Title #1 – Bible
About twenty kilometers north of the city of Beirut on the Mediterranean coast is the small city of Jibel (now Arab, but in the past Phoenician). The Jews called this port city Ebal, and the Greeks called it Byblos. The Phoenicians were first-class merchants - intermediaries between Greece and Egypt. Egyptian papyrus was transported to Greece through the port of Byblos. Over time, the name of the Phoenician port acquired a common meaning and began to mean a book in Greek. Thus, the word "byblos" (or "biblion") is translated as "book". The plural of this word - the Bible - is always written with a capital letter, passed in this form into all new European languages and is used only in relation to the Holy Scriptures of Christians.
The word "Bible" is of ancient Greek origin. In the language of the ancient Greeks, “byblos” meant “books.” In our time, we use this word to call one specific book, consisting of several dozen separate religious works.
We write the word “Bible” with a capital letter because it is a proper name, the name of one specific book.
The word “ta bible” from which the name Bible arose is of Greek origin. In translation, this word means the plural formed from the word “byblos”, which in turn is translated as the word “book”. The article “ta” indicates that these books have a certain religious direction and are dedicated to Divine Revelation.
Title #2 – Holy Scripture
The Latin phrase Biblia Sacra (sacred books) first arose in the Middle Ages. In English, one of the first (if not the very first), the name "The Holy Bible" appeared in 1611 on the cover of the "authorized version" known as the King James Bible. The word "holy" or "sacred" has several meanings.
When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, He told him to take off his sandals because he was standing on “holy ground”—ground sanctified by the Divine presence. Since God is holy, the words He speaks are also holy. In the same way, the words that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai are as sacred as all the words that God gave to mankind in the Bible. Because God is perfect, his words are perfect (Psalm 18:8). God is righteous and pure, and so is His Word (Psalm 18:9).
The Bible is also sacred because it was written by men under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit. “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful: it helps to teach, reprove, correct, instruct how to live an honest life, so that the servant of God is fully equipped and equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV). The Greek word translated “divinely inspired” is “theopneustos,” which comes from “Theos,” meaning “God,” and “pneo,” meaning “to breathe” or “to inhale.” We get the word pneumonia from the same Greek root. So, our Holy God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, literally breathed the holy words of Scripture into the writers of each of the books of the Bible. The Divine Writer is holy, therefore, whatever He writes is also holy.
Another meaning of the word "holy" is "set apart." God set the people of Israel apart from their contemporaries to be “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). In the same way, Christians stand apart from the unbelievers who walk in darkness, as described by Peter: “But you are a chosen race, a priesthood of the King, a holy people, God’s possession, chosen to proclaim the great works of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). This aspect of “separated” holiness applies to the Bible because it is a book set apart from all others. It is the only book written by God himself, the only book that has the power to set people free (John 8:32), change their lives and make them wise (Ps. 18:8), cleanse them and sanctify them (John 17:17). It is the only book that gives life, peace and hope (Psalm 119:50), and it is the only book that will last forever (Matthew 5:18).
Nature and interpretation of the contents of the Bible and its meaning
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Contents of the Bible
Like Holy Scripture , the Bible has inexhaustible content. It is also a “book of books” because with each new reading we only delve deeper into new layers of this content, never reaching its final depth. You can at least to some extent come closer to understanding this content only through your own reading with the proper attitude towards it. We can only recall the external milestones of this content, and then only in the most general form.
In legislative books, the main thing is the presentation of the content of God's commandments, which He gave to people: in the Old Testament - to the Jewish people through the prophets; in the New Testament - to all humanity through Christ. The Pentateuch of Moses (or the Jewish Torah) sets out both the history of the Covenant between God and his chosen people, starting from Noah and Abraham to Moses (this is mainly the books of Genesis and Exodus), and the commandments themselves. The commandments concerning worship, rituals, norms and rules of human life (rules regarding food, clothing, legal proceedings, etc.), that is, the Mosaic Law is still the foundation of Judaism and the Jewish way of life.
