also dating to the 4th century. The oldest complete manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (the
Masoretic text) date from the Middle Ages.[3]
During the three centuries following the establishment of Christianity in the 1st century, Church
Fathers compiled Gospel accounts and letters of apostles into a Christian Bible which became
known as the New Testament. The Old and New Testaments together are commonly referred to
as "The Holy Bible". The canonical composition of the Old Testament is under dispute between
Christian groups: Protestants hold only the books of the Hebrew Bible to be canonical; Roman
Catholics and Eastern Orthodox additionally consider the deuterocanonical books, a group of
Jewish books, to be canonical. The New Testament is composed of the Gospels ("good news"),
the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles (letters), and the Book of Revelation.
ARTICLE 11
Who Wrote the Bible?

9. Many people contributed to the writing of the Bible. Actually the Bible is a collection of
writings from about forty contributors, thirty in the Old Testament and ten in the New
Testament. For example, the Psalms are a collection of the works of several authors, of
whom David, the "sweet singer of Israel", is the best known. But psalms were also
written by Moses, by Asaph, by a man named Ethan, and by the sons of Korah.
The accounts which have been preserved in the Old Testament date from the earliest
times, and were both written down and transmitted orally. As time passed they were
collected together and received by the Hebrews as coming to them by God's mandate.
The prophets transmit God's message to humans, while many of the Psalms articulate
cries of people to God. Yet these psalms are also preserved in the Bible as part of God's
message to mankind.
The New Testament stories and teachings were widely circulated among the early
Christian churches. The letters of Paul to the Christians in several cities were likely the
earliest writings now found in the New Testament. But many other letters and epistles
were circulated as well. Gradually it became clear to the early churches which writings
were truly inspired and which were spurious or simply edifying messages from pious
authors.
It is truly amazing that all forty of these authors, spread out over 1600 years, have such
a unified message in spite of their great diversity in language, culture and time. There is
a reason for that! The reason is that these forty or so writers are all secondary authors.
There is actually only one primary author, the one who inspired all the human authors,
the eternal God.
Christians believe that the Bible came to us from God himself, who used all these
human authors to give us his message, through the presence and inspiration of his Spirit.
He did not simply give dictation to these authors, because we observe their unique
personalities and varying styles of writing shining through. But God's message, God's
authorship, is always there, providing in the end through all the years, exactly what he
wanted us to have. In this way the Bible is our own ageless treasure.
ARTICLE 12
Why do some Bibles have a section called the Apocrypha?
During the period between the completion of the Old Testament and the first writings included in
the New Testament (i.e. the period between 450 BC and 50 AD), many essays, psalms and
historical accounts circulated throughout the synagogues and early churches. Some of these
documents gradually came to be regarded by certain of the believers as actually inspired and
deserving of a place in the canon.
We usually date the first definite listing of the accepted books of the Bible as occurring around
367 AD. However, a second set of booklets had been assembled through the years, and these
were given the name Apocrypha (meaning "hidden"). Though they are all from the time before the
birth of Christ, they were never included in the Hebrew Bible. However, many Christians regarded
them as valuable for reading and edification, and in some editions of the Bible they were
interspersed among the Old Testament books.
Then Martin Luther, in his Bible translation of 1534, extracted the apocryphal books from their
usual places in the Old Testament, and had them printed at the end of the Old Testament. He
stated that they "are not held equal to the Sacred Scriptures and yet are useful and good for
reading." After that, many Protestant Bibles omitted them completely. However, in 1546 the
Roman Catholic Council of Trent specifically listed the apocryphal books approved by the Roman
Catholic Church as inspired and they are always included in Roman Catholic Bibles and are
usually interspersed among the books of the Old Testament.

10. The Apocrypha generally consists of 14 booklets of which 1 and 2 Maccabees and 1 Esdras are
the main documents and form the bulk of the apocryphal writings. First Maccabees is an historical
account of the struggle of the Maccabee family and their followers for Jewish independence from
167 to 134 BC. Second Maccabees covers the same ground but dramatizes the accounts and
makes moral and doctrinal observations. Other books are Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus,
and The Wisdom of Solomon.
Since neither Jesus nor the apostles make any reference to the apocryphal books, most
Christians have regarded their authority as secondary to that of the 39 books of the Old
Testament. Yet within these apocryphal books are passages of great piety and historical
information. We should therefore approach the Apocrypha with a discerning mind and heart, and
carefully discriminate between that which is in harmony with the essentials of the Christian faith
and that which deviates from what is taught in the 66 books of the canon. We have the Lord's
promise that he will lead us into the truth, and we live by that promise in everything we read.
ARTICLE 13
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Are new parts of the Bible still coming to light? How is this possible?
In 1947 in an obscure cave west of the Dead Sea, Bedouin shepherds discovered some scrolls
carefully placed in ten tall jars. They did not know what they had come upon, but they sold the
scrolls to a nearby dealer. This was the opening chapter to an astonishing archeological find;
eventually some 800 different manuscripts would be found in eleven caves near the valley called
Wadi Qumran. In all, some 60,000 fragments, portions, or complete scrolls of these 800
manuscripts were retrieved, covering many subjects.
Many of the documents contained biblical texts. Either fragments or complete copies were found
of every book in the Old Testament except Esther. They had been placed in these caves around
the middle of the first century AD, and the amazing fact is that they had lain there undisturbed for
1900 years! But why are these Dead Sea Scrolls so important for us? The reason is that before
this discovery the earliest manuscripts of biblical texts dated from the ninth century after Christ.
They were copies of earlier copies which were long lost.
But now, for example, we have a scroll of the complete book of Isaiah dating from the second
century before Christ. It is a thousand years older than any previous Hebrew Scripture document
that we had before 1947.
So as these scrolls were painstakingly unrolled and translated, biblical scholars and Christians
everywhere wondered what the results would be. Would the new finds provide contradictory texts,
quite different from the text of our Bibles? Would the Bible have to be altered or expanded?
Even though not all of the scrolls are unrolled and translated more than half a century later, the
answers are coming clear. The texts are amazingly similar to the documents we already have.
The variations are less than two percent, and not a single teaching or doctrine of the Bible we
have is altered. Rather than posing a threat to the Christian faith, the Dead Sea Scrolls have, in
fact, provided convincing support for the genuineness of God's revelation as given to us in the
Bible.
Nevertheless, Bible scholars are having intense debates about some of the texts. For example,
some new Bible translations have added approximately 70 words to the end of 1 Samuel 10. The
passage tells us that a certain king Nahash gouged out the eyes of the Israelites. While the text
itself is of little consequence, it raises some very basic questions. Are new parts of the Bible still
coming to light? Don't we have God's complete revelation? How is this possible? Such questions
need a forthright answer, and that answer is to trust in God's provision. This trust embraces our
faith in His plan for the universe, and in His sending of His son to our needy world. Therefore, it
also certainly embraces our trust in His revelation. If we trust Him with our destiny, we can trust
His provision of exactly what we need to know and receive from Him.

