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Division Two: The Bible and Christianity

 I. General Introduction

      1. Among all the religions by which people seek to worship, Christianity is the by far the most influential in the West.

      2. The close relationship between Judaism(犹太教） and Christianity（基督教）

        (1). It was the Jewish tradition which gave birth to Christianity.

        (2). Both Judaism and Christianity originated in Palestine(巴勒斯坦）.

      3. Hebrews(希伯来人)

        (1). The ancestors of the Jews were the Hebrews.

        (2). Hebrews means “wanderers”.

        (3). Some 3,800 years ago the Hebrews wandered through the deserts of the Middle East.

        (4). The Hebrews were traveling merchants.

        (5). The history of Hebrews was handed down orally from one generation to another in the form of folktales and stories, which were recorded later in the Old Testament《旧约》, which still later became the first part of the Christian Bible.

      4. What was the Hebrews’ major contribution to world civilization?

         The Hebrews’ major contribution to world civilization was Judaism.

II. The Old Testament

       (1). The Bible《圣经》 is a collection of religious writings comprising two parts: the Old Testament《旧约》 and the New Testament《新约》.

       (2). The Old Testament is about God and Laws of God.

       (3). The New Testament is about the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

1. The Pentateuch《摩西五经》，《旧约全书》的前五卷

       (1). The oldest and most important of the 39 books of the Old Testament are the five books, called Pentateuch.

       (2). The first five books of the Old Testament are Genesis《创世记》又译《创世纪》, Exodus《出埃及记》, Leviticus《利未记》, Numbers《民数记》 and Deuteronomy《申命记》.

       (3). Genesis is a religious account of the origin of the Hebrew people, including the origin of the world and man, the career of Isaac and the life of Jacob and his son Joseph.

       (4). Exodus is a religious history of the Hebrews during their flight from Egypt, the period when they began to receive God’s Law.

       (5). Leviticus is a collection of primitive laws.

       (6). Numbers is a combination of the account of the flight from Egypt with two censuses about the Exodus.

       (7). Deuteronomy is about the final words of Moses（摩西《圣经》故事中犹太人古代领袖） to his people, restating his orders and fifty years’ experiences as a leader.

       (8). In the beginning, says the Bible, God created the heaven and earth.

       (9). When the world was formed, God created man and woman—Adam and Eve.

   A. The Fall of Man

       a. Adam(亚当） and Eve（夏娃） lived in perfect happiness in the Garden of Eden（伊甸园）. But at the temptation of the serpent one day, Eve picked the fruit from the forbidden tree and shared it with Adam. Immediately afterwards, they were driven from Paradise and went forth into the world.

      The great flood

      1). For many hundred years the family of man multiplied and spread over the earth. Because Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and passed on the knowledge of wickedness, man became more and more corrupt. Consequently, God decided to put an end to this by destroying all life on earth in a great flood.

   B. Noah’s Ark诺亚方舟

        a. There was, however, one good man, Noah, who still remembered God and tried to be at peace with his conscience. So God spoke to Noah about His intention and told him to build an ark to protect him and his kins from the waters. Noah followed God’s instruction.

   Abraham 阿伯拉罕(相传为希伯来人的始祖)

     (1). As the legend goes, around 1900 B.C. there lived a descendent of Noah in Ur（乌尔） by the name of Abraham.

     (2). God told to Abraham that him and his people should not worship so many divinities as their neighbors did but to obey and worship him, Yahweh, as the only true God. And as a reward, God promised them the land of Canaan（迦南(《圣经》故事中称其为上帝赐给以色列人祖先的"应许之地",是巴勒斯坦,叙利亚和黎巴嫩等地的古称)）. Thus, Abraham led the Hebrews to the Promised Land, which roughly corresponds to the present-day Palestine.

  Hebrew slavery

      (1). Unfortunately a serious drought occurred about 1,800 B.C., which drove the Hebrews to Egypt.

