Study Questions
1. What is the definition of the word canon? A permanent list of authoritative books recognized
as Scripture.
2. How did Marcion and Gnosticism contribute to the development of the canon? All in all, the
role played by Gnostics in the development of the canon was chiefly that of provoking a reaction
among members of the Great Church so as to ascertain still more clearly which books and
epistles conveyed the true teaching of the Gospels."
3. What are the three main tests a book had to pass when being considered for inclusion into the
canon? 1. Apostolicity. Written by an Apostle or connected to an apostle. 2. Rule of faith. The
conformity between the book and orthodoxy or right doctrine. and 3. Consensus. The
widespread and continuous use of a document by the churches.
4. How has understanding the process of canonization increased your trust in the Bible? I have
total trust that the Bible is the inspired word of God, or God breathed.
5. Who were some of the earliest Christians to translate the Bible into English? John Wycliffe,
William Tyndale (1494-1536)
6. What are the differences between the major translation philosophies? God chose three
languages for Scripture. OT written in Hebrew. Hebrew is as beautiful in its descriptive words
as it is ingenious in idiomatic expression. NT written in Greek (Koine Greek) An expressive
language to communicate the minute colors and interpretations of His doctrine. Also known as
common Greek for the common person. The various interpretations were written so that
Christians who did not know Hebrew and/or Greek could read the Bible.
Modern Translations in English
Many translations have appeared on the American scene in recent years. The following is a
summary of a selection of the more popular translations and their origin. Some of these
translations are considered essentially literal, which is a translation philosophy that understands
the relationship between the modern reader and the message of the text to be the same as that
between the original reader and the message of the text. This philosophy emphasizes the
importance of translating every word, using the same (or similar) grammatical structures as the
original, preserving idioms, and maintaining consistency in translating words from the original
languages. Other translations are in the functional or dynamic equivalence category, which
attempts to render the ancient text in such a way as to have the same impact on the contemporary
reader that it had on the ancient reader. This philosophy emphasizes that the translation should be
easy to read and have contemporary English grammar. Many translations fall between these
philosophies.
Essentially Literal Translations
Four popular essentially literal translations have recently been published. The most literal is the
New American Standard Version (NASB: 1971, 1995). The NASB is a revision of the ASV
prepared by a committee of conservative evangelicals. The New King James Version (NKJV:
1982) is an update in grammar and style from the KJV. The translators made significant changes
by removing the historic second-person pronouns (such as "thee" and "thou"). They also changed
verbs by removing the "eth" from the end (so "believeth" became "believes"). The style and
literary quality of the KJV was retained. The translators also used the same Greek text (the
Majority Text) in translation as the KJV, as opposed to other modern translations.
The English Standard Version (ESV: 2001, 2007, 2011) is a revision of the RSV. Two factors
motivated the HCSB translation: (1) Bible translations must keep pace with the rapidly changing
English language, and (2) significant advances in biblical research (such as the discovery of the
Dead Sea Scrolls) have given modern translators more information for more accurate
translations. The HCSB translation represents a high-quality, accurate translation for today's
reader.
The Living Bible in 1989. The second edition firmly moved the NLT away from the paraphrase
and into the functional equivalence category in its translation philosophy.
The Bible that has succeeded in replacing the KJV from being the standard English translation is
the New International Version (NIV: 1978, 1984, 2011). The 2011 NIV has made many
changes from the 1984 NIV but remains about 95 percent the same. Changes were made for
one of three reasons: (1) changes in the English language, (2) progress in scholarship, (3) a
concern for clarity. 24 The translators sought to strike a balance between an essentially
literal and a functional equivalence philosophy. The NIV has been the top-selling Bible
translation for over two decades.
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV: 1989) was another revision from the RSV. This was
one of the first major translations to incorporate gender-neutral language into their translation
philosophy. The gender-neutral issue in Bible translation is a dialogue over how to approach the
issue of the gender of certain words. Translators disagree over whether certain words and phrases
in Hebrew and Greek were originally gender specific or more universal. For example, Matt 4:19
reads in the KJV, "I will make you fishers of men," but in the NRSV, "I will make you fish for
people."
The New English Translation (NET: 2001, 2003, 2005) is another fresh translation from the
Hebrew and Greek. The goal of this unique translation was to provide a digital translation that
could be obtained for free on the Internet. The NET Bible contains over 60,000 translators' notes,
which often contain discussions on the Hebrew or Greek text. While the main translation is
balanced and gender neutral, the footnotes contain more literal alternative translations. 25
7. What translation do you use most often? What translation philosophy does it use? I like the
NIV Bible the most. This version uses the Functional Equivalent Translations and Attempts at
Balance.