11. The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided enormous light for Bible translators. The Scripture text we
have today is clearly reliable and substantiated from these ancient scrolls. The challenge we face
in responding to this marvelous find is to place our faith in God's Word and in His provision of light
on our path for time and eternity.
.
ARTICLE 14
Search for Revelation
Man throughout history has searched for God and has argued, discussed, and philosophized
about the Supreme Being. This has led to a multitude of explanations. If one studies these, he will
soon realize that man can never understand God through his own reasoning. To know God and
what He does must come from a source outside of one's own thoughts -- God must supernaturally
reveal Himself to mankind. God has revealed Himself in two ways. The first is natural revelation,
which comes from nature. Examples of this are the cause and effect, and the design and purpose
arguments that point to a First Cause and a Great Designer. This type of revelation can only give
partial knowledge of the attributes of God. For instance, since the First Cause existed before the
universe, God must be self-existing and eternal. The immensity of the universe shows God's
unlimited greatness and powerfulness. The simplicity and yet intricacy of material and energy
points to God's unlimited knowledge. All these show the glory of God.
There is little need to dwell on what can be learned from natural revelation since it is limited and
imperfect and can tell little of God's purpose in creating the world or of His moral character. But
this aspect of revelation is still valuable because it reveals enough of the nature of God that men
want to seek revelation from Him. To seek to know God is a proper thing to do if the search
centers on finding whether God has revealed Himself, and if He has, where this revelation is
found. It is reasonable and probable to expect that God would reveal Himself to man. It is unlikely
God would have created such a wonderful universe without revealing the Who and Why behind it.
The second way of God’s revelation of himself is known as special revelation. This revelation has
occurred through direct communication from God and His working through historical events
directed to Abraham, Moses, and the other Old Testament prophets, and supremely through His
Son, Jesus Christ, and His apostles. This is supernatural revelation because its source is God.
This type of revelation given by God's messengers is called special revelation to distinguish it
from natural revelation. Special revelation is limited to those who receive it, and their record of it,
and it is more detailed and specific than natural revelation. According to Christian teachings,
special revelation is recorded in the Bible--the Scripture of the Christian religion.
No one is asked to believe the Bible is God's revelation without evidence that it is factual and true.
No one is asked to accept this by "faith" only. Faith is a central Christian teaching, but this does
not mean Christianity must be believed without evidence or reason. One aspect of Faith is the
persuasion and conviction of the truthfulness of Christianity, but this does not mean Christianity is
not based on factual evidence. There is adequate evidence that God has revealed Himself
through special revelation.
ARTICLE 15
The Bible, Human and Divine
When one takes up the Bible, however, he discovers a paradoxical truth. The Bible contains
many promises, warnings, and instructions from God. But it also records the sinful schemes of
men, their boastful words of unbelief, and even the sad story of many a major act of sin and
shame. Furthermore, the entire Scripture was written in the living languages of Israel (mostly
ancient Hebrew, with a small portion in Aramaic, another Semitic tongue) and of the Graeco-
Roman world of the first century, A.D. (Koine Greek). So the Word of God is recorded in man's
languages, with all the limitations which that places upon the Scripture. Furthermore, the Bible is
not only a Semitic book, for the most part; it is also an ancient book, with the characteristics of

12. ancient writings. For example, the speeches which the Bible records are certainly not generally
full and verbatim accounts of the addresses made, but are good and true summaries of what was
said. And when ancient writers quoted sources, they made no difference between direct and
indirect quotation. (Note, for example, the way the Old Testament text is quoted in the New. The
apostles sometimes made accurate translations from the Hebrew original, sometimes they simply
gave the sense of the original, and most frequently they quoted from the Septuagint, whether or
not the Greek version was a careful translation of the Hebrew text which we have.) Weights and
measures and numbers are given in round figures as a general rule, and even such rough
estimates of distance are given as "a sabbath day's journey." Often we find "about" this or that
distance, "about" such and such a time, and the like. And even when the "about" is not stated, it is
to be understood, for the Bible does not give data with the scientific precision of the twentieth
century. Hence Solomon's temple laver was [about] thirty cubits in circumference and [about] ten
cubits in diameter. II Chronicles 4:2. This is only one of the many aspects of the "humanness" of
the Bible. (Had God desired to do so, He certainly could have had all observations and records
made with infinite precision, but He chose to allow good and honest witnesses to put down their
observations with the rough approximations of common people.) With conscious exaggeration the
Book of Exodus reports that "all" the cattle of the Egyptians died--which meant simply that there
was a fearful loss of cattle, not that none survived at all. And so the writer can tell us later in the
chapter that the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh. provided shelter for their
cattle during the plague of hail. Exodus 9:6,20.
It is worthy of careful notice that in general the Bible contains no revelations of what man can
discover by scientific research--by the use, for example, of such refined instruments as the
Hubble telescope and the electron microscope. For God spoke through the prophets and through
His Son, not to make human research unnecessary in any field of human knowledge, but to bring
men into a saving relationship with Him through repentance and faith.
ARTICLE 16
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS AND THE GREEK TEXT
The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language and the New Testament in the
Greek. Must we therefore study the Scriptures in their original languages to understand
them or can translations accurately convey the meaning of the Old and New Testament
Scriptures?
The answer to this perplexing question can be found in Christ and the apostles' use of
Scripture. Eighty percent of the Old Testament quotations found in the New Testament
are from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) Old Testament translation (which is far from a
word-to-word translation), not from the Hebrew text. These Septuagint quotations were
treated as Scripture and were accepted as trustworthy. Today our translations stand in a
similar place as the LXX did in the first century.
The New Testament was written in the common, ordinary language of its day so people
could understand the gospel and thus believe in Christ. Paul said, "How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? . . . So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:14, 17).[1]
Preaching and hearing the gospel means the Bible must be in the hearer's language;
there must be translations.
In summary, people must be able to understand Scripture, and to do so they must have it
in their own language.
Translations

