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Sacred Scripture

"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them."
(The Book of Common Prayer)

The Bible

The term "Bible" is derived from the Greek phrase "ta biblia," which translates to "the books." The Bible is actually a collection of books authored by various writers over different periods and cultural contexts. In its current form, the Bible consists of the books of the Old and New Testaments, along with additional texts referred to as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books.

 

The Bible represents the spiritual heritage of a specific cultural group, namely the Israelites or Jews, from around the 10th century BCE to the 1st century CE in the ancient Levant. Nonetheless, the story remains relevant to millions of people worldwide because we believe it carries the imprint of God's self-revelation to Israel and to all of creation.

God's Self-Revelation
All religion, in some fashion, seeks to make known divine communication to humanity. For Israel, as revealed in the Old Testament, their God became made manifestly known through creation, through the mighty acts by which the Lord God saved Israel, and through the words spoken by the prophets. It was through experiencing "the ways of God with men" that Israel came to recognize their God as "the one true and living God" (see Dei Verbum, 11, Second Vatican Council).

Ultimately, Jesus, the beloved Son and the Word made flesh, dwelled among us and revealed the fullness of God. This narrative forms the content and message of the New Testament.

To fully understand the Bible as God’s revelation, it cannot simply be viewed as a historical document for people living two thousand years ago. While it is a record of the beliefs of a communal faith, lived, witnessed, and passed on by a culturally unique group, the Bible can still speak to contemporary audiences. Therefore, as we read the narratives of the faith experience of Israel and the early Christians, we must discern how the living God still reveals God's self today.

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When we refer to the Scriptures as the Word of God, we mean that they are divinely inspired as a means of self-revelation. We would do well to remember that the “Word of God” encompasses various interconnected concepts: creation, the events of salvation history, Jesus Christ, and the ongoing preaching of God’s message, among others. Moreover, while the Scriptures are regarded as inspired by God, they are also the product of human authors, containing language that reflects cultural and historical contexts.

The Canon
The term canon derived brom the Greek canon and the Hebrew qaneh, bother referring to a "rod" or a "bar" used for measuring. In the earliest days of the Christian movement, canon referred to a rule or norm of faith (regula fidei) used to measure fidelity to the apostolic preaching. By the 4th century, it began to denote a collection of writings recognized for their ecclesiastical usage and normative value for teaching the faith.


The canon of Scripture we have today is a carefully curated collection, selected and organized by a measure of expert knowledge and established criteria. This curation involved layers of decision-making,  There are many layer of curation involved, from the storytellers deciding which narratives to share to the decisions made by Jewish and Christian leaders about which texts to ultimately include. This was an informal process, at first, that evolved into a more formal one over time.

For Anglicans, the canon of Scripture contains the Old Testament, Apocrypha (deuterocanon), and New Testament. ​​

​​​​​​​​​Translations
The Scriptures, rooted in their historical context, were originally composed in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. There are several good and reputable English translations available, many approved for use in The Episcopal Church. At Christ The King Episcopal Church, we use The New Revised Standard Version for Sunday Worship and generally for group Bible study.​​​​​​​​​​​​

THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE
* indicates Apocrypha

OLD TESTAMENT

TORAH

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Numbers, Deuteronomy

HISTORICAL BOOKS

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings,
1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Esther (incl. additions*), Judith*,

Tobit*, 1-2 Maccabees*

PROPHETS

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,

Daniel (incl. additions*), Baruch*

​The Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

PSALMS & WISDOM LITERATURE

Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,

Song of Songs, Sirach*, Wisdom*

NEW TESTAMENT

GOSPELS & ACTS

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts of the Apostles

PAULINE LETTERS

Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,

1-2 Thessalonians, Philemon,1-2 Timothy, Titus

CATHLIC LETTERS

1-2 Peter, James, Jude, 1-2-3 John

OTHER WRITING

Hebrews (Sermon), Revelation (Apocalypse)​

CONTACT

863-858-1948

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

Christ the King Episcopal Church

6400 North Socrum Loop Road

Lakeland, Florida  33809

ALL MAIL

Christ the King Episcopal Church

PO Box 1176

Kathleen, Florida  33849-1176

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