This week we are not looking at a limited number of passages. We are looking instead at the whole Bible. The Bible is not so much a book as it is a library; a library containing 66 books (even more if your copy has the Apocrypha) which in turns are divided into two sections, the Old and New Testaments. The books are a varied collection of religious writings and cover many genres; history; biography; poetry; psalms to name but a few. Theology 5 gives an overview of the different types of writing and where and when the books were written down, although many of the books were carried first for centuries through the oral tradition.
After reading through the outline in Theology 5 we looked at the following questions:
- What questions do you think the Bible addresses? Make a list.
Who is God? Where is God? What is God like? What are we like? What am I like? How does God move in the world? How do people interact with God? What happens when we die? What is important? How was the world made and who made it? Why are we here? How shall we live? What difference does God make in the life of the world and its people? Is the Bible true? Who is Jesus?
And the list goes on. I'm sure that you can think of other questions. The group only stopped because I asked them to stop as we were running out of time! You can see though that the Bible deals with questions that humanity has always sought to answer. Big, eternal questions, many of which are hotly debated b various people today. The main response to these questions in the Bible is to point it's hearers and readers to God. The Bible tells of humanity's relationship with the One who created all things.
- Does the Bible provide answers to every question?
No. If I ask who am I? the Bible cannot tell me. Yes, you can find the answer to everything.
Interesting. The group decided that the answer is both yes and no. We found a story in one of our books about a woman in Africa who completely disagreed with the first statement. The story goes like this: An ordinary woman always carried a big, heavy Bible. Wherever she went, the Bible went. The other villagers made fun of her. "Why do you always carry that big, heavy Bible with you? There are plenty of other books you could read."
The woman ignored them. One day though, she sat down and, with a big smile on her face, held out the Bible to the other villagers. She said, "You are right. There are many other books to read, but this is the only book that reads me."
The Bible holds a mirror up to us. We can see ourselves reflected in its pages by the light of God's love.
- Many of the books tell stories of individual people. What difference does it make to know how individuals relate to God?
Shows different views of God. God is not seen the same way by different people. It's helpful. People are different and they react in different ways. It's easier for us to identify with some. The stories show the challenges as well as the blessings. Makes it more authentic. If we study real people we don't get flse ideas about people being perfect.
- Why do you think poetry features so strongly?
Can be easier to remember (for some of us maybe, not for others); can be more passionate; could be a cultural development. Poetry, like all the arts is a gift from God, so it's appropriate to use it in scripture. It's part of everyday life, so should be part of scripture; can encourage use of one's imagination.
There is something here about the way poetry engages us. Poetry does not just require the use of our minds, it encourages us to feel as well. It is often a more wholistic way of drawing us into the ideas it's telling us about.
- Some of the writing concerns legal matters. Why might these have been included in religious writing?
In the Old Testament there is not much difference between the sacred and the secular. Priests (who uphold the Law) and Kings are appointed by God.
In the Old Testament, the Law is handed down to humanity by God. There is no distinction between God's laws and the rules humanity lives by. Later on though, as Israel encountered the laws of other cultures and, indeed, had to live under the occupation of Roman Law, it was necessary to make distinctions. The famous passage where the Pharisees try to trick Jesus by asking him about taxes was based on the assumption that a person cannot keep God's law and the Roman, civil law at the same time. That is why Jesus wisely tells them to 'give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's."
- Does it matter that there are so many translations and versions of the Bible? Why or why not?
Helpful. People are able to read it for themselves. God word is meant for everyone and having the Bible in one's own language means that everyone has a chance to engage with it. Some of the translations take liberties with the text and some are more interpretive than others. This can be a problem if the text is manipulated to make it say something that is not in the original texts. Having God's word available to everyone is part of God's plan.
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