THE APOCRYPHA Definition Why Protestants Reject the Apocrypha
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Opening God's Word to the World
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY | 2013 ANNUAL REPORT STEWARDSHIP God’S WORD GOES FORTH p.11 HEALING TRAUMA’S WOUNDS p.16 THE CHURCh’S ONE FOUNDATION p.22 OPENING GOd’s WORD TO THE WORLD A New Chapter in God’s Story CONTENTS Dear Friends, Now it is our turn. As I reflect on the past year at American Bible Society, I am Nearly, 2,000 years later, we are charged with continuing this 4 PROVIDE consistently reminded of one thing: the urgency of the task before important work of opening hands, hearts and minds to God’s God’s Word for Millions Still Waiting us. Millions of people are waiting to hear God speak to them Word. I couldn’t be more excited to undertake this endeavor with through his Word. It is our responsibility—together with you, our our new president, Roy Peterson, and his wife, Rita. 6 Extending Worldwide Reach partners—to be faithful to this call to open hands, hearts and Roy brings a wealth of experience and a passionate heart for 11 God’s Word Goes Forth minds to the Bible’s message of salvation. Bible ministry from his years as president and CEO of The Seed This task reminds me of a story near the end of the Gospel Company since 2003 and Wycliffe USA from 1997-2003. He of Luke. Jesus has returned to be with his disciples after the has served on the front lines of Bible translation in Ecuador and resurrection. While he is eating fish and talking with his disciples, Guatemala with Wycliffe’s partner he “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24.45 organization SIL. -
Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon
Notes & Outlines ECCLESIASTES SONG OF SOLOMON Dr. J. Vernon McGee ECCLESIASTES WRITER: Solomon. The book is the “dramatic autobiography of his life when he got away from God.” TITLE: Ecclesiastes means “preacher” or “philosopher.” PURPOSE: The purpose of any book of the Bible is important to the correct understanding of it; this is no more evident than here. Human philosophy, apart from God, must inevitably reach the conclusions in this book; therefore, there are many statements which seem to contra- dict the remainder of Scripture. It almost frightens us to know that this book has been the favorite of atheists, and they (e.g., Volney and Voltaire) have quoted from it profusely. Man has tried to be happy without God, and this book shows the absurdity of the attempt. Solomon, the wisest of men, tried every field of endeavor and pleasure known to man; his conclusion was, “All is vanity.” God showed Job, a righteous man, that he was a sinner in God’s sight. In Ecclesiastes God showed Solomon, the wisest man, that he was a fool in God’s sight. ESTIMATIONS: In Ecclesiastes, we learn that without Christ we can- not be satisfied, even if we possess the whole world — the heart is too large for the object. In the Song of Solomon, we learn that if we turn from the world and set our affections on Christ, we cannot fathom the infinite preciousness of His love — the Object is too large for the heart. Dr. A. T. Pierson said, “There is a danger in pressing the words in the Bible into a positive announcement of scientific fact, so marvelous are some of these correspondencies. -
When Does Human Life Begin? Christian Thinking and Contemporary Opposition
Salt&Light series When does human life begin? Christian thinking and contemporary opposition JOHN R LING Salt&Light series When does human life begin? Christian thinking and contemporary opposition JOHN R LING The substance of this booklet is an extract from The Morning-After Pill – Uncovering the Truth, published by The Christian Institute in 2007: http://www.christian.org.uk/resource/the-morning-after-pill Copyright © The Christian Institute 2017 The author has asserted his right under Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. First printed in June 2011 Reprinted in May 2015 and August 2017 ISBN 978-1-901086-47-8 Published by The Christian Institute Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8DG All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Christian Institute. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The Christian Institute is a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England as a charity. Company No. 263 4440, Charity No. 100 4774. A charity registered in Scotland. Charity No. SC039220 Contents 5 1 . Introduction 7 2 . The answer from the Bible 17 3 . The view of the early church 21 4 . The drift from the biblical worldview 25 5 . -
OCTOBER 29, 2017 REFORMATION SUNDAY OCTOBER 29, 2017 We
