Search the Scriptures Live

The earliest Christian biblical interpretations outside the NT are found in the second century Fathers. We will look at the lives, key writings and important contributions of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, then discuss the first great "School" of interpretation: Alexandria. Music attribution: "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://c...

All the Old Testament is interpreted in the light of Christ. He fulfilled the Law, both rejecting extreme legalism but also expanding it, showing that he expected us to go beyond the Law. The Ten Commandments are NOT the standard for Christians. Why not? What does it mean? Music attribution: "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http:/...

We have often read about Jesus in the Scriptures but how did he himself interpret them? Christ's own interpretations of Jewish Scriptures along with his methodology and attitude toward them laid the foundation of how the Christian Church would apply them. Music attribution: "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.o...

The roots of Orthodox biblical interpretation are found in Christ himself, followed by the apostles. How did Jesus interpret the Scriptures? How did other rabbis interpret them? Why does the Bible even require interpretation if we are all using the same New Testament? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/lic...

After following up with questions about some apocryphal historical errors that appear in Church hymns, we will turn our attention to early Jewish and pagan interpretation and how that impacted Christian biblical interpretation. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

False books, "apocrypha," were written by heretics who signed the names of apostles to give them credibility. But some apocrypha were not heretical. They contained stories about the youth of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Is there anything wrong with reading those stories? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/lic...

Who created the apocrypha and why? Why did the Fathers oppose Christians reading them? In this lesson, we will look at the rise of apocryphal writings and discuss why they were created. We will read excerpts from them to illustrate why they were rejected by the Church. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/li...

Although general consensus for the NT canon was reached around AD 400, many surprising variations continued. Complete uniformity did not exist for hundreds of years. Revelation was in, then out, then in. Why? Ethiopia has a unique canonical tradition we will also explore. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org...

What were the main factors considered for including books in the Christian canon, which books were easily accepted, and which books faced opposition? Who decided ultimately which books the New Testament would contain? The answer is not what you think! "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Certain controversies arose during the second century that created problems for the writings of the Apostle John. Some actively lobbied to keep the Gospel out of the New Testament. What was their motivation, what accusations did they raise and who came to John's defense? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/...

Developments occurred in the second century that impacted the Church, and eventually, controversies and crises created the need for a Christian collection of Scripture. But which books would be included? Apostolic writings were not immediately considered "Scripture." Why not? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons...

How did the Jewish Scriptures function for the early Church? What was the Jewish canon for the Jews and for the first Christians? When and why did Christians begin to compose and collect their own writings? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Is there a "best" English translation? What does a translator consider when choosing between words? Which popular Bibles are actually not translations but distortions? Dr Jeannie share her experiences as a translator and compares various versions for efficacy and accuracy. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.or...

The number of English Versions has exploded in recent years. Why? How are they different? What should you consider and what should you avoid? We'll look at the history of the English Bible, and Dr Jeannie will share some of her personal experiences in doing translation work. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons....

Accurate and effective translation of the Bible requires language knowledge but also other skills. What considerations must translators weigh and how does their approach affect the final version? What should readers bear in mind? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Certain translations of the Bible have played an important role in Christian and Jewish history, especially the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text. Why were they created and why are they important? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Critics of Christianity claim that the birth of Jesus is simply copied from pagan mythologies. We'll examine those claims and make a true comparison of the "other accounts" of Virgin Births in antiquity. Are they in fact similar or not? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the first of two special lessons on the Nativity of Christ, we will look at lesser discussed details about the birth of Christ, such as how the devil was deceived and why the name of David is mentioned often in the genealogy of Christ, with the Fathers as our guides! "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/l...

No two manuscripts of any biblical book are exactly alike. Why not? Does this affect the reliability of the Scriptures, and should we be concerned? What do ancient manuscripts look like? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Your neatly printed Bible is based on thousands of handwritten manuscripts. Where are they? How old are they? How were manuscripts produced in the past, and how are they analyzed today? What happens when manuscripts don't agree? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Early Christians relied on oral tradition since that was the norm in education, not only for them but for all ancient people. There were also many times when Christians intentionally did not write important things down. Is there any evidence that oral tradition is reliable? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.o...

The Bible relies heavily on oral tradition, even though it is written. Why is that the case? How did early Christians learn about Jesus? How did they interact with Scriptures, and what role did oral tradition play in the Church? Is oral tradition reliable, and if so, how? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org...

The concept that God actually gets angry and has similar human emotions and traits is not only theologically incorrect but spiritually damaging. This week, we hear from both listeners and the Fathers as we continue to discuss biblical language when it must not be taken literally. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecom...

As we continue our discussion of why God does not get angry, jealous, or otherwise behave as a human being, we will look at some of the most famous passages of the Bible and how the Fathers explain the "behavior" of God, especially in Genesis. "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Reorienting ourselves to think differently about God is a challenge, but necessary if we are to have a correct understanding of God and the Bible. Even the ancient Fathers understood that God does not get angry or jealous. Can we raise our minds to understand why? "Galway" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/license...