Christianity does not require compliance with all these numerous rules. It perceives only the famous Ten Commandments (Decalogue) , considering them from the point of view of the New Testament (for example, the fourth commandment is transformed into the celebration of Sunday and Christian holidays). These commandments are divided into two tables (tables) according to two types of love - love for God and love for neighbor, and therefore two differences in duties. Here they are:
"1. I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in the sky above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.
4. Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
6. Don't kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Ex. 20, 2-17).
The Gospel does not have detailed instructions governing every step of a person’s life. The New Testament places emphasis on a person's inner feelings, appeals to his heart, and requires him to make a moral choice. Christ's Sermon on the Mount deepens the Sinai commandments, warning man no longer against actions, but against the feelings that these actions generate. The core of this sermon is the nine beatitudes :
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: even so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Holy Gospel of Matthew 5:3-12).
Sacred history , that is, the history of God’s creation of the earth and people and the relationship between God and people, begins to be narrated from the first book - the book of Genesis . It is here that we are talking about the six days of creation, about Adam and Eve, about the great flood and Noah, about the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Lord’s covenants with them. The Book of Exodus and other books of Moses tell about the exit of the Jews from Egypt and their journey through the desert, about the formation of legislation on Mount Sinai. The following historical books of the Old Testament contain the history of the Jewish people and state in relations with neighboring peoples and states from the acquisition of Palestine by the Jews, the period of the judges, the formation of the kingdom of Israel, its collapse and subjugation by the Assyrians and Babylonians, captivity and return from it. In the non-canonical books of the Maccabees, this story is brought to the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC.
The story in the New Testament is, of course, much shorter. This is the history of the birth, earthly life, suffering on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the history of primitive Christian communities and the acts of the apostles - in general, this is several decades of the 1st century. new era. However, in this short period of time events of truly universal human significance are concentrated, and facts that from a general historical point of view do not cause special attention are the most important evidence of religious experience.
Along the way, we will consider the issue of some disagreements in the presentation of facts that take place both in the Old Testament (for example, presentation of two versions of the creation of the world and man) and in the New Testament (two genealogies of Jesus, different legends about His birth, about the trial and execution, and etc.). From a critical-scientific point of view, this is explained by the mechanical combination of various sources of the biblical text. Church tradition, as a rule, rejects the thesis about the inconsistency of biblical texts, considering different versions either as complementary to each other, or as symbolically reflecting the hidden meaning of events in different images, but in any case, demanding that we approach the Holy Scriptures without pretensions to the absoluteness of the logical analysis of what which is not accessible to ordinary human logic.
Among the educational and poetic books the Psalter occupies an exceptional place . The Greek word "psalmos" is translated as "stretching the bow", as well as "playing stringed instruments" such as the harp and singing to the accompaniment; “psaltyrion” (hence the Russian “psalter”) is the name of a stringed musical instrument. This is a collection of poetic works that were performed in the temple, and are now widely used in worship and prayer, since many of them are perfect examples of prayerful appeals and praises to the Lord. King David is considered the author of most of the psalms.
The books of the Preacher (Ecclesiastes) and Job are distinguished by their deep philosophical content - albeit rather tragic and skeptical . The main refrain of Ecclesiastes: “vanity of vanities - all is vanity” and “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1, 2, 9). Other popular expressions from this book: “go back to square one,” “in much wisdom there is much sorrow,” “he who increases knowledge increases sorrow,” “for everything there is a time,” “he who digs a hole will fall into it,” etc. Overall this is a very pessimistic work. But its content should not be simplified.
Prophetic books are very rich in content, but the main thing that gives them their name is prophecies, that is, predictions of specific historical events (for example, the destruction of Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon) or phenomena of future sacred history (resurrection, Last Judgment, etc.). P.). An important role in the formation of Christianity was played by the prophecies of the Old Testament about Christ (about the time of His appearance in the prophet Daniel, about the place of birth - in Micah, about the virgin birth - in Isaiah, about the circumstances of death - in Zechariah and in the Psalms).
Scientific criticism more often rejects the very possibility of such predictions, arguing that the justification of prophecies is only evidence that these texts were written after the relevant events. Religious tradition insists on the truth of biblical prophecy. However, the existence of seers, that is, people who have the ability to see what is inaccessible to other, ordinary people, is beyond doubt today, although it does not yet have a definitive scientific explanation. Therefore, biblical prophecies should be treated with due attention, taking into account only their figurativeness and sometimes a certain vagueness.