13. Of the many translations available, how can we know which one to use? There are some
general facts to consider when choosing a version of the Bible.
1. Modern English translations have value since words become obsolete, ambiguous,
misleading, etc., due to language changes.
2. Newer translations are based on more thoroughly researched Greek texts than the
older ones, but this is no guarantee that their Greek texts are better.
3. More than one version should be used, especially when studying difficult passages.
4. Some versions are mainly paraphrases (not following the original wording very
closely but interpreting it), and their use should be limited.
ARTICLE 17
The Old Testament
Are we under the Old Testament today? Are we required to offer burnt animal sacrifices as David
was required? In Psalms 66:15 we read, “I will offer you burnt sacrifices of fat animals, with the
sweet aroma of rams, I will offer bulls with goats.” Are we today to offer the burnt animal
sacrifices as is specified here in the book of Psalms? No. The Old Testament has been taken out
of the way when Christ died on the cross. We read in Colossians 2:14, “Having wiped out the
handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it
out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” In speaking of the New Testament we read in Hebrews
9:16, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”
So after Christ died the Old Testament was taken out of the way and His testament, the New
Testament, took effect for us today.
We are no longer under the Old Testament. The Old Testament was then replaced for us today
with the New Testament. The Old Testament is still useful for us today, because without the Old
Testament the New Testament would be difficult to understand. There are also many good
lessons in the Old Testament. But today we do not go to the Old Testament to learn what to do to
be saved and how to worship God. In speaking of Christ and His New Testament we read in
Hebrews 8:6-7, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also
Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first
covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for the second.” So we see
here the New Testament is a better covenant with better promises. And then in Galatians 3:24-25,
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor." We are no longer under the Old Testament.
Then in speaking of the Old Testament law in Romans 7:6 we read, “But now we have been
delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the
newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Since we have been delivered from the
Old Testament law we should not try to serve God by its regulations. Why?
In speaking of the Old Testament law we read in Galatians 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace.” If we try to justify
ourselves by the Old Testament we will fall from grace and will be lost.
Following quiz was conducted in the above 18 articles. More articles
continued after this quiz in the later pages
BIBLE STUDY QUIZ (BSQ) – March 15, 2015
(Questions for this BSQ are chosen from the articles of BIBLE STUDY – part 1 from our church website.
After each question, article no. reference is given for you to cross check your answers.
You have to simply tick (a,b or c) the correct answers in the answer sheet given separately).

14. 1. During the centuries following Jesus' _____, these were collected together to form the Bible. (article 1)
a] death on the cross b] ascension into Heaven c] life on earth.
2. Bible is also available in English in many different translations, from the King James Version of ____ to the
modern, everyday language translations (article 1) a] 1611 b] 1800 c] 1921
3. The Old Testament was originally written in ____ and the New Testament in Greek. (article 2)
a] Aramaic b] Hebrew c] English
4. The New American Standard Bible, for example, was translated over 10 years, by over ___ scholars and was
first published in 1962 AD. (article 2) a] 85 b] 65 c] 45
5. The view that each translation of the Bible conveys a different message is also _____. (article 2)
a] correct b] partly correct c] incorrect
6. It was from the Catholic Church that the Protestants of the ____ century took their Bible and also their belief in
its divine inspiration.(article 3) a] 16th
b] 17th
c] 18th
7. It was only in ___ A.D. that the Council of Carthage finally decided which books belong to the Bible, and it was
about this time, too, that the books of the Bible were combined into one volume. (article 3) a] 450 B] 397 C] 557
8. Paul used the Greek word "theopneustos" for the idea of inspiration. This Greek word is composed of "theos,"
meaning God, and "pneo," meaning to _____ (article 4) a] spirit b] breath c] study
9. In writing of bible in most cases the minds of the writers became the laboratory in which God converted His
_____, as it were, into human language. (article 4) a] thoughts b] wisdom c] breath
10. Human and Divine sides of the ____ are expressed in the Scriptural language: ‘Holy men of God spake as
they were moved (borne along) by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Pet. 1:21). (article 4) a] truth b] love b] justice
11. Bible is both authoritative and ____ (article 5) a] powerless b] historical c] fragile
12. A simple and obvious example of the need for context in any work is found in the fact that the words, "there is
no God", are found ___ times throughout the Bible (NIV). (article 5) a] 15 b] 18 c] 24
13. But a great deal of the time application for passages can be easily found simply by thinking and ____ about
them. (article 5) a] discussing b] sharing c] praying
14. Fundamentalist Christians have the utterly mistaken idea that the Bible is ______ (article 6).
a] perfect b] imperfect c] false
15. "There are at least ___ different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in three languages,
and from every possible human standpoint. (article 6) a] 23 b] 36 c] 42
16. The much of the history of the Bible may be divided up into simple segments around the lifetimes of ____
important Biblical figures (article 7) a] two b] three c] five
17. The general, simplified Biblical date connected with David is _____: (article 7) a] 2000 b] 1500 c] 1000
18. Understanding the ____ is important because it helps us to understand the message of God clearly and
accurately. (article 8) a] context b] writer c] language
19. When studying the books of the Bible, it is important to look not only at the information a book contains but
also at the ____ that the author has used. (Article 9) a] history b] literary form c] poems
20. Compare 1 Sam 1.1-28 and 1 Sam 2.1-10. These passages from the same book use ____ different kinds of
writing. (article 9) a] two b] three c] five
21. John begins with a ___ (1.1-14), which refers to Jesus as "the Word" and "the true light" that became "a
human being." (article 9) a] story b] poem c] fact
22. Complete Christian Bibles range from the ___ books of the Protestant canon to the 81 books in the Ethiopian
Orthodox Bible, to the 84 books of the Eastern Orthodox Bible. (article 10) a] 63 b] 65 c] 66
23. The first part of the Jewish Bible books - Torah means ____ (article 10) A] prophecy b] teaching c]
philosophy
24. The oldest surviving Christian Bibles are Greek manuscripts from the ___ century (article 10) a] 2nd
b] 3rd
c]
4th
25. During the ____ centuries following the establishment of Christianity in the 1st century, Church Fathers
compiled the New Testament. (article 10) a] three b] five c] six
26. Actually the Bible is a collection of writings from about _____ contributors, thirty in the Old Testament and ten
in the New Testament. (article 11) a] forty b] fifty c] sixty
BSQ contd page 2/- pto
BSQ – page 2/-