Study Questions
What are the two universal concepts to keep in mind when reading your Bible, and how are they
defined? 1. Context. 2. Rule of interpretation.
There are two types of context when interpreting Scripture: (1) the literary context, which refers
to the surrounding words, sentences, and paragraphs; and (2) the historical context, which refers
to the culture and historical setting of the original author and audience.
No principle of interpreting Scripture is more important than context. The majority of errors in
interpretation can be resolved through studying the context more carefully. The old adage that
"you can make the Bible say anything you want it to say" is true only if you ignore literary
context. The most common way this is done is through proof texting.
2. What are some different things to look for when observing sentences? There are seven things
to look for in observing sentences:
1. Repetition
2. Contrast
3. Comparison and Metaphors
4. Cause and Effect
5. Conjunctions
6. Verbs
7. Pronouns
3. What is detrimental about reading the Bible superficially? One mandatory concept that needs
to be grasped is that the Bible cannot be read properly without being interpreted. Every word that
is read is assigned a definition. Every sentence is understood in relationship to the sentences
surrounding it. These decisions on meaning, usually taking place subconsciously, are in fact
interpretations because people filter what they read through their presuppositions. Every reader is
influenced by his or her worldview, doctrines, traditions, upbringing, and culture. People don't
just read it and understand it, because when a statement is read, it is interpreted. The question is
not whether Christians should interpret the Bible (because all people do); the question is whether
Christians interpret the Bible correctly.
4. What is the definition of genre? Genre refers to a type of literature. The Bible is written in
ancient genres with which most people today are unfamiliar.
5. What does the phrase "description versus prescription" mean? Description Versus
Prescription: Apart from context the difference between description and prescription may be the
most important principle for interpreting the Gospels. Everything in the Gospels is describing
something. The author could be describing the geographic setting for one of Jesus' messages (cf.
Mark 6:39) or describing words Jesus said. However, a command given by Jesus to someone in
the Gospels is not directly a command for Christians today. In Matt 8:1–4, Jesus healed a man
who had a skin disease. Then Jesus gave him a command in verse 4: "See that you don't tell
anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a
testimony to them." If everything described in the Gospels is automatically a command (i.e., a
prescription) for Christians today, then: (1) Never tell anyone if you've been healed of an illness.
(2) Go show yourself to the priest (which might be the modern-day pastor). (3) Obey Moses'
commands in Leviticus 14, which includes bringing two clean birds, two male lambs, and one
ewe lamb to the "priest." This is an example where a command ( a prescription) in the Gospels
does not equal a direct command today. Remember that all of Jesus' commands in the Gospels
were given to people living under the old covenant (cf. Heb 8:6–8). Even so, Matthew wrote
these words in the AD 60s for the early church, which was under the new covenant. The Gospels
are relevant for Christians today, but remembering the original setting of Jesus' life and the
setting of the church helps the reader understand how to balance description and prescription.
At the same time, just because "description does not equal prescription," 15 this does not mean
that something described is never commanded. If a descriptive element is repeated over and over
again and is always portrayed positively, then it may take on some prescriptive force. 16 There
are three parts to deciding if a description is a command for Christians today. First, look in the
passage for clues as to what the author is trying to communicate by including the story in his
narrative. Second, examine the entire book for positive and negative connotations. Third, analyze
the specific context in the book that includes the story.
6. What are some principles for interpreting parables? There are six principles in interpreting
parables.
1. First, there is one main point for every major character or group of characters. 2. The second
principle will help with this question: there are one, two, or three main points but no more. 3.
Third, always remember to consider the context. 4. Fourth, beyond the major characters and
groups, all the other details are simply props used to carry the story. Make sure you identify
relevant and irrelevant details. Anything that is not a major character or group is irrelevant with
regard to interpretation. 5. Fifth, the main points must have been intelligible to the original
audience. 6. Finally, a warning: it is best to base doctrine on clear, more straightforward
passages than on parables. Parables can be used to support doctrine, but a parable should not be
the foundational passage for a specific doctrine. The symbolic language employed in parables
makes their use in developing doctrine unwise.
7. How can you apply some of these concepts to your own study of Scripture?