OCTOBER 29, 2017 OCTOBER 29, 2017 REFORMATION HYMN OF THE WEEK God’s Word is Our SUNDAY Great Heritage CARING CONVERSATIONS We are saved by grace through faith. Discuss in your home or small group: Share about a time when you worked hard to achieve something. DAILY BIBLE READINGS Reformation means change. Have you experienced a major change in your life? What was it like? These passages are related to the Lectionary texts for this Sunday. Jesus says that the one who commits sin is a slave to sin. What enslaves you or keeps you from loving God and neighbor? Sunday John 8:31-36 The Son makes you free Monday Jeremiah 31:31-34 The new covenant DEVOTIONS Reformation Day on October 31st recognizes the day in 1517 when Martin Luther posted The 95 Tuesday Romans 3:19-28 True righteousness Theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. These statements were written to Wednesday Romans 1:8-17 The gospel is the power of God challenge the teachings and practices of the church in Luther’s day. The first thesis states, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of Thursday Galatians 2:15-21 Justified through faith believers should be repentance.” To repent is to turn to God in faith and be set free from our Friday Galatians 3:1-14 Works of the law or faith sins. In Christian worship it is expressed in the corporate confession: Saturday Psalm 46 God is our refuge “For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. -
The Futility of Life Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Ecclesiastes: The Futility of Life Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 February 21, 2016 Steve DeWitt We are beginning a new teaching series this weekend on the most intriguing book of the Bible. It’s not often preached through and I’ll bet few here have gone through a teaching series in it. So this will likely be brand new for most of us. That adds some excitement, doesn’t it? Today we begin Ecclesiastes. It’s found in the Old Testament, right after Proverbs and right before Song of Solomon. Right between wisdom and love. That’s appropriate given the questions Ecclesiastes raises about the meaning of life. If we were to take a tour of the Bible, when we arrived at Job our tour guide would say, “And now we’re entering the Wisdom literature.” This literary designation includes Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These books are some of the most beautifully written in all of Scripture. They deal with life as it actually is. Job loses everything except his faith. Psalms sings through life’s ups and downs. Proverbs urges us away from folly and toward a practical life of wisdom. Then we get to Ecclesiastes. This book is enigmatic. It is embraced by philosophers and artists because of its gritty approach to the brevity of life. To give you an idea, here is a compiled list of the most used words in the book (Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Ecclesiastes: Reformed Expository Commentary, p. 10): Vanity (38) Wisdom (53) God (40) Toil (33) Death (21) Under the Sun (33) Joy (17) On the surface, its tone and questions seem rather gloomy. -
Dunham Bible Museum Collection Were Produced by the American Bible Society
Bible Museum NewsD unham Houston Baptist University Fall 2016 Volume 14, Issue 1 200 YEARS OF THE ABS May 8, 2016, the American Bible Society (ABS) marked ideas of the Enlightenment and Deism, and wrote Age of its 200th anniversary. The Society grew up with the United Revelation as a reply to Paine’s Age of Reason. Yet, with all States and throughout its 200 year history has played an his accomplishments, Boudinot considered his election important role in Bible distribution and translation. In as President of the American Bible Society as his highest many ways the ABS patterned its activities after the British honor; he donated $10,000 (no mean sum in 1816!) to help and Foreign Bible Society, organized in 1804. A number establish the Society. of local Bible societies had formed in the United States, The American Bible Society was one of the first religious beginning with the Bible Society of Philadelphia in 1808. non-profit organizations in the United States. It was an outgrowth of the Second Great Awakening, the spiritual revival that transformed much of American society in the first half of the nineteenth century. Many notable Americans were part of the Society’s early years. John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and signer of the Declaration Elias Boudinot had held of Independence and the Treaty of Paris, became President numerous government of the ABS after Boudinot. Francis Scott Key, author of the positions, including President The Star Spangled Banner, was Vice-President from 1817 to of Congress and Director of the U.S. -
“Introduction to Ecclesiastes” (PDF)