15. 27. The Psalms are a collection of the works of several authors, of whom _____, the "sweet singer of Israel", is
the best known. (article 11) a] Solomon b] David c] Moses
28. The ____ to the Christians in several cities were likely the earliest writings now found in the New Testament.
(article 11) a] letters of Paul b] letters of Peter c] letters of John
29. The eternal God is the ______ author of the Bible. (article 11) A] important b] primary c] secondary
30. A second set of booklets had been assembled through the years, and these were given the name Apocrypha
(meaning _____). (article 12) a] extra b] hidden c] discovered
31. First Maccabees is an _____ of the struggle of the Maccabee family and their followers for Jewish
independence from 167 to 134 BC. (article 12) a] dramatic account b] imaginary account c] historical account
32. Since neither Jesus nor the apostles make any reference to the apocryphal books, most Christians have
regarded their authority as ____to that of the 39 books of the Old Testament. (article 12)
a] doubtful b] minimal c] secondary
33. In ______ in an obscure cave west of the Dead Sea, Bedouin shepherds discovered some scrolls carefully
placed in ten tall jars. (article 13) a] 1947 b] 1965 c] 1977
34. The new founds of Dead Scrolls provided _____ for the genuineness of God's revelation as given to us in the
Bible (article 13) a] partial support b] moral support c] convincing support
35. The Bible scholars are having intense debates about some of the Dead Scroll texts. For example, some new
Bible translations have added approximately ____ words to the end of 1 Samuel 10. (article 13) a] 120 b] 70 c]
60
36. God’s natural revelation can only give _____ knowledge of the attributes of God. (article 14)
a] partial b] empty c] wrong
37. The second way of God’s revelation of himself is known as ____ revelation that occurred through direct
communication from God to Abram and others (article 14) a] unnatural b] special c] great
38. No one is asked to believe the Bible is God's revelation without ____ that it is factual and true. (article 14)
a] evidence b] faith c] struggle
39. The Word of God is recorded in man's languages, with all the __ which that places upon the Scripture (article
15) a] strengths b] attractions c] limitations
40. In the Bible the weights and measures and numbers are given in ____ as a general rule.(article 15)
a] exact figures b] round figures c] estimated figures
41. For God spoke through the prophets and through His Son, _____ human research unnecessary in any field of
human knowledge. (article 15) a] to make b] to stress c] not to make
42. People must be able to understand Scripture, and to do so they must have it in ____ (article 16).
a] their own language b] original language c] close to Greek language
43. When studying difficult passages ____ versions should be used (article 16) a] only one b] more than one c]
all
44. Without the Old Testament the New Testament ____ (article 17).
a] is of no use b] is meaningless c] would be difficult to understand
45. Today we do not go to the Old Testament to learn what to do to be saved and how to ____ God. (article 17)
a] worship b] obey c] follow
46. So we see here the New Testament is a better covenant with better ____. (article 17)
a] ideas b] promises c] actions
47. If we try to justify ourselves by the Old Testament we will ___ and will be lost.(article 17)
a] fall from grace b] reject the grace c] prevent the grace
48. Every Christian should have ______ for the scientific method and accept its validity. (article 18)
a] great love b] great respect c] great desire
49. The Scientists who deny the existence of supernatural conclude that we got here _____ and will end up in
nothingness. (article 18) a] for a purpose b] to live life fully c] by chance
50. When it comes to miracles, it is fair to conclude that they lie outside of science, but are ____ science. (article
18)
a] contrary to b] against c] not opposed to
YEAR END FEEDBACK SECTION
Please answer the YEAR END FEEDBACK questions about 7 to 10 lines each in the normal size good
handwriting (in the reverse of your answer sheet). Besides 2 bonus points, inspiring answers will be uploaded in
our website which may encourage many more priests/parishes to organise this kind of quiz. For questions refer at
the end of the answer sheet.
Sample answer sheet is on the next page. Change as per the need
of your parish.
Answers for the quiz are printed on the last page

16. BIBLE STUDY QUIZ
Name: _______________________________________________SC NO._________MARKS OUT OF
50________
Answers
Simply mark √ or X on the correct answer. After once ticking, if you want to change the answer, cancel the
answer ticked, and write the correct alphabet in the blank column (last column).
1 a b c
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YEAR END FEEDBACK
Answer the following questions on the reverse of this page (in about 7 to 10 lines, normal size and
good handwriting). 15 minutes extra time is allotted to write this feedback.
Up to 2 bonus points will be given for the inspiring answers.
1] How did you benefit from your regular participation in the monthly Bible Quest? (your faith life/personal
life/family life etc)
2] How did you benefit from your participation in today’s Bible Study Quiz? Give your feedback and suggestions, if
any.
FOR BIBLE QUIZ – part 2 – articles 19 to 35
See question set after the article 35
ARTICLE 18

17. Is the Bible at odds with science?
The Bible tells us that miracles happen! The birth of Jesus to a virgin, and His resurrection from
the grave are cardinal elements in the faith of Christians. The origin of life itself stems from the
mind and act of God. Incredibly, some scientists teach that we evolved from single cells, which in
turn developed over billions of years from electrical charges. In the face of the amazing
complexity of living beings, they still find no evidence of intelligent design in the universe. Thus
science is often pitted against the Bible, but everything depends on what we mean by science.
Science is based on careful observation, on precise description of natural events and
phenomena. Every Christian should have great respect for the scientific method and accept its
validity. However, some well-meaning Christians take the position that science and the Bible are
enemies. This attitude contributes nothing to anyone's understanding. Unfortunately, some
scientists regard the Bible as an antiquated collection of myths and primitive nonsense. The two
sides appear to be locked in endless conflict. Both sides could use a dose of humility.
Clearly science has made astonishing discoveries and benefitted humanity. Every Christian
should support the quest of science as it seeks to uncover and understand the amazing mysteries
of the universe. One's sense of wonder at the complexity and enormity of the universe can only
be deepened and enriched. At the same time some scientists fall into the trap of calling theories
facts when they are only theories. This actually violates the scientific method. Among these
enormous and unproved assumptions are those concerning the origin of life and the denial of the
supernatural. For such Scientists the conclusion is that we got here by chance and will end up in
nothingness. This position is fundamentally unsupportable, and the Bible provides a wonderful
and totally reasonable alternative. It is an alternative that involves faith in the timeless existence
of the being the Bible calls God.
There is a very sinister idea making the rounds these days, that idea is that science is grounded
only in facts and religion is grounded solely in faith in the Bible. The truth is that both of these
views are grounded in a huge leap of faith. The creationist indeed places her faith in intelligent
design. However, the evolutionist also operates by faith: faith in the inexplicable and wholly
random origin of something out of nothing! This also is a leap of faith. For Christians, faith in
intelligent design as explanation for the origin of life is far more reasonable than faith in
randomness and blind chance. When it comes to miracles, it is fair to conclude that they lie
outside of science, but are not opposed to science. God can and does intervene in history, so
scientists (and all of us) do well to be humble in the face of miracle..
Let's remember, too, that the Bible is not a scientific textbook. Although the Bible is not a
scientific treatise, it is our guidebook for life. It teaches us amazement in the face of life's
mysteries. On our sickbed when all the answers of science have been exhausted, we throw
ourselves on the hope so wonderfully described in the Bible. We live here by faith and reach for
life beyond the grave. In its pages we find the story of our origin and destiny. Has it become your
guidebook, too?
Article 19
What is Biblical numerology?
Biblical numerology is the study of numbers in the Bible. Two of the most
commonly repeated numbers in the Bible are 7 and 40. The number 7
signifies completion or perfection (Genesis 7:2-4; Revelation 1:20). It is
often called “God’s number” since He is the only One who is perfect and
complete (Revelation 4:5; 5:1, 5-6). The number 3 is also thought to be the

