Page 11 - Old Testament Survey Student Textbook

coated with wax) were bound together to make a book. The same was done with leaves or sheets of
papyrus. A codex, then, is a leaf book. The codex was a significant improvement over scrolls, being
easier to manage and easier to use in locating passages, But scrolls continued to use in a synagogue
even after the second century A.D., when the codex was introduced for the private use. Christians
quickly adopted the codex for its convenience, allowing multiple books in one codex. Initially codices
were made of papyrus, but it was soon found that parchment (scrapped animal skin that was soaked in
line) could be inscribed on both sides, producing even less bulky and more durable. As a result, the term
biblia evolved again, referring more broadly to codices or books.

The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament produced probably between
250 and 100 B.C., uses the word biblia, in Daniel 9:2 to refer to Jeremiah’s words, which
may have been in form of letters or collection of prophets. Early Greek-speaking
Christians employed the plural for Biblica to refer to the entire collection of Old and New
Testament books, as explained by F.F Bruce, former professor of New Testament at the
university of Manchester: “Latin-speaking Christians then borrowed the word biblia but
treated it as singular noun, and from its Latin use the English word ‘Bible’ and similar
forms in many other languages have been derived.

The earliest recorded instance of the term biblia applied to the documents of the Christian church is
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found in 2 Clement. 14.2., which states “the books (biblia)… has existed from the beginning.”

Understanding to read the Old Testament

The big issue that most people struggle with is, can we understand the Bible? Or is it just for
some highly trained scholars. In this passage we will look at how we can understand the meaning of the
Bible. First and foremost, since the Old Testament is being understood as God’s revelation of himself,
we cannot be satisfied to read it for its factual details alone. Those details make up what we can call the
storyline of the text. The storyline is comprised of the people, places, dates, and event---the raw
materials of the history of Israel. The Old Testament is full such details, extent that reader can be
overwhelmed trying to master them. While the storyline is an essential foundation for understanding
the text, it is important to recognize that the mastery of the details of the storyline is secondary to a
more central concern. What is more significant than an understanding of the people and events is an
understanding of God and his plan? Thus, we need to pay attention to what can be called the plotline of
the Old Testament. The plotline goes beyond the factual content to the message of each book and of
the whole. It identifies that which makes the literature not just narrative history, but Scripture. It is
concerned with the theology of the text, not just the framework; the substance of the meaning, not just
the trivia of the medium. A reader could have absolute mastery of the storyline, and be impacted not all
by the plotline. One could believe that the events took place and the people were historical, but failing
to be impacted by the God of the Bible and his story would miss the point entirely. The compelling
reason to read the Bible is not to be found in the sweep of its narrative, but in reality, of the God who is
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revealed in its pages.

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