Apocalypses (Greek αποκαλυψις - discovery, revelation) occupy a special place among prophetic books They are distinguished exclusively by mystical and symbolic character, mysterious meaning. The most famous is the Apocalypse (Revelation) of John the Theologian ; among the books of the Old Testament there are individual chapters of the book of Daniel , as well as the non-canonical 3rd book of Ezra .
The Bible in Church and Personal Perception
It should be emphasized that Holy Scripture is part of Holy Tradition and should not be opposed to it, as is done by Protestants. Actually, the canon of sacred books , which are considered divinely inspired, is established by Holy Tradition and cannot be certified by anyone other than the Church. An individual can judge by his personal taste the merits and quality of certain books, that is, their human nature, but their Godly nature is established only by the Spirit of God himself, living in the Church. Therefore, personal reading of Holy Scripture cannot replace its reading in the Church and its liturgical role. However, there is another extreme - the ban on reading the Bible to the laity (as in the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages ) - of course, was contrary to the spirit of free faith.
Studying the history of the Bible , we note that the Bible was compiled over the centuries from books of different authors, different eras, different contents, different degrees of revelation. This is not a system or a completed logical treatise - it is a mosaic, a conglomerate. The fullness of the Word of God is not in the external completeness of the outline, which does not exist, but in the internal completeness, which is revealed in inextricable connection with church tradition.
The Word of God is regarded as the sole and primary source of doctrine . But it is Holy Scripture that must be understood on the basis of Holy Tradition, since the Spirit of God continued to live in it, and therefore this awareness must be consistent with the interpretations of the church. This principle limits personal arbitrariness, makes a person responsible not only to his personal conscience, but also to the Church, that is, the conscience of all its members, although it does not exclude a personal attitude to the Word of God and personal effort to understand it.
Interpretations of the Bible text
For many centuries, theologians and church teachers have been interpreting the text of the Bible. Gradually, a separate science emerged - exegesis (from Greek - to interpret) - a section of theology that deals with the interpretation and interpretation of the meaning and content of the Bible. First of all, it is concerned with explaining the dogmatic and moral content of individual commandments, events, parables and seemingly insignificant details of the biblical text. This literature has long been many times larger than the volume of the Bible itself.
Regarding the interpretation of biblical miracles and other events that are difficult to relate to reality, exegesis uses literalist or allegorical-symbolic approaches . However, the requirement for literal acceptance of any content on faith did not meet the needs of faith itself, because many texts, written although by the Spirit of God, but by a human hand, required taking into account precisely the imperfection of human perception of God's truth. For example, in the description of the days of creation in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, what is obviously meant is not human days, but periods of time known only to God, which is evident from the fact that God reproduced the very change of day and night only on the fourth “day” of your creation. On the other hand, a purely allegorical interpretation of the Bible as a “symbolic world” (G. SKOVORODA) was also unacceptable in the church tradition.
In the XIX-XX centuries. Scientific criticism of the Bible is rapidly developing . At the same time, the liberal exegesis of the Anglican Church and Protestantism still tries to remain faithful to the main tenets of Christianity, while scientific-atheistic criticism is aimed only at demonstrating the incompatibility of the Bible and the tenets of faith with science and common sense.
However, there does not necessarily need to be a gulf between the scientific study of the Bible and church exegesis. Science, of course, can use its methods to achieve a more accurate understanding of the human, historical context of the Bible, and these results help the religious perception of the meaning of the Word of God. Scientific research makes it possible and requires us to see the sacred text in a new way, that is, to pay attention not only to the church translation, but also to the scientific translation. History has proven that the church's absolute rejection of scientific advances does not benefit either science or the church. This destructive path is gradually being overcome, although it is too early to talk about harmony in the relations between the church and science, in particular in the approach to the Bible.