18. number of divine perfection: The Trinity consists of Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
The number 40 is often understood as the “number of probation or trial.” For
example: the Israelites wandered for 40 years (Deuteronomy 8:2-5); Moses
was on the mount for 40 days (Exodus 24:18); 40 days were involved in the
story of Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 3:4); Jesus was tempted for 40 days
(Matthew 4:2); there were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension
(Acts 1:3). Another number repeated in the Bible is 4, which is the number of
creation: North, South, East, West; four seasons. The number 6 is thought to
be the number of man: Man was created on the 6th day; man labors 6 days
only. Another example of the Bible using a number to signify something is
the number 666, the number of the Antichrist in Revelation chapter 13.
Whether or not the numbers really do have a significance is still debated in
many circles. The Bible definitely seems to use numbers in patterns or to
teach a spiritual truth. However, many people put too much significance on
“Biblical numerology,” trying to find a special meaning behind every
number in the Bible. Often a number in the Bible is simply a number. God
does not call us to search for secret meanings, hidden messages, and codes in
the Bible. There is more than enough truth in the words and meanings of
Scripture to meet all our needs and make us “complete and thoroughly
equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Article 20
What is the main message of the Bible?
The Bible addresses many basic issues of life and death, of the present and
the future, and so it is difficult to select just one theme as the main one.
Students of the Bible have generally grouped the leading topics treated in the
Bible under two main heads. Let's look briefly at both of them.
The first school suggests that the main message of the Bible is the
wonderful presentation of salvation. The good news of salvation in Jesus
Christ is the fundamental message of the Scripture. Under this head there are
many basic truths:
• God created a majestic universe and crowned it by forming the first
man and woman in sinless perfection.
• Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation from Satan, and fell into sin
and shame. The consequences of sin are obvious, but people
everywhere still love to rebel against God.
• Yet God did not abandon humanity on its course to destruction. He
chose one people to demonstrate his special care and from them to
provide a Savior for the whole world.
• God sent his own son Jesus Christ to bear the awesome consequences
of sin. God does not just blithely disregard sin, but he poured out all the

19. terror of eternal condemnation on his son in those terrible hours of
suffering and death on the cross.
• In the resurrection of Jesus, God demonstrates his victory over sin and
calls people everywhere to identify with this victory by faith in Jesus
Christ.
• In living in this salvation, we know that life is not meaningless, but we
live surrounded by God's love, and bound for eternity with him.
The second school of thought views the main message of the Bible from a
much different perspective. These readers agree that salvation is certainly
very important, but it is only part of a much greater message. That bigger
message goes far beyond the man-centered focus of salvation to embrace the
purpose of all time and space. We may call this message the revelation of
God's plan and purpose for the universe. Under this head there are also
many basic truths: (continued in the next issue of Panvel Pulse)
Article 21
What is the main message of the Bible?
(Part 2 - contd from last issue)
The second school of thought views the main message of the Bible from a
much different perspective. These readers agree that salvation is certainly
very important, but it is only part of a much greater message. That bigger
message goes far beyond the man-centered focus of salvation to embrace the
purpose of all time and space. We may call this message the revelation of
God's plan and purpose for the universe. Under this head there are also
many basic truths:
• God in his dynamic and creative essence resolved to create the universe
and delight in it.
• However, God is not the sole transcendent being. There is a rebellious
and fallen being named Satan who opposes God and his plan. He
deceives and undermines God's purpose everywhere.
• This conflict marks all history and results in two kingdoms. Satan
foments disorder and all that is bizarre and sinister. Quarreling and
dissension among God's people is often his most horrid device.
• In sending his son Jesus Christ, God established the decisive hour in
this conflict. In his servanthood, Jesus was the opposite of all the pomp,
pride, greed and egoism that Satan promotes.
• In Christ's death, Satan declared victory over God, but the resurrection
turned that seeming victory into actual defeat.
• Satan still prowls the world, but he realizes he cannot win. God's
people are now heralds of his present and coming kingdom. Gradually
the contours of the final conflict emerge across the world.
• Eventually evil so captivates and enslaves humanity that the climactic
end time of history arrives. Finally, Christ returns to earth as the victor
and God's kingdom is established for all eternity. The purpose of God's
creation and universal plan is achieved.

20. Both these majestic messages are found in the Bible. They are simply two
perspectives on one majestic theme: God’s Plan For His People And His
Cosmic Kingdom. What is your heart’s response to his message?
Article 22
The Pentateuch
Pentateuch is a name given to the first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It is derived from two Greek words, pente,
meaning five, and teuchos, meaning volumes. Pentateuch means five volumes.
The five books originally formed a single scroll, as they still do in Hebrew manuscripts.
When they were divided into five sections, or books, is unknown, however it is
reasonably certain that it was at, or before, the writing of the Septuagint, from which the
descriptive book names, or titles, were taken by the Greek translators.
Later Scriptures refer to the Pentateuch as The Law, or The Book of the Law. It has
always been at the beginning of the Bible, not only because its events occurred first, but
because it formed the rationale for the rest of the sacred books. It revealed the Who,
what, where, why, and when of it all, in the period from the Creation, to the Exodus and
entry into the Promised Land.
Moses has been generally accepted by Jewish and Christian tradition as the compiler of
the Pentateuch, using all of the ancient records, written and oral, available to him.
Hence, they are also known as the Book of Moses, or the First, Second, Third, Fourth,
and Fifth Books of Moses. The only exception are the few verses that record his death,
which were added by a later writer, perhaps Ezra.
Moses certainly had the training, having been raised amidst the long-established
Egyptian Civilization. His education involved 40 years in the luxury of the Pharaoh's
palace (to learn how to lead and govern), followed by 40 years out in the Sinai (to learn
how to survive during the Israelite's wilderness years) under his father-in-law Jethro .
If the Bible were a house, the Pentateuch would be the foundation from which
everything else is built. It is the natural and logical beginning of any Christian Bible
Reading Plan.
Article 23
Why should we read the BIBLE?
An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with
his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up
early sitting at the kitchen table reading his BIBLE. His
grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate
him in every way he could. One day the grandson
asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the BIBLE just like you
but I don’t
understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good
does reading the BIBLE do?”

21. The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this
coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as he
was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather
laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to
the River with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home.
Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket,
and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I
want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to
watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather
that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the
house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his
grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa, it’s
useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at
the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been
transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out. “Son, that’s
what happens when you read the BIBLE. You might not understand or remember
everything, but when you read it; you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work
of Jesus in our live.
Article 24
BOOK OF GENESIS
OVERVIEW
According to Jewish and Christian
tradition, the first five books of the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) --
the Pentateuch --were written by
Moses under the inspiration of God.
God inspired Moses to write the truth
and prevented him from making any errors. The Bible itself states that Moses was the
author. Many conservative Christians and Jews continue with this belief today.
However, mainline and liberal theologians generally accept the "Documentary
Hypothesis" which asserts that the Pentateuch was written by five authors or groups of
authors, from diverse locations, over a period of centuries. Each wrote with the goal of
promoting his/her/their own religious views The five individuals or groups are
commonly called:
J: a writer(s) who used Yahweh/Jehovah as the divine name.
E: a writer(s) who used Elohim as the divine name. *
P: a writer(s) who added material of major interest to the priesthood.
D: the author of the book of Deuteronomy. *
R: a redactor(s) who welded the contributions of J, E and P together into the present
Pentateuch.
* Did not contribute to Genesis.
The authors of Genesis seem have picked up part of their story from Hindu legends of
the creation and early history of humanity. Stories of Hindu heroes Adimo, Heva,

