Unit 1- Bible studies

The Holy Bible and Its Inspiration

• The Holy Bible is the authoritative text of the Church and the source of its faith and liturgy.
• The Bible was composed under the inspiration and help of the Holy Spirit, as stated by Apostle St. Peter in 2 Peter 1:21.
• St. Paul also confirms this in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, stating that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable..."

The Bible as the Word of God

• The Bible is considered the Word of God, as it is the medium through which God revealed His will and work.
• The Bible is seen as a message given for the salvation of humankind.
• God used specific individuals to write the Bible, giving them inspiration and knowledge, while they retained their cultural, social, and literal peculiarities.

Characteristics of the Bible

• The Bible is error-free in the facts connected with God and human salvation.
• The Bible is not a textbook of science, and it does not contain knowledge of physical sciences.
• However, the Bible contains no facts contrary to scientific knowledge.
• The Bible presents the history of salvation and suggests the path of salvation.

The Orthodox Church and the Protestant Bible

• The Protestant Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament, whereas the Orthodox Church recognizes 46 books in the Old Testament.

The Septuagint (LXX)

• The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament, translated by a team of 70 (or 72) scholars in Alexandria, Egypt in the 3rd century BC.
• It was created for the use of Jewish migrants living in Egypt who only knew the Greek language.
• The Septuagint contains 7 additional books not found in the Hebrew Bible used in Palestine.

Development of the Biblical Canon

• The biblical canon was not established in the 3rd century BC, which led to the difference in the number of books recognized by the Protestant and Orthodox Churches.
• The early Christian Church used the Septuagint, and St. Paul quoted from it, not from the Hebrew Bible.

The Council of Jamnia

• The Jewish Rabbis convened a council at Jamnia to reject the Christian Bible.
• They approved only 39 books, used in Palestine, as canonical books of the Old Testament.

Deutero-Canonical Books

• The Christian Church referred to the additional books in the Septuagint as 'Deutero-canonical' books.
• These books include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and I and II of Maccabees, as well as appendices to the books of Esther and Daniel.

Protestant Reformation and the Bible

• During the Protestant Reformation, Protestant scholars decided to use only the 39 books of the Hebrew canon as the Old Testament.
• In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches, including the Syrian Orthodox Church, accept the Old Testament with 46 books.
• The Peshitta translation, used in the Syrian Orthodox Church, is based on the Septuagint and has 46 books.