TRACING THE BIBLE PART TWO

Previously, Catholic translations of the Bible into modern languages were usually based on the Latin Vulgate, the text used in the liturgy. They generally used the original texts, in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, only to clarify the exact meaning of the Latin text.

In his encyclical the Pope stressed the importance of diligent study of these original languages and other cognate languages, so as to arrive at a deeper and fuller knowledge of the meaning of the sacred texts. He stated that "the original text ... having been written by the inspired author himself, has more authority and greater weight than any even the very best translation, whether ancient or modern" (Divino Afflante Spiritu, 16).

Since then Catholic translations of the Bible are based directly on the texts found in manuscripts in the original languages, taking into account also the ancient translations that sometimes clarify what seem to be transcription errors in those manuscripts, although the Latin Vulgate remains the official Bible of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

The Bible is the collection of sacred writings or books of Judaism and Christianity. The books of the Bible vary depending on tradition.

The collection of books used by Judaism is called the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible.

The collection of books used by Christianity is called the Holy Bible, Scriptures, Word of God, or Christian Bible. Christianity includes the books of the Tanakh within a section of the Bible called the Old Testament, though these books are traditionally ordered differently and may include additional books. The Christian Bible also includes a second section called the New Testament.
Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox include these books in the Old Testament:
Torah/Pentateuch
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1-2 Samuel
1-2 Kings
1-2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Minor Prophets

Roman Catholic and Orthodox include but Jews and Protestants exclude:
Tobit
Judith
1-2 Maccabees
Wisdom of Solomon
Ben Sira Baruch
Additions to Daniel
Additions to Esther

Orthodox [Synod of Jerusalem] include
1 Edras
3-4 Maccabees Prayer of Manasseh
Psalm 151

Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox includes:
2 Edras

Ethiopian Orthodox Includes:
Jubilees
Enoch
1-3 Meqabyan

Syriac Peshitta Bible includes:
Psalm 152-155 2 Baruch

The term deuterocanonical is sometimes used to describe those books of the New Testament which, like the deuterocanonicals of the Old Testament, were not universally accepted by the early Church, but which are now included in the 27 books of the New Testament recognized by almost all Christians. The deuterocanonicals of the New Testament are as follows:
The Book of Hebrews
The Second Epistle of Peter
The Second Epistle of John
The Third Epistle of John
The Epistle of James
The Epistle of Jude
The Apocalypse of John

While individual books within the Christian Bible present narratives set in certain historical periods, most Christian denominations teach that the Bible itself has an overarching message.
There are among Christians wide differences of opinion as to how particular incidents as described in the Bible are to be interpreted and as to what meaning should be attached to various prophecies. However, Christians in general are in agreement as to the Bible's basic message.

Many people who identify themselves as Christians, Muslims, or Jews regard the Bible as inspired by God yet written by a variety of imperfect men over thousands of years. Belief in sacred texts is attested to in Jewish antiquity, and this belief can also be seen in the earliest of Christian writings.

Various texts of the Bible mention Divine agency in relation to prophetic writings, the most explicit being 2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice." In their book A General Introduction to the Bible, Norman Geisler and William Nix wrote: "The process of inspiration is a mystery of the providence of God, but the result of this process is a verbal, plenary, inerrant, and authoritative record.

During the Protestant Reformation, certain reformers proposed different canonical lists than what was currently in use. Though not without debate, the list of New Testament books would come to remain the same; however, the Old Testament texts present in the Septuagint, but not included in the Jewish canon, fell out of favour. In time they would come to be removed from most Protestant canons. Hence, in a Catholic context these texts are referred to as deuterocanonical books, whereas in a Protestant context they are referred to as Apocrypha, the label applied to all texts excluded from the Biblical canon.

Thus, the Protestant Old Testament of today has a 39-book canon—the number varies from that of the books in the Tanakh (though not in content) because of a different method of division—while the Roman Catholic Church recognizes 46 books as part of the canonical Old Testament. The term “Hebrew Scriptures” is only synonymous with the Protestant Old Testament, not the Catholic, which contains the Hebrew Scriptures and additional texts. Both Catholics and Protestants have the same 27-book New Testament Canon.

Here let me insert a very brief description of what that Protestant Reformation was about. The Reformation was a movement in the 16th century to reform the Catholic Church in Western Europe. Many western Christians were troubled by what they saw as false doctrines and malpractice's within the Church, particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. Another major contention was the tremendous corruption within the Church's hierarchy, all the way up to the Bishop of Rome, who appointed individuals to various positions within the Church (bishop, cardinal, etc.) on the basis of financial contributions.

In 1517, Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses On the Power of Indulgences criticizing the Church, including its practice of selling indulgences, and their policy on purgatory. He was building on work done by John Wycliffe and Jan Huss, and other reformers joined the cause. Church beliefs and practices under attack by Protestant reformers included purgatory, particular judgment, devotion to Mary, the intercession of the saints, most of the sacraments, and the authority of the Pope.

The Protestant zeal for translating the Bible and getting it into the hands of the laity was empowered by the invention of movable type which advanced the culture of Biblical literacy.

Bible translations for many languages have been made through the various influences of Catholicism, Orthodox, Protestant, etc especially since the Protestant Reformation. The Bible has seen a notably large number of English language translations.

The work of Bible translation continues, including by Christian organizations such as Wycliffe Bible Translators (wycliffe.net), New Tribes Missions (ntm.org) and the Bible Societies (biblesociety.org). Of the world's 6,900 languages, 2,400 have some or all of the Bible, 1,600 (spoken by more than a billion people) have the translation underway, and some 2,500 (spoken by 270 million people) are judged as needing translation to begin.

I shall end with this. Please read the following again. It amazes me that one can say to “use the original only to clarify”. That to arrive at a deeper understanding ...greater weight then any translation” the original text. And “clarify what seem to be transcription errors in those manuscripts ….the Latin Vulgate remains the official Bible …

People I have a problem with that. If you are suppose to be the Head and you say that the original texts are written by the inspired author Himself, and has more than the Bible you use, that you use this text to clarify what you read, and there are errors in your manuscripts, there is a problem and it is with the book you call the Bible.

But I will be fair in this. I am open minded. Tomorrow we will start back at Religion 101 and look at the groups one by one. What can stand and what will fall.

I will set out to prove that the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of the only Living God is fact, and all other beliefs are wrong. That those that do not claim Him, and those that add to what He taught are wrong..

God Bless
rECj/LJG