22. Sherma, Hama and Jiapheta apparently were replicated into legends about Adam, Eve,
Shem, Ham, and Japeth.
The two creation stories at the start of Genesis were also apparently heavily influenced
by Pagan writings from Mesopotamia; the transition between the two sources occurs at
Genesis 2:4 with a verse inserted by the redactor "R."
The first ten chapters of the book of Genesis are reprinted in the following essays. 2
The original authors, according to the Documentary Hypothesis, are indicated in
different colors: J, P, and R. We follow the identification by R.E. Friedman.
Article 25
Meaning of Torah
First five books of the Bible
The word "Torah" in Hebrew is derived
from the root , which in the hifil
conjugation means "to guide/teach" (cf.
Lev. 10:11). The meaning of the word is
therefore "teaching", "doctrine", or
"instruction"; the commonly accepted
"law" gives a wrong impression.[6]
Other
translational contexts
in the English language include custom, theory, guidance,[7]
or system.[8]
The term
"Torah" is used in the general sense to include both rabbinic Judaism's written law
and oral law, serving to encompass the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish
religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the
Midrash and more, and the inaccurate rendering of "Torah" as "Law"[9]
may be an
obstacle to understanding the ideal that is summed up in the term talmud torah ( ,
"study of Torah").[2]
The earliest name for the first part of the Bible seems to have been "The Torah of
Moses". This title, however, is found neither in the Torah itself, nor in the works of
the pre-Exilic literary prophets. It appears in Joshua (8:31–32; 23:6) and Kings (I
Kings 2:3; II Kings 14:6; 23:25), but it cannot be said to refer there to the entire
corpus. In contrast, there is every likelihood that its use in the post-Exilic works (Mal.
3:22; Dan. 9:11, 13; Ezra 3:2; 7:6; Neh. 8:1; II Chron. 23:18; 30:16) was intended to
be comprehensive. Other early titles were "The Book of Moses" (Ezra 6:18; Neh.
13:1; II Chron. 35:12; 25:4; cf. II Kings 14:6) and "The Book of the Torah" (Neh. 8:3),
which seems to be a contraction of a fuller name, "The Book of the Torah of God"
(Neh. 8:8, 18; 10:29–30; cf. 9:3).[10]
Scholars usually refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as the Pentateuch, a
term first used in the Hellenistic Judaism of Alexandria,[11]
meaning five books, or as
the Law, or Law of Moses. Muslims refer to the Torah as Tawrat (, "Law"), an Arabic
word for the revelations given to the Islamic prophet Musa (, Moses in Arabic).

23. Article 26
Book of Genesis - Principles of Interpretation
How one should read the book of Genesis. How should we interpret the words written in these early
chapters? Should we take them literally or allegorically? This field in known as Hermeneutics, which
comes from the Greek Word interpret. Today there are two main schools in the interpretation of Genesis,
especially the first 11 chapters. Some argue for a literal interpretation others for an allegorical or
symbolic interpretation. Encyclopedia Britannica writes the following regarding these two methods.
Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning”
conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The literal meaning is held to correspond
to the intention of the authors. This type of hermeneutics is often, but not necessarily, associated with
belief in the verbal inspiration of the Bible, according to which the individual words of the divine message
were divinely chosen. Extreme forms of this view are criticized on the ground that they do not account
adequately for the evident individuality of style and vocabulary found in the various biblical authors.
Jerome, an influential 4th-century biblical scholar, championed the literal interpretation of the Bible in
opposition to what he regarded as the excesses of allegorical interpretation. The primacy of the literal
sense was later advocated by such diverse figures as Thomas Aquinas, Nicholas of Lyra, John Colet,
Martin Luther, and John Calvin.
Allegorical interpretation, a third type of hermeneutics, interprets the biblical narratives as having a
second level of reference beyond those persons, things, and events explicitly mentioned in the text. A
particular form of allegorical interpretation is the typological, according to which the key figures, main
events, and principal institutions of the Old Testament are seen as “types” or foreshadowings of persons,
events, and objects in the New Testament. According to this theory, interpretations such as that of
Noah's ark as a “type” of the Christian church have been intended by God from the beginning.
Do we reconcile Science and Scripture?
At conflict is how we reconcile scripture and science. When science comes into conflict with scripture,
which is right? This was a problem addressed by the Catholic Church and their view of Darwin and the
science behind Darwinian Evolution in light of Genesis. The problem of this conflict does not face the
Catholic Church alone, but everybody who strives to believe the Bible is God’s Word and yet also pride
themselves on being logical observing what science is revealing about our world.
The question we need to address is the relevance of scripture. Can the Bible be relied on to reveal the
reality of the world today? This is the core of the conflict, when we hear and are taught daily that
Evolution as proposed by Darwin is a fact, and that this fact contradicts the Bible, how should we
respond. Here are four options.
1. Should we blindly accept the claims of science, as a group of “objective students” trying to discover the
“Knowledge”?
2. Should we believe the Bible and reject any scientific claims which contradict the Bible?
3. Should we try to reconcile our Bible to claims of science?
4. Should we look for ways to reconcile “the claims” of science to the Bible?
Article 27
THE BIBLE IS ONE BOOK
The Bible is one book. It is the Holy Spirit inspired written record of God's master plan for man's
salvation. Beginning in the Old Testament with the opening chapters of Genesis and continuing
to the last book of the New Testament (The Book of Revelation), God the Father reveals His
desire to heal the broken relationship between Himself and man through the saving work of the
promised Redeemer, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus revealed the definitive nature of God's divine
plan in what we call the Old Testament when He told the Apostles and disciples after His
Resurrection.

