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📖 Understanding Scripture – Session 2

Written by

Jay Downes

in

Teacher: John Sura
Date: May 25, 2025

❓ Key Questions Explored

  • Do we have the right books of the Bible?
  • Were the books chosen by the Council of Nicaea?
  • When were chapters and verses introduced?
  • How can I choose the best translation?
  • Does Old Testament law apply to me today?

📜 Canon vs. Transmission

📘 Canon = List of Authoritative Books

“The canon is a list of authoritative books more than it is an authoritative list of books.” — Bruce Metzger

The formation of the biblical canon didn’t make these books authoritative—they were already recognized by the early Church as inspired by God. The councils simply acknowledged what was already known.

🧬 Transmission from 1st–4th Century

  • Multiple lines of manuscript transmission ensured that no single person or group could alter or control the biblical narrative.
  • Early Christians preserved and circulated writings across different regions.

✅ Canonical Criteria

  1. Authorship – Was it written by a prophet or apostle?
  2. Confirmation – Was it validated by miracles or eyewitness testimony?
  3. Acceptance – Was it received and confirmed by the people of God and other Scripture?

🏛️ Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

  • Emperor Constantine the Great reigned 306–337 AD
  • Converted to Christianity in 312
  • Edict of Milan (313 AD): Legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire

Clarification:

The Council of Nicaea never discussed which books belong in the Bible.

What It Did Do:

  • Responded to the Arian Controversy (denied Christ’s divinity)
  • Defended against Modalism (one God acting in different modes)
  • Affirmed the divinity of Jesus Christ
  • Established church conduct guidelines
  • Set a universal Easter date
  • Produced the Nicene Creed

🎅 Fun Fact: St. Nicholas (yes, Santa) famously opposed Arius.

🧾 Chapter and Verse Divisions

  • Original biblical texts had no chapters or verses.
  • Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, created chapter divisions in 1227 AD.
  • Wycliffe Bible (1382): First English Bible using these divisions.
  • Rabbi Isaac Nathan added OT verse divisions in the 1400s.
  • Geneva Bible (1560) was the first to use both chapters and verses.

📚 Bible Translation Philosophies

1. Formal Equivalence (“Word-for-Word”)

  • 📖 Examples: NASB, ESV, KJV
  • ✅ Best for: Study and precision
  • ⚠️ Cons: Rigid or harder to read

2. Dynamic Equivalence (“Thought-for-Thought”)

  • 📖 Examples: NIV, NLT
  • ✅ Best for: Clarity, devotionals, outreach
  • ⚠️ Cons: Can obscure original structure or nuance

3. Optimal Equivalence

  • 📖 Example: CSB
  • 🎯 Strikes a balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought.

4. Paraphrase (“Interpretive”)

  • 📖 Examples: The Message, The Living Bible
  • ✅ Highly readable
  • ⚠️ Not ideal for doctrinal study (high interpretive risk)

📖 ESV – English Standard Version

  • Philosophy: Essentially Literal (Formal Equivalence)
  • Published: 2001 by Crossway
  • Text base:
    • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
    • NT: Nestle-Aland Greek NT (27th ed.)
  • Ideal for: Expository teaching, memorization

📖 NIV – New International Version

  • Philosophy: Dynamic Equivalence (Thought-for-Thought)
  • Published: 1978 (rev. 1984, 2011)
  • Text base:
    • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
    • NT: Nestle-Aland and UBS Greek NT
  • Ideal for: Devotionals, teaching, general reading

📌 Is It Better to Be Literal or Understandable?

Depends on your goal—precision (study) vs. clarity (readability).

📖 Luke 9:44

  • ESV: “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
  • NIV: “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

🚫 Translations to Avoid

  • New World Translation (NWT) – Denies Jesus’ divinity (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
  • The Passion Translation – Not peer-reviewed; highly interpretive; incomplete

📜 Do Old Testament Laws Apply Today?

  • Old Testament = Old Covenant
  • A conditional agreement made with Israel
  • Blessing depended on obedience to the Law (Exodus 19–20)
  • The Law revealed sin and set Israel apart

📜 Major Biblical Covenants

🌈 1. Noahic Covenant – Preservation

  • Genesis 9:11 – “Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood.”
  • Sign: Rainbow

🌍 2. Abrahamic Covenant – Promise

  • Genesis 12:2–3 – “I will make of you a great nation… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
  • Sign: Circumcision

🗺️ 3. Land Covenant – Possession

  • Deuteronomy 30:5 – “The Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed…”
  • Note: Also called the Palestinian Covenant

📜 4. Mosaic Covenant – Law

  • Exodus 19:5–6 – “If you obey my voice… you shall be my treasured possession.”
  • Sign: Sabbath

👑 5. Davidic Covenant – Kingship

  • 2 Samuel 7:16 – “Your throne shall be established forever.”

✝️ 6. New Covenant – Redemption

  • Jeremiah 31:31–34 – “I will make a new covenant… I will write it on their hearts… I will forgive their iniquity…”
  • Luke 22:20 – “This cup… is the new covenant in my blood.”
  • Hebrews 8:13 – “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.”

📖 1 Corinthians 10:1–12 (ESV)

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction… Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Old Testament events were types and shadows, not binding laws—but critical for our understanding of covenant, obedience, and grace.

📖 2 Corinthians 3:13–17 (ESV)

“We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face… But their minds were hardened… when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

📖 Hebrews 8:6–13 (ESV)

“Christ has obtained a ministry that is… better, since it is enacted on better promises… I will put my laws into their minds… I will be merciful… and I will remember their sins no more.”

🕊️ Summary:

The covenants show God’s faithfulness. The New Covenant, through Christ, completes and surpasses what came before. We’re no longer bound by the Law but are transformed by grace through the Spirit.

📍 VoxNotas | Understanding Scripture Series

Exploring the canon, covenants, and clarity of the Word of God in the light of Christ.

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