Introduction to Ecclesiastes * Author Anonymous, although traditional Jewish and Christian scholarship ascribe authorship to Solomon. Pros for Solomon: (1) "son of David, king in Jerusalem" (1:10); (2) "great wisdom" and prosperous reign (1:16; 2:1-9) Cons against Solomon: (1) "son of David" can be any Davidic descendant; (2) Hebrew language used is much later than Solomon's 10th century; (3) many kings have preceded him (1:16; 2:7,9), but only David was before him; (4) injustice and oppression during Solomon's reign? (3:16-17; 4:1-3); (5) firsthand foolishness (4:13-16) and abuse of power (8:2-9) by kings Title Comes from the the Latin Vulgate heading, Liber Ecclesiastes. Qoheleth: writer calls himself this word, translated as ekklēsiastēs in the Greek Septuagint. qoheleth related to the Hebrew word qahal, which means assembly. So it is the title of one who leads or addresses the assembly of the people. Hence, the writer is often called “Preacher” or “Teacher.” Date Unknown. If Solomon is author, about 1000 B.C. Some say during or after the exile, 6th-5th cent. B.C. Main Theme and Key Themes Main Theme: "the necessity of fearing God in a fallen … world." Key Themes: 1. The tragic reality of the fall. “subjected to futility” (Rom 8:20), mataiotes, is used 38 times in the Greek LXX of Ecclesiastes for "vanity" (Heb. hebel). The fall has disastrous effects. 2. The "vanity" of life “under the sun.” Begins and ends with “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (1:2; 12:8). -
Greek Texts and English Translations of the Bible: A
GREEK TEXTS AND ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE: A COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS GREEK NEW TESTAMENT OF THE 16th CENTURY AND THE ALEXANDRIAN TEXT OF WESTCOTT AND HORT (19th CENTURY) AND ALAND AND METZGER (20th CENTURY) CONCERNING VARIANT TEXTS THAT PERTAIN TO THE ORTHODOX CHRISTOLOGY OF THE COUNCIL OF NICEA, A.D. 325 Gil L. Samples, B.A. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2002 APPROVED: Laura I. Stern, Major Professor Harold Tanner, Chair of the Department of History Henry Eaton, Committee Member Adrian R. Lewis, Committee Member C. Neal Tate, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Samples, Gil L. Greek texts and English translations of the Bible: a comparison and contrast of the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament of the 16th century and the Alexandrian text of Westcott and Hort (19th century) and Aland and Metzger (20th century) concerning variant texts that pertain to the orthodox Christology of the Council of Nicea, A.D. 325. Master of Arts (History), December 2002, 155 pp., 149 titles. The argument of this paper is that certain salient passages in the New Testament concerning Christology, as it was defined in the Nicene creed in A.D. 325, reflect such orthodoxy better in the Textus Receptus Greek texts and the English translations made from them than do the Alexandrian texts. Arian theology, which was condemned as heretical at Nicea, is examined. Patristic quotations, historical texts, and arguments of the scholars are cited and traced, along with a comparison of Christological verses. -
A Thousand Years of the Bible 19
A THOUSAND YEARS OF THE BIBLE 19. Petrus Comestor, Bible Historíale, translated by Guiart des Moulins. Paris, circa 1375. Ms. 1, vol. 2, fol. 86v: Jeremiah Before Jerusalem in Flames. A THOUSAND YEARS OF THE BIBLE AN EXHIBITION OF MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM MALIBU AND PRINTED BOOKS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH LIBRARY, UCLA Malibu Los Angeles The J. Paul Getty Museum University of California 1991 Cover illustration: 12. Gospel Book, Helmarshausen Abbey, Germany, circa 1120-1140. Ms. Ludwig II 3, fol. 51v: Saint Mark Writing his Gospel © January 1991 by The J. Paul Getty Museum and The Regents of the University of California ISBN 0-89236-193-X TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD by John Walsh and Gloria Werner vii BIBLE COLLECTIONS IN LOS ANGELES by John Bidwell 1 THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM: MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS by Ranee Katzenstein INTRODUCTION TO THE EXHIBITION 15 CHECKLIST 35 ILLUSTRATIONS 41 THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY RESEARCH LIBRARY, UCLA: THE PRINTED WORD by David S. Zeidberg and James Davis INTRODUCTION TO THE EXHIBITION 61 CHECKLIST 77 ILLUSTRATIONS 87 This page intentionally left blank FOREWORD In the years since Henry Huntington acquired his Guten berg Bible, southern California has become a center for study ing the arts of the book. Each of the region's libraries, universities, and museums can boast individual treasures, but when these resources are taken together, the results are remarkable. The extent to which the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and UCLÄs research libraries complement each other can be judged in^l Thousand Years of the Bible. -
Lesson 13 – Wisdom Literature Text: Job; Psalms; Proverbs
