SMC Sunday School Bible Structure

"Please check the home work section weekly"

Christian Gifts

What is the Bible?

The word bible comes from the Greek "biblia" meaning Books

It is a collection of ancient writings about God (Yahweh)

... these are stories about an old agreement between God (Yahweh) and man (the Hebrews) when the Hebrews came out of Egypt ... and how it worked out.

...these are stories and teachings about a new agreement between God and man based on the teachings and life of Jesus--who opened up a relationship with God to all men who believed in Him and accepted God's forgiveness of their sins.

*Protestant Bibles include 68 writings. Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican contain 73 writings.

It was written by many different authors, mostly Hebrews, some unknown.	The writings were not chosen but acknowledged to be inspired. The Council of Hippo (393 A. D.) and subsequent councils drew up a list or canon of inspired books.
At different times-- over about 1,000 years--from about 900 B.C. to 100 A.D. At different places -- Palestine, Babylon, Egypt, Rome, Corinth. For different purposes --to teach religion and patriotism, to describe the Messiah.	For many different purposes -- --to help you understand God and His works -- to help you know how to live and act --to share stories of human experience in many literary forms -- songs and poetry -- laws and history -- prophecies, wise sayings -- short stories, letters -- to know about the most famous book in history-- a Book of 30 Centuries, the all-time best-seller!

The Old Testament (Jewish Scriptures)

A collection of religious books in Hebrew written over a period of 900years, including:
1. Histories
2. Codes of Laws
3. Speeches and Sermons
4. Poetry

39 books in the Protestant Bibles 46 books in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Bibles

5 Cover "The Law"	21 Cover "The Prophets"	13 Cover "The Writings"	7 Cover "The Second Canon"
GENESES EXODUS LEVITICUS NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY	Joshua Amos Judges Obadiah I Samuel Jonah II Samuel Micah I Kings Nahum II Kings Habakkuk Isaiah Zechariah Jeremiah Haggai Ezekial Zechariah Hosea Malachi Joel	Psalms Proverbs Job Daniel Ezra Nehemiah I Chronicles II Chronicles Song of Solomon Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther	TOBIT JUDITH WISDOM of SOLOMON SIRACH BARUCH I MACCABEES II MACCABEES plus additions to ESTHER DANIEL

The first 5 cover "The Law" (Torah)

	-- how the world began -- beliefs about origins of the human race -- origin of Hebrews and their place as the "Chosen People"	50 Chapters1st 11- Story of origins of Man next 39- Story of the fathers of the Jewish race
	--how Israelites fled Egypt --the laws they swore to observe when they made their covenant with Yahweh at Mt. Sinai	40 Chapters1st 18 - historical next 22 - laws, including the 10 Commandments
	-- more laws -- regulations for sacrifices -- how to observe Holy Days	27 Chapters1st 7- Law of Sacrifice next 3 - Consecration of the priesthood next 6- Law of the clean and unclean next 10 - The holiness code
	-- census of people --story of Israelites wandering in the wilderness	36 Chapters1st 4 and 26-- Census Other chapters-- Historical
	--story of Moses' last discourses --repeats laws	34 Chapters1st 11-- Moses address Chapters 12-26,29- Revised law Deuteronomy is Greek for "second law"

21 Books make up "The Prophets"
mostly history and sermons Including 6 historical books (Former Prophets)

1. Joshua ---story of Joshua. He was the leader of the Israelites after Moses ---Conquest of Canaan	2. Judges --Troubles in Promised Land --Fortunes of Israel depending on obedience to God's law --Rule of tribunal Chiefs	3. I Samuel --continues until the death of Saul, Israel's first king
4. II Samuel -- continues story to the last year of King David	5. I Kings --Death of David and the reign of his son, Solomon	6. II Kings --Division into two kingdoms --events leading to the downfall of both

Plus 3 "major" prophets

7. Isaiah
--ch1-39 speeches by Isaiah
--ch 40-66 told of the coming Messiah

8. Jeremiah
-- prophecies to a nation during their crisis of 40 years
--a New Covenant

9. Ezekial
--promises of salvation in a new covenant
-- conditions of a new covenant

...and 12 "minor" prophets
Called minor because their books are smaller

10. Hosea --Preaches that our God is a God of love and would forgive us	11. Joel --repentance through fasting and prayer	12. Amos --preached that God would destroy Israel for its sins
13. Obediah --Preached abut Edom joining Judah's enemies	14. Jonah --parable on love, mercy and obedience to God	15. Micah -- predictions of the birth of Christ
16. Nahum -- sermons against Nineveh	17. Habakkuk -- God's use of Babylon as a means of chastisement for Judah	18. Zephaniah -- sermons against idolatry
19. Haggai -- sermons to rebuild temple	20. Zechariah -- rebuild temple --told of the coming Messiah	21. Malachi -- Means "my messenger" --against abuses and in differences

13 books make up "The Writings"
History, philosophy, poetry

1. Psalms ---150 songs of prayer and praise	2. Proverbs --a collection of sayings both religious and worldly	3. Job -- a story of troubles to a good man
4. Daniel --a story of a captive that overcame and rose to be governor	5. Ezra --The story of the return of the Jews from Babylon	6. Nehemiah -- the story of a great leader that helped the exiles rebuild
7. I Chronicles -- history from Adam through Jacob	8. II Chronicles -- history from David through the Babylonian exile	9. Song of Solomon or Song of Songs -- love lyrics
10. Ruth --how a Moabite became an ancestor of Jesus Christ	11. Lamentations -- the fall of Jerusalem	12. Ecclesiastes -- divine wisdom

13. Esther
-- Story of a Jewish girl who became queen of Persia and saved the Jews from destruction
-- no mention of God in the Hebrew text of the entire work

... and 7 books make up the "Second Canon"

Included in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles and called "Deuterocanonical Books".Anglican Bible include these plus a few more books but they aren't considered to be part of either canon. Protestants omit these and call it the "Apocrypha."

1. Tobit --a story of faith in times of seeming abandonment	2. Judith -- a story of Israel's role of salvation	3. Wisdom of Solomon -- condemns idolatry --praise of divine Wisdom
4. Sirach --Divine moral law, moral responsibility, Divine consequences	5. Baruch --a retelling of exile of the Jews	6. I Maccabees --the Jews struggle to defend worship of Israel and fidelity to the law.

7. II Maccabees
--same revolt, through Jewish victory and later independence.

...plus additions to

Daniel
-- Song of three Children (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednnego), their prayers to God
-- Susanna and the Elders
-- Bel and the Dragon

Esther
--Greek portions of Esther to demonstrate her religiousness in the otherwise nonreligious tone in the Hebrew form

Website Design by LeAnn Chuck-DaCosta