24. The Old Testament begins in Genesis with the creation of the cosmos and an account of the
origin of life on earth. The account continues with the fall from grace of our original parents and
the promise of a future Redeemer through the "seed of the woman" (Gen 3:15). The history of
the early world in Genesis proceeds with the stories of the lives of numerous individuals in the
record of the family line of the "promised seed" that is preserved in Seth, the third son of Adam
and Eve, Seth's descendant Noah, and Noah's descendant Abraham. It was through Abraham
that God set apart a family, and from that family a people to worship and fellowship with Him. The
narrative of events in Genesis comes to a climax in a second "creation" event in the book of
Exodus. Reminiscent of the Creation event when God separated the land out from the sea of
chaos (Gen 1:9-10), God separated the children of Israel out from the chaos of the pagan peoples
of the earth. Then, in the Theophany at Sinai(Ex 19-24), God brought about the birth of the
nation of Israel’s people born to be God's holy possession and His Bride, the Church of the Sinai
Covenant. Just as God established Adam to serve and guard His Edenic Sanctuary (Gen 2:15),
Israel is called to become a priestly nation (Ex 19:6) the national family whose mission was to
serve and guard God's earthly Sanctuary, to be a witness to the nations of the world of the One
True God, to take possession of the "Promised Land" (Gen 15:18-21; Ex 23:31-33; Dt 11:24), and
to be the people from whom the promised Messiah (Gen 3:15; Dt 18:18-19) was to be born.
But these are not isolated events and biographies. The themes of lost fellowship, judgment,
promised redemption, restoration of fellowship and unity are repeated throughout the Bible's
record of salvation history and reach their fulfillment in the last Bible book, the Book of
Revelation. The Bible begins with the creation of heaven and earth, with a bridegroom, a bride,
and a wedding, and the Bible ends in the Book of Revelation with a new creation, a bridegroom, a
bride, and a wedding: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first
earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband
(Rev 21:1-2). Genesis records the marriage of our first parents and Revelation the wedding feast
of the Lamb and His Bride, the Church, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of
the Lamb! (Rev 19:9).
Article 28
THE QUESTION OF THE AUTHORSHIP OF
THE BOOK OF MOSES
Jesus speaking to the Sadducees, referring to Exodus 3:6: Now about the dead rising again,
have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to
him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:26.
Usually when we speak of the authors of Sacred Scripture we are thinking of the individuals, the
prophets and other holy men who wrote down the words of each of the books, but according to
the text of Sacred Scripture these men may have been the human writers but it is God who is the
author. St. Paul and St. Peter, both writers of Sacred Scripture, testified to this belief:
• 2 Timothy 3:16 [St. Paul wrote]: All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting
error, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be upright.
• 2 Peter 1:21 [St. Peter wrote]: For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When
people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.
That God is the author of the Bible has always been the position of the Catholic Church ‘the Bible
being both human and divine in its origins, just as Jesus Christ, the Living Word, is Himself both
human and divine. The Catholic Church affirms this 2,000 year teaching in the Universal
Catechism: God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are
contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit." "For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age,
accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and New Testaments, whole and entire,

25. with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have
God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself" (Catechism of the
Catholic Church #105; also see Jn 20:31; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; 3:15-16).
That God is the author of Sacred Scripture was the belief of both Jewish (Old Testament) and
Christian scholars until the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th
century when the Bible began to be
studied simply as literature devoid of any divine connection. In the 19th
century new theories were
introduced that reduced the record of Sacred Scripture to different strands of oral stories handed
down through generations and altered by the editing by numerous nameless redactors.
In the history of both Jewish and Christian tradition, and for most of the Judeo-Christian era,
Moses is given credit for having been inspired by God to write down the words of God contained
in the Pentateuch, and the Bible supports this claim.
Article 29
THE QUESTION OF THE AUTHORSHIP OF
THE BOOK OF MOSES
Jesus speaking to the Sadducees, referring to Exodus 3:6: Now about the dead rising again,
have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to
him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:26.
Usually when we speak of the authors of Sacred Scripture we are thinking of the individuals, the
prophets and other holy men who wrote down the words of each of the books, but according to
the text of Sacred Scripture these men may have been the human writers but it is God who is the
author. St. Paul and St. Peter, both writers of Sacred Scripture, testified to this belief:
• 2 Timothy 3:16 [St. Paul wrote]: All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting
error, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be upright.
• 2 Peter 1:21 [St. Peter wrote]: For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When
people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.
That God is the author of the Bible has always been the position of the Catholic Church ‘the Bible
being both human and divine in its origins, just as Jesus Christ, the Living Word, is Himself both
human and divine. The Catholic Church affirms this 2,000 year teaching in the Universal
Catechism: God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are
contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit." "For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age,
accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and New Testaments, whole and entire,
with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have
God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself" (Catechism of the
Catholic Church #105; also see Jn 20:31; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; 3:15-16).
That God is the author of Sacred Scripture was the belief of both Jewish (Old Testament) and
Christian scholars until the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th
century when the Bible began to be
studied simply as literature devoid of any divine connection. In the 19th
century new theories were
introduced that reduced the record of Sacred Scripture to different strands of oral stories handed
down through generations and altered by the editing by numerous nameless redactors.
In the history of both Jewish and Christian tradition, and for most of the Judeo-Christian era,
Moses is given credit for having been inspired by God to write down the words of God contained
in the Pentateuch, and the Bible supports this claim.

26. Article 30
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Who Wrote the Book of Genesis?
The traditional view was that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis between
1446 and 1406 BCE. The Documentary Hypothesis developed by modern
scholarship indicates that several different authors contributed to the text and
at least one edited multiple sources together to create the final Genesis text
that we have today. Exactly how many different sources were used and how
many authors or editors were involved is a matter of debate.
Early critical scholarship argued that various traditions about the origins of
the Israelites were collected and written down during the reign of Solomon
(c. 961–931 BCE). Archaeological evidence casts doubt on whether there
was much of an Israelite state at thistime, though, let alone an empire of the
sort described in the Old Testament.
Textual research on the documents suggests that some of the earliest portions
of Genesis can only be dated to the 6th century, well after Solomon. Current
scholarship seems to favor the idea that the narratives in Genesis and other
early Old Testament texts were at least collected, if not written down, during
the reign of Hezekiah (c. 727–698 BCE).
When Was the Book of Genesis Written?
The oldest manuscripts we have of Genesis date to some point between 150
BCE and 70 CE. Literary research on the Old Testament suggests that the
oldest parts of the Book of Genesis may have first been written during the
8th century BCE. The latest parts and final editing were probably done
during the 5th century BCE. The Pentateuch probably existed in something
like its current form by the 4th century BCE
(Next issue - Book of Genesis summery)
Article 31
THE BOOK OF GENESIS SUMMERY
Genesis 1-11: The beginning of Genesis is the beginning of the universe
and of all existence: God creates the universe, the planet earth, and
everything else. God creates humanity and a paradise for them to live in,
but they are kicked out after disobeying. Corruption in humanity later
causes God to destroy everything and everyone save one man, Noah, and
his family on an ark. From this one family come all the nations of the world,
leading eventually to a man named Abraham

27. Genesis 12-25: Abraham is singled out by God and he makes a covenant
with God. His son, Isaac, inherits this covenant as well as the blessings that
go with it. God gives Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan,
though others already live there.
Genesis 25-36: Jacob is given a new name, Israel, and he continues the
line which inherits God's covenant and blessings.
Genesis 37-50: Joseph, Jacob's son, is sold by his brothers into slavery in
Egypt where he acquires a great deal of power. His family comes to live
with him and thus the entire line of Abraham settles in Egypt where they will
eventually grow to great numbers.
Article 32
Book of Genesis Themes
1] Covenants: Recurring throughout the Bible is the idea of
covenants and this is already important early in the Book of Genesis.
A covenant is a contract or treaty between God and humans, either
with all humans or with one specific group like God's "Chosen
People." Early on God is depicted as making promises to Adam,
Eve, Cain, and others about their own personal futures. Later God is
depicted as making promises to Abraham about the future of all his
descendants.
There is debate among scholars about whether the recurring stories
of covenants is one deliberate, grand, overarching theme of the
Bible as a whole or whether they are just individual themes that
ended up being linked together when the biblical texts were
collected and edited together.
2] Sovereignty of God: Genesis starts out with God creating
everything, including existence itself, and throughout Genesis God
asserts his authority over creation by destroying whatever fails to
live up to his expectations. God has no particular obligations to
anything created except that which he decides to offer; put another
way, there are no inherent rights possessed by any people or any
other part of creation except that which God decides to grant.
3] Flawed Humanity: The imperfection of humanity is a theme
which starts in Genesis and continues throughout the Bible. The
imperfection starts with and is exacerbated by the disobedience in
the Garden of Eden. After that, humans consistently fail to do what
is right and what God expects. Fortunately, the existence of a few