Lesson 13 – Wisdom Literature Text: Job; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon Job: The book of Job describes a man, Job, who deals with the aftermath of great calamity in his life. Job was a righteous man, and Satan challenged the reason for his righteousness to God, arguing that Job only was faithful because of the blessings God provided him. God allowed Satan to afflict Job in various ways, taking away his wealth, children, and good health. Job’s friends came to comfort him, but eventually they and Job began to argue about the reason that Job was afflicted in the first place (they believed that he was being punished for sin). The ultimate lesson is that one’s relationship with God must constant, not affected by the trials of life. Job and his friends learned this lesson, amongst many others. At the end of the book, God restored Job’s possessions and family (and even more). Psalms: The book of Psalms is simply a collection of Jewish songs which cover a variety of topics, including praise to the Lord, historical events, prayers for help, thanksgiving, and even prophecy. Many of the psalms were written by David, who wrote psalms to during many events of his life such as his sin with Bathsheba (51), his deliverance from Saul (18), and others. Other authors include the sons of Korah (the Levite who rebelled in Numbers 16), Asaph (a director of singers in the temple), Solomon, and even Moses. Perhaps the most important psalms are those that prophecy about Jesus’s coming, death, resurrection, and the establishment of His church (for good examples, see Psalms 2 and 22). -
Ecclesiastes: Lesson 1
Ecclesiastes: Lesson 1 Presuppositions: Verbal Plenary Inspiration - ➢ Every word and every part of Scripture is God-breathed. ➢ (inspired, NOT dictated) is that concurrent work of a holy God and a (fallen) human whereby the Holy Spirit so moved the human author that God got exactly what he wanted (his perfect word) without compromising or destroying the personality of the human author. ➢ The Written word of man found in scripture is the very word of God breathed out. (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pe 1:20-21, 1 Pe 1:10-12) Canon ➢ God’s special revelation in Scripture is completely and accurately contained in the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. ➢ Canon is recognized and affirmed by the People of God, not determined. Authority of Scripture ➢ The Bible is the final (but not only) rule of faith and practice. Through Scripture, we find everything that is needed for godliness (2 Peter 1:3, Ps 119:105), salvation (2 Tim 3:15, Jas 1:18), sanctification (Jn 17:17, Eph 5:26), and judgment (Jn 12:48, Heb 4:12). ➢ Because of this believers ought to diligently and joyfully study and apply its teachings (Ps 1:1-3, 19:10, 119:11). Christocentric Hermeneutic ➢ The theological conviction that all Scriptures (not just the New Testament) ultimately point to and center upon Christ. In other words, it’s all about Jesus. ➢ A christocentric interpretation of Scripture will find its climax in the gospel generally, and more specifically in the New Testament accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27, 44-49, 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Pe 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 2:14-15). -
Global Scripture Distribution Report 2017 One in Five Bibles Distributed Online
Global Scripture Distribution Report 2017 One in five Bibles distributed online More than 20% of all Bibles distributed by Nearly 355 million Scripture items, the United Bible Societies (UBS) fellowship including Bibles, Testaments, Gospels in 2017 were downloaded from the internet. and smaller Scripture items like booklets It’s the first time Scripture downloads have for people learning to read, were been recorded separately by Bible Societies distributed (or downloaded) in 2017. – and it shows that online distribution is UBS continues to be largest translator increasingly significant. and distributor of Scripture on the A Rwandan teenager with his phone. planet; around 70% of the world’s full In 2017, the number of mobile phone While overall Scripture distribution fell by Bible translations have been provided users across the world surpassed 4.7 12% globally, the number of full Bibles made billion. More and more Bible Societies by Bible Societies. available around the world topped 34 million are making Scriptures available The figures are compiled from annual online as they work towards their for the third year running. Of these, more common mission of making the Bible than 7.9 million Bibles were downloaded, Scripture distribution numbers reported available to everyone. (Photo: Becky primarily on apps such as YouVersion. In total, by Bible Societies around the world, and Silva, American Bible Society). more than 107 million full Bibles have been include local sales and exports of Scripture distributed by the UBS fellowship since 2015. material and unique internet downloads1. Global Scripture distribution in 2017 All Scriptures: 354,948,660 Full Bibles: 38,609,344 (including 7.9 million downloads) Testaments: 11,595,614 All Scriptures 278,773,238 Europe-Middle East Full Bibles All Scriptures 3,620,551 9,887,404 Americas Full Bibles 17,861,206 Africa Full Bibles All Scriptures 6,145,686 8,208,982 Asia Pacific Full Bibles All Scriptures 10,981,901 58,079,037 Distribution figures for the Americas include three major languages – Spanish, English and Portuguese.