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Bible Basics > Bible Overview |
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BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
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| Table of Contents | |||
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| Central Message | |||
| Old Testament (OT) Summary | |||
| Intertestamental History Summary | |||
| New Testament (NT) Summary | |||
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The Bible's Central Message is God working out His purpose with man. God created man, then when man rejected God, God enacted His plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, to provide a way of salvation to those who believe. We see this plan was devised from the beginning in the OT and fulfilled by Jesus in the NT. In short, the Bible is about Jesus, the coming Messiah of the OT and our Savior in the NT. The OT people looked forward by faith to His coming. Today, by faith, we can look back at the Cross for our salvation, and look forward with assurance to the future. |
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The books of the Old Testament (OT) can be categorized as follows. See our OT at a Glance and more detailed Book by Book Summary for more information. The Books of Moses aka Books of the Law The first book, Genesis, covers over 2000 years and begins with the creation. It also covers man's original sin, the flood and the election of the nation of Israel as God's chosen people. The next four books tell of the Israelites exodus from Egypt, wanderings in the desert, giving of the law, the sacrificial system (which foreshadowed the once-for-all atonement by Christ), and preparations for entering the promised land (~1400 BC). The Historical Books These book (Joshua to Esther), provide a historical record of the Israelites (Hebrews or Jews) with emphasis on God's dealings with them. These books include the conquest of the promised land (Israel), the period of the judges, the monarchy, the division of Judah and Israel, banishment from the land (the exile), and the return (~1400 - 500 BC). You'll notice a continuing cycle of rebellion by the people, judgment from God, repentance by the people, and blessing from God. The Poetic Books aka Books of Wisdom The books, written primarily in poetic form, offer much important teaching and insights into the character of God. You'll find songs, prayers, and many principles for leading a Godly life. The Books of the Prophets Most people think of a prophet is one who has insight or visions of future events. While this was one of the prophet's functions, their main duty was to call the people back into compliance with God's requirements (the law). The prophets also foretold of the coming Messiah (anointed one), who would bring a golden era of peace to Israel and ultimately, the entire world. These books cover the time period before, during and after the exile (~875 - 430 BC). The prophets were classified as either major or minor prophets, not by importance, but by the length of their writing. The Minor Prophets were originally one book called "Book of the Twelve", and still are in the Jewish Bible. The Apocrypha These books were mostly written in the Intertestamental Period (see next section). The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church include some of these writings in their canon of scripture. Although the Apocrypha contains valuable historical information, both Protestants and Jews deny the inspiration of these writings. While the OT is quoted frequently by Jesus and the NT authors, neither quoted from the Apocrypha. The church fathers seem to be split, some included these writings while others rejected them. [TOC] [Top of Page] |
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At the close of the OT, the Jews were living in Palestine (aka Israel, aka Judea) under the rule of the Persian Empire. In 332BC, the Greeks assumed power through the military exploits of Alexander the Great. Alexander's conquests spread the Greek Culture (Hellenism), and Koine (common) Greek became the language of the land (later becoming the language of the NT). Hellenism emphasized education, athletics, art and philosophy. Upon Alexander's sudden death in 323AD, his kingdoms were divided among his four generals. After twenty years of constant wars, the Ptolemies gained control of Palestine from 301BC to 198BC. During this time, the Jews experienced a relatively peaceful period of freedom of government and religion. In 198BC, at the Battle of Panium, the Seleucids, under the leadership of Antiochus III, came into power. This began a power struggle for the Jew's loyalty, and in 188BC, Antiochus was forced to sign a peace treaty with the Romans, which required giving up land and paying an annual tribute, thus basically reducing him to the role of tax collector for Rome. Later, his son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to the throne and led an campaign into Egypt in 169BC, but was forced to retreat by the Romans. Defeated and behind on payments to Rome, he plundered the Jerusalem temple on at least one occasion (possibly twice), greatly outraging the Jews. He then erected alters in the temple and sacrificed a pig to the god Zeus. This desecration of the temple led to the Maccabean Revolt, by which the Jews, led by Judas the Maccabee (the hammer) reclaimed power and cleansed the temple. The rededication of the temple in 164BC is annually commemorated by the Jews in the celebration of Hanukkah, the festival of lights (also Feast of Dedication). The Maccabean rule was characterized by religious and political freedom and the emergence of the Hasidim, the probable spiritual ancestors of the Pharisees (and possibly the Essenes, likely authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls). In 142BC, the Hasmoneans rule began and Judea became an independent state. According to Josephus, the Hasmonean family name originated with the great-great-grandfather of Judas the Maccabee. The Hasmonean rule was characterized by wars and internal strife, including a civil war that killed over fifty thousand Jews. In 63BC, the Roman general Pompey imposed Roman control over Judea, ending the Hasmonean Dynasty. In 37BC, Herod, governor of Galilee, with Roman support, invaded Judea and captured Jerusalem. Herod, who became known as Herod the Great, conducted massive building projects, including a grand new temple which began in 20BC and was completed in 64AD. Herod is most famous for his efforts to kill the Christ child. Herod died in 4BC, which brings us to the NT era. So, we now see that from the close of the OT, God, in His perfect timing, took approximately 400 years to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. The Middle East was now in a time of relative peace, open trade (the Romans had built a great network of roads and cleared the sea of pirates), religious freedom, and the majority spoke a common language (Greek). The people were also spiritually hungry. The Greek and Eastern philosophies left little hope of an afterlife, and fatalism and low morality (Romans 1) was rampant. It was under these conditions that God, "in the fullness of time" (Gal 4:4), sent his Son with the message of peace, forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. After the events of the NT (see next section) except Revelation, relations between the Jews and Romans grew progressively worse. Matter finally boiled over in 66AD, when the Zealots (Jews opposed to any foreign rule) took Masada and drove the Romans from Jerusalem. In response, the Roman general Titus brutally recaptured Jerusalem and burned the Temple. During mop up operations, when the walls at Masada were breached, the Romans found only a handful of women and children alive. The remainder had chosen death over defeat. After the war, the Pharisees became the dominate religious group, Synagogues sprang up, and the separation of the Christians from Judaism became complete. One final revolt, the
Bar Kochba Revolt, broke out in 132AD. This was led by Simon bar
Kochba, whom many Jews at the time thought to be the Jewish Messiah.
The Romans retook Judah in 135AD at a great cost to both sides
(estimated one million dead). The result of the revolt was even
more damaging for the Jews. They were forbidden to enter Jerusalem and
many of their religious observances were outlawed in Judea. The
Jews were dispersed throughout the Roman territories, and would not
return to their homeland until 1948. |
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The Historical Book
Pauline Epistles
General Epistles
Revelation |
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