28. people here and there who do live up to some of God's expectations
has prevented the extermination of our species.
Article 33
An Introduction to the Book of Exodus
The book of Exodus tells the story of how one who reveals himself as “I am who I am” takes on
and vanquishes the powers of oppression, sets a people free, and gifts them with law, a
priesthood, and a place of worship. The narrative trajectory of events recounted is a lens through
which the course of countless revolutions has since been understood: oppression; deliverance;
social contract; internal conflict; revision and renewal of the contract; and, beyond the bounds of
the book of Exodus, wandering; the unraveling of the covenant; renewed oppression; the promise
of a new covenant and a new exodus.
It is the story of a particular people, the direct continuation of the story of Jacob’s clan in Egypt
(Gen 37-50). “I am who I am,” aka YHWH, identifies himself to a leader of his choosing,
Moses, as the God of their ancestors. YHWH has heard the cry of the people in the slave-
house of Egypt; he will set them free and take them to a land flowing with milk and honey
(Exod 3).
This same God rescues Moses at birth; though Moses commits murder and runs away, God calls
him and appoints him to challenge Pharaoh, unleash ten plagues on Egypt, escape with a mixed
multitude in the dead of night, part the Red Sea, and journey to a desert mountain; there they are
told that “you will be for me a treasured possession among all the peoples … a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation”; the people are constituted as one people under God (1-18; 19:5-
6). Beginning with the “Ten Words,” God reveals to Moses law and covenant designed to
safeguard the freedom obtained; Moses and Aaron and the elders of Israel ascend the mountain,
behold God, and eat and drink in his presence; in the sight of the people, the appearance of the
glory of YHWH on the mountain is like a devouring fire (19-24; 24:9-11). God gives instructions
for the construction of a mobile place of worship, the institution of a priesthood, and reiterates, as
a sign forever, the Sabbath imperative; the commanded rest has kept Israel ever since (25-31).
Nonetheless, in a crisis typical of revolutions, the people manufacture a god like the one they
were familiar with in the slave-house of Egypt; Moses intercedes in the hope that “I am who I am”
will not abort the project of liberation. Moses goes on to command his fellow Levite tribesmen to
“kill your brother, your friend, your neighbor,” the prototypical example of a revolutionary purge.
The crisis is resolved in blood; the remnant is ordered to go on the march (32-33).
God reveals himself to Moses again and proclaims, “YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love to
the thousandth generation” (34:6-7a). The covenant is renewed, the Sabbath imperative
reiterated (34:10-35:3). The book concludes with the construction of the Tabernacle; YHWH’s
glory descends to fill it (35-40).
Article 34
BOOK OF EXODUS - Themes and Theology

29. Exodus lays a foundational theology in which God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his
law and how he is to be worshiped. It also reports the appointment and work of Moses as the mediator of
the Sinaitic covenant, describes the beginnings of the priesthood in Israel, defines the role of the prophet
and relates how the ancient covenant relationship between God and his people (see note on Ge 17:2)
came under a new administration (the covenant given at Mount Sinai).
Profound insights into the nature of God are found in chs. 3; 6; 33–34. The focus of these texts is on the
fact and importance of his presence with his people. But emphasis is also placed on his attributes of
justice, truthfulness, mercy, faithfulness and holiness. Thus to know God’s “name” is to know him and to
know his character (see 3:13–15; 6:3).
God is also the Lord of history. Neither the affliction of Israel nor the plagues in Egypt were outside his
control. The pharaoh, the Egyptians and all Israel saw the power of God. There was no one like him,
“majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders” (15:11). It is reassuring to know that God
remembers and is concerned about his people (2:24). What he had promised centuries earlier to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he now begins to bring to fruition as Israel is freed from Egyptian bondage
and sets out for the land of promise. The covenant at Sinai is but another step in God’s fulfillment of his
promise to the patriarchs (3:15–17; 6:2–8; 19:3–8).
The Biblical message of salvation is likewise powerfully set forth in this book. The verb “redeem” is used,
e.g., in 6:6; 15:13. But the heart of redemption theology is best seen in the Passover narrative of ch. 12,
the sealing of the covenant in ch. 24, and the account of God’s gracious renewal of that covenant after
Israel’s blatant unfaithfulness to it in their worship of the golden calf (34:1–14).
The apostle Paul viewed the death of the Passover lamb as fulfilled in Christ (1Co 5:7). Indeed, John the
Baptist called Jesus the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).
The foundation of Biblical ethics and morality is laid out first in the gracious character of God as revealed
in the exodus itself and then in the Ten Commandments (20:1–17) and the ordinances of the Book of the
Covenant (20:22—23:33), which taught Israel how to apply in a practical way the principles of the
commandments. The book concludes with an elaborate discussion of the theology of worship. Though
costly in time, effort and monetary value, the tabernacle, in meaning and function, points to the “chief end
of man,” namely, “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). By means of
the tabernacle, the omnipotent, unchanging and transcendent God of the universe came to “dwell” or
“tabernacle” with his people, thereby revealing his gracious nearness as well. God is not only mighty in
Israel’s behalf; he is also present in the nation’s midst.
However, these theological elements do not merely sit side by side in the Exodus narrative. They receive
their fullest and richest significance from the fact that they are embedded in the account of God’s raising
up his servant Moses (1) to liberate his people from Egyptian bondage, (2) to inaugurate his earthly
kingdom among them by bringing them into a special national covenant with him, and (3) to erect within
Israel God’s royal tent. And this account of redemption from bondage leading to consecration in covenant
and the pitching of God’s royal tent in the earth, all through the ministry of a chosen mediator, discloses
God’s purpose in history—the purpose he would fulfill through Israel, and ultimately through Jesus Christ
the supreme Mediator.
Article 35
BOOK OF EXODUS – Genres and unifying elements
Genres.
The book of Exodus is presented in the form of an epic. Like most epics, it begins in the middle of
things, with the Israelites languishing in slavery and their would-be deliverer born under the threat
of death by drowning.
The story proceeds along epic lines, with a cosmic confrontation between good and evil that is
happily resolved through a mighty act of rescue and a long journey to freedom. Moses is the