1.6 The origins and structure of the Bible Flashcards
Sections of the Old Testament
Law(Torah)- The first five books describe how the Jews became the people of God and the laws God wanted the Jews to follow(including the ten commandments)
History-
Stories on how Jews refused to listen to God’s guidance for later generations to not make the same mistakes.
Wisdom-
A mixture of prayers, psalms, poems and books of advice for people to understand their faith and live in a way that pleases God.
Prophecy - The books of the prophets whose words challenged the people to remain faithful to God, who is active in the world.
New Testament sections
The Gospels - Cover the actions + teachings of Jesus
The Acts of the Apostles - Describes events in the early Church
The Epistles-
Letters written by the apostles on how to follow Jesus’s teachings in everyday life
The Book of Revelation- Includes mystical visions describing the end of the world by the apostle John.
Old Testament purpose
Tells of God’s relationship with the Jews in the years before Jesus was born.
New Testament purpose
Written by followers of Jesus in the century after his death, tells of his life and teachings
What criteria did books in the New Testament have
They were backed by the authority of one of the apostles/someone close to the apostles.
They were written early on.
They agreed with other teachings and accounts of Christian beliefs.
They were accepted by all Christian churches.
Bible
The sacred book of Christianity, containing the Old and New Testaments
Church
The Body of Christ/holy people of God among whom Christ is present and active, a building in which Christians worship
Apostles
The name given to those disciples who became leaders of the early Church
When did Jewish leaders accept these books as part of their scriptures
Somewhere between the middle of the second century BCE and the end of the first century CE
What religion was Jesus?
A Jew
What were the four gospels?
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
What were the Acts of the Apostles?
A continuation of Luke’s gospel