  Exodus

      (1). Around 1,300 B.C. Moses, the famous Hebrew leader, went to see the pharaoh of Egypt, telling him that Yahweh wanted the pharaoh to end Hebrew slavery and let the Hebrews leave Egypt. With this began the Exodus, which lasted forty years.

  C. Ten Commandments 十诫(上帝在西奈山上给摩西的十条戒律，是摩西律法的基础)

       a. The forty years in the wilderness in and around the great desert made the Hebrews tough and strong, welding them into a great nation. When the wandering tribes left the desert and entered the mountainous Sinai(西奈山）, Moses climbed to the top of the mountain to receive God message, which came to be known as the Ten Commandments.

2. The Historical Books

  Book of Joshua《约书亚记》

  Book of Judges 《士师记》

  Books of Samuel (I and II)《撒母耳记》上、下

  Books of Kings (I and II)《列王记》上、下

  Books of the Chronicles (I and II)《历代记》上、下

  Book of Ezra《以斯拉书》

  Book of Nehemiah 《尼希米记》

  (1). The Historical Books of the Old Testament were written some time between 800 B.C. and 500 B. C., dealing with the history of the Hebrew people from their entry into Palestine around 1,200 B.C. till the fall of Palestine into the hands of Assyrians(亚述人） and Chaldeans( 迦勒底人） in 586 B.C.

  (2). The first king to unite the Hebrews was a warrior-farmer named Saul( 扫罗).

  (3). Saul was succeeded by David, a shepherd boy.

  (4). David killed the Philistine(腓力基人) giant Goliath（歌利亚）, rallied the Hebrew tribes against the enemy and established his political and religious capital, Jerusalem.

  (5). David was also known as a great poet and musician. He is said to have composed a great many Psalms recorded in the Old Testament.

  (6). David’s son, King Solomon after him, was known for his wisdom and wealth.

3. The Poetical Books

  A. Book of Job《约伯书》

  B. Book of Psalms《诗篇》

  C. Proverbs《箴言》

  D. Ecclesiastes《传道书》

  E. Song of Solomon《雅歌》

  a. The Book of Job is a poetic drama.

  b. The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poetic pieces, the chief hymnal of the Jews.

  c. Proverbs is a collection of moral maxims or sayings of practical nature.

  d. Ecclesiastes is a collection of sayings about the purpose of life.

  e. Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems, depicting everyday life in the countryside.

4. The Prophets

  A. Amos《阿摩司书》

  B. Jeremiah《耶利米书》

  C. The Book of Daniel《但以理书》

  a. Amos was a shepherd living around 800 B.C. who witnessed the exploitation of the poor, and corruption in the courts of justice. He warmed his people of the coming invasion by Assyria亚述(西南亚洲底格里斯河流域的古国) and Egypt and was accused of plotting revolution.

  b. Jeremiah lived through the fall of Jerusalem in 590 B. C. He had a very tragic tale to tell.

  c. The Book of Daniel, which appeared in the early days of 169 B. C. when the Jews revolted against the Syrian King Antiochus, is a story describing how Daniel and his friends were taken prisoner to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem and how they refused to compromise their faith.

How the Old Testament came into being?

  (1). While in Babylon in the 6^th century B. C., the Hebrews, now known as Jews, formed synagogues to practice their religion.

  (2). As the Jews valued their own heritage and learning, some of them began to work on Hebrews’ laws, sayings and stories of the past. And the study of these sacred writings grew to be a communal activity for the Jews in exile.

  (3). When the Jews were at last allowed to return to their homeland after 70 years, the returnees started at once to rebuild Jerusalem and the temples.

  (4). Under the famous scholar Ezra, they wrote down the laws of Moses in five books called Torah or Pentateuch in the Christian Bible. Other writings were added later to make the Old Testament of the Bible.

III. The Rise of Christianity

   (1). The early Christians’ notion of divine creation, their concern for god and salvation all stemmed from Hebrew roots.

