Bible Knowledge

• hermeneutics


  process of Biblical interpretation; the lens/perspective through which one interprets a passage of Scripture
• exegesis


  "to draw out," or analyze a particular text
• events


  people experienced God working in the world
• oral tradition


  people shared the stories verbally
• written tradition


  people wrote down the stories
• edited tradition


  people collected and edited the stories
• canon


  official collection of books recognized as the Bible
• Salvation History


  The story of God's loving relationship with us and continuously calling us back into that relationship when we turn away
• Deutero-canonical


  7 books found in the Catholic Bible but not Protestant Bible
• Inspire


  "to breathe into"
• Biblical canonization


  process where writings became official parts of the Bible
• literalist


  reads a story to be factually true; focus on text itself; word-for-word
• contextualist


  reads a story for the true meaning, even if every detail is not factually true; not true story, but truth story
• divine inspiration


  when the Holy Spirit inspires a human author to record sacred truth (like in the Bible)
• biblia


  the word Bible derives from this which means "books" in Greek
• testament


  means covenant, a sacred promise, vow, or agreement
• covenant


  meaning of "testament;" a sacred promise, vow, or agreement
• Old Testament


  first division of the Bible
• New Testament


  second division of the Bible
• Pentateuch


  section containing the first 5 books of the Bible; Torah
• Greatest Commandment


  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.
• Historical Books


  section of the Bible that tells Israelite history including settling into the Promised Land, rise and fall of their kings, exile, and return to the Promised Land.
• Biblical Novellas


  section of the Bible containing historical stories that instruct and encourage readers.
• Wisdom Books


  section of the Bible that is a collection of hymns, poems, proverbs, and stories that use imaginative language.
• Prophets


  section of the Bible that contains stories of people who speak God's word and give comfort, promise, and a challenge to act with justice and mercy.
• Gospels and Acts


  section of the Bible containing stories of Jesus, stories that show how the Church was formed, and how first Christians spread the Good News.
• Letters


  section of the Bible also called The Epistles which describes the new faith, gives advice and words of hope
• The Book of Revelation


  single book containing a collection of mystical visions written to encourage Christians being persecuted; Apocalypse
• Tanakh


  the Jewish scriptures which consist of three divisions--the Torah and the Prophets and the Writings
• Torah


  The first five books of Jewish Scripture, which Jews traditionally believe were written by Moses; Pentateuch
• Nevi'im


  "Prophets"; the second section of the Hebrew scriptures, made up of historical and prophetic books
• Ketuvim


  "Writings"; the third section of the Hebrew scriptures, consisting primarily of poetry, proverbs, and literary works
• The World BEHIND the Text

  Historical and cultural questions necessary for context in order to interpret Scripture accurately
• The World OF the Text

  Literary questions regarding genre, language, author, setting, etc. necessary to interpret Scripture accurately
• The World BEYOND the Text


  Personal questions that help the reader apply the contextual truths of Scripture to one's life
• Dual Authorship


  While God is the principle author of Sacred Scripture, the human authors were also true authors because they acted as free, subordinate, and intelligent instruments of the Holy Spirit.
• Chosen People


  The Jews; the people chosen by God to be his people and inherit the promises of Abraham
• Scientific Truth


  Truth based on empirical observations whose conclusions go beyond info contained in the premise & predict future events
• Historical Truth


  Past events that have been verified through significant research in various fields
• Religious Truth


  the truth that comes from what God has revealed in divine and natural ways