Historical significance of the Bible
The significance of the Bible for Western, actually Christian, civilization cannot be exaggerated. The universal significance of this book is gradually revealed. Now it is the undisputed leader among printed publications. It is published in almost 1,800 languages and dialects and has millions of copies every year. In addition, thousands of works and hundreds of magazines devoted to the Bible are published every year.
The Bible has a significant influence in all areas of human creativity - in architecture, literature, music. It has been established, for example, that there are more than 2,600 artistically valuable paintings that are dedicated only to Christ the Savior, where He is the center of the composition. There is no other book that has inspired so many musicians and artists, or a book that has been cited as often.
The Bible, or more precisely, the Christian doctrine, of course, stands at the origins of modern European and American statehood and social order. Recognition of this role of the Bible and its significance as spiritual authority is the oath that is given on the Bible by the heads of many states. However, today there is enough of a hypocritical, superficial, inattentive attitude towards Holy Scripture - modern secularized civilization finds other values for itself. But the viability of the Bible is proven by the experience of new and new generations, who again and again are drawn to this book, distinguishing it from other books precisely as Holy Scripture.
References:
1. Religion: a handbook for students of advanced knowledge / [G. E. Alyaev, O. V. Gorban, V. M. Meshkov et al.; for zag. ed. prof. G. E. Alyaeva]. - Poltava: TOV "ASMI", 2012. - 228 p.
Title #3 – The Word of God
The Bible is called the Word of God because its authors did not express their own opinions, but wrote under the inspiration of God. Even though Scripture came from the pens of ordinary people, its main Author is God. That is why the prophets began their prophecies with the words: “Thus says the Lord.” This is why Christ said:
“...Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“...the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).
The word inspiration also indicates that the process of writing the Bible was guided by the Holy Spirit. He directed the writers to record the words of God. We do not know exactly how God directed the writing of the biblical books. However, inspiration does not mean that God literally dictated His messages to the people who wrote the Bible. Rather, the Holy Spirit, through the hands of the biblical writers, recorded in the Bible the words of God Himself.
Christians believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible because God is its rightful Author. Since God cannot inspire man to lie, His Word is true and true. Any literary work written by a person may contain errors. But the Bible cannot be called an ordinary human work. If the Bible is inspired by God and written under His direction, it cannot contain errors.
This does not mean, however, that the Bible translations we use today are completely free of errors. Only the original manuscripts were absolutely infallible.
She remains No. 1 in several other categories:
- The Bible is the most published book in the world. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies, that is, every second one Bible is printed in the world.
- The Bible , without any advertising, has been popular for almost 2000 years, being the No. 1 bestseller today.
- The Bible is the only book in the world created by a team of authors who do not contradict each other in anything , although most of them did not know each other and lived at different times. Among the writers of the Bible are kings (Solomon, David), a shepherd (Amos), a doctor (Luke), fishermen (Peter and John), prophets (Moses, Isaiah, Daniel), a general (Joshua), etc. - only 40 authors. They lived at different times, had different education and social status, and belonged to different nationalities and cultures.
- The Bible holds the record for the longest time it took to be written . The books that make up the Bible were written from the 15th century BC. to the 1st century AD, i.e. for 1600 years!
- The Bible is the most stolen book in stores.
- The Bible is the most commented book . Only the Oxford Library has collected so many works on the 1st Epistle of the Apostle John that it occupies a room of 20 sq.m.
From the point of view of modern science, the Bible is not outdated
The authors of the Bible knew about all these things a long time ago, although:
- Scientists discovered the water cycle in nature only in the 19th century.
- (Job 26:8, 36:26-29, Ecclesiastes 1:7, Psalms 103:6-11)
- The universe has a beginning. Astrophysicists substantiated this only in the 20th century (Genesis 1:1).
- The earth rests in space (Job 26:7).
- Louis Pasteur discovered the existence of microbes in 1884 (Leviticus 15:1-2,31).
- Quarantine (Leviticus 13 and 14), waste disposal (Deuteronomy 23:12-14), in the Middle Ages half the population of Europe died from epidemics due to non-compliance with these standards.
- People learned to determine the magnitude of the stars about 200 years ago.
- The sun and moon are of different sizes (Genesis 1:16).
- Modern archeology also confirms biblical events.