   (2). Since its birth 2,000 years ago, Christianity based itself on two forceful beliefs which separate it from all other religions. One is that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God sent him to earth to live as humans live, suffer as humans suffer, and die to redeem mankind. The other is that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 1. The Life of Jesus

   (1). Jesus of Nazareth lived in Palestine during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus.

   (2). Jesus was born into a poor carpenter’s family.

   (3). As a Jew, Jesus received a Jewish education, and learned Judaist scriptures and prayers in the local synagogue.

   (4). At the age of 30, Jesus received the baptism at the hands of John Baptist.

   (5). Jesus spent most of his life in Galilee.

   (6). Jesus drew to him mostly social outcasts and the oppressed and repeatedly attacked Pharisees and scribes and other members of the authorities.

   (7). Jesus was betrayed by Juda.

   (8). Jesus was crucified as a revolutionary preacher and dangerous reformer.

 2. The Spread of Christianity

   (1). The Romans, tired of war and fearing the collapse of the empire, admired the courage the Christian missionaries professed and the love, kindness and security that Christianity offered.

   (2). Constantine, who believed that God had helped him in winning the battle for the throne, issued the Edict of Milan in 313, granting religious freedom to all and making Christianity legal.

   (3). If Christianity was a religious and destructive force towards a pagan Roman in the past, under Constantine the spirit of Jesus with its unifying and organizing force made great contributions to the consolidation of the empire.

   (4). The emperors who followed Constantine I continued pro-Christian policies. In 392 A. D., Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the empire and outlawed all other religious.

IV. The New Testament

  What writings make up the New Testament?

  (1). Towards the end of the fourth century four accounts were accepted as part of the New Testament, which tells the beginning of Christianity. The four accounts were believed to have been written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They tell of the birth, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus.

  (2). Then come: the Acts of Apostles《使徒行传》, a history of the early Christian movement; the Epistles《使徒书》, or letters to the church groups around the Mediterranean; and lastly the Book of Revelation《启示录》, a visionary account of the final triumph of God’s purpose.

 1. Birth of Jesus

    According to St. Matthew《马太福音》 1, Jesus was a child of the Holy Ghost.

 2. Jesus is Tempted by the Devil

    According to St. Matthew 4, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil in order to see whether Jesus was absolutely faithful to God’s teachings.

 3. The Sermon on the Mount

    According to St. Matthew 5, Jesus in his sermon on the mount blessed ten types of people, to urge his disciples to learn the fine qualities of the prophets who had been persecuted.

 4. The Last Supper

    According to St. Matthew 13, it was just before the Passover(逾越节) Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. At his last supper with his disciples, he showed who would betray him by giving a sop to Judas Iscariot.

  5. The crucifixion

     According to St. John《约翰福音》 19, the Jews had Jesus crucified because he had made himself the Son of God.

V. Translations of the Bible

   Why do we say the Bible has shaped Western culture more decisively than anything else ever written?

   (1). The Bible is the essential of Western civilization, having shaped the Western civilization more decisively than anything else ever written.

   (2). The Bible is much more than a religious book.

   (3). The Bible is really an encyclopedia reflecting most extensively Western ideas and culture.

   (4). All in one, the Bible is history, literature, and a record of great minds.

   (5). The Bible has left an enormous influence on the human race.

   The Translation of the Bible

   (1). The oldest extant Greek translation of the Old Testament is known as the Septuagint七十子希腊文本《圣经》, which is extremely invaluable because the texts from which it is translated have been lost and no copy of the original translation can be found.

   (2). The most ancient extant Latin version of the whole Bible is the Vulgate 拉丁文《圣经》 edition by St. Jerome 圣哲罗姆.

   (3). The first English version of the whole Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate in 1382 by the early group of reformers led by John Wycliff.

   (4). The most important and influential of English Bible is the “Authorized” of King James’ version钦定英译本《圣经》, first published in 1611.

   Two great reservoirs of Modern English

    1). It is generally accepted that the English Bible and Shakespeare are two great reservoirs of Modern English.